On this day in 2014, a former Army nurse passes away. Lille Margaret Steinmetz Magette was among those who heroically served in military hospitals during World War II. These women didn’t experience a particularly dramatic battle, earning a place in history books. Instead, they simply served, making sacrifices day after day. The accumulation of their contributions was vital to victory. Lille was just your prototypical American girl, born and raised in small town Missouri.

On this day in 1945, a prisoner of war is liberated. But Roderick “Roddie” Edmonds wasn’t the only man freed that day. Because of his heroic actions, hundreds of other prisoners were liberated alongside him. Do you remember this American hero, who received the Medal of Honor earlier this year? Then-Master Sergeant Edmonds was among those serving with the 106th Infantry Division, 422nd Infantry Regiment at the Battle of the Bulge. Unfortunately, he was also among those cap

On this day in 1945, Allied forces determine that “organized resistance has now ceased” in western Germany. Just one day earlier, Allied forces had conducted World War II’s largest single-day airborne drop, a mission codenamed “Operation Varsity.” The drop might not have been needed but for the Rhine River, a huge natural obstacle protecting Nazi Germany from Allied forces to the west. How could the Allies get across the river and deal a final blow to the Nazis? British

On this day in 1943, an unusual sort of hero is born. Just six months later, he would go on to save the lives of at least 100 people during a fast-moving World War II campaign. Wait. What? Just six months after his birth? Yes. You read that right. The hero in question was a homing pigeon named G.I. Joe. His stunning flight would make him the first American recipient of the PDSA Dickin Medal. Impressively, he remained the only American recipient of the Medal for more than

On this day in 1945, the aircraft carrier USS Franklin is miraculously saved. Just one day earlier, a Japanese Judy dive bomber had dropped two bombs on the American vessel. Franklin then had dozens of planes, fully gassed and armed, sitting on her flight deck or in her hangar. Those planes became fuel for the firestorm that would rip through much of the ship. [See yesterday’s story .] USS Santa Fe alongside the burning USS Franklin “It was like looking into hell,” AMM3/c Gle

On this day in 1945, USS Franklin is attacked by a Japanese dive bomber. Her crew thought she’d surely capsize—but she didn’t. Amazingly, Franklin even managed to limp back home to Pearl Harbor. It was the second time that Franklin had survived such an attack. Mere months earlier, she’d barely survived the Battle of Leyte Gulf, but now she was back in operation. Her new task? Help neutralize the Japanese kamikaze threat before the planned invasion of Okinawa. USS Franklin, o

On this day in 1945, a Navy chaplain engages in an action that would earn him the Medal of Honor. Father Joseph T. O'Callahan was then stationed aboard USS Franklin , an aircraft carrier working just off the coast of Japan. Franklin and others were working to neutralize the Japanese kamikaze threat before the invasion of Okinawa on April 1. Trouble came early on March 19 when a Japanese Judy dive bomber dropped out of the clouds, mere yards in front of Franklin . Two semi-ar

On or around this day in 1944, the so-called “roughnecks of Sherwood Forest” return home. They’d just finished a year-long, secret mission: They’d been drilling oil in England. When they returned, there was no fanfare. Most people didn’t know what they’d done, yet victory in World War II might have been impossible without them. It all began with the German U-boats: They were sinking too many oil tankers early in the war. Making matters worse, the Luftwaffe was destroyin

On this day in 1945, Americans capture the city of Cologne, Germany. The town had already been shattered by years of aerial raids. Now, as World War II was coming to an end, Germans began to flee before the oncoming American tanks. Yet the commander of one German Panther tank refused to go. Instead, he made a last stand in front of Cologne Cathedral, one of the few buildings to remain mostly intact. A U.S. soldier stands near the burned-out Panther tank. The text on the sign

On this day in 1942, the United States creates a different kind of fighting force. These men didn’t rely on rifles, though. Instead, they drove bulldozers, concrete mixers, and cranes. They operated jackhammers, shovels, and welding torches. “The Seabees of the United States Navy were born in the dark days following Pearl Harbor,” the Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) website explains, “when the task of building victory from defeat seemed almost insurmountable. The

