The stories.

Across continents, we have documented the stories of people from diverse backgrounds and different sides of conflicts. Their firsthand accounts reveal the many ways war, persecution and survival have shaped individual lives.

Our interviews include voices from 28 countries

101 stories

Thomas Dowdy holding his wartime photograph.

WWII veterans

Thomas Dowdy

A Black Soldier of the 784th Tank Battalion

United States Army · Western Front · African American soldier

Nissen Mangel showing the prisoner number tattooed on his arm.

Holocaust survivors

Nissen Mangel

An Auschwitz survivor who became a rabbi.

Concentration Camp survivor · Sereď · Auschwitz · Mauthausen · Melk · Gunskirchen

Roman Lesniak, a survivor of Schindler’s list.

Holocaust survivors

Roman Lesniak

One of the last survivors of Schindler’s list.

Concentration camp survivor · Kraków ghetto · Płaszów · Schindler’s list

Leonid Rozenberg wearing his wartime decorations.

WWII veterans

Leonid Rozenberg

An artillery officer on the Eastern Front.

Soviet (Red) Army · Eastern Front · Jewish soldier · Wounded

Aron Bielski (Bell) holding a framed display about the Bielski family camp.

WWII veterans · Holocaust survivors

Aron Bielski (Bell)

Jewish Partisan and Holocaust Survivor

In Hiding · Resistance · Jewish soldier

Eva Szepesi holding a photograph of herself as a young girl.

Holocaust survivors

Eva Szepesi

Alone in Auschwitz at Twelve

Concentration camp survivor · Sereď · Auschwitz

James Fenton saluting while wearing his slouch hat and military medals.

WWII veterans

James Fenton

A Veteran of the “Forgotten Army” in Burma

British Army · Asiatic-Pacific Theater

Antonín Fajkus holding Jiri Kluc’s book about his life.

WWII veterans

Antonín Fajkus

A Czech Fighter Pilot Who Flew 190 Missions in the Pacific

United States Army Air Forces · Asiatic-Pacific Theater · Fighter pilot · Decorated

Eva Paddock holding her childhood travel document.

Holocaust survivors

Eva Paddock

Winton Children

Kindertransport · Nicholas Winton

Marie Warren holding her wartime portrait.

WWII veterans

Marie Warren

Serving Canada in the RCAF Women’s Division

Royal Canadian Air Force · Women soldier

Ejler Borch holding a historical portrait of himself.

WWII veterans

Ejler Borch

“Thor” of the Danish Resistance

Portrait of Annetta Able.

Holocaust survivors

Annetta Able

The Oldest Twin to Survive Mengele’s Experiments

Concentration camp survivor · Terezín · Auschwitz

Dieter von Levetzow holding a photograph of himself as a young man.

WWII veterans

Dieter von Levetzow

From War and Captivity to a Life in Sculpture

German Army · Western Front · Eastern Front · Prisoner of War

Elly Gotz holding a photograph of himself as a young man.

Holocaust survivors

Elly Gotz

A Childhood Stolen by the Holocaust

Concentration camp survivor · Kovno ghetto · Kaufering · Dachau

James Piburn, a United States Air Force veteran of the Korean War.

Korean War veterans

James Piburn

B-29 Gunner in the Korean War

United States Air Force

Portrait of Norris Jernigan, a veteran of the 509th Composite Group.

WWII veterans

Norris Jernigan

The Last Veteran of the Unit That Dropped the Atomic Bombs

United States Army Air Forces · Asiatic-Pacific Theater

Portrait of Ronald Waterman in a garden.

Holocaust survivors

Ronald Waterman

One of the last living Dutch Jews who passed through Terezín

Concentration camp survivor · Barneveld · Westerbork · Terezín

Qemal Bego holding a photograph of himself in military uniform.

WWII veterans

Qemal Bego

Albanian Partisan in WWII

Resistance · LANÇ

Léon Moyen holding a photograph from his military service.

Korean War veterans

Léon Moyen

Luxembourg Volunteer in the Korean War

Luxembourg Army · Belgian–Luxembourg Battalion · Korea · Wounded

Bill Purdy holding his wartime medals.

WWII veterans

Bill Purdy

Australian Lancaster Pilot and DFC Recipient

Royal Australian Air Force · Decorated · Western Front

Doris Broulova holding a historical portrait photograph.

