10 American Self-Propelled Artillery Guns of WWII
With aerial attacks a vital part of the war, designs were sought for a fast-moving anti-aircraft weapon to protect other vehicles. During the Second World…
Fact or Fiction? The Japanese Fighter Plane Shot Down With a Pistol, From a Parachute!
Baggett pulled his 1911 and got off four shots at the pilot who was later found next to where his plane crashed with a bullet…
The Hidden Dangers of Serving on a German U-boat During WW2
Despite VII C U-boats having a hull with similar dimensions to a Boeing 767, most of the interior was crammed with survival equipment. Life on…
“Mad Jack”: The Man Who Captured 40 Germans With a Sword & Longbow
Lieutenant Colonel John Malcolm Thorpe Fleming Churchill managed to capture more than 40 Germans in one single raid during World War Two. Most soldiers and…
When British & African-American Soldiers Rioted Against Racist US Military Police
George Orwell remarked that “the general consensus of opinion is that the only American soldiers with any manners are the Negroes.” Allied military bases were…
The Master German Interrogator who Used Country Walks & Home Baked Cakes!
A prisoner once quipped Hanns Scharff “could get a confession of infidelity from a Nun.” His wife’s freshly baked pastries and cookies, and pleasant strolls…
With 1,600 Planes & 17,000 Troops: One of the Largest Airborne Operations Ever
They had difficulty rallying due to poor visibility, and came under heavy small-arms fire, artillery fire, and mortars. The Second World War was going well…
Britain’s Quest For a Death-Ray That Could Terminate a Sheep at 100 Yards!
The Ministry offered £1000 pounds – a decent sum in the 1930s – to anyone who could invent a beam that could terminate a sheep…
The Home Guard: The Real Story Behind Britain’s WWII Dad’s Army
Over the course of the war, the Home Guard would gradually become a better equipped and better-trained army of 1.7 million men. The image of…
The Cavalry who Charged The Russians With Grenades & Swords
In addition to their sabers, they also carried a more modern armament: hand grenades. Also, the regiment had a squadron with machine guns. From the…
Operation Barbarossa & Bagging German Army Group Center
By now the Germans had advanced nearly 200 miles into the Soviet Union’s territory and they were just a third of the way to Moscow.…
The Savior Of Ceylon: The Pilot who Stopped a Repeat of Pearl Harbor
He was transferred to a POW work camp that had been erected in a baseball stadium. The conditions in the camp were harsh and the…