Baseball in Wartime

World War II was a trying time for the United States and equally so for baseball. More than 4,500 professional players swapped flannels for military uniforms to serve their nation and future Hall of Famers like Bob Feller, Hank Greenberg, Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams lost vital playing time in the prime of their careers.

Baseball’s Dead of World War II: A Roster of Professional Players Who Died
It’s a well-known fact among baseball fans that two major league players made the supreme sacrifice during World War II. What is far less commonly known is that at least 125 minor league players also lost their lives while serving their country. In addition to providing an extensive overview of baseball and the home front during the war years, Baseball’s Dead of World War II draws on extensive research, and interviews with surviving family members to give the first published insight into the personal lives, baseball careers and tragic sacrifices made by these men.

Soon to be released by McFarland, leading publishers of scholarly and reference books in the United States.
If you would like to be kept informed of this project, please join the Baseball's Greatest Sacrifice Mailing List

The Baseball in Wartime website currently contains:

530 Player Biographies

220 Biographies of Players who Died in WW2

Visit this site for authentic baseball memorabilia and autographs

Baseball in Wartime is dedicated to preserving the memories of all baseball players (major league, minor league, semi-pro, college, amateur and high school), who served with the military during WW2. More than 16 million Americans and 1.1 million Canadians served with the Army, Navy, Army Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Royal Canadian Air Force and Merchant Marine in World War II. This site aims to preserve the memories of baseball during World War II and those whose baseball-playing lives were affected in some way by serving their nation.