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The way we view and understand history can change

drastically depending on whose eyes, and whose lens,

we view it through. WWII in HD presents the monu-mental events o this conict through the stories

and ootage o everyday people who experienced it

frsthand. In this fve-part series event, viewers will

experience the war through the eyes o 10 American

soldiers who represented dierent branches o the

service and ought in each o the major theaters o

war. Their stories are told through amazing archival

ootage gathered rom a worldwide search through

basements and archives, presented in ull immersiveHD color.

WWII in HD begins in 1941, when the ree peopleo the world fnd themselves on the verge o deeat,

and charts the long, hard road to victory. It includes

never-beore-seen ootage o pivotal battles and

events, and eatures rare ootage o military and

political leaders like Roosevelt, Hitler, Patton,

and Rommel, seen or the frst time with high-

defnition clarity. The power o the ootage and the

individual stories o the soldiers reveal the horrors

o Nazi concentration camps and the scenes o

cities wrecked by war. The wartime diaries and

journals kept by soldiers capture the boredom and

bravery, the tactics and strategies, and the immense

emotional toll o the war. WWII in HD is history toldrom a prooundly human point o view.

Discussion Questions

1. Why do you think the U.S. maintained a position o neutrality in World War IIor so long? What was the role o the U.S. in this conict beore theofcial declaration o war?

2. Which nations were part o the Axis and Allied powers during World War II?

3. What is the defnition o ascism? Why do you think Hitler was able toamass so much power so quickly?

4. What is unique about the ootage used in this series? What does thiskind o ootage oer that you might not get rom ofcial news ootage ora fctional account?

5. Which o the soldiers in this series do you fnd most compelling orinteresting, and why?

6. Do you think most U.S. soldiers during World War II were proud to befghting in the war? What were some other emotions they experiencedas soldiers?

7. What were some o the new opportunities opened up to women during theWorld War II era? Do you think the war had a long-term impact on genderroles in American society? Discuss.

8. What eect do you think segregation had on soldiers during World War II?How do you think the war inuenced American race relations overall?

9. What do you think were the major turning points in World War II?Which battles or events do you think were most important and why?

10. Many o our World War II veterans are no longer here to tell their stories.What can individuals and communities do to help record and collect thestories o our living World War II veterans?

Glossary o Terms

This series introduces many terms and concepts that might be newto students. Beore or ater watching WWII in HD, students shouldbe encouraged to defne the ollowing terms, and to make a list onew words they learn while watching.

Allied powers

anti-semitism

Axis powers

Communism

draft

fascism

Holocaust

GI

internment

isolationist

munitions

Non-AggressionPact

Third Reich

war bond

Major Powers inWorld War II

Allies

United States

Great Britain

Soviet Union

Axis

Germany

Italy

Japan

World War II Overview1

In discussing WWII, the world is oten divided into theaters, orareas o conict.

European TheaterWestern and Eastern Europe, the Atlantic Ocean, North Arica and theMediterranean. The main opponents o the U.S. were Germany and Italy.

Pacifc TheaterThe Pacifc Ocean (and islands), Japan, Southeast Asia, China, India,

Burma, and the South Pacifc. The main U.S. opponent was Japan.

Home FrontThe United States. Used to describe the civilian war eort in support o

the troops.

1This content is adapted from the Digital Clubhouse Stories of Service Digital Story Toolkit.Visit them online at: www.digiclub.org/sofs/ for more information.

Service BranchesArmy -Inantrymen (men with ries), tanks, engineers, and various othersupport units. All o the fghting on land in the European Theater was doneby the Army.

Navy - U.S. warships served in oceans around the world, and supportedArmy and Marine landings on the enemy beaches. In WWII, the Navyincluded aviation (planes on aircrat carriers) and submarines.

Marine Corps -During WWII, the Marines did much (not all) o theland fghting in the Pacifc islands. Their primary job was to take controlo enemy beaches.

Air Corps / Air Force -During WWII, the Air Corps was part othe Army, and was responsible or supporting the Army rom the air andbombing enemy cities.

Coast Guard -Deended on our shores, but also helped support manylandings on enemy beaches.

