Articles Archive

Failure at Pearl Harbor

By Sam McGowan

In 1995 the Department of Defense conducted a final investigation of the December 7, 1941, attack on U.S. Read more

Paul E. Ison at Okinawa

Dear Editor:

The cover of the May 2004 issue is described as, “A U.S. Marine dashes up the beach on Okinawa.” Read more

Weapons of mass destruction in the hands of a madman—an intolerable situation.

Although the hunt for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq has thus far proved a frustrating enterprise for inspectors, there remains no doubt that such weapons were once in the hands of Saddam Hussein and his lieutenants. Read more

As one aviator is strapped into the cockpit of his Hawker Hurricane fighter, other pilots of the Eagle Squadron dash to the aircraft as an alarm is sounded during the Battle of Britain.

Yanks in the RAF

By David Alan Johnson

As they boarded the train for Montreal, the two Americans tried to look as inconspicuous as possible. Read more

Pointe du Hoc: D Plus 60 Years

By Kevin M. Hymel

The gunfire has receded with the tide. One of the most valuable pieces of real estate in Normandy, France, on June 6, 1944, which once crawled with American GIs and German soldiers, now welcomes peaceful visitors from around the world. Read more

U.S. landing craft churn through the rough waters of the English Channel toward the coast of Normandy. The morning haze and the smoke ofå battle blow across the beaches, while some soldiers have already disembarked and wade the last few feet to shore.

“We’ll Start the War from Here”

By Roy Morris Jr.

Peering through the predawn darkness at the slowly emerging shoreline 300 yards away, the little man with the famous name prepared once again to set foot in France as a soldier of the liberation. Read more

WWII Mercenaries and Counterterrorism 2006

By Eric T. Baker

Silent Storm for the PC by Nival Interactive and from JoWood Productions is a new 3-D game set in World War II. Read more

Military History Book Reviews for June 2004

By Lt. Col. Harold E. Raugh, Jr., Ph.D., U.S. Army (Ret.)

Oshkosh, Wisconsin, was an average Midwestern American city in 1940. Read more

Winfield Scott Hancock’s Presidential Run

Dear Editor,

Let me express my congratulations on your excellent article in your April 2004 issue, “Hancock the Superb.” History has unfortunately not been kind to Maj. Read more

Robert Capa’s famous blurry image of the 1st Infantry Division’s amphibious landings at the Easy Red/Fox Green sectors of Omaha Beach indelibly captures the fear and chaos of the D-Day invasion. Four rolls of Capa’s film were rushed back to LIFE magazine’s London office, where a darkroom mistake ruined all but 11 images.

D-Day’s 60th Anniversary

Imagine for a moment what now only people of advanced age can: Nazi-occupied northern Europe poised for invasion by Allied armies. Read more

Residents of an English town gather around an Army band to listen to their favorite songs in Band Concert by Olin Dows. Many of the songs that were written and performed during World War II are standards today.

World War II Music

By Sheldon Winkler

Some of the most memorable and enduring popular music of the 20th century was written during World War II. Read more

The pilots of the Fifth Air Force fought an innovative kind of war in the South Pacific.

By Sam McGowan

Once in a great while a truly historical figure takes the time to write a memorable account of that part of his life that put him in the history books. Read more

General Andrei Vlasov

Dear Editor:

I was considering whether to renew my subscription to WWII History. I then received the January 2004 issue and noticed the article, “Free French Stand at Bir Hachiem,” by Edward L. Read more

Operation Downfall would have been the most costly military effort in U.S. history.

As terrible as the fighting at Okinawa had been, and as costly as the struggle had proven to be in terms of lives and equipment, there is no doubt that the nearly two-month struggle for control of the island would have been dwarfed by what might have come next. Read more