The Soviet T-26 Tank Helped Stop the Nazis
It was the T-26âa light infantry tank, that had already proven successful in the Spanish Civil War (1936-39), that helped slow the German advance. While the T-26 was essentially obsolete and outclassed by German armor, the Soviets had the tank in great numbers.It has been described as the âillegitimate offspringâ of the British Vickers Mark E light tank, which was produced for the export market. As the Soviets sought to modernize its military infrastructure in the 1930s, the T-26 became the most produced in the world.
(nationalinterest.org)
Classic turn-based strategy games: Conflict-Series
If you like classic turn-based PC war games and legendary strategy board games make sure to check out the highly rated Conflict-series for Android. Some of the WWII Campaigns include Axis Balkan Campaign, D-Day 1944, Operation Barbarossa, France 1940, Kursk 1943, Market Garden, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, Rommel's North African campaign, and the Battle of Bulge. In addition to WWII some other time periods include Korean War, American Civil War, First World War and American Revolutionary War. The more complex campaigns like Operation Sea Lion, Invasion of Norway, and Invasion of Japan 1945, include Naval element and handling logistics of supply flow.
(available on Google Play & Amazon App Store since 2011)
Why Nazi Germany Relied So Much on the Panzer II Tank
The Panzerkampfwagen II was designed as a stopgap, but it ended up being mass produced and used on many fronts.
(nationalinterest.org)
Wunderwaffe â The Nazi Superweapons of WW2
Very few Wunderwaffeâs actually made it into the combat theatre, with a majority of designs only remaining a concept or early prototype. Historian Michael J. Neufeld has noted: the net result of all these weapons, deployed or otherwise, was that the Reich wasted a lot of money and technical expertise (and killed a lot of forced and slave laborers) in developing and producing exotic devices that yielded little or no tactical and strategic advantage. The TriebflĂŒgeljĂ€ger, meaning âthrust-wing hunterâ was the concept design of a vertical take-off and landing interceptor
(heritagedaily.com)
The Admirals: The joint biography looks at Chester Nimitz, William Halsey, William Leahy and Ernest King.
They were children of the Victorian Era. Annapolis graduates around the turn of the twentieth century. Junior officers in World War I, captains by 1927. They gained their first admiralâs stars by the 1930s, and all four were near or past retirement age when war broke out. Yet they rose to the pinnacle of leadership in that war and played outsized roles in the Allied victory.
(berkeleyside.com)
The Death of Scharnhorst â The Battle of the North Cape and the Final Hours of One of Hitlerâs Most Dangerous Warships
Winston Churchill deemed the 32,000-ton German battlecruiser Scharnhorst, armed with nine 11-inch guns and a top speed of 31 knots, a âtarget of supreme consequence.â On Dec. 26, 1943, she went head-to-head with HMS Duke of York off Norwayâs North Cape.
(militaryhistorynow.com)
Adolf Hitler Had Cash Worth $12,000 When He Was Only Six, Unearthed Letter Reveals
Letters written by Adolf Hitlerâs father that were recently discovered in an Austrian attic reveal fascinating insights into the Nazi dictatorâs early childhood. It is believed that at the tender age of six, Hitler had over $12,000 in his savings account. âA lady told me she had found letters from Adolf Hitlerâs father in her attic that were addressed to her great-great-grandfather Josef Radleggerâ said Roman Sandgruber, emeritus professor at the University of Linz in Upper Austria.
(tntribune.com)
Researchers Uncover Remains of Polish Nuns Murdered by Soviets During WWII
As the Red Army pushed the Nazis out of Poland in 1945, soldiers engaged in brutal acts of repression against civilians
(smithsonianmag.com)
World War II Artillery: The Deadliest Big Guns from the Axis and Allies
Artillery, from mortars to howitzers, was also one area where Germany may have had a slight advantage, but both sides had a range of weapons that allowed them to pound their enemy.
(nationalinterest.org)
This was the secret war off the US coast during World War II
At a little after two oâclock in the morning on Monday, January 19, 1942, an earthquake-like rumble tossed fifteen-year-old Gibb Gray from his bed. Furniture shook, glass and knickknacks rattled, and books fell from shelves as a thundering roar vibrated through the walls of the houses in Gibbâs Outer Banks village of Avon. Only seven miles away, a German U-boat had just torpedoed the 337-foot-long U.S. freighter, City of Atlanta, sinking the ship and killing all but three of the 47 men aboard. The same U-boat attacked two more ships just hours later.
(wearethemighty.com)
Masters of disguise: the story of the Alliesâ WW2 âGhost Armyâ
As the Allies pushed through Europe at the end of World War II, they needed a secret weapon to stay ahead of the German war machine. Gavin Mortimer tells the story of the âGhost Armyâ â a talented band of artists and engineers who created the ultimate distraction
(historyextra.com)
Battle of the Atlantic â Inside the Second World Warâs Most Important Campaign
The battle escalated slowly from its commencement at the outbreak of war in 1939 to its violent climax in the spring of 1943.
