Stories

Second World War Stories

Discover stories of how Britain and America’s relationship during the Second World War affected millions of people around the world.

P-47 Thunderbolt suspended in the American Air Museum
STORY

The P-47 Thunderbolt, durable and deadly

The P-47 Thunderbolt was one of the leading American fighter aircraft of the Second World War. It saw widespread use in the European Theatre as an escort and ground attack aircraft.   

82nd Fighter Squadron pilots relaxing outside the Squadron 'ready room':
STORY

78th Fighter Group at Duxford

The 78th Fighter Group was activated in January 1942 amidst the rapid expansion of the US military that occurred in the wake of the Japanese attack on

P-47 Thunderbolts of the 78th Fighter Group at Duxford
STORY

D-Day at Duxford

Duxford's 78th Fighter Group were heavily involved in supporting the Normandy invasion, flying missions on 6 June and over the summer of 1944.
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Aircraft stories

Find out how American airpower has played a key part in conflict throughout the 20th and 21st centuries.

P-47 Thunderbolt suspended in the American Air Museum
STORY

The P-47 Thunderbolt, durable and deadly

The P-47 Thunderbolt was one of the leading American fighter aircraft of the Second World War. It saw widespread use in the European Theatre as an escort and ground attack aircraft.   

B-25 Mitchell in American Air Museum
STORY

Joseph Heller, Catch-22 and the Second World War

Published in 1961 by American author Joseph Heller, Catch-22 is a satirical novel. Although Heller claimed it was a work of fiction, many of the characters and events in the book are parallel’s to Heller’s experience of the Second World War.
A B-17 Flying Fortress bombs an German aircraft factory in 1943. The USAAF hoped daylight precision bombing would prove a winning strategy during World War II which would justify the independence of US Air power if it succeeded. US official photo
STORY

The Allied strategic bombing campaign

Over the course of the Second World War, the strategic bombing campaign developed from a limited force into a weapon of immense destructive power, with hundreds of cities subjected to air attack alongside military targets.
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Human stories

Discover the stories of the people whose lives have shaped, and been shaped by Anglo-American collaboration since the First World War.

. Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, left, and U.S. President George Bush signing bilateral documents during Gorbachev's official visit to the United States
STORY

George H W Bush, from pilot to President

George Herbert Walker Bush was an aviator in the US Navy, and 41st President of the United States, his experience during the Second World War shaped the wars of the 20th Century.
P-47 Thunderbolts of the 78th Fighter Group at Duxford
STORY

D-Day at Duxford

Duxford's 78th Fighter Group were heavily involved in supporting the Normandy invasion, flying missions on 6 June and over the summer of 1944.
Lonnie Moseley with his P-47 Thunderbolt
STORY

Lonnie Moseley and his incredible 4 July escape

In the early hours of 4 July 1944, Second Lieutenant Lonnie Moseley woke up, ate his breakfast and reported to briefing room at Duxford. Within hours, he would be faced with making three life or death decisions.
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Recent conflict stories

Find out how Britain and America’s relationship has endured and been challenged through the turbulence of global events in the 21st Century.

British soldiers in a camp in Kuwait during Operation 'TELIC', the invasion of Iraq, 2003.
STORY

The 2003 War in Iraq explained

Explore the events that led from the 11 September attacks to US President George W Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair invading Saddam Hussein's Iraq.
Cold War stories

Find out how global tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States and its allies effected the latter half of the 20th Century.

. Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, left, and U.S. President George Bush signing bilateral documents during Gorbachev's official visit to the United States
STORY

George H W Bush, from pilot to President

George Herbert Walker Bush was an aviator in the US Navy, and 41st President of the United States, his experience during the Second World War shaped the wars of the 20th Century.
A graffiti covered section of the Berlin Wall photographed shortly after its opening in November 1989.
STORY

What was the Berlin Wall?

Patrolled by guards and dogs, illuminated by floodlights and fortified by barbed wire and watchtowers, the Wall divided Berlin for 28 years.
BRITISH HYDROGEN BOMB TESTS AT CHRISTMAS ISLAND, 1962 - 1963
STORY

Would you push the nuclear button?

During the Cold War, global super powers dealt with the prospect of devastating nuclear consequences by adopting a strategy of mutually assured destruction. Suggesting that you might be willing to ‘press the nuclear button’ had considerable global consequences
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