WWII

WWII

Was Hitler’s Ardennes Offensive Brilliant or Delusional?

By Patrick J. Chaisson

The chief shuffled to his seat in the underground conference room. He sat down heavily, eyes unfocused and dreamy, while a litany of woes was read to him. Read more

WWII

British Army’s Battle for Sword Beach

The easternmost Allied landing beach of the Normandy invasion of June 6, 1944, was code-named Sword. It was the responsibility of British Maj. Read more

WWII

Savage Fight for Hill 700 on Bougainville

The campaign to reduce the importance of the major Japanese base at Rabaul on the island of New Britain—begun more than a year earlier at Guadalcanal and Buna, New Guinea—was finally in its last stages by November 1943, as U.S. Read more

WWII

From D-Day to VE-Day in a C-47

High over Normandy, France, eight paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne Division charged out the rear door of their C-47 Skytrain aircraft. Read more

WWII

American Tank Ace Lafayette Pool

A column of American M-4 Sherman medium tanks moved through Dison, Belgium, in late summer 1944, near the city of Liege. Read more

WWII

Audie Murphy: Most Highly Decorated

Short, slightly built, baby-faced, and soft-spoken, Audie L. Murphy of Texas was far removed from the popular image of a warrior or hero. Read more

WWII

Erwin Rommel’s Determined Assault on Tobruk

During the early morning hours of May 27, 1942, the men of the 3rd Indian Motor Brigade braced themselves for another mundane assignment in the broiling heat of the Libyan Desert. Read more

WWII

U.S. Navy’s First Attack Against the Japanese

On the night of November 11, 1940, an event occurred that would change naval warfare for all time. Read more

WWII

German Fighter Ace Adolf Galland was Fearless and Outspoken

Adolf Galland stroked his well- groomed mustache as he strode confidentially toward his distinctive Messerschmitt Me-109E with its brightly painted fuselage art featuring Mickey Mouse smoking a cigar and wielding a hatchet. Read more

WWII

The Beast of Omaha: A German Soldier Who Defended Omaha Beach

By Alan Davidge

In the early hours of June 6, 1944, a 20-year-old German soldier hurried to his post at Wiederstandsnest 62 (WN62) overlooking Omaha Beach to man his MG 42 machine gun. Read more

WWII

The B-17 Crewman who Survived Fifty Missions Over Germany

Marshall B. Haugen was born July 8, 1917, and raised in Duluth, Minnesota—one of four brothers, all of whom served in the U.S. Read more

WWII

Savage Combat in a Faraway Jungle

In February 1944, the Japanese attacked the Commonwealth’s 7th Indian Division near Sinzweya, Burma. The division divided its troops into several defensive “boxes” to blunt the enemy attack. Read more

WWII

British Blunder in the Dodecanese Islands

Major George Jellicoe, head of Britain’s Special Boat Squadron, made a last-minute check on his parachute harness to see if all was ready. Read more

WWII

Soviet Operation Bagration Destroyed German Army Group Center

Overshadowed by the Allied landing in Normandy on June 6, 1944, the Soviet Union’s Operation Bagration on June 23 is one of the least-covered campaigns of World War II. Read more

WWII

Company of Heroes 3 Pre-Alpha

The Company of Heroes series is, amazingly enough, already celebrating its 15th anniversary this year. The first entry in developer Relic Entertainment’s strategy-minded saga launched on PC and OSX back in 2006, giving players control of two factions in the Second World War. Read more