Our Mission
The National WWII Museum tells the story of the American experience in the war that changed the world—why it was fought, how it was won, and what it means today—so that all generations will understand the price of freedom and be inspired by what they learn.
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The Museum
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The History
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The Expansion
Latest From Around The Museum
The Road to Pearl Harbor: The Short Fuse
The attack on Pearl Harbor was decades in the making, but still came as a shock.
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Solely a Bluff: Relocating the US Fleet to Pearl Harbor
“The location of the (US) Fleet in Hawaiian waters would act as a deterrent to the Japanese only so long as its positioning did not appear to the Japanese as solely a bluff.” – Admiral J.O. Richardson
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The Hesse Heist: The Accused Are Tried
The final installment of the story of the Hesse Heist covers the trials of Nash, Durant, and Watson.
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Sibling Witnesses to the Attack on Pearl Harbor
Siblings Lydia Grant and Thomas Gillette witnessed firsthand the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
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The Bomb Duckers: Army vs Navy in the Pacific
The USS Utah (AG-16) had a long and sometimes peculiar career before the veteran warship met its end at Pearl Harbor.
Events & Public Programs
The Victory Belles
The Victory Belles are a delightful vocal trio performing the music of the 1940s, serenading audiences at The National WWII Museum and across the globe.
Meet the Author: “The Flight: A Father’s War, a Son’s Search”
Join us live and in person for a Meet the Author event! Local reporter Tyler Bridges joins Rob Citino on stage to discuss Bridges latest book about his father’s harrowing experiences in World War II.
Lunchbox Lecture–Defining Patriotism: Native Military Figures & the Long Fight for Equality
This lecture will explore how the history of Native military service illustrates Native struggles for equality, as well as the contradictions and ironies of how white Americans viewed Native military service and citizenship.
WARdrobe: Fashion on the Rations
The National WWII Museum and New Orleans Fashion Week present an evening of 1940s fashion with a modern twist.
Trending Topics
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The 80th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor
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Immediate Aftermath of World War II
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WWII Medal of Honor Recipients
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Hispanic and Latino Americans in World War II
Event Recaps
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A Place of Our Own: Mexican American Veterans in the Post-War Southwest
World War II was a watershed moment for Mexican Americans and their quest for equality—during the war, Mexican Americans served in the military and worked on the Home Front to support their country, and therefore, when it ended, were no longer willing to accept second-class citizenship.
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“Joseph Stalin and the Soviet Experiment”–A Conversation with Ronald Grigor Suny, PhD and Jason Dawsey, PhD
One of the world’s leading scholars on Joseph Stalin and the Soviet Union joins Institute Historian to discuss this critical figure in 20th century history.
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World War II Unknowns: A Roundtable Discussion Commemorating the Centennial of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
2021 marks the centennial of the creation of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.
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Lunchbox Lecture: Remembering Pearl Harbor: Native Hawaiian History and a “Day That Will Live in Infamy”
This lecture rethinks the attack on Pearl Harbor from the perspective of Native Hawaiian history.
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From Soldiers to Civilians: Reflections on How the VA Assisted Veterans Returning Home After World War II
Join The National WWII Museum and historians with the Veterans Benefits and Health Administrations as we reflect on and discuss the impact of these institutions on soldiers returning to civilian life after World War II.
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Reel History: Serving for Justice
Join filmmakers Dr. Jeffrey Sammons and Rob Child as they discuss their documentary, Serving for Justice, as a part of The National WWII Museum’s Reel History Film Series.
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140 Days to Hiroshima: The Story of Japan’s Last Chance to Avert Armageddon
Join us for an engaging discussion on the lead up to the dropping of the Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima, 76 years after that historic day, between author David Dean Barrett and the Museum’s Senior Historian Rob Citino, PhD.
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Lunchbox Lecture: Resisting Repatriation: Redefining National Belonging in Ukrainian Displaced Persons Camps, 1945-1951
This presentation will examine the ways in which Ukrainian DPs resisted involuntary and voluntary repatriation and will explore how the process challenged postwar resettlement policies, altered international definitions of citizenship and refugeedom, and redefined Ukrainian national belonging.
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Tables Turned on Them: Jews Guarding Nazi POWs Held in the United States
Tune in for a discussion of the little known group of Jewish soldiers in the US Army who were tasked with guarding German POWs and also with the process of reeducating them before they were returned to a defeated and peaceful Germany, the last of whom were sent 75 years ago.
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Lunchbox Lecture: Weird War II
Join Rusty Nix, Communications Manager of the former Virginia WWI and WWII Commemoration Commission, as he dives into the weirder and wilder side of the war you THOUGHT you knew and discusses some of the most incredible and bizarre stories of World War II.
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The Indispensables: The Diverse Soldier-Mariners Who Shaped the Country, Formed the Navy, and Rowed Washington Across the Delaware
A unique program brought to you by the Institute for the Study of War and Democracy comparing and contrasting WWII History with the American Revolution, based on Patrick O’Donnell’s latest book.
