April 2017

Volume 16, No. 3

Cover: German tanks roll into the Netherlands on May 10, 1940. The surprise German offensive took the Allies by surprise.
Photo: Bundesarchiv Bild146-1994-010-09

April 2017

WWII History, Feature

A Sergeant in the 12th Armored Division

By Kevin M. Hymel

Sergeant Carl Erickson sat in shock inside his Sherman tank as he watched emaciated people dressed in tattered, striped suits smile and feebly wave to him and his fellow tankers. Read more

April 2017

WWII History, Feature

How To Make a Fake Tank

By Kevin M. Hymel

Deception is a vital tool in war. During World War II, the British developed a dummy tank to fool enemy surveillance planes into thinking they had more tanks than they needed, were strong where they were weak, and were preparing to attack where they were not. Read more

April 2017

WWII History, Feature

The First Victory

By David H. Lippman

Both sides needed reinforcements.For the Japanese and the Americans in October 1942, the battle for Guadalcanal was turning into a bottomless pit, demanding more and more scarce resources—in the air and at sea  and, most importantly, on the ground. Read more

April 2017

WWII History, Feature

To Die with Honor

By Patrick J. Chaisson

Under a midnight moon, hundreds of soldiers crept forward into position along the riverbank. Fields of tall reeds helped conceal them from observation but could not muffle the sounds of weary men slipping in the mud. Read more

April 2017

WWII History, Editorial

Desmond Doss

By Mike Haskew

On April 1, 1945, the American X Army landed at Okinawa, just 340 miles from the home islands of Japan. Read more

April 2017

WWII History, Profiles

A Good Samaritan

By Jon Diamond

The iconic photograph the Blinded Soldier, New Guinea taken on Christmas Day 1942, reveals a wounded and barefoot Australian soldier, Private George “Dick” Whittington of the 2/10th Battalion, being led down a path through a surrounding field of tall kunai grass to an Allied field hospital at Dobodura in Papua, the eastern third of the world’s second largest island, New Guinea. Read more

April 2017

WWII History, Insight

Saipan’s Maritime Heritage Trail

By Jennifer F. McKinnon & Della A. Scott-Breton

Saipan’s shallow, tropical lagoons are a veritable waterpark for World War II enthusiasts who do not mind getting wet. Read more

April 2017

WWII History, Top Secret

FDR’s Confidential Crusader

By Michael Williams

On March 14, 1988, a solemn ceremony took place at Arlington National Cemetery. Resplendent in their white caps and dress blues, the Marine body bearers laid to rest the ashes of Ernest Cuneo in the Columbarium with full military honors. Read more

April 2017

WWII History, Books

Demise of the Japanese Navy

By Christopher Miskimon

The Japanese superbattleship Musashi was steaming east along with a fleet of other battleships, cruisers, and destroyers on their way toward what was expected to be a climactic battle at Leyte Gulf. Read more

April 2017

WWII History, Simulation Gaming

WWII Online: Battleground Europe

By Joseph Luster

We may not think too much about the arrival of a new online shooter nowadays, but back when World War II Online first launched in 2001, the concept was still pretty novel. Read more