NSDAP Rise to
Power
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| German 1923
Inflation |
| German Elections |
| Winterhilfswerk |
| Greater German
Reich |
| Berlin Olympics
1936 |
| Munich Conference |
| Fall of France |
| Battle of Britain |
| Battle for the North
Atlantic |
| Occupation of
Europe |
| War in North Africa |
| Russian Front |
| Stalingrad |
| America at War |
| German Home Front |
| Allied Air Campaign |
| Liberation of
Europe |
| Fall of Berlin |
| Holocaust |
| Nuremberg War Trials |
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Museum Building Fund
We are asking for support to build a permanent facility in Washington D.C. Click here
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Selected Exhibits > America at War |
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The time between the World Wars saw
a resurgence in non-interventionism in the United
States. After the war broke out in Europe on September
1, 1939, such prominent Americans as Charles Lindbergh
advocated U.S. neutrality. Groups like the America First
Committee tapped into the overwhelming desire of the
American people to remain out of this second European
war, attracting hundreds of thousands into its ranks.
The committee came under increasing attacks by newspaper
editors of the day, many of whom supported stronger
intervention in the European war.
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1939 "KEEP US OUT OF WAR" AMERICA FIRST PIN.
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1930's "EMBARGO NAZI TRADE - JEWISH PEOPLE'S COMMITTEE" PIN. The Jewish People's Committee was a communist organization based in New York City. This group staged protests against a Catholic Priest, Father Coughlin, who broadcast openly anti-Semitic sentiments on the radio in the late 1930's. It also protested American policy of restricting immigration from Eastern Europe.
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1938 U.S. COMMUNIST PARTY "MAY-DAY AGAINST WAR & FASCISM" PIN. During the "Popular Front" period of the Communist Party in the mid-1930s, American Communists retreated from a platform of social revolution and threw their energy towards building alliances with liberal, progressive, democratic forces to support the overthrow fascism and promote progressive policies.
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The CPUSA built a successful
coalition with unions, New Deal liberals and the
Roosevelt administration that brought the party into the
mainstream for the first time. The American Communist
slogan of this era became 'Communism is 20th Century
Americanism.' Membership in the CPUSA grew from 40,000
in 1936 to about 75,000 by 1938. However, beginning the
very next year with the signing of the German-Soviet
Pact the American Communist Party withdrew its support
for Roosevelt and the liberal coalition, membership
began to fall.
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World War II posters helped to
mobilize a nation. They were inexpensive to produce and
ever-present in everyday life. The poster made was an
ideal agent for making war aims the personal mission of
every citizen. Government agencies, businesses, and
private organizations issued an array of poster images
linking the military front with the home front.
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1942 POSTER "REMEMBER DEC. 7th!".
"...we have resolved that these dead shall not have died in vain...."
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1942 POSTER "SOMEONE TALKED". This poster artist was Sieble
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AMERICAN WAR BOND POSTER COMPETITION WINNER. R. Hoe & Co., Inc., won the National War Poster Competition held under auspices of artists for victory, Inc. - Council for democracy - Museum of Modern Art.
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1944 POSTER "CARELESS TALK GOT THERE FIRST".
Reverse side,
"...now that we are attacking, it is more important than ever to intensify the home-front fight on careless talk."
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"GIVE WAR BONDS..THE PRESENT WITH A FUTURE" CHRISTMAS 1943. This poster artist was Don Snider.
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1944 POSTER "LESS DANGEROUS THAN CARELESS TALK"
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"AMERICANS SUFFER WHEN CARLESS TALK
KILLS!" 1943
The poster was painted by Harry Anderson and is stamped on the back "Redondo Beach (California) Public Library" with a partial date, June 20.
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1942 POSTER "STRONG IS THE STRENGTH OF THE LORD".
"Strong in the strength of the Lord. We who fight in the people's cause will never stop until that cause is won."
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AMERICAN POSTER "DON'T FALL FOR ENEMY
PROPAGANDA".
This poster hung in the original Brickle's Tavern which was located at the corner of 4th and Marr in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. The tavern was opened in 1925 by John Edward "Jack" Brickle and moved out of that location in 1955, it was always a tavern full of great Irish American Patriots.
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"NAMED
COLLECTION". The Historical Trust is seeking contributions
of personal items that tell the
story of individual exploits of the participant in
this great struggle.
This Christmas Card is part of
collection from Sargent Trenham Turton, 13th Armored Division, 93rd Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron, Mechanized, under General Patton. His items
include photographs in action, letters home to his
mother from Bavaria, a picture in Hitler's home "The Berghof" in Obersalzberg, copies of the "Stars and Stripes" newspapers, his uniforms, medals, and Division remembrance book, "A History of the Black Cats from Texas to France, Germany and Austria and back to California".
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AUDIE MURPHY WAS THE MOST DECORATED AMERICAN HERO DURING WORLD WAR II.
He was awarded the... Medal of Honor Distinguished Service Cross.. Silver Star with First Oak Leaf Cluster.. Legion of Merit.. Bronze Star Medal with "V" Device and First Oak Leaf Cluster.. Purple Heart with Second Oak Leaf Cluster.. U.S. Army Outstanding Civilian Service Medal.. Good Conduct Medal.. Distinguished Unit Emblem with First Oak Leaf Cluster.. European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with One Silver Star, Four Bronze Service Stars (representing nine campaigns plus Bronze Arrowhead representing assault landing at Sicily and Southern France.. American Campaign Medal.. World War II Victory Medal.. Army of Occupation Medal with Germany Clasp.. Armed Forces Reserve Medal.. Combat Infantry Badge.. Marksman Badge with Rifle Bar.. Expert Badge with Bayonet Bar.. French Fourragere in Colors of the Croix de Guerre.. French Legion of Honor.. French Croix de Guerre with Palm.. French Croix de Guerre with Silver Star.. Medal of Liberated France.. Belgian Croix de Guerre with Palm.
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"TO HELL & BACK" MOVIE POSTER 1955. This was a World War II action thriller ("Just a kid too young to shave ...but old enough to win every medal his country had to give!") starring Audie Murphy. In this movie Murphy played himself and presented his "exciting true life story". Murphy went on to a long and successful career in movies, marred by his personal difficulties. He died in an airplane crash in May, 1971
Audie Murphy was credited with killing over 240 German soldiers during World War II, plus wounding and capturing many others. By the end of the war he was a legend within the 3rd Infantry Division as a result of his heroism and battlefield leadership.
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Below is the an excerpt from the official U.S. Army citation for Audie Murphy's Medal of Honor:
"Second Lt. Murphy commanded Company
B, which was attacked by six tanks and waves of
infantry...Lt. Murphy climbed on the burning tank
destroyer, which was in danger of blowing up at any
moment, and employed its .50 caliber machine gun against
the enemy. He was alone and exposed to German fire from
three sides, but his deadly fire killed dozens of
Germans and caused their infantry attack to waver. The
enemy tanks, losing infantry support, began to fall
back. For an hour the Germans tried every available
weapon to eliminate Lt. Murphy, but he continued to hold
his position and wiped out a squad which was trying to
creep up unnoticed on his right flank. Germans reached
as close as 10 yards, only to be mowed down by his
fire."
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Twelve million Americans served in World War II. The Historical Trust is seeking donations of personal items to preserve the history of the "Great Generation".
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