Learn about WWII History

Explore the critical events related to the war and the personal stories of those who lived through that challenging time.

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​​Wiltz - The 'Cité Martyre' of Luxemburg​
​​Wiltz - The 'Cité Martyre' of Luxemburg​

​​On 31 August 1942, Wiltz was the starting point for a nationwide general strike against the introduction of compulsory...

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​​Forced conscription in Luxembourg​
​​Forced conscription in Luxembourg​

​​​Under the chairmanship of Gauleiter Gustav Simon, the repressive occupation policy of the Nazi civil administration r...

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​​Reconstruction and initial postwar years​
​​Reconstruction and initial postwar years​

​​​The ’Battle of the Bulge’, December 1944 to January 1945, brought devastating destruction to the Northern part of Lux...

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Crown Prince Jean of Luxembourg
Crown Prince Jean of Luxembourg

Born on 5 January 1921 at Berg Castle, the Crown Prince Jean left Luxembourg on 10 May 1940. In 1942, he voluntarily joi...

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Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg
Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg

Grand Duchess Charlotte (born 23 January 1896, died 9 July 1985), was the Head of State of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg...

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General Patton’s Prayer
General Patton’s Prayer

At the beginning of the ’Battle of the Bulge ’ the weather conditions were poor. To boost the morale of his troops, Gene...

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Time to save Bastogne – Murderous defensive action at Wiltz
Time to save Bastogne – Murderous defensive action at Wiltz

At the beginning of the offensive, the exhausted units of the US 28th Infantry Division in the Luxembourg Ardennes put ...

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Daniel B Strickler
Daniel B Strickler

Due to the brave resistance of Lieutenant Colonel (Lt Col) Daniel B Strickler's unit, the German advance route via Const...

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James A. Van Fleet
James A. Van Fleet

After weeks of failing to clear the Harlingen front in early January 1945, General Patton placed his full confidence in ...

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Camille Sutor
Camille Sutor

The dramatic fate of the Resistance fighter, Camille Sutor (born 30 May 1921, died 19 May 1944), is an example of the ex...

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Bennedict Kimmelman
Bennedict Kimmelman

Shortly before the fall of Wiltz, on 18 December 1944, the rear sections of the US 28th Infantry Division were moved tow...

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William McConahey
William McConahey

On 12 January 1945, a doctor of the US 90th Infantry Division, Dr William McConahey, moved with his medical unit to the ...

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The war in East Belgium
The war in East Belgium

The border area of Eupen, Malmedy and Sankt Vith changed nationality three times in the first half of the 20th century. ...

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Richard F. Wiegand
Richard F. Wiegand

Richard F. Wiegand, born in Maryland, USA, enlisted into the US Army in 1943. He was killed in action on Christmas Day 1...

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​​Major General Walter E. Lauer​
​​Major General Walter E. Lauer​

​​Major General Walter E. Lauer was born in Brooklyn, New York. During the Second World he commanded the US 99th Infantr...

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​​US 99th Infantry Division​
​​US 99th Infantry Division​

​​From its formation in 1942, the US 99th Infantry Division played an important role during the Second World War. This w...

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Lonnie Holloway Junior​
Lonnie Holloway Junior​

​​Lonnie O. Holloway Junior enlisted with the United States Army in February 1942 at Camp Carson, Colorado. He fought du...

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​​Kampfgruppe Peiper, German 1st SS ‘Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler’ Panzer Division​
​​Kampfgruppe Peiper, German 1st SS ‘Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler’ Panzer Division​

​​Kampfgruppe Peiper was one of the three armoured groups of the German 1st SS ‘Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler’ Panzer Divis...

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​​V weapons and sites: the history of their development, production and launch​
​​V weapons and sites: the history of their development, production and launch​

​​The V weapons, known as Vergelstungwaffen (weapons of retaliation), comprised the Fi-103 V1 flying bomb and the V2 roc...

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​​The role of the FFI in the liberation of Lille​
​​The role of the FFI in the liberation of Lille​

​​The French Forces of the Interior (FFI) played an important role in the liberation of Lille. From 1 September 1944, th...

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​​The British at the centre of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais liberation effort​
​​The British at the centre of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais liberation effort​

​​British troops played a decisive role in the liberation of the former Nord-Pas-de-Calais region. Placed at the centre ...

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​​The American liberators of eastern Nord-Pas-de-Calais​
​​The American liberators of eastern Nord-Pas-de-Calais​

​​American troops liberated the eastern part of the former Nord-Pas-de-Calais region. They were positioned to the east o...

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​​Robert Wilhelm​
​​Robert Wilhelm​

​​Little is known about Robert Wilhelm (9 December 1919 - 10 August 1944). He was killed in the fighting in Normandy and...

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​​Karl Stein​
​​Karl Stein​

​​Little is known about the German navy Corporal Karl Stein (19 April 1922 - 5 May 1942). He died during his deployment ...

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