A Curtiss P-40 Tomahawk fighter sits near a runway in the Philippines. Although inferior to the Japanese Mitsubishi Zero, the rugged P-40 was the most advanced American fighter type in service in the Pacific in the early days of the war.

September 2010

Volume 9, No. 6

Cover: An American soldier kneels in front of an armored vehicle during training at Fort Knox, Kentucky, in 1942. He is wearing a surplus WWI-era “Brodie” helmet, soon to be replaced by the standard issue M1 helmet. See story page 10. Photo: National Archives.

WWII History

Interview with a Screaming Eagle

By Brandt Heatherington

Reginald Alexander was born in Gardnerville, Nevada, in 1924 to Scottish émigré parents who were originally from Westcolvin, Scotland. Read more

WWII History

Australia’s Backyard Wars

By John Brown

In June 1943, with the war on the island of New Guinea in its last stages, a proposal was under discussion in Washington that the huge Japanese base at Rabaul on New Britain be bypassed and “left to wither on the vine.” Read more

An ISU-152 heavy assault gun of the First Polish Division crosses the Oder. The Soviet self-propelled howitzer fired high-explosive rounds that could destroy reinforced bunkers, and also could blow the turret off of a German tank.

WWII History

A Masterful German Defense at the Battle of Seelow Heights

By William E. Welsh

The officers huddled in a candlelit cellar in an abandoned farmhouse midway between the Oder River and Berlin. Read more

WWII History

Glider Infantrymen at Marvie

By Leo G. Barron

Marvie is a quiet town nestled in the Ardennes region of southern Belgium. A farming village with a population of several hundred people, history has almost forgotten the town, but on one day in December 1944, Marvie lay astride a road that led to another town—Bastogne. Read more

WWII History

Fire: A Photo Essay for the World War II GI

By Kevin M. Hymel

Next to sleep, warmth was the most sought after commodity of the frontline soldiers who froze in their foxholes, stomping their feet or puffing on cigarettes to keep warm. Read more

WWII History

Flying with the Jolly Rogers

By Glenn Barnett

The 90th Heavy Bombardment Group, known as the Jolly Rogers, was an element of the Fifth Air Force headquartered in Brisbane, Australia. Read more

WWII History, Editorial

The United Nations has shaped the postwar world.

Sixty-five years ago, in the wake of the most catastrophic war the world had yet seen, the United Nations officially came into being on October 24, 1945. Read more

WWII History, Dispatches

Remembering Our Veterans—Individually

Dear Editor:

As I sat down to write a newspaper article for Memorial Day, I wasn’t sure where to start. With recent news of our history, and in turn on our veterans, under assault by a casino at Gettysburg and Wal-Mart at The Wilderness, I wasn’t sure how to best honor our veterans for their sacrifices to this country. Read more

WWII History, Ordnance

From Doughboy to GI Helmet

By Earl Rickard

When the United States Army mobilized for defense in the fall of 1940, the peacetime draftees, National Guardsmen, reservists, and regulars carried Model 1903 Springfield rifles; the Guardsmen wore puttees; and all the soldiers covered their heads with the doughboy helmet—head-to-foot relics of World War I. Read more

WWII History, Profiles

Nuremburg Prosecutor

By Blaine Taylor

On March 23, 1991, at a reunion of the postwar Nuremberg International Military Tribunal staffers in Washington, I had occasion to meet the former American prosecutor, Brigadier General Telford Taylor. Read more

WWII History, Top Secret

Hitler’s Iron Fist

By Allyn Vannoy

Hitler’s Germany was known for its organization and efficiency, as well as its deprivations, terror, and cruelty. This was exemplified in its security forces. Read more

WWII History, Books

Fooling the Germans

By Al Hemingway

After the successful invasion of North Africa in November 1942, Allied planners immediately set to work developing a strategy to deliver a new offensive blow against Nazi Germany. Read more

WWII History, Simulation Gaming

World War II Through The Window Of E3 2010

By Joseph Luster

Though recent years have seen a bit of a back-and-forth with the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles—big changes transformed the convention into a smaller, more exclusive event, only to completely rebound—things are more or less back to normal. Read more

September 2010

From Around the Network

Death on the Hill of Doves: The Battle of Majuba Hill

A Magnitude Never Imagined

First Hell in the Pacific: The Battle for Tulagi

Swedish Gamble at the Battle of Narva