Liberating the Eternal City
On June 4, 1944, Allied troops liberated Rome. Correspondents who had covered the brutal slog through Italy reveled in the moment.
Read moreTag Archives: United Press
Germany surrenders: Ed Kennedy’s day of infamy
Edward Kennedy of the Associated Press gained international fame, then infamy, when he became the first correspondent to report the end of the war in Europe.
Read moreThe Writing 69th flies to Wilhelmshaven
In February 1943, a specially trained group of correspondents accompanied an Eighth Air Force bombing raid over Germany. One would not return.
Read moreJ.R. Krantz dangles from a B-29, miles over Japan
J.R. Krantz’s remarkable story of survival after being blown out of his B-29 on a bombing raid over Japan captivated readers across the U.S. and around the world.
Read moreThanksgiving 1942: Exporting an American holiday
Thanksgiving Day 1942 was a jarring experience, not just for the U.S. service members half a world away from home but also to the countries suddenly playing host to a wholly unfamiliar holiday.
Read moreDorie Miller at Pearl Harbor: Telling a hero’s story
The heroic tale of Dorie Miller has become a familiar part of World War II lore, but it took months after the Pearl Harbor attack — and plenty of digging by one newspaper in particular — to bring Miller’s identity to light.
Read moreOperation Market Garden: Dropping in on Holland
In its earliest hours, Operation Market Garden seemed yet another Allied success. But correspondents on the ground soon realized little was going to plan, and their reports from the field reflected the increasingly dire situation — particularly near Arnhem.
Read morePeleliu: Hitting the beach with the Marines
Correspondents watching from offshore had an uneasy feeling as they eyed the small island of Peleliu, which seemed “too still” after a three-day bombardment. Those concerns proved valid when the 1st Marine Division went ashore to face a hellscape of dug-in Japanese defenders who would fight on for more than two months.
Read moreCaptured by the Nazis: War correspondent to POW
On September 12, 1944, war correspondents Edward Beattie, Wright Bryan and John Mecklin were captured by German troops in France. Suddenly, they were the news instead of the ones reporting on it.
Read moreLiberation Day: When Paris went mad
The liberation of Paris was a day war correspondents in Europe had anticipated like no other, and the reality didn’t disappoint.
The magnitude of August 25, 1944 was such that, in Ernie Pyle’s words, “A good many of us feel we have failed in properly presenting the loveliest, brightest story of our time.”
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World War II on Deadline 