During World War II, hundreds of thousands of soldiers as prisoners of war faced starvation, abuse, and in some cases, total abandonment. 1. Evgeny Stepanovich Kobytev His name may not be found in some history books covering WWII, but Evgeny Stepanovich Kobytev’s haunting before and after photographs captured the entire war’s darkness. Kobytev enlisted to […] More
Turning the tide of war was far beyond Japan’s control, and growing desperate, air commanders proposed the idea of the kamikaze, The Divine Wind. Thousands of Japanese pilots had volunteered to be a kamikaze, deliberately crashing their planes into enemy targets in the name of the emperor, and for their country. Here are the ten things […] More
The Kaiten were crewed torpedoes and suicide crafts used by the Japanese against the allied forces in the final stages of WWII. Utter Desperation Despite their desperation to hold the Allied back, everything seemed futile by 1944. Japanese special attack units were organized, using numerous fanatic young men willing to make suicide attack missions in […] More
The valiant defense of US marines, soldiers, sailors, and civilians in Wake Island became a rallying point and boosted the nation’s morale back after the dark days of Pearl Harbor. Here’s how this tiny island with battleship guns managed to beat Japan for 15 days all alone: Middle of Nowhere Wake Island is a small […] More
Northrop’s T-38 Talon was a twin-engine, high-altitude supersonic jet trainer. The aircraft is also one of the few supersonic trainers that the US Army mass-produced. It was also the first-ever official jet trainer aircraft in the world. Here are the ten interesting facts about the T-38 Talon: 1. It was the world’s first supersonic trainer […] More
The Aerosani was an inventive motorized snow sled with an aircraft propeller that would ultimately give the Soviets an upper hand over the Fins after the outbreak of World War II. Here are the five facts that you need to know about the WWII Aersani Snow Tank: 1. Initially, the Soviets suffered heavy losses from […] More
One of the most unique, and unusual aircraft of its time, the XC-120 Packplane was an American experimental transport aircraft. It was a converted C-116 with a detachable cargo compartment. Here are the ten facts about the most bizarre yet brilliant military cargo aircraft ever built: 1. It was one of the most unusual transport […] More
During WWII, the US had a special relationship with the 0.50 caliber M2 Browning. In fact, the US Armed Forces continue to use it even today. From an offensive standpoint, this had been used by fighters like the P-51 Mustang. It’s also been used as a defensive weapon on bombers like the B-17 Flying Fortress. […] More
The C-46 Commando first made its combat debut at Operation Varsity, the largest operation in WWII. Consequently, it will also be the last time this plane flew combat missions. Commando came out of Operation Varsity as being a death trap. But is this plane really as bad as its reputation suggests? Notorious Reputation During Operation […] More
Will the Bismarck Battleship, the largest battleship ever built by Nazi Germany and commissioned in the 1940s, stand a chance with a modern destroyer? Can a 1940s Battleship Stand a Chance? On the surface, it isn’t as half bad for Bismarck, as today’s battleships are like tin cans. They have no armor as compared to […] More
Lt. John M. Carothers was in his P-51 Mustang returning home from a bombing run in Berlin. He was part of the 503rd fighter squadron and the last escort left in his entire formation. Suddenly, he was radioed informing him that six Focke-Wulf 190s were heading straight in their direction. Surviving The Attack Carothers and […] More
1. Opening Sequence Wasn’t Filmed In France The French government refused to give permission to film on the beaches of Normandy. The sequence was instead shot in Ireland. 2. Based Casting On WWII Footage Spielberg argued that the boys before looked like men, unlike today, where we all look innocent. Therefore, he based his casting […] More
