With gratitude to all who serve and have served in the United States military, especially in 1941-1945, we continue our annual series of conferences on World War II – to better understand and further appreciate the epic struggle of the 20^th century 

Our 2008 conference in Sarasota will feature celebrated historians whose topics will cover battles, personalities, organization, logistics and perspectives pertaining to both the Pacifc and European theaters.

Four of our historians saw combat experience in the War and will share with us their war-time experiences:

·        Harold Baumgarten, 116^th Regiment, 29^th Infantry Division, who was wounded five times on Omaha Beach;

·        James Megellas, the most decorated officer in the history of the 82^nd Airborne Division

·        Charles P. Roland, 394^th Regiment, 99^th Infantry Division, who fought in the Battle of the Bulge and was wounded at Remagen;

·        Edwin C. Bearss, 3^rd Marine Raider Battalion, who was severely wounded at “Suicide Creek” (Cape Gloucester, New Britain);

Hal Baumgarten will present a talk on Omaha Beach and Maggie Megellas will talk on his experiences at Naples and Anzio. Ed Bearss and Charlie Roland have described their experiences in formal presentations during the past two annual Sarasota conferences and so, this time, they will be interviewed, in two sessions, by Robert K. Krick. The interviews will focus on specific aspects of their World War II service, both in combat and between battles.  Bob will ask for their reactions to a wide array of questions.  Between the Friday session and the Saturday session, audience participants will have a chance to submit topics of interest for possible inclusion in the second interview.

The conference will again be headquartered at the Helmsley Sandcastle Hotel, 1540 Ben Franklin Drive (on Lido Beach) Sarasota, Florida 34236, where we have reserved a limited block of sleeping rooms at the special nightly rates, single and double, of $110 (Northside or Courtyard), $130 (Poolside) and $155 (Gulfside). The Helmsley Sandcastle offers 600 feet of private beach, two outdoor pools and a host of other amenities. Call 800-225-2181 Monday thru Friday, 9:00AM-5:00PM and identify yourself as a registrant for the World War II Conference.

Now, we invite you to enroll and be assured of a space. Time is of the essence as we again expect a full house. We advise you to register early because seating and hotel rooms are limited. We hope you’ll join us on Lido Beach for the Sarasota World War II Conference!

* FACULTY *

ROBERT J. DALESSANDRO is Director of the United States Army Heritage and Education Center, United States Army War College at Carlisle, Pennsylvania. He is the author of The Organization and Insignia of the American Expeditionary Force, 1917-1923 and serves as an advisor to the American Battle Monuments Commission for the Normandy American Interpretive Center at Colleville-sur-Mer, France.

JOSEPH H. ALEXANDER is the leading living historian of the United States Marine Corps. His books include Utmost Savagery (1995), Storm Landings (1997), and Edson’s Raiders (2000).  His 1997 publication, A Fellowship of Valor: The Battle History of the United States Marines, has been acclaimed as the best popular history of the Corps.

HAROLD BAUMGARTEN is the author of D-Day Survivor: An Autobiography. A riflemen in Company B, 116^th Regiment, 29^th Infantry Division, he was wounded five times on Omaha Beach during the Normandy invasion. He will serve as a co-leader of the September, 2007 Normandy Campaign tour sponsored by American History Forum.

EDWIN C BEARSS, historian emeritus of the National Park Service, is the most well-known battlefield guide in America and is acclaimed as one of the stars of Ken Burns's award-winning PBS series, The Civil War. As a Marine in World War II, his life changed forever at a place in the Pacific dubbed "Suicide Creek" (Cape Gloucester, New Britain) where he was severely wounded by Japanese machine gun fire.

CARLO W. D’ESTE is the author of many books including Decision in Normandy; Bitter Victory: The Battle for Sicily, 1943; World War II in the Mediterranean, and Fatal Decision: Anzio and the Battle for Rome; and two best-selling biographies: Patton: A Genius For War and Eisenhower:  A Soldier’s Life. He is presently writing Warlord, the military life of Sir Winston Churchill, which will be published in June 2008 in the USA by HarperCollins and in UK by Penguin.

RICHARD B. FRANK is the author of MacArthur; Guadalcanal: The Definitive Account of the Landmark Battle and Downfall: The End of the Imperial Japanese Empire that was a main selection of the History Book Club and won the New York Military Affairs Symposium Book award.