Holocaust survivors

Doris Broulova

Survivor of Terezín, Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen.

Concentration camp survivor · Terezín · Auschwitz · Hamburg · Bergen-Belsen

Stephen Kochick holding a photograph of himself during his military service.

Vietnam War veterans

Stephen Kochick

Vietnam Infantryman and Silver Star Recipient

United States Army · Wounded · Decorated

Olga Hopkins holding a photograph of herself in WAAF uniform.

WWII veterans

Olga Hopkins

WAAF Wireless Mechanic

Women’s Auxiliary Air Force · RAF · Women soldier

Ilmari Koppinen saluting.

WWII veterans

Ilmari Koppinen

From Finland’s Winter War to Patrols Behind Soviet Lines

Finnish Army · Winter War · Continuation War · Eastern Front

Ervín Hoida holding Jiri Kluc’s book about his life.

WWII veterans

Ervín Hoida

From Escape to the Siege of Dunkirk

Czechoslovak Army · Western Front · Decorated · Jewish soldier

Joseph Pietroforte holding a wartime photograph of himself.

WWII veterans

Joseph Pietroforte

“Bazooka Joe” at the Battle of the Bulge

United States Army · Western Front · Decorated · Czechoslovakia 1945

Jan Ihnatík saluting.

WWII veterans

Jan Ihnatík

From the Soviet Gulag to the Liberation of Czechoslovakia

Soviet repression · Eastern Front · Czechoslovak Army

Germain Malaterre holding his framed military decorations and citation.

WWII veterans

Germain Malaterre

From the Defence of Dunkirk to Five Years in Captivity

French Army · Western Front · Decorated · Prisoner of War

Portrait of Jiří Pitín, a survivor of the destruction of Lidice.

WWII civilian witnesses

Jiří Pitín

Seven Weeks Old When Lidice Was Destroyed

Lidice survivor · Nazi civilian persecution

Hans Klingesberger holding a photograph of an armoured half-track.

WWII veterans

Hans Klingesberger

From the Afrika Korps to Captivity in America

German Army · North Africa · Prisoner of War

Andor Mohos holding a framed portrait of himself in military uniform.

WWII veterans

Andor Mohos

A Hungarian Soldier’s Survival in Soviet Captivity

Royal Hungarian Army · Prisoner of War · Forced labour

John Banham saluting.

WWII veterans · Korean War veterans

John Banham

Witness to the Liberation of Gunskirchen

United States Army · Western Front · Concentration camp liberator

Portrait of Uldis Maksiņš.

WWII veterans

Uldis Maksiņš

A Latvian Legion Soldier’s Journey Through War and Exile

Latvian Legion · Waffen-SS · Eastern Front · Wounded

William Keegan holding a framed photograph of himself in military uniform.

WWII veterans

William Keegan

A Combat Medic Story

United States Army · Western Front · Concentration camp liberator · Czechoslovakia 1945

Portrait of Josef Müller.

WWII veterans · Holocaust survivors

Josef Müller

From Jewish Forced Labour to Fighting at Kyiv and Dukla

Forced labour · Czechoslovak Army · Eastern Front · Decorated · Jewish soldier

Georges Goguin holding photographs from 1936 and 1946.

WWII veterans

Georges Goguin

Five Years in Captivity and a Journey to Freedom Through Czechoslovakia

Belgian Army · Western Front · Wounded · Prisoner of War · Czechoslovakia 1945

John Burke holding his wartime portrait.

WWII veterans

John Burke

A BAR Gunner in the Battle for Cheb

United States Army · Western Front · Czechoslovakia 1945

Steen Metz holding a Danish flag.

Holocaust survivors

Steen Metz

A Danish Boy in Terezin

Concentration camp survivor · Terezín

Joan Escudé i Farriol holding a framed portrait of himself as a young man.

Other 20th-century conflict veterans

Joan Escudé i Farriol

A Republican Volunteer in the Spanish Civil War

Republican Army

Spencer Seaver holding his military medals.

Korean War veterans

Spencer Seaver

Fighter Pilot Who Flew 101 Missions over Korea

Royal Australian Air Force · Fighter pilot · Decorated

Lech Gade holding a phone displaying his prisoner-of-war photograph.

WWII veterans

Lech Gade

A Fourteen-Year-Old Messenger in the Warsaw Uprising

Home Army · Warsaw Uprising · Resistance · Prisoner of War

Lena Goren holding framed photographs from her younger years.

