The outbreak of the Second World War ushered in a period of great prosperity and unity in Wisconsin. The depression years receded into the background as defense spending and military preparedness resulted in defense contracts for Wisconsin businesses. Rather than the dismal unemployment that had plagued the 1930s, labor was in high demand and wages and prices rose accordingly.
Both industry and agriculture shared in this prosperity. Wisconsin citizens quickly shifted to wartime production, becoming more dependent on orders from the military than ever before. Manitowoc, Sturgeon Bay, and Superior turned out submarines and other ships, once again becoming centers... more...
| A Milwaukee officer describes the attack on Pearl Harbor |
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| War changes education for women, 1943 |
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| Suggestions for neighborhood block leaders, 1943 |
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| Wisconsin develops solutions to wartime shortages |
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| Women workers at Allis-Chalmers during World War Two |
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| Citizens learn how to support the war through rationing, 1942 |
| Auschwitz Concentration Camp Sweater |
| Citizens are reminded to write letters to soldiers, 1944 |
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| A manual for air raid wardens, 1942 |
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| Allis-Chalmers advises women workers on health and safety, 1942 |
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| Supporting the war by conserving office supplies, 1942 |
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| The dead and missing from Wisconsin in June of 1946 |
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| A 1944 cookbook featuring dairy products |
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| A Navy sailor recalls Pearl Harbor |
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| Wisconsin Holocaust survivors recall their experiences |
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| World War II veterans recall their experiences at home and abroad |
| Photographs from World War Two by Dickey Chapelle |
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| The Attack on Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941 |
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| Women metal fabricators in Fort Atkinson |
| An airman from northern Wisconsin describes his experiences during World War Two. |
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| An Oshkosh aviator describes being shot down over Italy and life in a German prisoner of war camp. |
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| A military police officer from Polk Co. writes home about the war in the Pacific. |
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| A sailor describes life aboard ship during World War Two. |
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| How a tablespoon of fat can save soldiers' lives |
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| A Wisconsin paratrooper describes his service in Europe during World War Two. |
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| A Wisconsin infantryman describes his service in Europe during World War Two. |
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| A Wisconsin army lieutenant describes being wounded by German shrapnel during World War Two. |
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| A Wisconsin infantry soldier describes life in German prison camps during World War Two. |
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| A Milwaukee colonel writes home from Europe, 1943-45 |
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| A Barron Co. aviator describes life as a prisoner of war. |
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| A woman's experience of the Army. |
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| A Middleton nurse writes home from her hospital in India during World War Two. |
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| An Ashland soldier writes home at the end of World War Two |
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| A Janesville nurse in a Japanese prisoner of war camp, 1942-1945 |
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| An Oshkosh woman's diary of living in occupied Florence, Italy, in 1943-1944. |
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| A Wisconsin aviator describes missions in Asia. |
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| A Wisconsin soldier sends home a valentine. |
| The USS Cobia |
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| Interviews with Madison residents after the attack on Pearl Harbor |
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| Wisconsin Blue Books |
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| A Holocaust survivor who settled in Wisconsin tells his story in 1963. |
| Stories and images from the Manitowoc homefront, 1939-1947 |
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| Discover the life and work of General Billy Mitchell |
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| Stories by and about students' wartime efforts |
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| Exhibit of correspondence of John and Priscilla Holloway at Marquette University |
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| Online exhibit from the Wis. Veterans Museum |
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| Photographs of life on the USS Wisconsin |
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| Read letters from Wisconsin soldiers in World War Two |
