In 1993, I had the good fortune get a scholarship to study World War II in Normandy, France. I spent a month their in Caen learning more about the war, French culture, and especially the Normandy Campaign. I fell in love with the Normandy countryside with quint little towns, small farms, and country lanes. This [...]
Tag Archives | World War II
Nuts in Bastogne, Belgium at the Battle of the Bulge Memorial
On December 16, 1944, Germany made their last desperate attack in the west at the Battle of the Bulge. Tank divisions pierced through Allied front line defenses, but they were unable to break out to the sea and completely surround entrapped divisions as they hoped. In Bastogne, Belgium, elements of the 101st Airborne Division was [...]
Arromanches: A harbor that helped win a war in Normandy, France
During World War II, Allied planners prepared to invade France and breach Hitler’s Atlantic Wall. The German high command were certain they would strike at the Pas-de-Calais, which was the narrowest stretch of land across the English Channel between England and France. They did not think they would land in Normandy. One of the reasons, [...]
Winston Churchill in Parliament Square in London
This statue of Winston Churchill lies in Parliament Square opposite the Palace of Westminster in London, England. I took this photograph way back in college while studying history at the University of Tennessee. Traveling is a great way to learn history through museums, statues, and even street names. You get to see what famous people [...]
Sipping from a coconut on the River Kwai in Thailand
The movie Bridge over the River Kwai is a classic World War II movie and a film I actually watched on the eve of my departure to Thailand. It was exciting to be on top of the bridge less than a month after watching the film. Kanchanaburi, Thailand is home to the bridge and worth [...]
Omaha Beach cemetery in Normandy at Colleville-sur-Mer
A couple of days ago it was the 68th anniversary of the D-Day invasions in France. 19 years ago, I was fortunate enough to study this great historical even in Normandy as part of the Normandy Scholar Program. I was on hand for the 49th anniversary of the landings that began the liberation of fortress [...]
German bunker along the Atlantic Wall in Normandy
The French coastline is dotted with remnants from Hitler’s vaunted Atlantic Wall from World War II. One of the best places to see these historical monuments is in Normandy. Many bunkers were destroyed by air or by naval bombardment, but many lie intact. They are a testament to the bravery of the men who had [...]
Pearl Harbor and the road to Hiroshima
In an all out war like World War II both sides tried to invent newer and more efficient ways to kill each other. Better planes, better tanks, and better bombs were all a product of this savage total war. The Manhattan Project employed some of the biggest geniuses in the world, all in an attempt [...]
MacArthur vows to return to Corregidor Island in the Philippines
December 7, 1941 was a day that would live in infamy. Once the American fleet was damaged, the Japanese went wild in the Pacific attacking the Philippines, Malaysia, French Indochina, and continued its assault on China. Many infamous days in the days following the attack on Pearl Harbor. Corregidor Island was the last stronghold for [...]
Five World War I and World War II battlefields to tour in Europe
Tomorrow is Armistice Day or Veteran’s Day, where we pay our respects to those who so bravely have fought or served our respective countries. It is of course celebrated on this day due to being the anniversary of the end of World War I or the Great War. Being a soldier is a lot like [...]
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