Adolf Hitler’s invasion of Poland started the European phase of war in 1939.  The fall of most of Western Europe except for Great Britain followed over the next two years.  The German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941 brought unimaginable carnage to Eastern Europe.

America entered the war in 1941.  American naval forces combatted German U-Boat attacks on supply convoys.  Ground units entered the fight in late 1942 in North Africa.  Sicily and Italy would be invaded in 1943, followed by a long and bloody campaign up the Italian boot.

The D-Day landings of June 6, 1944 was the pivotal moment for the Allied commitment to achieving victory.  The liberation of most of France followed over the next few months.  Hitler’s last gamble, the Battle of the Bulge began in December, delaying the Allied advance, but exhausting the German Army in the process.

1945 saw the Allies moving through Germany from east and west.  Along the way, the vast atrocities of Nazi death camps were exposed to the world. The Soviets took Berlin soon after Hiter’s suicide and war the European Theater ended.

The following is a sampling of stories from veterans and civilians of the war in Europe.  Airmen from the bombing missions that devastated German cities, ground troops who fought in mountains, forests and cities, civilians who survived occupation and imprisonment.

Most are now gone, it is imperative their stories survive.