World War II Posts

New book looks at America on the eve of war

In the late 1930s, the world was on the brink of war. In 2024, Alexis Pogorelskin is well aware that the threat has returned.

Her book Hollywood and the Nazis on the Eve of War: The Case of The Mortal Storm details the events preceding World War II. It was released in August by Bloomsbury Press.

Bryan Cranston’s Tribute to WWII Veteran Jack Moran

Actor Bryan Cranston, son of two World War II soldiers, tells the story of U.S. Army soldier and Superior native John “Jack” Moran, who courageously fought in the Battle of the Bulge. The video is from the 2024 National Memorial Day Concert, broadcast by PBS.

The Final Resting Place of Private John Matthew McGillis

Left: Private John Matthew McGillis, photo courtesy of Jasper van Kampen. Right: His burial place (Photo by Matthew James)

John Matthew McGillis, known to his family on Duluth’s Park Point as Jack, died on Christmas Day 1944, one day before the end of major fighting in the final German offensive of World War II. He wasn’t a combat soldier.

The War Years: Duluth News from Above the Fold

A collection of World War II-era newspapers, saved in a bushel box by an old timer, make up the content of a Facebook page called Duluth News Tribune and Herald the War Years. Rick Hamilton has been showcasing pieces of the old newspapers there since July 2017.

In a series of four posts, Perfect Duluth Day is featuring samplings from the collection. This final gallery displays a few front page headlines.

The War Years: World War II Duluth News Clippings

A collection of World War II-era newspapers, saved in a bushel box by an old timer, make up the content of a Facebook page called Duluth News Tribune and Herald the War Years. Rick Hamilton has been showcasing pieces of the old newspapers there since July 2017.

In a series of four posts, Perfect Duluth Day is featuring samplings from the collection. This third gallery displays news clips related to the war.

The War Years: Life in Duluth

A collection of World War II-era newspapers, saved in a bushel box by an old timer, make up the content of a Facebook page called Duluth News Tribune and Herald the War Years. Rick Hamilton has been showcasing pieces of the old newspapers there since July 2017.

In a series of four posts, Perfect Duluth Day is featuring samplings from the collection. This second gallery displays general Duluth-related news stories.

The War Years: Duluth Commerce

A collection of World War II-era newspapers, saved in a bushel box by an old timer, make up the content of a Facebook page called Duluth News Tribune and Herald the War Years. Rick Hamilton has been showcasing pieces of the old newspapers there since July 2017.

In a series of four posts, Perfect Duluth Day is featuring samplings from the collection. This first gallery displays advertising clips.

Remains of James J. Hubert finally coming home to Duluth

U.S. Marine Corps Sergeant James Joseph Hubert, a Duluthian who fought and died during the Battle of Tarawa Island in the Pacific Theater of World War II, is finally coming home. He was killed in action and buried in 1943, but when the war was over his remains were not found … until more than seven decades later.

Sgt. Hubert will be returned to Duluth this summer with full military honors. A formal funeral and burial will be held at Calvary Cemetery on July 15.

The full story is available on jamesjosephhubert.com and will likely be heavily featured in Duluth media over Memorial Day weekend.

A detailed interview with Jay Hagen, nephew of Sgt. Hubert, was broadcast in March on WDSM radio’s Sound Off! with Brad Bennett program. The interview is available for listening and downloading at wdsm710.com.

Thomas Angelo Dougherty, World War II U.S. Naval Aviator

Video by George Knowles.

Pearl Harbor Day Reflections

And There Shall Be Wars is a worthy addition to any World War II library.

When the Twin Towers were struck and fell on my birthday ten years ago, 9/11 was immediately being compared to another Day of Infamy sixty years earlier. What’s striking about the two events is how differently the news reached us. In 2001 Americans across the land were glued to their TV sets seeing replays of the horror and hearing commentaries of related unfolding events as they happened, with varying degrees of accuracy but instantly. With Internet access we could also watch reactions from around the world. Information about the 1941 attack came home to us in a far different manner, as this book excerpt shows.