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Stalin’s War: A New History of World War II
Two prize-winning historians discuss one’s new work that reveals how Stalin—not Hitler—was the animating force of World War II in this major new history.
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2021 American Spirit Awards
The American Spirit Awards is an awards gala celebrating individuals and organizations whose work reflects the values and spirit of those who served our country during the World War II years.
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Virtual Innovation Studio: The Science of Communication
Join Museum Educators and learn how to communicate using signal flags and semaphore signals as well as how to make your own secret decoder to send messages that only YOU will be able to crack.
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Dr. Hal Baumgarten D-Day Commemoration Ceremony
The National WWII Museum marked the 77th anniversary of D-Day and 21st birthday of the Museum on Sunday, June 6, 2021, highlighted by the on-campus Dr. Hal Baumgarten D-Day Commemoration Ceremony in US Freedom Pavilion: The Boeing Center.
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X Troop: The Secret Jewish Commandos of World War II
Tune in for a conversation about the men of X Troop, who were the real Inglorious Basterds: a secret commando unit of young Jewish refugees who were trained in counterintelligence and advanced combat to deliver decisive blows against the Nazis.
Oral History Profiles
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Mark Gordon Hazard, 79th Infantry Division
Mark Hazard discusses a patrol he led behind German lines just before the assault on Hagenau with the objective of capturing a German soldier to interrogate for information about enemy strength in the area.
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Benjamin Carson, 2nd Marine Raider Battalion
Benjamin Carson talks about volunteering for the 2nd Marine Raider Battalion and the brutally realistic training they received in San Diego to prepare for combat in the Pacific.
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Jack Glass, USS Enterprise (CV-6)
Jack Glass describes his experiences aboard the USS Enterprise (CV-6) during the Battle of the Eastern Solomons in August 1942.
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Frank Buschmeier, 100th Bomb Group
Frank Buschmeier discusses his capture and subsequent imprisonment after his B-17 was shot down during a mission to Merseberg, Germany in July 1944.
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James “Horse Collar” Smith, 1st Marine Raider Battalion
James “Horse Collar” Smith describes his experiences during the Battle of Bloody Ridge on Guadalcanal in September 1942.
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Walter Jacobs, 77th Infantry Division
Walter Jacobs talks about encountering a wounded Japanese soldier during the fighting on Ie Shima and how he believes that his sparing of an enemy soldier’s life resulted in him surviving the fighting there and later on Okinawa.
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Florence Reynolds, WASP
Florence Reynolds describes a negative encounter she had with an Army Air Forces maintenance officer when she questioned the condition of an aircraft she was ordered to fly.
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William S. Jones, 7th Infantry Division, Attu
William S. Jones describes his experiences during the fight to recapture Attu in the Aleutian Islands in May 1943.
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Mike “Iron Mike” Mervosh, 4th Marine Division
Mike Mervosh describes his experience with the flag raising on Iwo Jima.
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Herbert Helibrun, 301st Bomb Group
Herbert Heilbrun describes the Christmas 1944 mission he took part in to bomb the oil refineries at Brux, Czechoslovakia and how well defended the area was.
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Stanley Wolczyk, 7th Infantry Division, Attu
Stanley Wolczyk discusses his experiences on Attu in May 1943 and being wounded late in the fight, a wound which ended his Army service.
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Charles McGee, 332nd Fighter Group
Charles McGee discusses flying bomber escort for 15th Air Force heavy bombardment groups and downing a German Focke Wulf Fw 190 during one of those missions.
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George Peto, 1st Marine Division
George Peto describes an uphill assault he took part in on Okinawa that ended up being his proudest day in the Marine Corps, despite the tremendous casualties his company suffered.
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Maynard David, 504th Bomb Group
Maynard David talks about a particularly harrowing mission he and his crew flew to Tokyo, Japan in May 1945.
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Theodore “Dutch” Van Kirk, Navigator on the Enola Gay
Theodore “Dutch” Van Kirk, navigator on the Enola Gay, describes arriving at Wendover Field, Utah and figuring out that he would be taking part in a mission to drop an atomic bomb.
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Joseph Sasser, 50th Engineers, Attu
Joseph Sasser discusses his experiences on Engineer Hill during the final hours of the Battle of Attu in May 1943.
“To The Best of My Ability”
Rising racial tensions on the west coast of the United States came to a head after the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, and a mandatory forced evacuation was carried out, sending Japanese Americans to incarceration camps. The event echoed for decades afterwards across multiple presidential administrations in the courts, politics, and minds of those wrongfully incarcerated.
Latest “Service on Celluloid” Podcasts
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Stalag 17
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Minisode To Flags of Our Fathers
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Flags of Our Fathers
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Minisode To Guadalcanal Diary
Timed tickets are required for admittance into the Museum galleries. To ensure your spot, we are asking that you purchase your tickets in advance.
The City of New Orleans has issued an indoor mask mandate. Visitors are required to wear a mask when inside the museum, regardless of vaccination status.