WORLD WAR II

Democratic Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers ordered flags at half-staff Tuesday to commemorate William Simon, a recently-identified U.S. soldier who died in Germany during World War II.

The remains of a U.S. airman whose plane was shot down over Germany during World War II have been accounted for, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced Monday. U.S. Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. Edgar L. Mills, 25, of Tampa, Florida, was shot down July 18, 1944, during a bombing raid on enemy aircraft and air defense installations around Memmingen, Germany, the agency said in a news release. Mills' body was not recovered at the time, and Germany never reported him as a prisoner of war, the agency said.

The Callery pear tree, native to Asia, is favored for its fast growth, white flowers, glossy leaves and stress tolerance. But the tree is difficult to control and maintain; here's what to know.

Authorities sounded emergency sirens to mark the removal of the bomb with 1,500-pounds of explosives.

Lieutenant William Montgomery’s plane was shot down during World War II near Arundel, West Sussex, on June 22, 1944 — his remains have recently been identified, 79 years later.

U.S. Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Pharis Weekley has been accounted for nearly 80 years after his death in World War II during a large-scale bombing mission over Romania.

Jack Holder, a Pearl Harbor survivor and World War II flyer, has died in Arizona at 101 years old. He was a teenager when he witnessed the bombing.

As The Spy Who Came In From the Cold turns 60, a reassessment of John le Carré and the forces that shaped the writer and the man

Putin believes he can outlast the West, even as U.S., Europe show robust support, unity after a year of conflict

A selection of images shows Russia's war in Ukraine on the one-year anniversary of the invasion.

Governments should consider imposing World War II-style policies of rationing on food, fuel, and other goods in order to fight climate change, according to a new academic paper.

Six United States Marines raised the American flag over Iwo Jima in World War II on this day in history, Feb. 23, 1945. Heroic photo of the moment still grips Americans.

The wreckage of the USS Albacore, credited with sinking at least 10 enemy vessels during the war, was identified, the Navy said — almost 80 years after it was presumed lost.

It's been a year since Russia invaded Ukraine. Host Leila Fadel takes stock of the war and where it stands. We'll also look back at NPR's reporting from Ukraine over the past year.

A sunken craft located off the coast of Hokkaido, Japan has been confirmed to be wreckage of a long-lost WWII-era US submarine, according to the Naval History and Heritage Command.

It is in the differences from past wars that insight into today’s battles lies.

Highlights of this day in history: Bruno Richard Hauptmann is convicted in the Lindbergh baby kidnap-murder; The World War II bombing of Dresden begins; Konstantin Chernenko becomes Soviet leader; Peter Gabriel is born; Waylon Jennings dies. (Feb. 13)

Officials first became aware of the 550-pound bomb on Feb. 7.

Officials first became aware of the 550-pound bomb on Feb. 7.

A World War II bomb exploded in England on Friday amid efforts to diffuse it, according to police. The detonation was unplanned and no injuries were reported.

Norfolk Police say the bomb detonated unplanned during an attempt to defuse it.

A Philadelphia woman accused of killing a World War II veteran was exonerated Thursday after spending several years in prison.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has marked the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi forces in the battle of Stalingrad, and evoked the long and grueling fight as justification for the conflict in Ukraine.

Survivors of Auschwitz-Birkenau are gathering to commemorate the 78th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi German death camp amid horror that yet another war has shattered peace in Europe

The U.S. Eight Air Force attacked the port of Wilhelmshaven, Germany, on this day in history, Jan. 27, 1943, marking the start of the American bombing offensive in Europe in World War II.

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has suddenly stated that representatives of "many European countries" took part in the Siege of Leningrad during World War II. Source: Putin during events marking the 80th anniversary of the breakthrough of the Siege of Leningrad Quote: "Representatives of many European countries took part in the Siege of Leningrad and committed crimes.

The federal government began rationing sliced bread on this day in history, Jan. 18, 1943 — marketing the darkest days of World War II on the home front. Restrictions continued after the war.

The remains of an Ohio pilot whose plane was shot down in World War II were identified using dental and anthropological analysis. The plane was shot down near Leipzig, Germany.

Six of the 10 crew members were able to escape the plane before it crashed, while pilot Carl Nesbitt and the rest were killed.

“Roll the trucks,” the air boss alerted to deploy emergency assistance quickly after the deadly plane crash at the Wings Over Dallas Air Show.

The oldest living survivor of the Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 celebrated his upcoming 105th birthday at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans.

Local officials in central Poland say that a recent discovery of objects that were most probably hidden by their Jewish owners during World War II is a rare and precious discovery

Officials in central Poland say the recent discovery of objects that were most likely hidden by their Jewish owners during World War II has provided a rare and precious find.

