Lewis T. Jobe fought through North Africa and Sicily and was invaded in the Invasion of Normandy on D-Day. Several letters he wrote in 1943 were published in a Tower City, PA newspaper and provide an eyewitness account of the Second World War. Read the letters here.
On June 6, 1944, as Allied troops stormed ashore at Normandy, women in Scranton, PA gathered at St. Peter's Cathedral to pray. This photograph from the Scranton Tribune captures that moment — the Coal Region holding its breath on the "longest day." Read the story.
Hughestown, PA native Joe Toye enlisted days after Pearl Harbor, jumped into Europe with Easy Company, 506th PIR, and was gravely wounded in the Battle of the Bulge. He came home to Pennsylvania, built a life at Bethlehem Steel, and later was portrayed by Kirk Acevedo in HBO’s Band of Brothers. Read the full story.
Sergeant Walter Baranowski was wounded while serving as a paratrooper in France one week after D-Day. Read the full story of his evacuation from the front lines.
Private Irvin Schwartz vividly recalls December 7, 1941, when news of Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor interrupted a radio broadcast. He was later deployed to Normandy in 1944, serving with the US Army's 1st Division until Victory in Europe Day in 1945, sharing his experiences through letters to his hometown newspaper. Read the full story.
In this episode of the podcast, we discuss the state of World War II history in popular memory and the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
Private Harvey L. Adams was killed-in-action just hours after his son was born in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania.
Justin and Jake share their reactions to Episode 8 of Masters of the Air.
A year after Irvin Schwartz first experienced combat on D-Day, he reflected on the first anniversary of the important date.
Pfc. Irvin Schwartz wrote home to Schuylkill County in June 1944 to celebrate the work of his hometown newspaper in their coverage of D-Day.