The Donut Dollies

It's time for another episode in The Wives of The Bloody Hundredth series! Join us as we welcome Jana Hamilton Gruber to The Clubmobile! Jana is the daughter of 100th Bomb Group Bombardier Howard "Hambone" Hamilton, but her mother has quite a story of her own! One of the three Chicago Wives, famous for the "legs" picture, Gerry Hamilton lived alongside Jean Crosby and Marg...

What happens when you put four wwii history enthusiasts in one room...er, zoom? This week we're joined by Josh and Katie from Foxhole Chat Podcast and bringing you a good old-fashioned chat amongst friends! How did their podcast come to be, and what do they hope their listeners get out of each episode? Which of the Big Three is their favorite of the Hanks/Spielberg miniseries? We're comp...

Give us the simple life! This week we're joined by Jamie from On The Victory Homefront podcast, and we're talking all about life at home during wartime. Jamie, who's own podcast focuses on the goings on and management of life for those who remained at home during the war, brings her knowledge and expertise to The Clubmobile! How did a few simple changes make a big impact on the heal...

This week we're talking hostess'- no- not the cupcakes, the USO Hostess' during the war! These are the women who worked day and night in the USO Clubs so that soldiers had a safe way to socialize with women. A USO Hostess was classified as a respectable, middle-class woman, who worked tirelessly to help keep up the morale of young GIs. These women were trained on how to interact wit...

TEN-HUT! Beauty is officially on duty, and this one is for the gals! We're falling in line, at the makeup counter, and unpacking the importance of makeup during the war. Don't think we're serious? Well, red lipstick became an act of defiance against Hitler during the war, as he had been open about how much despised it. Morale boosters like Montezuma Red lipstick, made famous by Eliz...

If you think back to our last round of Book Club picks for 2025, you'll remember that we read When I Think Back: The War Letters of Fitje Pitts. The book, written by her son Tilghman (Tim) puts a timestamp on his mother's wartime service with the American Red Cross. Journeying from home to largely populated New York City, to Washington DC, and back, Fitje finally made the journey to Engl...

This week we're unpacking the impact of some of wartime's most influential women, who weren't actually real. The history of some of the most impactful women of wartime propaganda is that they were created in offices with the purpose of providing a morale boost to the women who were still at home. Faces like Rosie The Riveter, whose reminded women that they could join the factory wor...

We're back with a bonus episode! It's time for our quarterly Book Club roundup for January through March, and it wouldn't be a visit to the Book Club-Mobile without our official Book Club Correspondent, Sage! We read some incredible books to start off the year, and we're wasting no time in diving into them! We visit with the American ATA Pilots in Becky Aikman's Spitfires,...

Before joining the war effort in America, female pilots packed their bags and sailed to England. These women were the first to join the war effort, ferrying planes in the Air Transport Auxiliary, or The ATA. Known as Atta Girls, the story of these American women is brought to life by author Becky Aikman in her book, Spitfires. Beginning with Aviatrix Jackie Cochran, Spitfires tells the story of th...

Women's History Month is almost over, but it's not over yet! Helping us close out this incredible month is the newest installment in our Wive's of The Bloody Hundredth series; the story of WASP Josephine Pitz Egan. If her name sounds familiar, that's because she was also the wife of Hundredth Bomb Group pilot, John "Bucky" Egan, but a look at her life and story tells...

Chances are at some point we've all read The Diary of Anne Frank, more than likely as an assignment in grade school. But how much do you know about the women who crafted the plan to hide Anne and her family in plain sight? Miep Gies and Bep Voskuijl put their lives at risk during the days of Amsterdam's German occupation in order to protect the lives of the innocent. A Small Light tells...

We're still celebrating Women's History Month in The Clubmobile and joining us this week is Mel Bloom, founder of The 350 Girls! Chances are you've seen The 350 Girls on social media; from women's history displays to living history talks and an arsenal of wartime uniforms, Mel is just one of many working to keep the legacy of the women who served alive, and she's sharing h...

It's Women's History Month and we're kicking it off with Emily Yellin! Author of what we proclaim to be the encyclopedia on women's history, Our Mother's War, Emily talks with us about her experience in writing the book that brings every avenue of women's wartime to life. Inspired by her own mother's service as a Red Cross Donut Dollie, Emily's research took...