Holocaust survivors

Lena Goren

A Greek Jewish Girl’s Refuge in a Mountain Monastery

Saul Blau showing his Auschwitz prisoner-number tattoo.

Holocaust survivors

Saul Blau

Thirteen Years Old in Auschwitz

Concentration camp survivor · Auschwitz · Jawischowitz · Buchenwald

Harry Humason holding a Browning Automatic Rifle during a commemorative event.

WWII veterans

Harry Humason

From Patton’s Army to a Hero’s Welcome Eighty Years Later

United States Army · Western Front · Czechoslovakia 1945

Portrait of Thomas Gabelin.

Holocaust survivors

Thomas Gabelin

Born in a Concentration Camp

Concentration camp survivor · Terezín

Portrait of Erich Finsches.

Holocaust survivors

Erich Finsches

From Kristallnacht to Resistance and Deportation

Concentration camp survivor · Resistance · Auschwitz · Dachau

Štefan Šteflovič holding a photograph of himself in military uniform.

WWII veterans

Štefan Šteflovič

From Resistance in Odesa to the Battle of Dukla

Czechoslovak Army · Slovak Expeditionary Army Group · Eastern Front · Wounded

Royce Williams holding photographs from his naval aviation career.

WWII veterans · Korean War veterans · Vietnam War veterans

Royce Williams

The Korean War Dogfight Kept Secret for Fifty Years

United States Navy · Fighter pilot · Decorated

Jack Waksal holding a photograph of himself as a young man.

Holocaust survivors

Jack Waksal

Escaping Nazi Captivity and Surviving in the Forest

Concentration camp survivor · Forced labour · In Hiding · Pionki

Frank Cohn holding a photograph of himself in US Army uniform.

WWII veterans · Holocaust survivors

Frank Cohn

Escaping Nazi Germany, Returning as an American Soldier

United States Army · Western Front · Jewish soldier

Stillo Papadhima holding a photo album.

WWII veterans

Stillo Papadhima

From Albanian Resistance to Nazi Captivity

Resistance · Concentration camp survivor · Mauthausen · Prisoner of War

Nate Leipciger holding a phone displaying a photograph of himself as a young man.

Holocaust survivors

Nate Leipciger

A Father and Son’s Survival Through the Holocaust

Concentration camp survivor · Auschwitz · Gross-Rosen · Flossenbürg · Mühldorf · Dachau

Gershon Willinger holding a photograph of himself as a child.

Holocaust survivors

Gershon Willinger

The Child Who Survived Without Knowing His Name

Concentration camp survivor · In Hiding · Westerbork · Bergen-Belsen · Terezín

Tom Crosby holding a historical family photograph.

WWII civilian witnesses · Korean War veterans

Tom Crosby

From Japanese Captivity to Service in the US Navy

Civilian internee · Santo Tomas · Japanese captivity · United States Navy · Asiatic-Pacific Theater

Daisy Gross holding a phone displaying a photograph of herself as a child.

Holocaust survivors

Daisy Gross

A Childhood Hidden Behind Another Name

Alfred Cormier saluting while wearing his veteran’s cap.

WWII veterans

Alfred Cormier

A Canadian Soldier in the First Wave on Juno Beach

Canadian Army · Western Front

Portrait of Max Smart.

Holocaust survivors

Max Smart

The Boy in the Woods

Ruth Mermelstein holding a phone displaying a photograph of herself as a young woman.

Holocaust survivors

Ruth Mermelstein

Two Sisters Together Through Auschwitz

Concentration camp survivor · Auschwitz · Reichenbach

Jerrie Badger holding a photograph of herself in uniform.

WWII veterans

Jerrie Badger

One of America’s Pioneering Women Pilots of WWII

United States Army Air Forces · Women soldier

Henry Haas at the time of his interview.

Holocaust survivors

Henry Haas

From Nazi Berlin to Refuge in Shanghai

Ira Schab holding a phone displaying a photograph of himself in Navy uniform.

WWII veterans

Ira Schab

A Navy Musician Who Survived Pearl Harbor

United States Navy · Pearl Harbor · Asiatic-Pacific Theater

Richard Thomas with a framed display of his military photograph and decorations.

WWII veterans

Richard Thomas

Rescuing Fellow Soldiers Behind Enemy Lines in the Battle of the Bulge

United States Army · Western Front · Decorated · Prisoner of War · Wounded

Harvey Drahos holding a photograph of himself in military uniform.