One man with a metal detector said he'd scoured the area for decades and "found some nice Roman objects," but never knew there could be "Nazi treasure," too.

About 400 items believed to have been hidden in the ground by their Jewish owners during World War II have been uncovered during house renovation work in a yard in Lodz in central Poland, media reports said Sunday. History experts say that the objects include Hanukkah menorahs and items used in daily life, TVN24 reported. The office's experts said on Facebook last week that the objects will be handed over to the city’s Archaeology Museum.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt outlined "Four Freedoms" in his State of the Union address of Jan. 6, 1941, as he prepared Americans for the inevitable entry into World War II.

Krzysztof Szczerski, Poland's Ambassador to the United Nations, believes that Western attempts to allow the Russian President to save face will completely kill off the international order that was established after World War II.

Nobel Peace Prize winner and Chief of Staff George Marshall was born on this day in history, Dec. 31, 1880. He's best known for his development of the Marshall Plan following World War II.

Donna Reed, who starred as Mary Hatch Bailey in "It's a Wonderful Life," died in 1986 at age 64 from cancer. Her daughter Mary Owen is helping to keep the star's legacy alive.

A court in Germany convicted 97-year-old Irmgard Furchner on over 10,000 counts of accessory to murder for working as a secretary to a Nazi SS commander at a concentration camp.

A German court is expected to deliver its verdict on a 97-year-old woman charged with being an accessory to murder for her role as a secretary to the SS commander of the Stutthof concentration camp during World War II

Vintage Chicago Tribune offers a look back at events, places and people involved in shaping Chicago’s past, present and future, in ways both small and big.

A Japanese court has rejected a damages suit filed by a group of children of Nagasaki atomic bombing survivors seeking eligibility for government support for medical costs, saying hereditary radiation impact has not been proven

Dec. 10—Gloucester's George Story was just going through some odds and ends in his closet when he realized he had stumbled across a view to World War II history. But these photos were not your run-of-the-mill images from that war. The images he found were that of a Japanese warship sunk at Guadalcanal. According to Story, the black and white photos are a tad faded but they have held up ...

In ‘War By Other Means: The Pacifists of the Greatest Generation’ and ‘Mercy: Humanity in War,’ violence is not the only option.

George “Johnny” Johnson, the last known survivor of Britain’s daring World War II “Dambusters” raid on German infrastructure, has died aged 101

Japan launched a shocking surprise attack on the U.S. fleet at Pearl Harbor on this day in history, Dec. 7, 1941. It thrust the United States into World War II and changed history in an instant.

The last veteran of Mexico’s relatively small contingent of World War II veterans has died

Winston Churchill was born to a prominent British father and wealthy American mother in Oxfordshire, England, on this day in history, Nov. 30, 1874. He was voted the Greatest Briton in a BBC poll.

Harold Chilton, a World War II veteran who lives in Arkansas, celebrated his 100th birthday on Nov. 12 and recalled his time in the U.S. Marine Band, as well as the secrets of a long, happy life.

The fight to preserve American democracy continues.

As Republicans look poised to take majority control in the House one Ukrainian general is pleading 'unity' in Congress in its support for Ukraine against Russia's war effort.

Francis Martin, 25, was killed in France in January 1945, authorities said.

While the cause of a deadly collision between two vintage military aircraft at a Dallas air show to commemorate Veterans Day remains unknown, experts say the accident will likely renew discussion over whether additional safety rules are needed for such events.

Transportation investigators are trying to determine why two historic military planes were seemingly in the same place at the same time just before they collided at a Dallas air show, killing six people.

President Joe Biden designated the first national monument of his administration at Camp Hale, a World War II-era training site in Colorado.

The remains of a sailor from Massachusetts who died when the USS Oklahoma capsized during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 are being buried at Arlington National Cemetery on Monday.

Poland’s top politician says that the government will seek equivalent of $1.3 trillion in reparations from Germany for the Nazis’ World War II invasion and occupation of his country.

The United States says it has determined that Russia is suffering “severe manpower shortages” in its six-month-old war with Ukraine and that is has become more desperate in its efforts to find new troops to send to the front lines.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the Russian military to increase the size of the country's armed forces by 137,000 amid Moscow’s military action in Ukraine.

The city of Chongqing is known for both soaring temperatures and spicy cuisine, notably its hotpot: a peppery bubbling tabletop broth into which diners dunk bite-size pieces of food to cook and eat.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has renewed Japan’s no-war pledge at a somber ceremony marking the 77th anniversary of the country's World War II defeat, but he did not mention Japanese wartime aggression.

The U.S. deputy secretary of state says the prime minister of the Solomon Islands “missed an important opportunity” by failing to attend a memorial service to mark the anniversary of a key World War II battle, amid concerns the South Pacific island nation is building closer ties with China.

