András Toma: The Last WWII Prisoner of War to Be Repatriated – In 2000
The end of World War II was a logistical nightmare. Between Victory In Europe (VE) Day and September 1945, some 1,417,850 Americans alone were repatriated. Other…
Why Did a Test Pilot Wear a Gorilla Mask In Flight?
Imagine flying through the skies during the Second World War when, suddenly, an aircraft appears to your left. The pilot waves at you, but it’s…
The P-38F Lightning ‘Glacier Girl’ Was Buried Beneath The Ice For 50 Years
So many aircraft went down during the Second World War that it would be difficult to calculate the total. One was a Lockheed P-38F Lightning,…
The Morgenthau Plan Would Have Resulted In the Deaths of 25 Million Germans
There reached a point during the Second World War where the Allies felt confident about victory, especially after their incredible success following the invasion of…
D-Day In Color: A Look at the Largest Amphibious Invasion In History
On June 6, 1944, the Allies conducted the largest amphibious invasion in history. Landing on five beaches, as well as at various landing zones behind…
Orde Wingate: The Onion-Eating Major General Who Led Deep Penetration Missions In Burma
Maj. Gen. Orde Wingate was one of many well-regarded British officers of the Second World War. By the time the conflict began, he’d already made…
Japan Deployed Suicide Commandos for a Raid on Yontan Airfield
The Japanese were known for their use of kamikaze pilots throughout the Second World War. They were deployed during the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941,…
Lew Ayres: The Lead Actor In ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ Was a Pacifist In Real Life
The novel All Quiet on the Western Front was so popular that it was made into two separate films, both of which did extremely well with…
The WWI Assault That Inspired A Movie About Sgt Alvin York
Many men went up against German machine guns during the First World War and didn’t live to tell the tale. Even fewer did so directly…
These ‘Night Witches’ Weren’t Burned at the Stake – They Bombed German Soldiers
One bomber regiment during the Second World War was so feared by the Germans that a soldier was immediately awarded the Iron Cross for shooting…
Edgar ‘Cobber’ Kain Single-Handedly Decimated 17 Enemy Aircraft During the Battle of France
It might seem strange, but the Royal Air Force’s (RAF) first Flying Ace of the Second World War wasn’t from Britain – he was from…
‘My Way’ Is Based On the Story of Yang Kyoungjong, But Did He Actually Exist?
My Way (2011) follows the story of a Korean soldier who fights for the Soviet Union, Japan and Germany during World War II. The South…