The Story of Millie and Clarence
Separated by war, their loving commitment endured after Clarence was taken prisoner by German troops. Twenty-one-year-old Clarence Beltmann of Milwaukee enlisted in the U.S. Army in January 1942, one of the tens of thousands of young men caught in the swell of patriotism that followed the attack on Pearl Harbor.
6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion
Women’s Army Corps (WAC) 1943 and the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion World War II, the global conflict that saw United States fighting forces engaged around the world, created a need for using all citizens of the United States during the war. The U.S. military created women’s auxiliary units starting
The Malmedy Massacre: the Survivor Story of Sergeant Henry “Roy” Zach
The Malmedy Massacre was a German war crime committed by soldiers of the Waffen-SS on 17 December 1944 at the Baugnez crossroads near the city of Malmedy, Belgium, during the Battle of the Bulge (16 December 1944 – 25 January 1945). Soldiers of Kampfgruppe Peiper shot and killed 84 unarmed
WISCONSIN’S HIGHLY-DECORATED WWII VETERAN MEGELLAS FEATURED IN NEW DISPLAY
WISCONSIN’S HIGHLY-DECORATED WWII VETERAN MEGELLAS FEATURED IN NEW DISPLAY Megellas Family entrusts WVM with internationally renowned war hero’s collection (MADISON, Wis.) September 5, 2024—The artifacts of one of Wisconsin’s legendary World War II heroes, James Megellas, will soon be added to the permanent exhibits at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum. On
James Megellas: Meeting a Hero; Knowing the Person
Meeting James “Maggie” Megellas will always be a highlight of my career with the Wisconsin Veterans Museum. Growing up, the World War II generation was almost larger-than-life in my perception. I was fortunate to grow up on stories from my grandparents and their generation at the peak of public memory
Brownie the WWII War Dog from Wisconsin
Pets become part of our families. During World War II, many families sent loved-ones off to war. Did you know that some family pets were called to serve as well? In fact, there is a well-known dog from King, Wisconsin who did just that. Oren Kendley raised his dog, Brownie,
Happy 103rd Birthday, Lt. Col. Harry Baker !
Wisconsin World War II veteran, Harry Dillon Baker will celebrate his 103rd birthday on October 9, 2023. At the request of Baker's family, the museum staff is asking for your help in marking Harry’s milestone by sending a birthday card made out to him which we will deliver to his
Marcia Gates: Angel of Bataan in the Lost Battalion
The fall of the Philippines in 1942 left a deep scar on the lives of many Wisconsinites. In honor of International Nurses Day, we remember the nurses from our state who became prisoners of war following the 1942 fall of Bataan and capture of Corregidor. One especially tenacious servicemember who
Origins and Evolutions of Aviation Nose Art
Much like a person would customize a car, nose art on airplanes grew out of the crewmen’s desire to personalize their crafts. Beginning in World War I, European forces decorated their planes with fierce animals, family crests and other symbols. When the American forces arrived, they quickly followed the European’s
Overhead at Omaha Beach with D-Day Flier Leonard Schutta
In the early morning hours of 6 June 1944 off the coast of Normandy, France, on a stretch of coast forever immortalized that day with the name of Omaha, roughly 34,250 US soldiers aboard hundreds of landing craft and naval vessels of all sizes waited for H-hour, the time designated