This sketch by Roy Cecil Hodgkinson depicts the situation at the south end of Scarlet Beach in New Guinea on 22nd September 1943 – half an hour after the first wave of Operation Diminish had landed. ‘Diminish’ was the name given to the initial phase of the Huon Peninsula campaign of the Second World War,…
Category: World War II History
Literary Corner: Great Interview with Tom Ricks on Writing, Reading and Military Innovation
Tom Ricks is without a doubt one of my favorite Military writers and historians. If you don’t already I seriously recommend subscribing to his Best Defense Blog on Foreign Policy.com. I also recommend his book Fiasco for a “blinders-off”, no bull look at the War in Iraq. -SF So you’ve been covering the US military…
World War Two History: Did Nazi Research Actually Contribute Anything Valuable To Medical Science?
It goes without saying that Nazi research into medical science was brutal and inhumane, but did they also discover anything useful or beneficial? Some life meant very little to the Nazis, who herded millions of people out of their homes and into indefinite detention, heavy labor, and a gruesome waiting game until death. Nazi Germany…
Military History: The Most ‘Interesting’ War Tactics of All Time According to Ask Reddit
A recent Ask Reddit thread sought to explore the greatest war tactic ever performed. The history books are full of examples of unconventional and surprise military tactics. A recent Reddit thread entitled “What was the most interesting war tactic ever performed in history?” was full of unbelievable stories, so naturally, we wanted to share a…
World War Two History: 10 Things You Never Knew about “Saving Private Ryan”
Here are some behind-the-scenes details about the legendary World War II movie “Saving Private Ryan.” What pops into your head when you think about “Saving Private Ryan?” For many people, it’s the five Oscars, two Golden Globes, two BAFTAs, and an induction into the National Film Registry as a “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant film”…
Military History: Key Moments in Army Airborne History
In August the Army celebrated 75 years of airborne operations. Some highlights: August 1940: A test platoon from Fort Benning’s 29th Infantry Regiment executes the Army’s first airborne training jump less than 45 days after airborne was formed. The U.S. joined several world powers who had also developed the capability after World War I, including Italy, the Soviet…
Military History: 7 New War Machines America Planned to Unleash on Japan in 1946
The arsenal included larger tanks, more powerful artillery, faster fighter planes and new bombers.” AMERICA’S ANTICIPATED INVASION of Japan ultimately proved unnecessary – the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki made sure of that. Yet all throughout 1944 and 1945, Allied commanders were drawing up plans for the final assault on the enemy home islands. The campaign,…
Profiles in Courage: Leon Cooper
I first heard about Leon Cooper when a good friend of mine who does work for the American Legion told me to watch a documentary on Netflix called Return to the Philippines: The Leon Cooper Story. After watching it, I immediately did a blog post on it, you can read that HERE. Leon Cooper…
World War Two History: Remembering Stalin as well as Hitler
When I’ve finished occupying the Soviet Union,” quipped a relaxed Adolf Hitler at dinner one night in 1941, “I’ll put that man Stalin back in charge. He’s the only person who knows how to deal with Russians.” Stalin was the biggest murderer of modern history – and maybe in of all mankind’s past. His number…
Profiles in Courage: The WW2 Draft Dodger Who Turned War Hero
This is one amazing story and one of the reasons I absolutely Love Military History, specifically, WW2 History! -SF Years ago, when I first came home, I decided it would be a good thing for me to write a book. My first project, still unfinished, and now my 3rd project had the working…