Episode Details
Back to EpisodesAnnapolis Goes to War: The Naval Academy Class of 1940 and its Trial by Fire in World War II
Season 5
Episode 10
Published 7 months ago
Description
The teenagers who made up the US Naval Academy class of 1940 arrived in Annapolis as boys on the eve of Hitler’s aggression and graduated as Europe collapsed, only to find themselves thrust into every major front of World War II, from Pearl Harbor to Tokyo Bay and Normandy. Renowned military historian Craig Symonds joins David M. Rubenstein to discuss the young men’s sacrifice, loss, and extraordinary coming-of-age in history’s deadliest conflict.
Recorded on November 24, 2025