German U-123 Shook Florida by Attacking Ship in View of Beachgoers
The United States maintained formal neutrality during the first two years of World War II, only becoming a part of the war after the surprise…
Kamikaze Survivor: USS Bunker Hill CV-17 in 30 Photos
The Essex class aircraft carrier USS Bunker Hill became part of the United States Navy’s inventory of ships in 1943. Named after the Battle of Bunker…
Ancient Map Shifted the Balance of World Power
In the early 16th century, European nations sought out information collected and recorded on nautical maps. This made coastlines, harbors, and rivers into resources, and these…
Futuristic Cannons of B-29 Superfortress: Ahead and Behind the Times
The Boeing 17 Flying Fortress bomber was meant to replace the need for a fighter escort for large, long-range bombing runs. Despite its impressive firepower…
Captured and Tortured by the Japanese She was Awarded “Hero of the Soviet Union”
In Vladivostok, on the territory of the main naval hospital of the Pacific Fleet, is a monument of a girl with a medicine bag on…
Destroyer From “Forgotten Battle” Finally Found Near Alaska
The U.S. Navy’s reaction to marine researchers recently finding the stern of a World War II ship was understandably, and appropriately, muted. Of course, finding…
WWII Dambusters Bomb Discovered at Beach
It is something that can only happen in Europe: a father and his son have a day at the beach and discover a bomb. James…
Soviet Invasion of Manchuria: Finishing the Japanese Army
In 1945, it became widely apparent that World War II would soon come to an end. With the surrender of Germany, the only opposition left…
5 Messerschmitt Fighter Planes of WWII
During the 1930s and 1940s, Messerschmitt made some of the most advanced and effective fighter planes in German service. They played an important part in…
Rearming for WWII: Too Little Too Late
During the 1930s, the Nazi government began rearming Germany for what would become the Second World War. The response from Germany’s main opponents, Britain and…
Attack of the Fire Balloons – Japan’s Intercontinental Weapon
On November 3, 1944, Japan released “fūsen bakudan,” or balloon bombs, into the Pacific jet stream. They each carried four small bombs and one thirty-pound…
Anti-Tank Missile Vehicles – 22 Facts About the Soviet 2P Series
During the 1950s, Soviet weapons engineers designed a new anti-tank missile, the AT-1 Snapper. This was a guided missile that used a wire link to…