Japan
Army Mules: The Beast of Burden in War
By Christopher MiskimonIn the words of a veteran of the China-Burma-India Theater, retired Technical Sergeant Edward Rock Jr., [they] “served without a word of complaint or lack of courage. Read more
Japan
Valkyria Chronicles Remastered
By Joseph LusterSega’s Valkyria Chronicles, which originally debuted on PlayStation 3 back in 2008, is one of the better examples of the “alternate universe” World War II game. Read more
Japan
Colonel Hiromishi Yahara’s Story at Okinawa
by John WalkerIt was Colonel Hiromishi Yahara who designed and implemented the jiykusen, or the yard-by-yard battle of attrition that cost the American forces so many casualties in the three-month battle, and he was the highest ranking officer to survive the battle and make it back to Tokyo. Read more
Japan
Horror on Marpi Point: A Crucial Foothold in the Marianas
by John WukovitsNormally, the end of combat brings satisfaction and a sense of relief, but the Army infantrymen and Marines who slugged it out with the Japanese at Saipan experienced little of either. Read more
Japan
The Tokyo War Crimes Trials
By Roy Morris Jr.When the Tokyo War Crimes Trials opened in the former hilltop headquarters of the Japanese military at Ichigaya on May 3, 1946, American-born chief prosecutor Joseph Keenan faced a difficult task. Read more
Japan
Fire Control at the Battle of Surigao Strait
by David Alan JohnsonOne of the main reasons for the success of the battleships West Virginia, Tennessee, and California at Surigao Strait was their Mk 8 fire control radar, which was used in conjunction with the Mk 8 rangekeeper computer. Read more
Japan
Clash in the Sibuyan Sea: Gambier Bay
by Robert F. DorrWhen she went to the bottom of the sea at the height of the greatest naval battle in history, the USS Gambier Bay (CVE 73) became a legend for heroism and as the only U.S. Read more
Japan
Survival at Sugarloaf: Battle Fatigue at Okinawa
by John WukovitsBecause of the severe conditions at Sugar Loaf and elsewhere on Okinawa, the fighting produced an alarmingly high number of battle fatigue cases. Read more
Japan
General Ushijima’s Support in Okinawa
by John WukovitsLieutenant General Ushijima heavily depended upon two staff officers who, although differing in temperament, formed along with the general as effective a commanding trio as the Marines faced in the Pacific. Read more
Japan
On This Day: Remembering the Pearl Harbor Attack
It’s now been 74 years to the day since the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and America’s foray into the the Second World War. Read more
Japan
Survival at Sugarloaf: An Encounter of a Father and Son
By John WukovitsOne of the most heart-wrenching moments to occur on Okinawa involved a family with a proud Marine heritage. Read more
Japan
The Ill-Fated Goettge Patrol: General Alexander Vandergrift
by John WukovitsBorn in 1887 in Virginia, Alexander Archer Vandegrift was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps in 1909. Read more
Japan
Siege of Osaka Castle
By Eric NiderostIn 1611 Tokugawa Ieyasu had every reason to be pleased with himself. His son Hidetada was Shogun, supreme warlord of Japan, but in truth it was Ieyasu who ruled the country behind the scenes. Read more
Japan
The Kokoda Track Campaign: World War II’s Trail of Death
by A.B. FeuerThe Kokoda track campaign involved a trail that leada south along the western side of the Eora Creek Gorge and through the villages of Deniki and Isurava to a trail junction at Alola. Read more
Japan
‘Trail of Death’: The Kokoda Track
By A.B. FeuerIn 1994 James Anderson and a few other adventurers retraced the Australian Army’s withdrawal from Kokoda in 1942, and followed the track across the Owen Stanley Mountains. Read more
Japan
May 8, 1945: V-E Day and the Surrender of Germany
by Flint WhitlockIn May 1945—70 years ago—the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF) sent out a terse, unemotional, 15-word communiqué: “The mission of this Allied force was fulfilled at 0241 local time, May 7, 1945.” Read more
Japan
The Japanese Empire’s Mitsubishi G4M Betty Bomber
By Joseph M. HorodyskiThe two types of aircraft responsible for sinking the Prince Of Wales and Repulse represented the best of Japanese aviation in 1941. Read more
Japan
Italy’s Daredevil Torpedo Riders
By Chuck LyonsOn a dark night in September 1941, moving at periscope depth, an Italian submarine edged into Gibraltar Bay near the British harbor. Read more
Japan
Merrill’s Marauders Fought Tenaciously In Burma
By Michael D. HullA series of swift victories took Japanese troops to the gates of India in 1941-1942 when British and Indian units fell back to the Assam hills northwest of Burma. Read more
Japan
William Nolan: Remembering the Bataan Death March
By John WukovitsStaff Sergeant William Nolan dared not raise his hopes this August day in 1945, but something unusual was unfolding. Read more
