Ethel LaSalle served in the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) during World War II from 1944 to 1945. The Women’s Army Corps became a full status branch of the Army in 1943, with around 150,000 women serving in it during World War II. Women who served in the WAC were the … Continue reading
Frank Chebetar was a 20-year old cook on a ship at the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor during World War II on the morning of December 7, 1941. On the 70th anniversary of the attack, Chebetar describes what he saw on that day as the memories move him … Continue reading
On August 25, 1944, French General Charles de Gaulle entered Paris, which had been liberated the day before. From the Hôtel de Ville, he made a spirited speech to a large crowd with these famous lines, “Paris outraged! Paris broken! Paris martyred! But Paris liberated!” An audio recording of Gaulle’s speech is available below. The … Continue reading
In this Legacy Project interview from 2006 with Raymond Aubrac, a leader of the French Resistance, he describes his efforts to oppose Nazi Germany’s occupation of France during World War II. He says of his brave peers in the Resistance: “That’s very amazing to consider–all these people were volunteers. Nobody had been forced into … Continue reading
Priscilla Tolkien, daughter to author of “Lord of the Rings” book series J. R. R. Tolkien interview, discusses her father’s conscientious and exact approach to the details in his books. She recalls how he would fastidiously revise elements in his books until they accurately portrayed the situations he construed for … Continue reading
In this interview with AFI, American film director Sydney Pollack describes his admiration for the film, “Citizen Kane,” directed by the great Orson Welles. Pollack says of Welles and the film: “You are just aware that somebody is working at the top of their game.” The film is regarded as … Continue reading
Patricia vander Elst was 21 years old when she was a simultaneous interpreter at the Nuremberg Trials after being recruited whilst a student at the Geneva School of Interpreters. The Nuremberg trials in Nuremberg, Germany began on November 20, 1945 and ended on October 1, 1946 held by Allied forces … Continue reading
U.S. veteran Gerald M. Boe, the guard for Hermann Göring during the Nuremberg Trials, shares his memories of that time. Göring was one of the surviving leaders of the Third Reich and the highest-ranking Nazi to be tried at the Nuremberg Trials where he was convicted of war crimes and … Continue reading
Bill Boving, who served in the U.S. infantry during World War II, recalls his time as a guard during the Nuremberg Trials. Boving sat in on some of the days and mentions how it dragged on for a long time–noting that some people after a few months felt it was … Continue reading
Participant of the Nuremberg trials, Alfred Steer, describes witnessing Hermann Göring’s cross-examination by the presiding judge, Robert H. Jackson. Göring was one of the surviving leaders of the Third Reich and the highest-ranking Nazi to be tried at the Nuremberg Trials. He was convicted of war crimes and sentenced to … Continue reading
