Oral Histories and Historical Memory: The Experiences of Soldiers in the Second World War
The United States entered the Second World War in 1941 after the bombing of Pearl Harbor by Japanese forces on December 7th. In doing so, the United States became one of more than thirty countries who participated in the largest and most lethal war in global history. Total military and civilian deaths during the war, which began in 1939 with the invasion of Poland by Germany, are estimated between 72 to 80 million people. By the time the war concluded with the surrender of the Japanese in 1945, the world had been irrevocably changed. Due to the global nature of the war, many young men and women found themselves fighting on the frontline miles away from home. These soldiers experienced firsthand the horrors of mass modern warfare, and many of them never returned home. Through their stories we find tales of heroism, struggle, sadness, and humanity that allow us to better understand what it was like to live and fight in one of the deadliest wars in modern history.
