National WWII Museum

80 years ago, on May 11, 1946, the first CARE Packages full of surplus US Army rations arrived in the French port city of Le Havre, impacting citizens who had for years seen their food supply dwindle as German and Allied forces fought. Read more: bit.ly/2SHru2v

On May 8, 1945, World War II officially ended in Europe. In this oral history from our collection, WWII veteran Tokuji Yoshihashi of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team reflects on that day. Visit our website to listen to his entire oral history. bit.ly/4wflOLi

Listen to the newest episode of "Secret WWII: Spies & Special Ops" now! Learn about the OSS's secret surrender negotiations with one of Hitler’s last armies, as well as agents' efforts to keep rival factions in China in the war against Japan. Listen here: bit.ly/4esEVez

On the newest episode of "Secret WWII: Spies & Special Ops," host Bradley Hart discusses the Navajo Code Talkers' integral role in the Battle of Iwo Jima, as well as the daring raid planned to free Allied prisoners of war in the Philippines. Listen here: nationalww2museum.org/war/podcasts/s…

On April 29, 1945, American troops of the US Seventh Army liberated Nazi Germany's first concentration camp, Dachau. Visit our website to read more, 81 years later. nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/a… Images courtesy of United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Eighty years ago today, 11 countries came together to form the International Military Tribunal for the Far East to try the leaders of Japan for joint conspiracy to start and wage war. Visit our website to read more about the Tokyo War Crimes Trial. nationalww2museum.org/war/topics/tok…

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced it has reached a critical DNA milestone in its efforts to identify the remains of unaccounted-for USS Arizona crewmembers, nearly 85 years after they were killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor. Read more here: nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/p…

Stream the newest episode of "Secret WWII: Spies & Special Ops" now to hear host Bradley Hart and guests discuss the deceptive tactics used by both Allied and Axis powers during the Battle of the Bulge. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts. nationalww2museum.org/war/podcasts/s…

In this image from our Digital Collections taken in April 1945, two members of the 1st Marine Division walk along a rubble-strewn road toward the ruins of the Japanese Naval Academy on Okinawa, which was wrecked during the pre-invasion bombardment.

On April 18, 1945, American journalist and war correspondent Ernie Pyle was killed in action while covering the Battle of Okinawa with the 77th Infantry Division. Now known as Ernie Pyle Remembrance Day, we honor the man who put the indescribable conditions of war into words.

"Secret WWII: Spies & Special Ops" is back for Season 2! Stream the premiere episode now to hear about the covert Allied efforts to stop the Nazis in a global race to build the first atomic bomb. New episodes weekly through May 14—listen here: bit.ly/4tOM5y1

Even when faced with great tragedy, the WWII heavy cruiser USS New Orleans always bounced back—much like the city she was named for. Read more about this prolific warship, the subject of the Museum's latest special exhibit, Come Back Fighting, here: bit.ly/4eetQxq

Created in November 1944, the Ohrdruf concentration camp was the first to be liberated by American forces. In this April 12, 1945, image from the Museum's Digital Collections, US Generals Dwight D. Eisenhower, Omar Bradley, and George S. Patton tour the camp.

#OnThisDay in 1945, four soldiers became the first Americans to enter the concentration camp at Buchenwald, confronting horrors that would shape America's memory of the Holocaust for generations. Read more here: bit.ly/4cBXJqb

The Artemis II crew received a surprise message from Apollo astronaut and US Navy veteran James Lovell, who passed away in 2025.

This image from our Digital Collections, taken in April 1945, shows the damaged deck of the USS Morris (DD-417) after a Japanese kamikaze attack during the Battle of Okinawa.

In this image from our Digital Collections taken April 9, 1944, troops near the front celebrate Easter Mass on a beachhead in Italy.

On April 1, 1945, more than 60,000 soldiers and Marines of the US Tenth Army stormed ashore at Okinawa in the final island battle before an anticipated invasion of mainland Japan. Read more about the bloodiest battle of the Pacific theater here: nationalww2museum.org/war/topics/bat…

In the 36 days of fighting on Iwo Jima, nearly 7,000 US Marines were killed. Another 20,000 were wounded before the island was finally declared secure in March 1945. In this image, taken March 30, 1945, planes on Iwo Jima wait to take wounded Marines to a hospital on Guam.

When Roy J. Caldwood descended a mountainside under active mortar fire to treat a wounded Italian civilian—despite being warned the shelling wouldn't stop—it was just one of many moments where compassion collided with combat. Read his story here: nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/r…