Join us this week as we turn to the airwaves and turn up the volume on the history of two women who dominated the radio during the war. Axis Sally and Tokyo Rose shared the airwaves in two very different ways during the war; bringing some conflict to the European Theater, and sarcasm to the Pacific Theater, the women of the radio used their wit and feminine charm to serve the war effort in two ver...

If you've joined us for any of our previous episodes featuring members of the HBO War community, you’ve heard stories about Freddie Joe. Well, it's time to meet the man who helped whip them into shape! Joining us this week is the man, the myth, the legend, Freddie Joe Farnsworth. A military man who landed a career working alongside Captain Dale Dye and training some of the biggest actors...

This week we're bringing you the second half of our two-part series on Hollywood's golden girl, Carole Lombard. Joining us this week is Dr. Olympia Kiriakou, a film historian who's central focus is Classical Hollywood. Author of Becoming Carole Lombard: Stardom, Comedy and Legacy, Dr. Olympia brings a classic and fresh approach to the story of Carole's life, legacy and tragic d...

Joining us this week are the brilliant women behind the film that tells the story of Aviatrix Jackie Cochran. Jessica Plowden and Nancy Hasty's film The Flight of Jackie Cochran takes it's viewers back to a time before The WASP, before the war, and before Jackie Cochran was Jackie Cochran. In a small town in the panhandle of Florida, Jackie's story begins with Bessie Lee Pittman. Gr...

We're back for our first episode of the new year, and with our newest installment of The Wives of The Bloody Hundredth series! Joining us for our first episode of 2026 is Eloise-Marie Loeffler, daughter of WASP Marie Mountain Clark and 100th Bomb Group pilot John A. Clark. Following our review of Marie's book, we're getting her story, and what Marie, the mother, was like in the year...

Join us for our quarterly special edition where we recap the last quarters book club reads, and in this case, the last reads of 2025! We're once again joined by The Clubmobile's Official Book Club Correspondent, Sage, and we're breaking down what we loved, and why we loved them! This only happens once every three months, so don't get left behind! Grab your coffee and a fresh si...

Joining us this week is Masters of The Air's Darragh Cowley! Known for his portrayal of Lt. Glenn Graham, Darragh is taking us start to end on his journey of auditioning, boot camp, and the research he immersed himself in, in order to bring Glenn Graham to the big screen. We also had quite a few laughs and swapped stories on our visits to Thorpe Abbotts, as well as how important it is to find...

We're so excited to welcome our friend Dr. Hattie Hearn back to The Clubmobile this week! Join us as we dive into the story of the women of East Anglia who were not only there to witness the "Friendly Invasion" of American troops but became war brides. The part 2 to our War Brides episode that was released in July, this installment is a love letter from the women who chose not to fo...

This week we're joined by the one and only, Scott Gibson! Scott is widely known for his portrayal of Captain Andrew "Ack Ack" Haldane in HBOs The Pacific, but did you know that almost wasn't the case? We're talking all about his audition process, the experience of portraying such a gentle giant on the battlefield, and what he's been up to fifteen years since The Pacif...

We're back with a new episode and joining us this week is our friend and historian, Cara Lebonick! We're diving straight in and talking all about her many lives before becoming a historian, the many different avenues of women's history, and how pulling on just one single thread can unravel a world of hidden information and knowledge! Grab your coffee and a fresh sinker and get ready...

Join us as we welcome Barbara Blakely Holck to The Clubmobile, daughter of Everett and Margaret Blakely. Barbara's father, Everett Blakely, is known throughout the 100th Bomb Group, but her mother Margaret also has a story. Most well known is her 1943 photo alongside Jean Crosby and Gerry Hamilton, but the "Legs" photo isn't all of Margaret Blakely's story. Grab your coffe...

Who are The Ladies of Oak Ridge and how did they contribute to The Manhattan Project? Joining us in The Clubmobile this week is Sarah Morgan, the woman behind Cooking with The Calutron Girls! We're whipping up more than just wartime recipes in this episode as we dig into the history of  The Ladies of Oak Ridge. The Calutron Girls were instrumental in the success of The Manhattan Project, and...