ROBERT K. KRICK is the author of A Virginia Marine on Iowa Jima and 15 Civil War books. He served as a Marine Corps contract historian for the National Museum of the Marine Corps at Quantico which opened in 2006.

JAMES “MAGGIE” MEGELLAS fought at Naples, Anzio, in operation Market Garden, at the famous crossing of the Waal River and in the Battle of the Bulge. He is the most decorated officer in the history of the 82^nd Airborne Division. His medals include The Distinguished Service Cross, two Silver Stars, two Bronze Stars and two Purple Hearts. On January 31, 2007, Congressman Petri of Wisconsin introduced H.R. 795 in the U. S. House of Representatives to authorize and request the President to award The Medal of Honor to Maggie. He is the author of All the Way to Berlin: A Paratrooper at War in Europe.

CHARLES P. ROLAND is a leading military historian and the author of many books including An American Iliad: The Story of the Civil War; Albert Sidney Johnston: Soldier of Three Republics, and most recently, My Odyssey Through History: Memoirs of War and Academe. During World War II, he served in the 394^th regiment of the 99^th U.S. Infantry Division and fought in the Battle of the Bulge and at Remagen where he was wounded.

MARK A. STOLER is Professor of History at the University of Vermont and the author of many books including Allies and Adversaries: The Joint Chiefs of Staff, The Grand Alliance, and U. S. Strategy in World Was II; The Politics of the Second Front: American Military Planning and Diplomacy in Coalition Warfare, 1941-1943 and George C. Marshall: Soldier-Statesman of the American Century.

CRAIG L. SYMONDS recently retired as Professor of History at the U. S. Naval Academy, Annapolis. Maryland. He is the Chief Historian of the USS Monitor Center at the Mariners’ Museum in Newport News, Virginia and the author of many books including Confederate Admiral: The Life and Times of Franklin Buchanan. His latest book is Decision at Sea: Five Naval Battles That Shaped American History.

3rd Annual Sarasota World War II Conference

Wednesday, January 30

7:00 PM - 9:00 PM                    Welcome Reception & Cash Bar 

7:00 PM thru Sat 12:00 N           Book Display & Sale

Thursday, January 31

8:30 AM - 9:30 AM                   Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz:

Pacific Fleet Commander-in-Chief - Joseph H. Alexander

9:45 AM -10:45AM                   General Douglas MacArthur in the Pacific:

Image and Reality - Richard B. Frank

11:00AM -12:00 N                    The Ghost of Mahan: Spruance, Halsey, and the Primary Objective - Craig L. Symonds

12:00 N – 1:00 PM                    Group Lunch in Dining Room.

(Those not enrolled for the group lunch can dine in the Hotel Coffee Shop).      

1:15 PM - 2:15 PM                    The Limits of Compromise: Strategy and Command

for the Invasion of Japan – a panel discussion with

Richard B. Frank and Craig L. Symonds,

moderated by Joseph A. Alexander

5:00 PM - 6:30 PM                   Reception in honor of Hal Baumgarten, Ed Bearss, Maggie Megellas, Charles Roland and all other World War II veterans in attendance

Friday, February 1

8:30 AM - 9:30 AM                   All the Way to Berlin: A Paratrooper at War in Europe

                                                - James “Maggie” Megellas 

9:45 AM -10:45AM                   D-Day: A Remembrance – Carlo W. D’Este                                                     

11:00AM - 12:00 N                    The Invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944--- D-Day.

- Harold Baumgarten

12:00 N - 1:00 PM                     Group Lunch in Dining Room

                                                            (Those not enrolled for the group lunch can dine in the Hotel Coffee Shop). 

1:15 PM - 2:00 PM                    The 81^st Mortar Battalion on Omaha Beach

– Robert J. Dalessandro

2:15 PM - 3:00 PM                    Interview, Part I - Eyewitnesses to World War II Combat  Cpl. Edwin C. Bearss, 7th Marines, and Capt. Charles P. Roland, battalion operations officer, 99th Infantry Division, interviewed by Robert K. Krick

Saturday, February 2

8:30 AM - 9:30 AM                   The "Second Front" (OVERLORD) Controversy

– Mark A. Stoler

9:45 AM - 10:45AM                  Patton: Genius for War – Carlo W. D’Este

11:00AM -12:00 N                    Interview” Part II - Jungle Juice, Dear John Letters, and V-Mail:   Military Life in Europe and the Pacific, 1942-1945

–       Edwin C. Bearss and Charles P. Roland,

interviewed by Robert K. Krick.

Registration Fees