Project Underworld: The US Navy’s Unexpected Mafia Alliance
Project Underworld was the US Navy’s codename for its joint mission with New York’s crime families. Active from 1942-45, it aimed to obtain information regarding…
During The World Wars Men were Drafted Specifically to Bury the Dead
During a time of war, it is all too easy to ponder the complexities of the logistics involved with manufacturing, transporting, and supplying hundreds of…
Remains of Soldier Killed in Germany Returned to Illinois
The remains of Sergeant Francis Wiemerslage have been returned to his family in River Grove, Illinois. The funeral service occurred two years after the soldier’s…
Here’s how the Most Successful Submarine in US Navy History Accidentally Sunk Itself
The USS Tang is the US’ most successful submarine, sinking over 100,000 tons of enemy shipping over five combat patrols during WWII. Her experienced and…
The Bat Bomb Proves The US Military Will Try Anything Once
Of all the weird experimental weapons conceived and tested during WWII, bat bombs were one of the strangest. The project attempted to attach small bombs…
Low Mississippi River Water Levels Reveal Sunken WWII Ship
Low water levels in the Mississippi River have revealed the sunken wreckage of the USS Inaugural, a World War II minesweeper, near downtown St. Louis,…
Seismic Activity Raises WWII-Era ‘Ghost Ships’ Off the Coast of Iwo Jima
An increase in seismic activity along a chain of islands south of Tokyo, Japan has led to the raising of a number of transport vessels…
Cartoon Characters Who Served In the US Military During World War II
Cartoons were often used during the Second World War not just as propaganda, but to boost the morale of war-weary Americans. As such, many of…
A Green Hell: Fort Sherman’s Jungle School Army
Jungle warfare is its own beast. Often called a “Green Hell,” the terrain, animal species and weather conditions force soldiers to contend with an environment…
Can the Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp engine rival the Merlin?
In a previous article, we went over the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine’s incredible capabilities and its importance for the war effort during WWII. While it is…
Strange Military Truces and How They Happened
Apart from a few exceptions, truces and ceasefires are not normally known to be eventful, with most consisting of either a white flag or the…
Kaiten: Japan’s Fully-Manned Kamikaze Torpedoes
The Imperial Japanese Army and Navy’s use of self-sacrificial tactics during the Second World War was based on a number of fundamental reasons. From a…