Part V: THE END OF THE WAR
On June 18, the day General Buckner was killed, President Harry Truman met with his senior military and civilian advisors to discuss the next steps in the war against Japan. General MacArthur estimated 100,000 U.S. losses in the first 30 days of an invasion of the Japanese home islands, while
A Lesson in Resiliency From the Bataan Death March
At the end of the Spanish-American War in 1898, Spain ceded the Philippines to the United States. A Philippine insurrection against the United States began almost immediately and ended in 1902 with the United States controlling the territory until the Japanese invasion in December of 1941. Choosing deployment to the
Part I: Okinawa: Genesis of a Battle
In 1945, 75 years ago, World War II in the Pacific ended with the Battle of Okinawa and the atomic bombing of Japan. These important events, in which Wisconsin service members did their full duty, still impact the world today. From April until August 2020, the Wisconsin Veterans Museum staff
The Life-Saving Gift to Majil Steiner
By Andrea Hoffman, Collections Manager On November 21, 1944, the B-29 “Snafuperbomber” with the 40th Bomb Group was attacked over Japan while approaching its target city of Omura. While badly damaged, the crewmembers managed to keep the B-29 airborne back across the China Sea. But when the aircraft’s usable fuel
Veteran Sweethearts~Rose Jrolf and Fred Ray
Part of the Rose Ray WVM Collection This formal portrait is of Rose Jrolf and Fred Ray on their wedding day in 1945. Rose is wearing a large lily and ribbon corsage and Fred is wearing a carnation boutineer. Rose enlisted in the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps in 1943 and
If Dreams Come True…~The Wanserski Family
Part of the George Wanserski WVM Collection by Laura Farley This is a love story about Wisconsin natives George Wanserski and Florence Lange that spans nearly five years of separation and struggle to raise their family. Married July 18, 1934, the Wanserskis set up home in the Milwaukee area and
Harold Schmitz
By Yvette Pino, Traveling Art Exhibit Coordinator In June 1942, Milwaukee artist Harold F. Schmitz was drafted into the U.S. Army and served with the 955th Topographic Engineer Company. At the time of his conscription, he was working in the art department of Hammersmith-Kortemeyer (H & K) Publishing. The company,
Japanese Propaganda in World War II
By Russell Horton, Reference Archivist When thousands of Wisconsin soldiers, part of the 32nd “Red Arrow” Infantry Division, arrived in Australia in May 1942, they inadvertently created an opportunity for Japanese propagandists to attack the morale of Australian troops and attempt to sow discord and distrust among the Allied forces
Military Appreciation Month by Ellen Brooks
“It takes about eight or ten people behind the lines to support one person in the front lines.” (Thomas Diener, Oral History Interview, 2005) Thomas Diener never saw combat while serving during World War II with the Army Air Corps, but he was one of the essential troops supporting those