The Rangers’ British Padre: Father Albert Basil

One day shortly after the Battle of El Guettar in central Tunisia in March 1943, Colonel William O. Read more

A Supporting Role in Patton’s Third Army

If there was one thing frontline soldiers looked forward to after weeks of fighting in Europe’s mud and ice, it was a shower and a change of clothes. Read more

The Norwegian Heavy Water Sabotage

On an overcast February night in 1943, nine British-trained commandos worked their way down the icy slope of a ravine in southern Norway. Read more

The Haversack Ruse In Gaza Impressed Even Lawrence Of Arabia

Since the days of the Trojan Horse, military deception and ruse have been effective instruments when used by an innovative commander to deceive and defeat an enemy, minimizing friendly casualties and expenditure of valuable resources in the process. Read more

Gallant Defense of Guam

As the ruins of the Navy’s Pacific Fleet were still burning at Pearl Harbor, Japanese planes appeared over the island of Guam some 4,000 miles to the west where, across the International Date Line, it was already December 8, 1941. Read more

Unsung Battleships

Some of the 64 battleships built by the U.S. Navy in the 20th century, such as the iconic Maine, Arizona, and Missouri, have earned a place in history while most have long since faded into obscurity for all but their crews. Read more

Tiger’s First Defeat

Early on the morning of January 31, 1943, Lt. Stanley Edwards, a troop commander in the British 72nd Anti-Tank (AT) Regiment, was roused with news that enemy tanks were moving through their isolated valley in northern Tunisia. Read more

P-51 Pilot Jim Frolking

Antiaircraft tracers screamed past Jim Frolking’s P-51 Mustang as he flew over the coast of occupied Holland, heading back to England after escorting a bombing run. Read more

‘Bloody Bucket’ at Colmar

Not long after they landed at Normandy in July 1944, Pennsylvania’s 28th Infantry Division earned a begrudging nickname from their German foes in the hedgerows—the “Bloody Bucket Division,” after their blood-red “Keystone” shoulder patches and vicious fighting tactics. Read more

10 World War II Book Reviews for Spring 2025

Fury and Ice: Greenland, The United States and Germany in World War II (Peter Harmsen, Casemate Publishing, Havertown PA, 2024, 224 pp., Read more

The Battle of Point Judith: ‘They were all good boys’

Clary Edwards was rousted from bed at 5 a.m. by the sound of loud pounding. Wearing only shorts, he opened the front door of his home in New London, Connecticut, to find the unwelcome view of the Shore Patrol. Read more

USS Squalus rises after fatal tragedy.

It was a problem the U.S. Navy thought they had solved after several deadly incidents during the pre-World War II evolution of its submarine service—the frightening situation of a submerged submarine taking on water. Read more

Operation Torch Naval Encounter

By Victor Kamenir

In the predawn hours on November 8, 1942, Rear Adm. Henry K. Hewitt and Maj. Gen. George S. Read more

Sniper Elite: Resistance

The latest entry in the Sniper Elite series is finally upon us. If you’re reading this at the tail end of January, Sniper Elite: Resistance is here at last, with Rebellion Developments launching the shooter across PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC via Steam, Epic Games Store and Microsoft Store. Read more

Grit & Valor: 1949

If you need a break from the reality of war, join us in taking a look ahead to 2025 and into the more fantastical frontlines of Grit & Valor: 1949. Read more

Talking Code with the Navajo

There is an old saying that the pen is mightier is the sword, but try telling that to anyone under fire and they will likely disagree. Read more

A Memento of Terror

Glen Binge brought his helmet home at the end of World War II. The helmet bears the names and addresses of more than 50 of his comrades. Read more

Crook’s Devils

In the fourth summer of the Civil War, things were not going well for the Union. After more than three years of bloody conflict the Confederacy, although on the defensive and having lost significant territory, was still defiant and dangerous, while the war-weary North wondered if victory was truly attainable. Read more

Ed Mauser: Easy Company’s Silent Brother

Paratrooper Ed Mauser never forgot the first thing he saw when he leaped from the doorway of his C-47 transport plane in the opening hours of D-Day, June 6, 1944. Read more

Samuel Pepys

The wind was from the southwest early on the morning of June 13, 1665, as the Dutch and British fleets deployed just off southeastern coast of England, 40 miles east of the town of Lowestoft in Suffolk. Read more