In 1929, Adolf Hitler was a strange combination of has-been and never-was. The fame and following he’d garnered after his failed 1923 coup d’etat–and subsequent jailing and publication of his autobiography (Mein Kampf)–had severely waned. His Nazi party had a paltry number of seats in Parliament and showed no signs of picking up steam. The…
Category: World War II History
Profiles in Courage: Gisella Perl, The “Angel of Auschwitz”
Forced to work for the notorious Dr. Josef Mengele at Auschwitz, Gisella Perl risked all to save as many lives as she could. This is her incredible, heartbreaking story. We have previously shared the story of Stanislawa Leszczyńska, a midwife at Auschwitz who delivered almost 3,000 babies while imprisoned in the concentration camp. But while…
World War Two History: Meet the U.S. Army’s EOD Pioneers
“More than 2,000 men served in the U.S. Army’s elite bomb disposal teams during the war. Yet American UXB squads received very little media coverage owing to their secrecy and small numbers.” WHEN PEOPLE THINK about Explosive Ordnance Disposal technicians, many envision soldiers in blast suits with remote-controlled robots, tracking down IEDs like something out…
World War Two History: This ‘Addams Family’ Star was a True American Warrior!
Waif to Warrior: Going From Child Star To “Chindit” In WWII America John was a child of Vaudeville; he became a professional entertainer at the age of four. He was an immediate hit on stage and when silent films came out, John was cast to co-star with the likes of Charlie Chaplin then later as…
Military Weapons From The Past: A Side-Loading M1 Garand? It Was Never Meant To Be
In 1951 and ’52, the U.S. military’s official Springfield Armory began experimenting with re-chambering the M1 Garand with the new T65E3 light rifle cartridge. As part of these experiments, the armory tested several alternate feed and magazine systems. In order to re-chamber a standard M1 in the new cartridge, the armorers replaced the barrel and…
World War Two History: Far East Flying Fortresses, How the B-17 Made a ‘Splash’ in the Pacific
“When the United States entered the war, the European Theater was deemed priority one — only a small number of B-17s were allocated to the Pacific.” MOST KNOW ABOUT the swarms of B-17s the U.S. Army Air Force flew against the Third Reich in World War Two. But Flying Fortresses also fought in…
The Bad-Ass Files: Simo Hayha
In the winter of 1939, the Soviet Union was dicks. Russian Premier Josef Stalin thought it would be really fucking hilarious if he all of a sudden sent like two million of his dudes over to nearby Finland to start kicking everyone’s asses and seizing whatever land he could get his borsch-covered hands on, while…
World War Two History: WW2 Vets Aim to Relive History as PT Boat Restoration Nears Completion
Very Cool. I love to see stuff like this! Wish I could have lended a hand! That is one mean PT Boat!-SF It was a run-in with the enemy that was too close for comfort, and more than 70 years later, the details remain vivid in the mind of a Navy veteran who served aboard…
WW2 Book Review Combo
Today I will be reviewing two books that deal with “Behind-the-Lines” Operations during World War Two. I have been doing quite a bit of research lately on the OSS and SOE Operations throughout the War, and both of these book are rich with material. It is amazing to me that even after 60+ years after…
World War Two History: 10 Mind Blowing Secret Operations from WW2
During World War II, tons of secret operations were conducted by both sides. While many were daring, some of them stand out as incredible, with mind-blowing operations that seem straight out of a historical thriller novel. . 10. The Olterra The plan sounds like something from a spy movie—to use a secret underwater base as…