The night of July 29, 1945, was dark and clear over the Philippine Sea. A gibbous moon hung almost directly overhead, just a few days past full, casting its pale gray light over the dark waves. Read more
The Battle of Tarawa, a component of Operation Galvanic, was the U.S. Marines’ first bold amphibious assault against a Japanese stronghold in World War II. Read more
Chain Home, or ‘CH’ was the codename given to the system of early warning radar stations located along the Europe facing coasts of the United Kingdom (UK) before and during World War II to locate and follow aircraft. Read more
Columns of smoke rose above the skyline around a Tunisian farming complex on February 28, 1943, wafting past the late afternoon sun through atmosphere punctuated by the crack of bullets, booming explosions and the screams of wounded men. Read more
After the collapse of Mussolini’s fascist regime in July 1943, the allies launched a double attack against the western coast of the Italian mainland. Read more
During World War II, the U.s. “Arsenal of Democracy” produced thousands of ships of all shapes and sizes for the war effort. Read more
On September 1, 1939, Adolf Hitler set World War II in Europe in motion when the spearheads of the Nazi Wehrmacht rolled across the German frontier into Poland. Read more
In the late hours of April 14, 1865, Secretary of War Edwin Stanton sat at a small table in the Petersen House across the street from Ford’s Theater in Washington, D.C. Read more
The first rays of sunlight on December 7, 1941, marked a typical Sunday morning for the sailors aboard the battleship USS California at Pearl Harbor. Read more
In ad 1205, Mongol ruler Genghis Khan, having completed the unification of his Gobi Desert empire, began looking south toward China for further conquest. Read more
The definitive combat unit of comparable strength among the forces of the world during the 20th century was the division. Read more
Peering through the thick underbrush west of Little Pumpkin Vine Creek, 30 miles northwest of Atlanta, on the afternoon of May 27, 1864, Ambrose Bierce had a bad feeling. Read more
Second Lieutenant William Capron first saw the attacking Messerschmitts as black dots descending rapidly to ambush his squadron of American fighter-bombers. Read more
Marshal Gouvion Saint-Cyr was in a tight spot, and he knew it. It was the morning of August 26, 1813, and Saint-Cyr and his French XIV Corps were defending Dresden, the capital of Saxony, from a large and menacing Allied army that outnumbered his own by at least four to one. Read more
The messenger arrived as U.S. Navy Lt. James “Pug” Southerland tore into a sandwich and coffee in the wardroom of the carrier USS Saratoga. Read more
“Andy” Andrews served as a machine gunner in Company H, 16th Infantry Regiment of the 1st Infantry Division. Read more
Modern readers benefit from decades of research, interviews, and information on the various battles of the Pacific War. Read more
The fighting for Narvik in 1940 was a combined naval and air campaign involving soldiers and sailors from Great Britain, France, Norway, Poland and Germany. Read more
Before World War II, the U.S. Navy developed a culture that purposely created leadership opportunities. An emphasis on decentralized authority gave direction to junior leaders while encouraging them to use their own initiative to achieve results. Read more
Hans Roth, Frankfurt native and army reservist in his 30s, looked across the fields in front of his position the night before Operation Barbarossa was to begin. Read more