(militaryhistorynow.com)
Letters from Adolf Hitlers father give rare glimpse into dictator's upbringing
Like father, like son â Adolf Hitler's father was also self-taught, smug and greatly overestimated himself, writes veteran Austrian historian Roman Sandgruber in a new book.
(dw.com)
Flight of the 34th: Inside One WW2 Bomber Squadronâs Trailblazing Voyage from the U.S. to North Africa
he 34th was the first unit of any kind to make this crossing which would later become routine
(militaryhistorynow.com)
95-year-old Former Nazi guard arrives in Germany after US deportation
The 95-year-old man reportedly confessed to serving as a concentration camp guard in 1945. He was handed over to German investigators upon landing at Frankfurt Airport.
(dw.com)
How To Kill A Panther Tank â Review by Mark Barnes
This book by Craig Moore takes us into the heart of investigations into how the Panther worked and how the Allies refined the ways to defeat it. Mr Moore has poured over a great many reports and other documents to piece together how in depth analysis of the tankâs performance prepared the Allies to take the Panther on. While combat histories are great to read, this book shows that other war, the one in the background, where soldiers, engineers, metallurgists and scientists took Panthers apart to see what made them tick. No stone was left unturned.
(warhistoryonline.com)
talinâs Organ: 10 Surprising Facts About the Katyusha Rocket
The Katyusha was omnipresent on the Eastern Front and likely contributed as much to the Allied victory as the M4 Sherman tank, the Higgins Boat or the Spitfire.
(militaryhistorynow.com)
One of New Zealand's last surviving World War II pilots turns 100
One of the last remaining New Zealanders who served in Bomber Command in World War II is celebrating his 100th birthday. Squadron Leader Keith Boles, who will mark the milestone on January 31, is one of 6000 Kiwis who flew with the bombing arm of the Royal Air Force. One in three did not come home.
(stuff.co.nz)
The 10th Mountain Division: 10 Facts About Americaâs Elite Alpine Warriors of WW2
The 10th Mountain Division was an elite unit, trained to fight on skis, climb mountains, and thrive in cold weather.
(militaryhistorynow.com)
The Nazi Font: When Hitler Erased The Gothic Typeface
The edict was both covert and surprising: On Jan. 3 1941, Nazi official Martin Bormann announced that Hitler no longer wanted to see Gothic typefaces used in print. But the reason for this decision was pure invention.
(worldcrunch.com)
WWII anti-tank defences reappear on Northumberland beach
Eerie remains of WWII anti-tank defences have reappeared on a Northumberland beach 80 years after being buried in the sand. Low tides and heavy storms shifted tonnes of sand to unearth the ghostly military hardware and rusted shells. Back in 1940, anti-tank sea defences were installed on coastlines across Britain to protect against a potential Nazi invasion. With the steel defences never needed, most were left to rust in the sand.
(metro.news)
Wildcat vs. Zero: How Americaâs Grumman F4F Outfought the Superior Mitsubishi A6M
When the US Navy entered the war with Japan, it did so with the Grumman F4F Wildcat as its principle frontline carrier-based fighter â a warplane that, at least on paper, was greatly outclassed by Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero. The actual numbers tell a different story. Unable to beat the Zeroâs top speed of 330 mph and less maneuverable than its Japanese counterpart, the stubby, ungainly Wildcat managed to prevail in the face of the superior enemy fighters it went up against in the warâs first months. Consider the Battle of the Coral Sea. During the May 4 to 8, 1942 clash off the Solomons, U.S. Navy Wildcats shot down 14 A6Ms for a loss of just 10 aircraft.
(militaryhistorynow.com)
Nazi RavensbrĂŒck camp: How ordinary women became SS torturers
'Healthy, female workers between the ages of 20 and 40 wanted for a military site,' reads the job advertisement from a 1944 German newspaper. Good wages and free board, accommodation and clothing are promised. What is not mentioned is that the clothing is an SS uniform. And that the 'military site' is RavensbrĂŒck concentration camp for women. Today the flimsy wooden barracks for the prisoners are long gone. All that remains is an eerily empty, rocky field, about 80km (50 miles) north of Berlin.
(bbc.com)
Germany: 4 World War II bombs prompt evacuation in Göttingen
German bomb disposal expert detonated four WWII bombs after thousands of Göttingen residents were forced to leave their homes. Officials had suspended some of the anti-pandemic measures during the evacuation effort.
(dw.com)
Complete Nuremberg Trials recordings online for the first time
US Holocaust Memorial Museum uploads over 700 hours of audio recordings, many of them in German without translation, as well as 37 reels of film introduced as evidence
(timesofisrael.com)