World War II

Hiroshima marked the 80th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of the western Japanese city, with many aging survivors expressing frustration about the growing support of global leaders for nuclear weapons as a deterrence. Alabama produced a crucial component in the development of the first atomic bombs in the 1940’s

The nation is remembering the eighty first anniversary of the D-Day landing during World War Two today. The invasion of Europe by allied forces was supported by navy ships like the U.S.S. Nevada at Utah Beach. Military historians say one other vessel providing cover that day was the cruiser U.S.S. Tuscaloosa.

Retired Lt. Col. Harry Stewart Jr, one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen, has died. He was 100. Stewart was one of the last surviving combat pilots of the famed 332nd Fighter Group who were the nation's first military pilots. Stewart earned the Distinguished Flying Cross for downing three German aircraft during a dogfight on April 1, 1945.

The U.S. Air Force is announcing the reinstatement of training courses with videos of its storied Tuskegee Airmen. This follows outcry of the military's removal of the materials to comply with the Trump administration's crackdown on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives (DEI).

A 600-pound bronze statue of a Tuskegee airman has been found after it was stolen from a city park, Detroit police said Friday. The statue of Lt. Col. Alexander Jefferson was reported missing Wednesday evening from Rouge Park on Detroit's far west side, police said.

The USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park is doing more than remembering World War II—they are bringing history to life.

A new book out is gathering lots of interest in South Alabama. It’s by a 91-year-old woman who tells the stories of a difficult childhood in Fairhope. APR visits with the writer as she retraces steps from her long life.

A team of divers have been trolling the deep, cold waters of Lake Huron off Michigan's Thumb for several weeks each of the past few years searching for scattered pieces of aviation — and Black military — history. Their target is the wreckage of a World War II-era fighter plane flown by a member of the famed Tuskegee Airmen that crashed during training nearly 80 years ago near Port Huron, about 60 miles northeast of Detroit.

Raymond Cassagnol, a Haitian pilot and a member of the Tuskegee Airmen, the famed group of Black military aviators during World War II, has died. He was 102. Cassagnol died June 24 at his home in Florida, according his daughter, Dominique Cassagnol Ballacchino.

The Tuskegee Airmen were the first African American pilots to participate in the U.S. military. The flyers were involved in an important air battle on June 9, 1943.