2007-08 Schedule

August 30, 2007 A New Look at the Campaign in Italy Dr. Jon Mikolashek, from the Center of Military History, will be joined by veterans of the 88th Infantry Division and 757th Tank Battalion as part of their reunions, and other Italian campaign veterans from the Rangers, First Special Service Force, 34th and 36th Infantry Division, 15th Air Force and PT Boat Squadron 15.

September 13, 2007 Operation Husky: Invasion of Sicily Flint Whitlock, author of The Rock of Anzio and The Fighting First will be joined by veterans of the 82nd Airborne, Rangers, 2nd Armored Division and 1st, 3rd, and 45th Infantry Divisions.

October 11, 2007 U.S. Participation in Enigma and Signal Intelligence Hervie Haufler, author of Codebreakers’ Victory and cryptanalyst in the 6811th Signal Service Detachment supporting Bletchley Park, will be joined by other veterans in a presentation about the highly classified intercept and breaking of the Nazi codes.

October 20, 2007 The Day of Battle Book Signing Rick Atkinson will sign his new book The Day of Battle, the second in a trilogy on World War II in the European Theater. The first, An Army at Dawn won the Pulitzer Prize for History. Gen. Jack Vessey will give comments on his service in the Italian campaign.

November 8, 2007 The Dr. Harold C. Deutsch Lecture Series: The Trials at Nuremberg and the Legacy of Robert Jackson Gregory L. Peterson, executive director of the Chief Justice Robert H. Jackson Center, will speak on the trials, the genius of Jackson in their conduct, and the impact of Nuremberg on international war crimes trials today.

December 13, 2007- 6:30 p.m. Long Hard Road Book Signing Between 1941 and 1945 more than 110,000 American Marines, soldiers, airmen and sailors were taken prisoner by German, Italian, and Japanese forces. Historian Thomas Saylor, author of Remembering the Good War: Minnesota’s Greatest Generation will present his new book Long Hard Road: American POWs During World War II (both published by Minnesota Historical Society Press), featuring the stories of nearly 100 POWs in their own words.

December 13, 2007 Pearl Harbor: Was There No Warning? Robert Stinnett, author of Day of Deceit, will outline some of the breakdowns in command communications that allowed the surprise attack. Jim Johns will discuss research on his forthcoming book. A Hawaiian witness to the attack and veterans of the U.S.S. Ward, which sank a Japanese mini-submarine over an hour before the air attack, will be included in the presentation on that tragic day.

January 10, 2008 Kursk: The Largest Tank Battle on the Eastern Front Dennis Showalter, author of Patton and Rommel and veterans of the Russian Army will present the tactical conduct of the battle and the strategic significance of the loss that crippled Nazi hopes in the East.

January 24, 2008 The Greatest Generation in Normandy Dominique Francois, a French historian and resident of Normandy, is the author of several books on the Normandy campaign. Mr. Francois will speak on the special relationship that has developed between the people of Normandy and their American liberators.

February 14, 2008 The Norwegian Resistance Movement in WWII Chris Skejervold, an author who has been knighted by the King of Norway, and members of the Norwegian Resistance Movement will discuss the invasion of Norway and the involvement of Quisling in cooperating with the Nazi takeover.

March 13, 2008 The China-Burma-India Theater: A Forgotten War Al Lathrop will present the information for his upcoming book on the CBI Theater. Veterans of the 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional) fighting elements will be involved in the presentations.

April 10, 2008 Fortifications of the Third Reich Joe and Wanda Kaufmann are the authors of five books on fortifications and acknowledged experts on the subject. The presentation will include ample photos, and veterans will talk about their experiences with Nazi defenses.

May 8, 2008 Omaha Beach: A Flawed Victory Dr. Adrian R. Lewis, author of the book by the same name, as well as The New American Way of War and numerous other military history publications, will be joined by Army Infantry, Airborne, Rangers, Navy and Air Force veterans from the campaign in Normandy.