Merchant Marine -Transported troops, supplies and equipment acrossthe sea in ships. Many were lost to enemy submarines.

General Dwight D. Eisenhowers Order o the Day (1944)

Ater the Nazis conquered France in 1940, the Allies immediately started preparing a plan to assault German orces there. Code-named Operation Overlord, this plan wasyears in the making. President Roosevelt named General Dwight D. Eisenhower to be Supreme Allied Commander, noting his rapport with troops and his eectiveness asa military strategist. On the morning o D-Day, June 6, 1944, Eisenhower deliveredthe address below to troops. Over 150,000 soldiers participated in this unprecedentedassault, which proved to be a major turning point in the liberation o Europe.

Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force

Soldiers, Sailors, and Airmen o the Allied Expeditionary Force!

You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these

many months. The eyes o the world are upon you. The hope and prayers o liberty-loving

people everywhere march with you. In company with our brave Allies and brothers-in-

arms on other Fronts, you will bring about the destruction o the German war machine,

the elimination o Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples o Europe, and security or

ourselves in a ree world.

Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well equipped and battle-

hardened. He will ght savagely.

But this is the year 1944! Much has happened si nce the Nazi triumphs o 1940-41. The Uni ted

Nations have inficted upon the Germans great deeats, in open battle, man-to-man. Our

air oensive has seriously reduced their strength in the air and their capacity to wage war

on the ground. Our Home Fronts have given us an overwhelming superiority in weapons

and munitions o war, and placed at our disposal great reserves o trained ghting men.

The tide has turned! The ree men o the world are marching together to Victory!

I have ull condence in your courage, devotion to duty and skill in battle. We will accept

nothing less than ull Victory!

Good luck! And let us beseech the blessing o Almighty God upon this great and noble

undertaking.

Citation: D-day statement to soldiers, sailor, and airmen o the Allied Expeditionary Force, 6/44, Collection DDE-EPRE: Eisenhower,

Dwight D: Papers, Pre-Presidential, 1916-1952; Dwight D. Eisenhower Library; National Archives and Records Administration.

Extended Activities1. Locat ing World War II in Time and Space

In order to gain a broader perspective on WWII, ask students to break up into small groups.Each o these groups should create a timeline o World War II events, including a ewkey events rom beore and ater the war. These timelines can be presented simply onposterboard, or developed as PowerPoint or multimedia presentations. Each group shouldlimit their timelines to 20 events or less. Online or at the library, students should also locate

maps o the world during the WWII era and review the geography o the war.

2. WWII in Full Color

During World War II, the U.S. government created dozens o posters to help enl ist Americansin the war eort and communicate the importance o civic involvement. In small groups,ask students to research the history o these posters. Students should then create theirown posters with powerul messages or imagery related to the World War II eort. (Visitwww.archives.gov/education/lessons/wwii-posters/ rom the National Archives or more

background inormation and tips or getting started.)

3. Remembering the Holocaust

Hitlers plan or domination involved not only territorial expansion, but also genocide.The Nazis brutal campaign against Jewish people in Europe is collectively reerred to asthe Holocaust. Though millions o Jews perished in the Holocaust, those who survivedlet behind powerul testimonies o their experiences in the ace o terror. Online or atthe library, ask students to locate one o these memoirs and choose a passage they fndcompelling. Students should then write a 1-2 page summary o this memoir and its author.These projects can be presented in notebook or PowerPoint ormat with images, quotes,

and/or photos. Ask students to share their projects with the larger class or group.

4. World War II: Living Legacies

Many WWII veterans are still living today, but their stories have not been ofciallyrecorded. HISTORY and the Library o Congress encourage all Americans to get in-volved in helping preserve the stories o WWII vets. Visit us online at www.veterans.comand visit the Library o Congress Veterans History Project at www.loc.gov/vets.

