HIST 27/127 WWII European Theater Spring 2026

WWII veteran Joe Gortiz entered the Navy in 1942 and returned home from the Pacific, four years later.

American Legion memorial to WWII dead, Ritzville, Washington, December 9, 1945

On a stage is the Legion Memorial to World War II dead with three white crosses and a small flag within a roped off display. Pictured is 1 woman…

Roy Ellefson was interviewed by his daughter, Carol, and shares his stories of serving as a flight engineer servicing planes in the Air Force during…

Growing up in Germany in the 1930’s, Gert Schmitz was drafted into the Hitler Youth, witnessed the start of World War II, and joined the Luftwaffe by…

German Operator with Enigma Machine Aboard U-110

A historical World War II photograph showing a German operator using an Enigma machine inside the U-110 submarine.

Banbury Sheet

Banbury sheets are papers with punched holes that were slid past one another to compare enciphered texts.

Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini in Munich, Germany

This black-and-white photograph shows Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini together in Munich, Germany, around June 1940. The image comes from Eva…

Aerial View of the Ruins of Rotterdam

This black-and-white aerial photograph shows the ruins of Rotterdam after the German bombing of the city in May 1940. The image documents the…

German signposts in Goes, Zeeland

German signposts in Zeeland during World War II. Photograph from the J. Vissers album in Goes, documenting life and conditions in Zeeland during the…