• Introduction
• U.S. Air Force
• U.S. Army 
• U.S. Marines
• U.S. Navy

Introduction

This global conflict, which affected virtually every part of the world, was in many ways simply a continuation of the unresolved issues resulting from World War I. Principal adversaries in this war were the Axis powers--Germany, Italy, and Japan--and the Allies--France, Great Britain, the United States, the Soviet Union, and China. The war began in 1939 when Nazi Germany invaded Poland and ended with the total defeat of the Axis powers in 1945.

World War II is easily the largest, and bloodiest, war in recorded history. Estimates of the total death toll range between 40 and 50 million people and because of the systematic extermination of the Jewish people by the Nazis, "genocide" is now a recognized crime against humanity. World War II also introduced the human race to the nightmarish possibility of extinction through nuclear war.

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  The U.S. Air Force in World War II

The Army Air Forces served in both operational theaters during the Second World War. In the European Theater two U.S. Air Forces, the 8^th and the 15^th, participated in the strategic bombing of Germany. Two other Air Forces, the 9^th and the 12^th, supplied the U.S. air cooperation needed in the victorious ground campaigns in North Africa, Sicily, Italy, and Western Europe.

U.S. Aircraft Carriers in Formation, n.d. This photograph is of the U.S.S. Enterprise (foreground) and the U.S.S. Saratoga cruising in formation during offensive patrolling off the Guadalcanal Island area in the southwest Pacific during World War II. American Heritage Center Collections

In the Pacific Theater, the 5^th, 7^th, and 13^th Air Forces joined the other U.S. military services in the series of island conquests that were steppingstones to the defeat of Japan. On the Asian mainland, the 10^th Air Force in the China-Burma-India theater and the 14^th in China supported British and Chinese armies against the Japanese. From the Mariana Islands, B-29 bombers of the 20^th Air Force carried out the bombing campaign of Japan that culminated in the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, n.d. One of the most effective bombers of the Second World War, the B-17 saw extensive service in both theaters of operation. The B-17 had a reputation for its ability to absorb incredible combat damage and still return its crews home. American Heritage Center Collections

North American P-51 Mustang. One of North American Aviation’s deadliest combat planes. The P-51 Mustang fighter saw extensive use by American and British forces during World War II. First built in 1940, the plane was still used for various roles in Korea and Vietnam. American Heritage Center Collections

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  The U.S. Army in World War II

Upon U.S. entry into the war, the Army swelled in numbers to8,300,000 officers and men, of whom about 5,000,000 saw service overseas. Unlike World War I, where the Army had served primarily in France, in World War II it fought all over the globe.

U.S. Army units participated in the Allied invasion of North Africa, codenamed "Operation Torch," and then moved on to Sicily and Italy. In spite of stiff German resistance at Salerno, Anzio, and Monte Cassino, the Allies moved steadily northward. On D-Day, June 6, 1944, the Allies successfully engaged in the largest and most complex amphibious landing ever attempted by attacking the coast of Nazi occupied France.

General Dwight D. Eisenhower, n.d.  General Dwight D. Eisenhower addressed U.S. troops before the D-Day invasion of Europe during World War II.  American Heritage Center Collections

In the Pacific the Army joined with the Navy and Marines in the island hopping campaigns that defeated Japan. Fierce fighting inflicted heavy casualties on both sides but the Japanese were inexorably driven from each of the islands.

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  The U.S. Marines in World War II

In the interim between the First and Second World Wars, the Marines developed and refined the doctrine and organization of amphibious warfare. The success of this effort was proven in the Pacific Theater, first on Guadalcanal, then on Bougainville, Tarawa, New Britain, Kwajalein, Eniwetok, Saipan, Guam, Tinian, Peleliu, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. By the end of the war in 1945, the Marine Corps had grown to include six divisions, five air wings, and supporting troops. Its strength in World War II peaked at 485,113. The war had cost the Marines nearly 87,000 dead and wounded and 82 Marines had earned the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Tarawa, Gilbert Islands, November 20-23, 1943.  In 75 hours of the fiercest combat in Marine Corps history "Devil Dogs" of the Second Division overcame more than 4000 Japanese defenders. In this photograph a Marine tosses a hand grenade at an enemy pillbox as the smoke of battle rolls back across the hastily thrown-up sand bag position. American Heritage Center Collections

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  The U.S. Navy in World War II

Initially the Second World War went poorly for the United States. In the Atlantic, German U-boats torpedoed Allied shipping within sight of the East Coast of the United States. Control of the Atlantic was absolutely crucial if the products of America’s industry were to be used in Europe. Although U-boats remained a menace, by 1943 the Allied navies had largely controlled them. With the Atlantic shipping lanes secured, the Allies mustered land, sea, and air forces against Germany.

Attu, Aleutian Islands, May 11, 1943, U.S. Navy Photograph From Office of War Information.  Landing boats pouring soldiers and their equipment onto the beach at Massacre Bay. This is the southern landing force.   American Heritage Center Collections

After the devastating surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941,the United States was initially on the defensive in the Pacific. However after a series of carrier battles, including Coral Sea and Midway, in 1942 the Japanese advance was first halted and then reversed. By 1944 the United States had virtually ended the threat posed by Japan, and in 1945 Japan surrendered.

Battleship Firing a Broadside, April 1945.  A battleship of the fleet cuts loose with a broadside against Japanese installations on Okinawa in support of the Marine landings on the island.   American Heritage Center Collections

Night Salvo, Tarawa, Gilbert Islands, November 20-23, 1943.  The main battery of the battleship U.S.S. Maryland (BB-46) lights up the night as it shells the Japanese held island of Tarawa in preparation for Marine landings.  American Heritage Center Collections

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Korean War

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