Recommended Books and Articles: Library o Congress, Max Cleland (Introduction), and Chuck Hagel (Aterword)Voices o War: Stories o Service rom the Home Front and the Front

Lines (National Geographic, 2004). / Cook, Haruko Taya and Theodore S. Japan At War: An Oral History(The New Press, 1992). / Drez, Ronald J. ed.Voices o D-Day: The Story o the Allied Invasion Told by Those Who Were There (Louisiana State University Press, 1996). / Gross, Fred. One Step Ahead

o Hitler: A Jewish Childs Journey Through France (Mercer University Press, 2009). / Hearn, Chester G. The American Soldier in World War II (Osceola,[WI]: MBI, 2000). / Lyons, Michael J. World War II: A Short History(New York: Prentice Hall, 2009). / Takaki, Ronald.Double Victory: A Multicultural

History o America in World War II (Back Bay, 2001).

Books For Students:Colman, Penny. Rosie the Riveter: Women Working on the Home Front in World War II (Crown Publishing, 1995). / Hornbostel, Lloyd. War Kids, 1941-

1945: WWII Through the Eyes o Children (Galde Press, Inc., 1996). / Nicholson, Donrinda Makanaonalani. Pearl Harbor Child(Kansas City: WoodsonPublishing, 1993). / Okada, John. No-No Boy(University o Washington Press, 1978). / Panchyk, Richard and Senator John McCain.World War II or

Kids: A History with 21 Activities (Chicago Review Press, 2002).

Websites: Take a Veteran to School rom HISTORY: www.veterans.com / The Library o Congress Veterans History Project: www.loc.gov/vets / The Spirit o 45 project

rom Stories o Service: www.spirito45.org / Smithsonians National Museum o American History Price o Freedom: Americans at War site:

www.americanhistory.si.edu/Militaryhistory / The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum: www.ushmm.org / American Visionaries: Tuskegee Airmen

rom the National Park Service: www.nps.gov/history/museum/exhibits/tuskegee/airoverview.htm / The National D-Day Museum New Orleans: Americas

National World War II Museum: www.ddaymuseum.org

The Veterans History Project: A Project o the AmericanFolklie Center at the Library o Congress

The mission o the Veterans History Project o the American Folklie Center at the Library

o Congress is to collect, preserve, and make accessible the personal accounts o American

war veterans so that uture generations may hear directly rom veterans and better under-

stand the realities o war.

You can be part o this important project. You can volunteer to conduct interviews and

collect historical documents. You may also organize interview groups and teach others how

to conduct interviews. Educational institutions, retirement communities, veterans service

organizations, churches, and other community groups are a ew good places to start.

Items included in the Veterans History Project Collection may take the orm o war veteransfrsthand oral histories, memoirs, collections o photographs and letters, diaries, and other

historical documents rom World War I through current conicts.

Share the story o a deceased veteran. On behal o a deceased war veteran, you may

submit historical documents like the veterans collection o photographs, letters, diaries

and memoirs. You will need to complete the biographical data orm and a release orm or

the deceased veteran.

Interview a veteran and preserve history. By taking part in the Veterans History Project

(VHP), you are contributing to the permanent collections o the Library o Congress, one

o the worlds most respected research and cultural institutions. When you participate,

you are making history.

Its as easy as these simple steps:

Step 1: Visit www.loc.gov/vets and download a Field Kit, which gives you guidelines or

conducting interviews and or what we do and dont accept. I you dont have

Internet access, call the toll-ree message line at 888-371-5848 to request a

Field Kit.

Step 2: Go online to our website to register the collection you wish to submit.

Step 3: Record a veterans story using an audio or video recorder; assist in collecting

photographs, letters, diaries, maps, etc.; and/or help write a memoir.

Step 4: Complete the required and appropriate orms (including biographical data,

audio and video log, and release orms) at www.loc.gov/vets or rom the Field

Kit. Assemble the orms and the items you are submitting.

Step 5: VHP only accepts original materials. Please make copies o all materials you

wish to keep or yoursel. Please provide the veteran with a copy o the

interview. VHP does not have the resources to provide copies o any donated

materials. Everything you submit to VHP will become property o the Library o

Congress and cannot be returned.

