On June 13, 1944, an anti-aircraft battery in the district of Woolwich was caught by surprise when the world’s first-ever cruise missile, the V-1 Flying Bomb, struck Grove Road just 2 kilometers from the tower of London. It was a weapon like no other – flying to its target with no pilot at the controls, […] More
The USS North Carolina was the lead ship of the North Carolina-class battleships. She was also the first American battleship that was newly constructed to enter service during World War II. Here are ten interesting facts about the USS North Carolina- the US Navy’s first fast battleship: 1. She was one of the most highly […] More
When Lieutenant General Lewis “Chesty” Puller retired in 1955, he was already the most decorated man in Marine Corps history. His valor and accomplishments in battle earned him rapid promotions and helped him shape his unwavering legacy that’ll surely last for centuries. Here are ten things you should know about the legendary “Chesty.” 1. Came […] More
The Soviet Union’s Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 is the Soviet Union’s single-seat, single-engine jet fighter, and one of the most feared high-performance weapons of the 20th century. Here are ten interesting facts about this stellar aircraft: 1. It was the first of its kind to have swept wings and reach high transonic speeds With MiG-15s flying in […] More
The Air Battle of Samurra was Iraq’s last offensive before grounding their aircraft during the Gulf War. It featured a showdown between the most iconic Cold War-era jet fighters – the MiG-25 Foxbat and the F-15 Eagle. Evacuation The most notable engagement between these two fighters occurred in 1991 during Operation Desert Storm. By January […] More
The Tupolev TB-3 is a four-engine Soviet heavy developed in the late 1920s. It was the first all-metal, four-engine, monoplane bomber to enter service, and transformed the Soviet Air Force’s capabilities. Design Origins The TB-3’s story begins in 1925 with the Soviet Air Force. During the 1920s, the Soviet Union didn’t have the required facilities […] More
The Specifications Developed from the P-36 Hawk, the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk saw improvements through its use of an inline V-12 Allison engine and improved armament of two .50-cal and four 30-cal machine guns. This would later be upgraded to six .50-cal machine guns with the introduction of the P-40E model. However, the P-40’s streamlined shape […] More
Richard I. Bong was America’s top flying ace in WWII and was one of the most decorated American fighter pilots the US ever had. Here are ten things you should know about the Ace of Aces: 1. Became interested in flying at a young age Richard Bong grew up on a Wisconsin farm near then-President […] More
On November 26, 1941, a Japanese attack fleet of six aircraft carriers, two battleships, and hundreds of aircraft departed from Japan. They planned a surprise attack on the US Pacific fleet anchored at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. But why did they want to attack in the first place, and why did a miscalculation lead to their […] More
Each time the United Kingdom’s Bomber Command was given challenging missions, the Avro Lancaster heavy bomber was always their go-to plane. Equipped with four Rolls-Royce engines with an impressive top speed of 187 miles per hour, it has an excellent lifting capacity and an unobstructed bomb bay. Its standard load of up to 18,000 pounds […] More
You might find yourself asking, where were the German carriers in World War II? Did Hitler have any? Well kind of. Germany built an aircraft carrier during WWII and had three more planned. It was one of the biggest ships built during the war, but it was never deployed. Here’s the story behind the Graf […] More
It was a calm afternoon in Fujian, China, on December 8, 1942. A lookout scanned the skies and spotted an aircraft flying on the horizon, slowly approaching from occupied Taiwan. Quick Response The lookouts sounded the alarm, and pilots Robert Lee Scott and Johnny Hampshire of the Flying Tigers scrambled toward their P-40s. Both men […] More
