Paratroopers and Airborne operations came of age during WWII and are considered elite soldiers. The Germans were the first to use them in large numbers in a combat operation. Quickly adopted by the American and British, the first U.S. combat jump took place in late 1942. While the most famous Airborne Operation of all time was the combined drop of […]
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As Germany geared up for WWII, their standard side arm was the venerable P-08, commonly known as “The Luger.” Superbly crafted with a reputation for excellence, it was time consuming and costly to produce. A simpler piece, which could be mass produced, was needed. Enter the P-38 produced by the German firm of Carl Walther Waffenfabrik. Like the Luger, it […]
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This 1981 film by Wolfgang Petersen is perhaps the finest and most accurate portrayal of WWII submarine warfare ever to grace the silver screen. Produced in Germany, the film is based on a novel by Lothar-Gunther Buchheim about his experiences as a crewman on a German U-boat during WWII. The film opens by telling us “40,000 German sailors who served […]
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For those living in the Chicago area, within our midst is one of the most unique exhibits in the world. On display at Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry is the WWll German submarine U-505, which was captured on the high seas on June 04, 1944, by U.S. Naval forces. Amazingly, the capture was caught on film and is available […]
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When the big guns are needed, the call goes out for artillery. And those targeted by that artillery should rightly fear when the 155 MM Howitzer answers that call. One of the top artillery pieces of all time, its origin goes back about 100 years. Used by a host of countries around the world, it has seen action with U.S. […]
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Put out by the U.S. War Department in 1945, “Diary of a Sergeant” was directed by two-time Academy Award nominee Joseph M. Newman while serving as a Major in the U.S. Army Signal Corps. It tells the story of Harold Russell, a soldier who lost both hands in a training accident when an explosive device detonated prematurely. It follows him […]
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Groundbreaking for its time, this film was released in 1946, just after WWII ended. Based on a book written by journalist/war correspondent MacKinlay Kantor and published in 1945, it deals with the trials faced by millions of American Veterans and their families, as the men returned home from “The War.” One of the great classics in the history of American […]
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According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, approximately 2.7 million Americans served in Vietnam from 1964 to1973. Of that number, some 10,000 were women, with approximately 90 percent of them serving as nurses. Louise “Lou” Eisenbrandt talks about her military experiences during the war in this fascinating interview. She served one year in Vietnam, from October 1969 to October […]
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The most decorated U.S. soldier in WWII was a 20-year-old kid from Northeast Texas named Audie Murphy. This unpretentious warrior stood 5 feet, 4-1/2 inches tall, weighed 112 pounds and was the recipient of every combat award for heroism the Army had to offer! Assigned to an infantry unit destined for combat in North Africa and Europe, he excelled on […]
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Patriotic postal stationery has been around for hundreds of years, probably for about as long as mail has been exchanged between soldiers and folks back home. Its purpose was two-fold: first, to boost the morale of both the letter writers and their recipients, and second, to inspire all who saw it to work and fight harder for victory! The tone […]
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