During World War II, thirty separate editions of The Stars and Stripes were published by the U.S. War Department Special Services Division for the various theaters of operations. Troop locations and movements determined the publication sites for the different editions. The first edition was published in London beginning on April 18, 1942. Subsequent editions were established in North Africa, Northern Ireland, and in numerous locations in the Mediterranean region, including Sicily, Rome, Naples, Grenoble, Marseille, Dijon and Nice. Northern European editions were established in Normandy, Cherbourg (July 4, 1944), Paris (July 1944), Rennes and Besancon (Aug. 1944), Strasbourg (Dec. 1944), and in Nancy and Liege, Belgium (Jan. 1945).
The last of the wartime editions were issed in Pfungstadt and Altdorf, Germany. By October 1, 1945, the number of European editions was reduced to five: London, Paris, Nice, Pfungstadt, and Altdorf (May 8, 1945 to Dec. 6, 1946). During 1946 and 1947, the Western European edition (Pfungstadt) and the consolidated Continental edition gradually replaced the regional editions. Source: United States. National Archives and Records Administration. The Stars and stripes: newspaper of the U.S. Armed Forces in Europe, the Mediterranean, and North Africa 1942-1964. Washington: National Archives Trust Fund Board, National Archives and Records Administration, 1989.