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Oral History Interviews. Thirty years US Army Engineer- MA in WWII History and an MA in Public History. Established WW2 History Archive.
Director WW2 History Archive
Harpers Ferry, VW 25425
304-596-1380
[email protected]
WWII Oral Historian, Author and Editor
http://oralhistoryaudiobooks.blogspot.com/
[email protected]
WWII Oral Historian, Playwright and Producer
http://www.deareva.org/about.html
[email protected]
Mary Owen-Daughter of TV and WWII Movie Star Donna Reed
The first American military action in the Eastern Atlantic Theater was the invasion of The Mediterranean Sea was a major gateway to the invasion of the Nazi Empire. The Allies, led by the US, invaded Europe through Sicily and Italy a year before the Normandy invasion. The larger D-Day invasion in Normandy overshadowed the surrender of Rome in early June 1944. Italy was a model for Nazi Germany, yet surrendered to the Allies early. The Nazis invaded Greece; resistance was a legend; Britain and her commonwealth defended with a vengeance. The British Battles of North Africa were dramatic. The Middle East is often ignored in WWII History—the critical defense of the Suez Canal and the liberation of Iraq and Iran. Germany and Japan planned to create a permanent corridor through the Middle East to supply each other. Germany, France and Italy battled the British and Americans. Africans and Indians volunteered to fight the Axis.
From 1941 until 1945, the largest war in world history was between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. It began after two years of cooperating as Axis partners. Early post-war estimates were 40 million Soviets killed, mostly civilians. The book also covers the US Air Force, and OSS forays into the Axis-aligned countries: Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Romania, Bulgaria, Finland and Albania. Included are Slovenian, Polish and Soviet military, resistance fighters’ and civilian interviews, as well as the remarkable Baltic countries’ resistance to both Nazi Germany and the Soviets. The Nazi Extermination Camps are presented as well as a large number of Nazi concentration camps.
Some of the most compelling interviews with heroic American veterans of D-Day, the breakout from France, the early Allied Invasion of the Netherlands, the invasion of Southern France, the Battle of the Bulge, crossing the Rhine, the liberation of Concentration Camps and much else. German invasions, occupations and collaboration of Denmark, Norway, Belgium, France, and the Netherlands. Civilian resistance to these. The “neutral” countries' secret support of the Nazis. Besides the United Kingdom, nearly every European government sided with the Axis at some point, many even before the War—allied liberation of western Germany and occupied territory.
The book covers the extraordinary history of the Asian-Pacific War from 1943 to 1945. The final push to take the islands leading to Japan during this period were most of the American causalities. America’s liberation of the Philippines. It includes many interviews with WWII Veterans by the author, the heroes of Okinawa, Iwo Jima, and more: covert operations, the American Liberation of the POW Death Camps behind enemy lines. The complete story of the Iwo Jima flag-raising with eyewitness accounts—histories of Medal of Honor recipients. The incredible story of the USS Indianapolis. We include accounts from the Japanese military. Japanese historians revealed declassified events in the post-war era surrounding the Japanese capitulation and the Soviet invasion of Japan during its surrender to Allied forces. American Heroes sacrificed to win the War and then win Japanese civilian support during the occupation.
This is a concise but comprehensive dramatic history of the Asian-Pacific War from 1931 to 1943. The forgotten China, India, and Burma Theater were much more critical to winning the War than is typically acknowledged. It provides background on how Japan developed into a warring nation and the many surprising lesser-known events that led up to the bombing of Pearl Harbor, which still reverberates today. The Allies of Asia were the most culturally and ethnically diverse military Alliance in history—stories of the astounding heroic Filipinos who resisted the Japanese against all odds. An estimated 25 to 30 million were killed by the Japanese Military and their Asian Axis partners; it is rarely stated that 95% or more were Asian and they were mostly civilians. The book includes captivating interviews with American WWII veterans and those from Allied and Axis Nations.
Interviews with Chuck Klein- A veteran of New Guinea, Leyte, Mindanao, and the Balikpapan Landings. Chuck was a rescuer of Sailors at Leyte Gulf.
Interview with Lou Graziano-At 100 years young, he is the last witness to the German surrender at Reims, France, on 8 May 1945. He was in combat on D-Day and the Battle of the Bulge.
America Under Attack: The Secret History of WWII is a state-by-state narration of the often little-known attacks by the Japanese in Hawaii, Alaska, West Coast States and the Germans on our East Coast. Interviews with eyewitnesses and artwork are included.
USS Tide Presentation based on our book released in 2019.
A presentation was given on at the National Museum of the American Sailor on the history if the USS Tide. Jim Gardner, the last survivor of the USS Tide was skyped into the event. The original American flag from the USS Tide along with related documents were donated to the Museum. This flag was recused by Tide Veteran Bill Emery as he was leaving the sinking ship.
75th Anniversary of V-E Day.
The 75th Anniversary is commemorated by the President Trump along with WWII veterans. Interviews were done with Guy Whidden, Gen. Charles McGee (Ret. Tuskegee Airmen 409 missions), Peter Badie, Dick Shimmel (5th to know of the Japanese bombers approaching Pearl Harbor an hour beforehand)