Looking Back At the Red Army’s Liberation of Auschwitz
The phrase arbeit macht frei – “work sets you free” – were emblazoned on the sign at the entrance of Auschwitz for prisoners to read…
Josef Mencik: The Last Knight Who Stood Up to the Germans in World War II
When the Germans went to invade Czechoslovakia during the Second World War, it was believed they wouldn’t experience much, if any, retaliation. However, they were…
Maurice Rose: The Highest Ranking US Officer Killed By the Enemy In Europe During WWII
Maurice Rose lived through the horrors of the First World War and bravely returned to the battlefield when the global population was plunged into conflict…
Italo Balbo: The Mastermind Behind Mussolini’s Air Force Died a Strange Death
There were few in Italy’s governmental hierarchy who disagreed with Benito Mussolini’s decision to side with Germany during the Second World War. One of those…
Terror In the Skies – The Tragic Story Behind the Downing of the B-17G ‘Wee Willie’
In the closing stages of the Second World War, the Allied forces launched a barrage of air raids over Germany, in an attempt to destroy…
USS Independence (CVL-22): The First Dedicated Night Carrier of the US Navy
A number of vessels took part in the fighting that occurred in the Pacific Theater during the Second World War. Among the most unique was…
Blohm & Voss BV 141: The Asymmetrical German Aircraft That Shouldn’t Have Been Able to Fly – But Did
The Blohm & Voss BV 141 was designed as a tactical reconnaissance aircraft. While passed over by the German Air Ministry for the Focke-Wulf Fw…
USS Salt Lake City (CA-25): The Decorated Heavy Cruiser That Made Waves In the Pacific
The fighting in the Pacific Theater during the Second World War showed the might of the US Navy. Among those to distinguish themselves was the…
Award-Winning Actor George Kennedy Served Under Gen. George Patton
We’re used to seeing Academy Award-winning actor George Kennedy in tough-guy film and television roles. He was able to draw upon personal experience to do…
Operation Frankton: When ‘Canoeing Commandos’ Took On the Enemy In Kayaks
While some engaged the enemy with the use of high tech aircraft or well-armored tanks during World War II, others were sent on missions using…
Operation Bodenplatte: The New Year’s Day ‘Hangover Raid’ That Devastated the Luftwaffe
Launched as part of the Battle of the Bulge, Operation Bodenplatte was meant to devastate Allied airfields in the Low Countries. While Wehrmacht soldiers were fighting…
Sonderkommando ‘Elbe’ – Germany’s Aerial Kamikaze Force
Japanese kamikaze pilots were well known during the Second World War for their sacrificial bombing tactics against enemy naval vessels. They would put their aircraft…