WWII
The Last Nazi Hunters
By James VeriniCrowded in front of the television in Eli Rosenbaum’s office, his staff was taken with a giddy anticipation not often found in employees of the United States Department of Justice. Read more
WWII
WWII
George C. Marshall: The Indispensable Man
By Eric HammelGeorge Catlett Marshall was the greatest American military man of his age. If the United States Army had kicked off the 20th century with the specific intent of constructing a chief of staff to lead it to victory in World War II, it could not have done a better job than what chance provided in the triumphs and travails over the 40 years that molded George Marshall. Read more
WWII
Baptism for Pacific Paratroopers
By Gene E. SaleckerIn March 1942, the Japanese juggernaut that had steamrolled across the Pacific during the early months of the war landed at Lae village at the southwestern corner of the Huon Peninsula of Papua New Guinea. Read more
WWII
The RAF’s Wooden Wonder Plane
By Michael D. HullOf the many highly successful fighter planes and bombers in the Allied arsenal during World War II, none was more versatile or singular than the Royal Air Force’s de Havilland Mosquito. Read more
WWII
The Final Offensive
By David H. Lippman“It is very difficult to be an openly declared, courageous Nazi today, and to express one’s faith freely,” read the editorial in the Völkischer Beobachter newspaper, which further added, “We have no illusions now.” Read more
WWII
Battle of Nijmegen Bridge: Taking the Crossings Over the Waal
By Jan BosThe city of Nijmegen, in the southeastern part of Holland and about six miles from the Dutch-German border, is believed to be Holland’s oldest city, going back some 2,000 years. Read more
WWII
Daylight Precision Bombing: Dangerous Doctrine of the Eighth Air Force
By Herb KugelThe Eighth Air Force—the “Mighty Eighth”—became the stuff of U.S. Air Force legend when its fleets of unprotected Boeing B-17 “Flying Fortress” heavy bombers flew massive air raids against the heavily guarded German industrial heartland during the period between the end of January through the middle of October 1943. Read more
WWII
Kerama Retto: Key to Victory at Okinawa
By Pierre V. ComtoisClose to the northern end of the island of Tokashiki, the largest member of a tiny group of islands called Kerama Retto, located 15 miles west of Okinawa and hardly 400 miles from the Japanese home islands, Corporal Alexander Roberts and the rest of the 306th Regimental Combat Team rested for the night beneath the starry skies of the northern Pacific. Read more
WWII
Airborne at La Fière: Slugfest in Normandy
By Flint WhitlockThe night of June 5, 1944, and the morning of June 6 were without a doubt some of the most pivotal hours in the history of the 20th century. Read more
WWII
A Brief History of the British Commandos
The Commando role was born of the decision to mount vigorous raiding operations against occupied Europe as British forces were withdrawing from France in 1940. Read more
WWII
The 1st Commando Brigade’s Invasion of Germany
By Mark Simmons“The big day came and we moved off to our positions. Shortly a huge bombing raid commenced on the town of Wesel, followed by an artillery barrage which virtually shook the very ground under us. Read more
WWII
USS Seawolf at the Battle of Christmas Island
By John DomagalskiThe early months of 1942 were dark days for the United States Asiatic Fleet. Much smaller than the Pacific Fleet, and equipped with mostly outdated surface ships, the fleet was in no way capable of winning a serious confrontation with the Imperial Japanese Navy. Read more
WWII
Combat Horror On Saipan
By David H. LippmanIn the high summer of 1944, the United States was coiling a massive fist in the Central Pacific aimed directly at the Mariana Islands, specifically Saipan, Tinian, and Guam. Read more
WWII
First Battle of Savo Island: The U.S. Navy’s Worst Defeat
By Eric HammelA United States naval task force bearing the U.S. 1st Marine Division arrived off Guadalcanal, in the eastern Solomon Islands, on the morning of August 7, 1942, and launched the first American offensive operation of World War II. Read more
WWII
Operation Long Jump: The Nazi Assassination Attempt on the “Big Three”
By Mason B. WebbIn German it was called Operation Rösselsprung, which translates to “Long Jump.” Its goal was to kill or kidnap the Allies’ “Big Three” leaders––Soviet Premier Josef Stalin, British Prime Minister Winston S. Read more
WWII
Joe Foss and Charles Lindbergh
By Allyn VannoyJoseph J. Foss (April 17, 1915–January 1, 2003) was born on a farm near Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Read more
WWII
Opening the Venona Files
By Peter KrossOn February 1, 1943, a group called the U.S. Army Signal Intelligence Service, the forerunner of the modern-day National Security Agency (NSA), began a project to intercept and analyze diplomatic signal traffic sent by an ally of the United States: the Soviet Union. Read more
WWII
Patton in Lorraine: Breaking the Moselle Line
By William E. WelshBy mid-September 1944, the U.S. Third Army was poised to strike at the soft underbelly of Adolf Hitler’s Third Reich along a fabled corridor in northeastern France used for centuries by armies tramping across Europe. Read more
WWII
Sgt. John Basilone: Marine Hero of Guadalcanal and Iwo Jima
By Fred L. Borch & Robert F. Dorr“Banzai! Banzai!” screamed the Japanese at the top of their lungs as they launched a ferocious night attack against Marines dug in on Guadalcanal. Read more
WWII
The Saar Offensive: Patton Breaks Through the Western Wall
By William E. WelshThe portion of the Siegfried Line guarding the Saar industrial region of Germany proved a sinister gateway into western Germany for Lt. Read more
