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A Covert Marine in the Balkans and China
By John ManciniOn the night of August 19, 1943, a lone British Handley Page Halifax bomber flew over Nazi-occupied Yugoslavia. Read more
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Gottfried P. Dulias: Surviving the Soviet Gulag
By Gottfried P. DuliasGottfried P. Dulias was a young Luftwaffe pilot who had seen plenty of action in the skies above the Eastern Front. Read more
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WWII Fighter Planes: The Grumman F4F Wildcat Fighter
By David Alan JohnsonThe Grumman F4F Wildcat is usually described as chunky, “square,” squat, or stubby—not exactly adjectives that suggest grace or elegance. Read more
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The Eastern Solomons: Death Struggle Off Guadalcanal
By David Alan JohnsonLieutenant David C. Richardson spotted the four-engined flying boat silhouetted against the ocean by the late morning sun. Read more
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The Mauser 98: The Best Bolt-Action Rifle Ever Made?
By Blaine TaylorAccording to The History Channel’s Tales of the Gun, the Mauser 98 was “the best bolt action rifle ever made.” Read more
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Operation Dovetail: Guadalcanal Rehearsal
By Arnold BlumbergBy June 1942, the military might of Imperial Japan threatened Australia. The string of spectacular Japanese conquests in the South Pacific menaced lines of supply and communication between the United States and its allies and bases in the region. Read more
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Heroes of the Red Duster: The British Royal Merchant Navy
By Michael D. HullNone of the Allied services engaged in World War II was in action longer or suffered a higher percentage of casualties than the British Merchant Navy. Read more
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A 101st Airborne Paratrooper’s Combat Journey
By Richard A. BerantyIn one of the most recognized photographs taken by U.S. Army cameramen during World War II, General Dwight D. Read more
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The Odyssey of the Australian Destroyer HMAS Vendetta
By Glenn BarnettOn October 20, 1941, the Australian destroyer Vendetta weighed anchor in the port of Alexandria, Egypt. After spending nearly two years supporting the Royal Navy in the fight for control of the Mediterranean Sea, the aging engines of the busy warship could no longer give her the speed needed to escort convoys, screen the fleet, or dodge dive- bombers. Read more
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Nazi U-Boats: Rattlesnakes of the Deep
By Herb KugelAmerica was not at war, but American sailors were dying when American-owned ships were torpedoed by German submarines. Read more
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The Generals’ Battle: British War Minister Leslie Hore-Belisha
By Jon DiamondLord John Vereker, 6th Viscount Gort, Commander in Chief of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in France in 1940, and his chief of staff, General Henry Pownall, have both been forever associated with the British Army’s greatest continental defeat; namely, the retreat through Flanders and eventual evacuation from the harbor and beaches of Dunkirk in May and June, after being engaged with the invading German Wehrmacht for only three weeks. Read more
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Subhas Chandra Bose: Champion of Indian Nationalism
By Blaine TaylorWhen British diplomat Lord Halifax arrived at the Berghof in the Bavarian Alps on November 19, 1937, he mistook German Reich Chancellor Adolf Hitler for a footman and was about to hand him his coat and hat when Foreign Minister Baron Constantin von Neurath hissed, “The Führer! Read more
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Hirohito (Emperor Shōwa)’s Triumph
By Blaine TaylorIt was fated to be the last wartime conference of the Big Three Allies of World War II, but it was the first not attended by the late American President Franklin D. Read more
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The German Cruiser Königsberg
By Michael E. HaskewWhen the German invasion of Norway was set in motion on April 9, 1940, much of the planning for the event had been done on a shoestring. Read more
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OSS Bugatti: Fighting Alongside the Maquis
By John ManciniThe tempo of war planning intensified for the invasion of Europe during the early months of 1944. Finally, at daylight on June 6, 1944, Allied infantry stormed ashore along the German-held Normandy coast. Read more
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Action off Santa Cruz: Last Stand of the USS Hornet
By David Alan JohnsonDuring the early morning hours of October 26, 1942, several hours before the sun came up, Admiral William F. Read more
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Assault on Oslo: The Naval Disaster in the Drøbak Strait
By Henrick O. LundeThe second week in April 1940 was a stormy period in the North and Norwegian Seas. The weather deteriorated during April 7, with low cloud cover and fog. Read more
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Iron Annie: The Junkers Ju-52
By William E. WelshShortly before dawn on May 20, 1941, a flight of 500 transport planes took off from seven airstrips on mainland Greece. Read more
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Segregation in the U.S. Military: Ruben Rivers
By Michael HaskewOn July 26, 1948, President Harry Truman issued Executive Order No. 9981, which stated in part, “It is hereby declared to be the policy of the President that there shall be equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed services without regard to race, color, religion, or national origin.” Read more
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The U.S. Navy in World War II: Problems with Torpedoes
by David Alan JohnsonAny American submarine that had made contact with a Japanese task force a year or two earlier would almost certainly not have had the success that Darter and Dace had with Admiral Kurita’s task force. Read more