Sample Story:Ernest Gallego

Ernest Gallego was born in Los Angeles, CA in 1925. One o tens o thousands o Hispanic

Americans who ought in World War II, Gallego was the ourth brother in his amily to

enlist in the service. Ater he graduated rom high school in 1943, Gallego wanted to enlist

right away but had to wait until his 18th birthday that November when he was admitted

into the Army Air Force. Gallego went to gunnery school and was assigned to a bomberunit based in Italy. In his Library o Congress interview, Gallego tells many interesting

stories, including passing out in the ball turret o a plane, and tales about the dogs and a

pet rabbit he and his ellow crewmen adopted in Italy. He also speaks about the intensity

o war and the exuberant eelings among the troops when they heard the war had ended.

Visit www.loc.gov/vets to watch video clips o his story and those o dozens o other

veterans o all U.S. conicts.

Minorities in UniormDuring World War II, the U.S. military was predominantly segregated by race. Yet despite

discrimination at home, Arican Americans, Asian-Americans, Latino-Americans, andNative Americans all served proudly and with great distinction. Members o a Japanese-

American unit received more medals than any unit in U.S. military history even as

many o their amilies were locked up in U.S. internment camps. Upon their return,

service men and women o color continued to push or the desegregation o armed

orces, which fnally became reality in 1948.

Women and the WarDuring the war, thousands o American women let their homes or the frst time to take

the place o men in actories and ofces across the country. These Rosie the Riveters

and their clerical counterparts were part o the U.S. war eort. Many others enlisted in

the military and served in important support roles. Ater the war, most gave up their

jobs so that returning men could go back to work. But through their eorts, these

women paved the way or todays emale workers and generals.

The HolocaustWhen the Nazis came to power in the 1930s, they started a campaign o harassing and

persecuting Jewish people, who they blamed or Germanys deeat in World War I. This

persecution became a program o total extermination that used gas chambers and

other methods o mass murder to kill large number o Jews. In concentration camps

throughout Europe, Jews were rounded up and sent to their deaths. In all, over 6 million

Jews and millions o other undesirables, including disabled people, Gypsies, and

others, were murdered. When the war ended in 1945, many Jews were liberated rom the

concentration camps. The discovery o these horrifc crimes against humanity brought

home to Americans why the struggle against Nazi Germany had been so important.

Primary Source Excerpts

World War II: What Were We Fighting For?

Beore the United States ocially entered World War II ater the Pearl Harbor bombing

in December o 1941, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt outlined our reedoms he

elt were critical American values in an international world. The preservation o these

reedoms later became a primary justication or the U.S. to become involved in World

War II as the spread o ascism threatened these democratic ideals .

In the uture days, which we seek to make secure, we look orward to a worldounded upon our essential human reedoms.

The rst is reedom o speech and expression everywhere in the world.

The second is reedom o every person to worship God in his own way everywhere in the world.

The third is reedom rom want which, translated into world terms, means

economic understandings which will secure to every nation a healthy peace-time lie or its inhabitants everywhere in the world.

The ourth is reedom rom ear which, translated into world terms, meansa world-wide reduction o armaments to such a point and in such a thoroughashion that no nation will be in a position to commit an act o physicalaggression against any neighbor anywhere in the world.

Citation: Franklin D. Roosevelt Annual Message to Congress, January 6, 1941; Records o the United States Senate; SEN 77A-H1; Record Group

46; National Archives.

An Excerpt rom Franklin Delano Roosevelts Four FreedomsSpeech Delivered to Congress on January 6, 1941

February 16, 1945 Sortie #16 Mission #28

Mama Mia! How much can the human body stand? Assorted hell broke loosein the wild blue yonder today. My glass plate on my turret was shattered byfack today. I pinched mysel to see i I was coming or going. Flak was sothick you could have stepped out and walked on it. We bombed the railyardsand ammo dumps in Bolzano, Italy. By ar my roughest mission to date.Whats worst this was supposed to be a milk-run guess the Heinies ooledus on that.

St. Fosters ship got a direct hit and broke in two. Two parachutes seen.Ship burst into fames and crashed in mountains. Tail gunner and co-pilotreported Prisoners o War.

Altitude 23,000 eet Temp 41 7 hours 40 minutes

The letter below is a transcription o a handwritten diary entry recorded by Gallego during World War II.