WWII veterans

Harvey Drahos

An Okinawa Veteran Who Waited 78 Years for His Purple Heart

United States Army · Asiatic-Pacific Theater · Wounded

Agi Day holding a photograph of herself as a child.

Holocaust survivors

Agi Day

A Jewish Child Hidden in Nazi-Occupied Hungary

Abe Laurenzo holding a framed photograph of himself in United States Navy uniform.

WWII veterans

Abe Laurenzo

A Navy Radioman at Omaha Beach

United States Navy · Western Front

Michael Burton holding a case displaying his Purple Heart medal.

Vietnam War veterans

Michael Burton

An Air Force Officer in the Secret War in Laos

United States Air Force · Decorated · Wounded

Lilly Kitamoto Kodama during her meeting with historian Jiri Kluc.

WWII civilian witnesses

Lilly Kitamoto Kodama

An American Childhood Behind Barbed Wire

Japanese American incarceration · Manzanar · Minidoka

Peter Metzelaar holding a phone displaying a photograph of himself as a child.

Holocaust survivors

Peter Metzelaar

A Hidden Child Smuggled to Safety by His Mother

Henry Friedman during his meeting with historian Jiri Kluc.

Holocaust survivors

Henry Friedman

Eighteen Months Hidden in a Barn

In Hiding · Nazi civilian persecution

Lee Robinson holding a framed photograph of himself in United States Marine Corps uniform.

WWII veterans

Lee Robinson

Thirty-Three Days on Iwo Jima

United States Marine Corps · Asiatic-Pacific Theater

Fred Zeilberger holding a display of family photographs.

Holocaust survivors · Korean War veterans

Fred Zeilberger

From Five Nazi Camps to a New Life in America

Concentration camp survivor · Jungfernhof · Kaiserwald · Stutthof

Dominick Critelli holding a historical photograph of himself during his military service.

WWII veterans

Dominick Critelli

Flying Supplies to Soldiers Behind Enemy Lines

United States Army · Western Front

Rosalie Simon holding a Czechoslovak passport.

Holocaust survivors

Rosalie Simon

Five Sisters Who Survived Auschwitz Together

Concentration camp survivor · Auschwitz · Geislingen · Allach · Dachau

Stella Repper during her meeting with historian Jiri Kluc.

Holocaust survivors

Stella Repper

The Art That Saved Her Life in Terezín

Concentration camp survivor · Terezín

Melvin Voltz holding a framed photograph of himself in United States Army uniform.

WWII veterans

Melvin Voltz

From Minnesota’s Farmland to the Liberation of Czechoslovakia

United States Army · Western Front · Czechoslovakia 1945

Israel Starck during his meeting with historian Jiri Kluc.

Holocaust survivors

Israel Starck

Fourteen at Auschwitz, Eighteen to Survive

Concentration camp survivor · Auschwitz · Mauthausen · Melk · Ebensee

Herman van der Leelie holding a photograph of himself in military uniform.

WWII civilian witnesses · Korean War veterans

Herman van der Leelie

From a Japanese Internment Camp to the Korean Front

Dutch Army · Wounded · Japanese internment

Arthur Gelbart holding a phone displaying a historical photograph of himself in prisoner clothing.

Holocaust survivors

Arthur Gelbart

The Boy Who Carried His Grandfather’s Gravestone

Concentration camp survivor · Auschwitz · Blechhammer · Gross-Rosen · Buchenwald

Quentin Stambaugh holding a framed wartime photograph of his bomber crew.

WWII veterans

Quentin Stambaugh

Thirty-Nine Combat Missions and an Eighty-Year Wait for His Purple Heart

United States Army Air Forces · Asiatic-Pacific Theater · Wounded

Irene Weiss during her meeting with historian Jiri Kluc.

Holocaust survivors

Irene Weiss

The Girl in the Auschwitz Album

Concentration camp survivor · Auschwitz · Ravensbrück · Neustadt-Glewe

Fred Schoenfeld holding a portrait photograph of himself as a young man.

Holocaust survivors

Fred Schoenfeld

A Childhood in Hiding in Slovakia

May Brill saluting while wearing her veterans’ service cap.

