#world-war-2

This book by Cornelius Ryan is part of a World War II trilogy. The Longest Day is another part of that trilogy. It tells the story of Operation Market Garden, a massive combined airborne/armor operation Field Marshal Bernard L. Montgomery conceived to shorten the war by getting Allied troops across the Rhine River and into Germany in 1944. The book is deeply researched and well grounded in…

Japan’s most successful bomber of World War II was nicknamed “the cigar” by its crews because of its cylindrical shape. It was nicknamed the “Betty” by the Allies, who came to detest its drone. Below are some fascinating facts about that lesser known but important WWII aircraft. G4M Bettys perform a torpedo run under fire near Guadalcanal, 1942. US Naval History and Heritage Command The Betty…

Germany faced additional setbacks on the southern front, until this advance was stalled until the end of the war. The Italians had been a liability that weakened the German strategic war effort, which only worsen. General Pietro Badoglio began armistice negotiations with the British and the Americans on 4 August 1943, as the successful invasion of Sicily proved to be the final turning point…

The Case Blue 1942 summer offensive was launched with the purpose of crossing the Caucasus mountains to seize the Soviet Union’s primary oil fields to deny its capacity to wage war, while securing new oil supplies for Nazi Germany’s own requirements while lacking energy resources. Army Group South was divided into two parts in late July, with the second half becoming Army Group B to protect the…

When I was in college, I was shocked to learn there were actually German POWs in the United States. This video (which you must watch on YouTube) goes into great detail on the topic. A brief summary… During World War II, the United States held over 425,000 German prisoners of war (POWs) in various camps across the country. Following the capture of German soldiers, they were transported to the…

While they were on the offensive in Russia, German armies also appeared successful during the summer of 1942 in northern Africa, where they had rescued the Italians after they experienced further setbacks in 1941. This development provided an impetus for Hitler to reinforce the Afrika Korps with greater available resources in view of Rommel’s victories and Italian weaknesses, which diverted them…

The invasion of Sicily marked a decisive stage in the increasingly critical internal political crisis in Italy. The Italians had suffered a series of shattering defeats in North Africa and had committed 227,000 ill-equipped and ill-trained troops to the eastern front where they were treated with undisguised contempt by the Germans. Italian strategy was inept. An enormous effort was invested in…

U.S. Military Film on the Medical Effects of the Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki [Warning: Contains Blood and Other Shocking Things]