On this day in 1933, USS Ranger is launched. She was the first U.S. Navy vessel to be built from the keel up as an aircraft carrier. She was also the first American carrier to launch attacks against Nazi-controlled territory during World War II. She would ultimately become the only American carrier to launch an attack against the European mainland. Yes, you read that right. She was the only one. The larger, armored aircraft carriers built after Ranger served in the Pacif

On this day in 1947, a United States Army Air Forces Boeing B-29 Superfortress crash lands in Greenland. Kee Bird ’s crew would survive three days on the arctic ice, waiting for rescue. Yet even after Kee Bird ’s crew was gone, the plane wasn’t forgotten. Several decades later, an attempt was made to rescue it. After all, she was then the “most well-preserved B-29” still in existence, as an Alaskan Air Museum describes. Kee Bird ’s story starts with Project Nanook, a Cold Wa

On this day in 1944, Operation Hailstone comes to an end. The naval attack has been called the “Japanese Pearl Harbor” because of the massive damage that U.S. Naval forces inflicted on the Japanese base at Truk Lagoon. The base was more important to the Japanese effort than most people remember today. Truk’s strategic location in the Caroline Islands, as well as its unique geography, was optimal for Japanese purposes. A huge coral reef surrounds a cluster of islands, encl

On this day in 1945, USAAF Captain Louis E. Curdes shoots down an American C-47, forcing it to crash land in the ocean. Legend has it that he shot down a plane carrying the woman who would ultimately become his wife! The story is mostly true, but I’m afraid it’s also bathed in a tad bit of myth. Curdes did shoot down a nurse that day, and he had been on at least one date with her. However, Curdes ultimately married someone else. “My dad might have been dating a nurse on the p

On this day in 1922, a hero is born. William E. Metzger, Jr. would go on to become a pilot in the U.S. Army Air Forces, as well as a recipient of the Medal of Honor. His sister would remember him as a kind, considerate soul. “When he was a junior in high school,” she told a reporter, “one of his best friends died, and I think that had some kind of impact on him. He was different than a lot of young men. He was just sensitive about things. He was just a very considerate pe

On this day in 1944, downed pilot Fred Hargesheimer is rescued by the submarine USS Gato . He’d been on the island of New Britain in Papua New Guinea for eight long months. Fred’s troubles began on June 5, 1943, as he patrolled the skies in a P-38. He was then serving with the 8th Photo Reconnaissance Squadron and was helping to photomap the area. Unfortunately, a Japanese fighter spotted him and fired. One of Fred’s engines was in flames. He did the only thing he could:

On this day in 1943, Mrs. Ruth C. Streeter is commissioned as a Major in the United States Marine Corps. She would serve as the first director of the newly formed Marine Corps Women’s Reserve. Women served in every branch of our military during World War II, but the Marine Corps went a step further: These women didn’t merely serve in some sort of auxiliary service, as women in the Navy, Army, or Coast Guard did. They were full-fledged Marines. The Commandant of the Marine Cor

On this day in 2002, a World War II hero passes away . Rudolph B. Davila has been credited with saving the lives of 130 American soldiers. He received the Medal of Honor for his stunning bravery. He surely never expected to be a hero. He’d enlisted in the Army in 1939, largely because times were tough, and he needed a job. Davila’s heroism came on May 28, 1944, as Americans worked to break though German strongholds in the mountains surrounding Anzio, Italy. Then-Staff Sergean

On this day in 1944, Allied forces come ashore in “Operation Shingle,” an amphibious landing near Anzio, Italy. Military leaders were determined to break Nazi Germany’s hold on Italy. It had already been a difficult winter. American and British forces had landed in southern Italy in September, intending to work their way north towards Rome, but the effort had turned into a long, hard slog. Much of the trouble came from a German defense barrier known as the Gustav Line,

On this day in 1922, a hero is born. William K. Nakamura would go on to serve in World War II as a member of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. That regiment, as you may know, was composed entirely of “Nisei.” They were Japanese-Americans who’d volunteered to fight for their country. They believed in America, even when some Americans weren’t sure if they could believe in their fellow citizens who just happened to be Japanese-Americans. Indeed, the 442nd worked so hard and