Haydn Williams WWII Memorial Legacy Lecture

John C. McManus is the Curators’ Distinguished Professor of U.S. military history at the Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T), a prestigious position awarded by the University of Missouri Board of Curators to exceptional scholars. McManus is the first in Missouri S&T’s humanities department to receive this honor. Renowned as one of America’s foremost military historians, he has authored fifteen acclaimed books, with a significant focus on World War II.
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McManus served as a historical advisor for the bestselling Salinger, both the book and documentary, which aired on PBS’s American Masters series. His scholarly achievements include serving as the Leo A. Shifrin Chair of Naval and Military History at the U.S. Naval Academy in 2018-2019, a distinguished visiting professorship. Among his critically praised WWII works are Deadly Sky, September Hope, and The Dead and Those About to Die.
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His recent project, a sweeping three-volume history of the U.S. Army in the Pacific/Asia theater during WWII, has cemented his status as an authority on the Pacific War. This trilogy includes Fire and Fortitude: The US Army in the Pacific War, 1941–1943, Island Infernos: The US Army’s Pacific War Odyssey, 1944, and To the End of the Earth: The US Army and the Downfall of Japan, 1945. McManus also co-hosts two WWII-focused podcasts: Someone Talked! and We Have Ways of Making You Talk (USA), along with Al Murray and James Holland.