Stories by Media
Stories by Location
The War, Ken Burns’ seven-part documentary series directed and produced by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, was the most-watched PBS series of the past 10 years. It explored the history and horror of the Second World War from an American perspective by following the fortunes of so-called ordinary men and women who become caught up in one of the greatest cataclysms in human history.
WILL-TV’s Central Illinois World War II Stories was developed in conjunction with the Ken Burns’ series.
Visit The War web site on PBS.org
Share Your Story
PBS is gathering WWII stories from viewers across the United States. Upload your story to PBS for sharing with all other viewers. If you need assistance, contact Mary Barrineau or Jack Brighton at 217-333-1070.
This project supported in part by:
Clark Lindsey Village
Ecowater Systems
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers #601
Strawberry Fields
Steamatic
WETA
Corporation for Public Broadcasting
WILL Stories
In stories on WILL radio, television and the Web, WILL looks at the war from many perspectives: men in battle on land and at sea, Japanese-American families in internment camps, conscientious objectors, women in the service, African-Americans at Chanute Air Force Base, German POWs in Hoopeston.
Web Stories
These stories and features are produced for the web only. Diary entries, oral histories, and other extended content too lengthy for broadcast will be published here.
Oral History Interview: Ralph Langenheim of Urbana, Part Two
Get Flash to see this movie.
This is the second part of Ralph Langenheim’s oral history interview, and was recorded on August 31st, 2007.
RealVideo archive:
Audio archives:
Play Now:RealAudio archive | downloadable MP3
Oral History Interview: Merle Roughton of Decatur
Get Flash to see this movie.
Merle Roughton was 17 in 1940 when he joined the 106th Cavalry Regiment Illinois National Guard, which was called into service in November of 1940. He served in France with the 106th Cavalry – Mechanized from June 1944 to October 1945, and he remained in the 106th Cavalry until 1952. Throughout WWII, Merle Roughton served primarily with the same group of Urbana, Ill., friends that joined the Cavalry together. They landed at Normandy, fought in the Battle of the Bulge, and finally served with Patton’s Third Army.
RealVideo archive:
Audio archives:
Play Now:RealAudio archive | downloadable MP3
Oral History Interview: Robert Hamm of Urbana
Get Flash to see this movie.
From 1942 to 1945, Robert Hamm served in the Navy aboard the aircraft carrier USS Franklin, where he worked nine stories below deck as a boiler room engineer. During his interview, he provides rich insight into day-to-day life on an aircraft carrier and describes the terrible experience of being trapped in the bottom of the ship on March 19, 1945, when Japanese kamikaze pilots attacked the Franklin, which, fully loaded with bombs and fuel, sustained heavy damage and almost 1,000 casualties.
RealVideo archive:
Audio archives:
Play Now:RealAudio archive | downloadable MP3
Merle Ray “Bud” Mingee, Champaign
In a small brown memo book, he kept a diary about his service aboard the light cruiser the USS Houston, including the fierce Battle of Formosa, in which the ship was torpedoed several times. As an electrician, Mingee worked to keep the ship afloat. Few, if any, U.S. Navy ships operating in the open sea survived such massive underwater damage and flooding. Mingee died in 1963 at age 42, but his children treasure the diary.
Oct. 14, 1944: The order was given to abandon ship. The chief, myself and two corpsmen went below to bring out wounded. We got 3 out. When we got topside again, there was a destroyer alongside trying to get lines over to take off survivors. The sea was so rough she couldn’t do it. Many got panicked and tried to jump to her. About 50 or 60 were mashed in between. I was too busy carrying wounded to be scared or thinking about going over the side.
Oral History Interview: Merlin Taber of Champaign
Get Flash to see this movie.
Merlin Taber served during World War II, not in the military, but as a conscientious objector in the Civilian Public Service. His Quaker upbringing shaped his decision to seek an alternative to military service. During the war, Taber built roads, fought forest fires, cared for patients in a mental hospital and served as a test subject for medical research. He talks about his experiences—and the reasons for his pacifist response to war.
RealVideo archive:
Audio archives:
Play Now:RealAudio archive | downloadable MP3
Oral History Interview: Delbert Augsburger of Flanagan
Get Flash to see this movie.
It was Delbert Augsburger’s boyhood dream to fly planes—and part of his dream came true when be became a crew member on an Army Air Force B-17 Flying Fortress during the latter half of World War II. Augsburger didn’t fly the plane—he was a ball turret gunner, defending his plane from enemy fire during bombing missions over Germany. Augsburger talks about his experiences—and why his pacifist Mennonite background didn’t stop him from enlisting.
RealVideo archive:
Audio archives:
Play Now:RealAudio archive | downloadable MP3