WWII History July 2009
WWII Ordnance: The Boys Anti-tank Rifle
By Bob CashnerWhen the first tanks appeared in World War I, they were relatively lightly armored and protected the crews only against small-arms fire. Read more
WWII History July 2009
The Costly Kyushu Invasion of Operation Olympic?
By Sam McGowanDuring the more than half a century since the end of World War II, there has been much speculation about what would have happened if President Harry Truman had not dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the invasion of Japan had actually taken place. Read more
WWII History July 2009
Free France Resurgent: Charles de Gaulle in World War II
By Glenn BarnettOn the evening of June 16, 1940, Marshal Henri Philippe Pétain was appointed Prime Minister of France. It was a critical time. Read more
WWII History July 2009
World’s First Smart Weapon: the ‘Bat’
By Alan AlpersOn May 27, 1945, U.S. Naval Reserve Lieutenant Leo Kennedy was patrolling from his station at Yonton Field in Okinawa. Read more
WWII History July 2009
Hero of Verdun: Marshal Henri Philippe Pétain
By Blaine Taylor“I’ve been old in all my ranks,” said Henri Philippe Pétain, created Marshal of France on December 8, 1918, at age 62. Read more
WWII History July 2009
USS Rasher: The Legendary Undersea Warrior
By Kelly BellAt 12:30 am, October 9, 1943, Commander Edward S. Hutchinson spotted his first targets as a submarine commander. Read more
WWII History July 2009
Hollywood’s Dream Factory During World War II
By Herb KugelWorld War II came to the Hollywood motion picture studios, the “Dream Factories” as they were sometimes called, the day after Pearl Harbor. Read more
WWII History July 2009
The Muddled History of Philippe Pétain
By Michael E. HaskewHe was, in the truest sense, a national hero. Philippe Pétain, Marshal of France, the hero of Verdun, is, however, best remembered in the modern world as a traitor, a collaborationist who sacrificed the honor of France to make a deal with Hitler and the Nazis. Read more