A 102-year-old woman is being honored for her service with an all-female, all-Black military unit that got mail to U.S. troops in Europe during World War II.

A German court says that a 101-year-old man who was convicted last week as an accessory to murder for serving as a guard at a Nazi concentration camp during World War II has appealed.

Explorers say they found the wreckage of the USS Samuel B.

Belgium’s King Philippe has expressed his “deepest regrets” to Congolese lawmakers for abuses committed during colonial rule.

Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, says the United States and allied countries will keep providing “significant” support to Ukraine, out of respect for the legacy of D-Day soldiers.

Joy and sadness are pouring out of those on the beaches of Normandy for the 78th anniversary of D-Day.

More than 20 British World War II veterans have gathered near Pegasus Bridge for D-Day commemorations in Normandy.

President Joe Biden said on Friday that the United States job’s report is the strongest since World War II.

Congress has bestowed its highest honor on merchant mariners who fought in World War II, almost eight decades after the conflict in which more than 8,000 of them were killed.

Vladimir Putin had no victories in Ukraine to proclaim on Victory Day.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has sought to cast Moscow’s military action in Ukraine as a forced response to Western policies and a necessary move to ward off a potential aggression.

The Russian holiday of Victory Day brings out patriotic displays of flags, military parades and marches by veterans' groups celebrating the country's triumph over Nazi Germany in 1945.

A marble bust that a Texas woman bought for about $35 from a Goodwill store is temporarily on display at a San Antonio museum after experts determined it was a centuries-old sculpture missing from Germany since World War II.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett says he accepted an apology from Russian President Vladimir Putin for controversial remarks about the Holocaust made by Moscow’s top diplomat.

The invasion of Ukraine means fewer Russian tanks and other military hardware will rumble through Red Square on Monday, when the country marks its victory in World War II.

A single metal cross remains inside the Orthodox church of shattered brick and blackened stone.

Officials in Michigan have broken ground on one of the few state-specific World War II memorials in the country.

Seeking to counter fears over its new security alliance with China, the Solomon Islands says it won’t allow China to build a military base there.

The president of Poland has compared Russia’s attacks on Ukraine to Nazi forces during World War II.

As veterans of World War II get older and older, with most of them now in their late 80s and 90s, how will we preserve that legacy and keep their sacrifice alive?

Vladimir Putin has again painted his enemies in Ukraine as “neo-Nazis,” even though the country has a Jewish president who lost relatives in the Holocaust and who heads a Western-backed, democratically elected government.

The House has voted to award the only all-female, Black unit to serve in Europe during World War II with the Congressional Gold Medal.

Vladimir Putin told the world in the lead-up to its attacks on Ukraine that his operation aimed to “denazify” Ukraine.

A U.S. military pilot known as the “Candy Bomber” for his airdrops of sweets during the Berlin airlift after World War II ended has died.

Latvia’s parliament has passed a Holocaust restitution bill that includes funding to revitalize the Baltic nation’s Jewish community, which was almost completely wiped out during World War II.

A new exhibition opening this week at the Dutch national museum examines the violent birth of Indonesia after three centuries of colonial rule.

The oldest World War II veteran in the United States has died at the age of 112.

Pearl Harbor attack survivors gathered at the site of the bombing to remember more than 2,300 U.S. troops killed 80 years ago.

Pearl Harbor survivors and World War II veterans are gathering in Hawaii this week to remember those killed in the Dec. 7, 1941, attack.

A World War II veteran who was the last surviving officer of “Easy Company,” which inspired the HBO miniseries and book “Band of Brothers,” has died.

A World War II veteran from Alabama who survived COVID-19 will be honored on his 105th birthday with the French Legion of Honor in recognition of his service.

In honor of Veterans Day, a group of Democratic lawmakers is reviving an effort to pay the families of Black veterans who fought on behalf of the nation during World War II for benefits they were denied or prevented from taking full advantage of when they returned home from war.

Costs to clean up a massive nuclear weapons complex in Washington state are usually expressed in the hundreds of billions of dollars and involve decades of work.

Fighter jets have flown over the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki as parachutists landed and troops marched in the city to mark a national holiday commemorating Greece’s defiance of Fascist Italy that forced it to enter World War II.

A 100-year-old man has gone on trial in Germany, accused of being an accessory to murder for serving as a Nazi SS guard at the Sachsenhausen concentration camp near Berlin during World War II.

Walton was on a national No Regrets Tour, in the process of visiting all 50 states and meeting each state's governor.

Warsaw’s Jewish community has buried an unidentified Holocaust victim whose remains were discovered in a building that was within the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II.