On Thanksgiving Day 1943, as World War II raged on, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania marked the holiday with a quieter tone. Many residents continued to work in essential industries, while others gathered for church services and family reunions. Discover how the Wyoming Valley adapted to the war-time holiday and embraced the hope of victory on the horizon. Read the full story.
In November 1943, as World War II intensified, coal mines in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania were asked to remain open on Thanksgiving to meet the critical coal demands of the war effort. Despite the holiday, miners worked as a patriotic duty to keep the country powered and the effort to defeat fascism abroad moving forward. Read the full story.
In November 1938, the Scranton Tribune published a powerful editorial condemning the Nazi-led violence of Kristallnacht. The article denounced the brutal attacks on Jewish communities in Germany and Austria, warning of the the growing threat of Nazi persecution and anti-Semitism. 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.
Hopple was serving as bombardier on a mission over Germany when his plane went missing and was presumed lost at sea.
In June 1940, an American Red Cross chapter in Luzerne County used a powerful photograph of refugees to encourage donations for war relief.
The final chapter in our "Letters from War" series on Sergeant Irvin Schwartz and his service in World War II.
In one of our final posts in the Letters from War series, we examine Irvin Schwartz's post-war life.
In a lengthy final letter from war, Sergeant Schwartz describes his departure from war-torn Europe bound for his home in America.
A broken down ship becomes all that's standing between Irvin Schwartz and his first visit to the United States since 1943.