WWII

World War II was the most significant event of the 20th century, transforming the world and the lives of all who survived. 

On October 23, 2024, the US Navy announced that after twenty-five years, a ship commissioned the USS Atlanta will once again sail the seas of the world. The last USS Atlanta, a nuclear-powered attack submarine, was retired in 1999, the fifth such ship to bear the name of the city.

A potential donor’s offer of a WWII logbook opens Sue VerHoef’s recounting of U-505’s capture, vital to Allied code-breaking efforts. Janice Benario, a former WAVE, details her secret wartime translation work, revealing the profound impact of the Enigma machine’s seizure on the war’s outcome.

Alvin Cullum York was a US solder who was awarded the Medal of Honor, the Legion of Honor, and the Croix de Guerre for bravery during WWII.

E. E. McKennon pauses her welding work on a ship at the J.A. Jones Construction Company shipyard in May, 1943.

The Women with Silver Wings: The Inspiring True Story of the Women Airforce Service Pilots of World War II. In conversation with GPB’s Virginia Prescott.