WWII veterans

May Brill

“It’s My Country Too”: A Jewish Woman in the U.S. Navy

United States Navy · Women soldier · Jewish soldier

Jan Roček holding a phone displaying a childhood photograph.

Holocaust survivors

Jan Roček

From Terezin’s Laboratory to Auschwitz and a Life in Science

Concentration camp survivor · Terezín · Auschwitz · Meuselwitz

George Rubin holding a framed portrait of himself as a young airman.

WWII veterans

George Rubin

A Jewish Airman Shot Down over Germany

United States Army Air Forces · Western Front · Wounded · Prisoner of War · Jewish soldier

Bud Gahs holding a phone displaying a photograph of himself in Army uniform.

WWII veterans

Bud Gahs

The Dachau Liberator Whose Boot a Freed Prisoner Kissed

United States Army · Western Front · Concentration camp liberator · Dachau · Decorated

Josef Mašín holding a photograph from his United States Army service.

WWII veterans

Josef Mašín

Fighting Nazism and Communism

Resistance · United States Army · Decorated

Len Zerlin saluting in his Army uniform and service cap.

WWII veterans

Len Zerlin

A Jewish Airman over Normandy on D-Day

United States Army Air Forces · Western Front · Decorated · Jewish soldier

Gabriella Karin holding a phone displaying a photograph of herself as a child.

Holocaust survivors

Gabriella Karin

Hidden across the Street from Nazi Headquarters

Eva Perlman holding a phone displaying a photograph of herself as a child.

Holocaust survivors

Eva Perlman

A Jewish Child Hiding under the Same Roof as Nazi Soldiers

Renée Firestone seated in a patterned coat.

Holocaust survivors

Renée Firestone

Surviving Auschwitz, Keeping Her Sister’s Memory Alive

Concentration camp survivor · Auschwitz · Liebau

Eva Kessner holding a photograph of herself as a young girl.

Holocaust survivors

Eva Kessner

A Childhood on the Run from Nazi Persecution

David Karmi holding a photograph of himself in military uniform.

Holocaust survivors · Other 20th-century conflict veterans

David Karmi

From Auschwitz and Dachau to a New Life in Israel

Concentration camp survivor · Auschwitz · Dachau · Israeli War of Independence

Esther Boas holding a photograph of herself as a young child.

Holocaust survivors

Esther Boas

Rescued in a Pram, Surviving Terezin as a Toddler

In Hiding · Concentration camp survivor · Terezín · Westerbork

Stanley Maybruck saluting during his meeting with historian Jiri Kluc.

WWII veterans

Stanley Maybruck

A Medic Wounded While Saving a Fellow Soldier

United States Army · Western Front · Wounded · Jewish soldier

Jack Boeki holding a photograph of himself in military uniform.

Holocaust survivors · WWII veterans

Jack Boeki

From a Hunted Jewish Teenager to an American Nazi Hunter

In Hiding · United States Army · Western Front · Jewish soldier

Meir Usherovitz seated and showing the tattoo on his forearm.

Holocaust survivors · Other 20th-century conflict veterans

Meir Usherovitz

From Auschwitz to the Defense of Israel

Concentration camp survivor · Auschwitz · Mauthausen · Ebensee · Israeli War of Independence · Prisoner of War

Arkady Gorbunov wearing his military decorations and holding a wartime portrait.

WWII veterans

Arkady Gorbunov

Twice Wounded on the Eastern Front

Soviet (Red) Army · Eastern Front · Wounded · Decorated

Edward Moczulski holding a photograph of himself in Polish military uniform.

WWII veterans · WWII civilian witnesses

Edward Moczulski

From Soviet Exile to Monte Cassino

Polish Army · Italian Campaign · Soviet repression

Litzi Lemberg standing in her home.

Holocaust survivors

Litzi Lemberg

The Child Who Survived Terezin and Rediscovered Her Past

Concentration camp survivor · Terezín

Wolfram Forster holding a phone displaying a photograph of himself in military uniform.

WWII veterans

Wolfram Forster

From the Wehrmacht to a U.S. Army Colonel

German Army · Eastern Front · Western Front · United States Army · Prisoner of War

Harry Arnstein holding a photograph of himself during his military service.

WWII veterans · Holocaust survivors

Harry Arnstein

From a Concentration Camp to Fighting Nazi Germany

Czechoslovak Army · Western Front · Ferramonti di Tarsia · In Hiding · British Army · Italian Campaign · Concentration camp survivor