Amazing Photographs of WWII-era Submarine Pens
For the construction of the pens in Hamburg (designated as the Elbe I and Elbe II) some 1,700 prisoners were used as forced labor. While…
Notre Dame, Charles de Gaulle and the Liberation of Paris
Barring destroying or capturing German troops near or in the capital, “Ike” hoped the Germans would retreat beyond the City of Light and leave the…
Rehearsal for D-Day: Operation Tiger – The Disaster At Slapton Sands
A final, deadly dress rehearsal for D-Day shocked Allied planners to the core. Confidence was vital to success in such a risky operation as the…
Baron Jean De Selys Longchamps & The “Forbidden” Attack On Gestapo HQ
It was January 20, 1943, when the people of Brussels saw the German occupying forces getting their due reward at the hands of a Hawker…
Amazing Innovation or Billion Dollar Blunder? The Norden Bombsight
The United States went “all in” on the Norden bombsight before the Second World War, subsequently doubling down on it and its variations during the…
A History Of The Trench Coat – A Military Garment With Origins Far Older Than WWI
The WWI Burberry had evolved for war use, featuring D-rings on the belt to attach equipment, a pistol flap in the breast, epaulets to display…
Rudolf Hess: The Forgotten Deputy Führer
“We believe that the Führer is obeying a higher call to fashion German history. There can be no criticism of this belief.” Among the many…
The Australians at Pozieres: Battle of the Somme 1916
This success came at a huge cost. The Australian 1st Division suffered 5,285 casualties — an inordinate number given a division normally consists of around…
The Time An F-106 Interceptor Landed Itself Without A Pilot
The world of military aviation is full of strange stories, freak accidents, amazing near-misses, and unlikely happenings. But few tales are stranger than the story…
Irena Sendler: An Icon of WWII and an Inspiration to Many
Infiltrating the ghetto for the purpose of sanitary inspections, she would leave with babies and small children loaded into suitcases and or disguised as packages.…
The MOH Recipient Who Enlisted To Avenge His Brother
He soon saw action, and was wounded twice in the space of a few months – first in the foot, in August, and then a…
Why Wasn’t Poison Gas Used In WWII?
I state categorically that we shall under no circumstances resort to the use of such weapons unless they are first used by our enemies.” After…