The Loss of Kaga and Three Other Aircraft Carriers Ultimately Led to Japan’s Defeat in WWII
Early on in World War II, it looked like the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy would be an unstoppable force. Their servicemen were brave and…
Operation Unthinkable: Winston Churchill’s Plan to Invade the Soviet Union
The “Big Three” heads of the Allied countries during the Second World War – British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, US President Franklin D. Roosevelt and…
Seven Reasons Why the Italian Forces Performed So Poorly During World War II
When it comes to the Second World War, France is often made the butt of the joke for its surrender to Germany in 1940. However,…
Why Do American Military Enthusiasts Put George Patton on a Pedestal?
George Patton is among the most famous American generals of all time. Known as “Old Blood and Guts,” he made a name for himself during…
Operation Tracer: The Secret British Military Operation for Gibraltar
Of all the secret operations of the Second World War, none were less appealing than Operation Tracer, which involved spies being buried alive (literally). This…
Odette Sansom: The SOE Agent Who Became the First Woman to Receive the George Cross
In 1942, a young Odette Sansom responded to a call from the British Admiralty, asking for individuals to send postcards or family photographs from the…
Luck of Kokura: The Japanese City That Avoided Atomic Bombing – Twice
Kokura is located on the northern tip of Japan’s Kyushu island. Housing one of the country’s largest military arsenals, it was a key target in…
One of Germany’s Top Test Pilots During World War II Was a Woman
As with other countries, Germany had a number of pilots to test out new aircraft. While the majority were male, there were some females who…
How Norwegian Commandos Sabotaged Germany’s Atomic Bomb Research
As the Second World War dragged on, both the Allied and Axis powers invested heavily in research that would create the first atomic weapons. The…
Gold Dust Twins: The Two Coast Guardsmen Who Saved Chesty Puller’s Marines on Guadalcanal
The Guadalcanal campaign – also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal – is among the most well-known engagements to occur in the Pacific Theater during…
A Lone KV-1 Tank Held Off German Advances During the Battle of Raseiniai
On June 22, 1941, Germany launched Operation Barbarossa, the World War II invasion of the Soviet Union. Despite signing the German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact in 1939,…
Operation Mincemeat: How a Dead Body and a False Identity Helped the Allied Invasion of Sicily
In the years since the Second World War, many documents have been released, detailing the covert operations undertaken by the UK’s Special Operations Executive (SOE),…