By Blaine Taylor
April 1, 1939, was a red-letter day in the history of the reborn German Kriegsmarine for two key reasons. First, Reich Chancellor Adolf Hitler presented the fleet’s chief, Erich Raeder, with an ornate, icon-studded Navy blue baton of office as the first grand admiral since the days of   More »

The earliest known operational use of dummy paratroopers occurred during the successful assault on Fort Eben-Emael during the 1940 blitzkreig.   More »

The British Royal Air Force saved its island nation from invasion during the dark days of 1940 and the Battle of Britain.   More »

During Operation Frantic on the Eastern Front, American bombers used Soviet bases for shuttle runs against the Axis targets.   More »

While the British defense of Crete in May 1941 was considered a military failure, it altered Hitler’s future tactics.   More »

The Battle of Britain in mid-1940 resulted in a British victory and a key setback for the Nazi war machine.   More »

German forces overran Yugoslavia rapidly in the Spring of 1941.   More »

At the end of 1940, heavy German air raids led to the Great London Fire Blitz that nearly destroyed the city.   More »

Not even the timely intervention of the British Expeditionary Force could prevent France and Belgium from falling to the 1940 German Blitzkrieg.   More »

The German concept of mobile warfare was conclusively proven when the Wehrmacht breached the French defenses at Sedan in May 1940.   More »