WWII
John Steinbeck in World War II
By Robert E. Cray, Jr.A fuming John Steinbeck vented his frustration over World War II to a friend on March 15, 1943. Read more
WWII
WWII
Was General Patton Murdered? New Light on an Old Conspiracy
by Peter CrossWhen one thinks about the major conspiracy theories of the post-World War II era, one is drawn to the assassinations of President John F. Read more
WWII
The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, or the Consolidated B-24 Liberator?
By Sam McGowanOne of the most frequently discussed arguments to come out of World War II is which was the “better” bomber, the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress or the Consolidated B-24 Liberator? Read more
WWII
U.S. Involvement in WWII: How (and How Much) the Military Grew
By Allyn VannoyU.S. involvement in WWII grew to be about 16,000,000 military personnel by the war’s end: approximately 11,200,000 in the Army, 4,200,000 in the Navy, and 660,000 in the Marine Corps. Read more
WWII
Bloody Encounter at Hell’s Point: The Story of Al Schmid
by Al HemingwayAs the light of a sickly green flare shot skyward, three Marines from the 11th Machine Gun Squad, H Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment crouched in the hole awaiting the Japanese onslaught on Guadalcanal. Read more
WWII
The USS Houston and the Battle of Sunda Strait
By A.B. FeuerThe heavy cruiser USS Houston ventured into the Sunda Strait off the coast of Java on the dark night of February 28, 1942, and was never heard from again. Read more
WWII
German Military’s Emissary for Peace
By Jon DiamondMany accounts have been written about the peace mission flight of Deputy Führer Rudolf Hess and his parachute landing in a farm field in Scotland in May 1941 to discuss with the Duke of Hamilton a proposal to end hostilities. Read more
WWII
Patton’s Panthers: The Story of the 761st Tank Battalion
By Charles W. SasserIn the Academy Award-winning film Patton, the setting was all wrong when actor George C. Scott delivered General George S. Read more
WWII
The Hawker Typhoon 1A & 1B: Worst RAF Fighters in WWII?
by Arnold BlumbergIn 1934 the British War office accepted a new aircraft design eventually designated the Hawker Hurricane Mark 1. Read more
WWII
Battle of Meximieux: American Infantry & French Resistance
By Flint WhitlockNineteen-year-old Private First Class Peter Gaidosh of East Rochester, NY, was enjoying that rarest of wartime treats—a hot breakfast of fresh eggs, coffee, and pancakes—on the front lines. Read more
WWII
Military Vehicles: German Motorcycles in WWII
by G. Paul GarsonAfter September 1, 1939, and Germany’s invasion of Poland, a trickle of so-called “death cards” began appearing in homes across the Third Reich. Read more
WWII
Desmond Doss: The Hero of Hacksaw Ridge
By Nicholas Varangis“One of the greatest heroes in American history never fired a bullet.” That is the tagline of Director Mel Gibson’s 2016 film, Hacksaw Ridge. Read more
WWII
Lt. Col. Joachim Peiper’s Grisly Death After the Battle of the Bulge
By Major General Michael ReynoldsOne of the foremost German characters in the Battle of the Bulge was Obersturmbannführer (Lieutenant Colonel) Joachim Peiper, the notorious Waffen-SS commander of the strongest armored Kampfgruppe (KG) of the 1st SS Panzer Division, Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (LSSAH). Read more
WWII
A Masterful German Defense at the Battle of Seelow Heights
By William E. WelshThe officers huddled in a candlelit cellar in an abandoned farmhouse midway between the Oder River and Berlin. Read more
WWII
VP-16 and Operation Forager
By Bruce PettyA great deal has been written about the Battle for Saipan, including the Battle of the Philippine Sea, remembered today as having included “The Great Marianas Turkey Shoot.” Read more
WWII
A Submariner’s Letter From World War II
By Robert Schultz with James ShellBy Christmas 1941, Robert Hunt, torpedoman on the submarine USS Tambor, had witnessed the Japanese bombing of Wake Island, had slept in the Tambor’s forward torpedo room on the way back to Pearl with a bomb-induced leak bubbling in the corner, and had stood on his sub’s bow and seen the devastation of Battleship Row as debris in the oil-slicked harbor bumped against the hull. Read more
WWII
A Newspaper Headline Nearly Exposed the U.S. Navy’s Codebreaking Success Against Japan
By Colonel James W. Hammond, Jr.Stanley Johnston, a reporter for the Chicago Tribune accredited to the Navy as a correspondent, had made two forays into the South Pacific aboard the aircraft carrier Lexington. Read more
WWII
The Pointe du Hoc Rangers: a Madman’s D-Day Mission
By Daniel R. ChampagneOn the morning of June 6, 1944, the 2nd Ranger Battalion, commanded by Lt. Col. James Earl Rudder, began its ascent of a sheer 100-foot precipice called Pointe du Hoc. Read more
WWII
Torpedo Squadron 8: Their Heroic Flight at the Battle of Midway
By John DomagalskiThe pilots of Bombing Squadron 6 could not believe what they were seeing on the morning of June 4, 1942. Read more
WWII
Colonel Creighton Abrams at the Battle of the Bulge
By Michael D. HullOn the chilly afternoon of Tuesday, December 26, 1944, a column of mud-caked Sherman tanks, halftracks, scout cars, and tank destroyers of the U.S. Read more
