World War II Magazine

03/25/2023

The Victors and the Defeated: A Classic World War II Photo

This single photographs captures so many emotions at the end of the war in Europe.

03/25/2023

Scenes from the South Pacific: Robert Greenhalgh for Yank Magazine

On June 17, 1942, the very first edition of Yank, the weekly magazine that the U.S. military published during World War II, rolled off the presses.

03/25/2023

Mildred Harnack Lost Her Life to Hi**er—And Her Legacy to the Cold War

Convicted of treason and beheaded on the Führer's order, Harnack was an American at the center of the resistance. So why isn't she better known?

03/25/2023

These WWII British Bombs Were So Powerful They Were Named 'Earthquake'

They were intended to take out U-boat pens, V-2 launch sites, dams and other tough targets.

They were intended to take out U-boat pens, V-2 launch sites, dams and other tough targets

03/25/2023

When Faced With Simple, Hard Choices, We Need to Be Like Ike — a 'Designated Son of a Bitch'

General Dwight D. Eisenhower's seldom-seen steely side came in handy while laying the groundwork for Operation Overlord.

03/24/2023

These NATO Generals Had Unusual Backgrounds: They Served in the Third Reich

Amid the Cold War two German generals were among the few NATO commanders with direct experience fighting the Soviets—not to mention the Allies.

Amid the Cold War two German generals were among the few NATO commanders with direct experience fighting the Soviets—not to mention the Allies

03/24/2023

Their Division Received the Most WWII Medals of Honor in Europe. But They Considered Themselves ‘Grunts'

Author and journalist Alex Kershaw sat down with HistoryNet to discuss his latest work "Against All Odds" and why the older he gets "the more grateful and proud I am of those young, working-class Americans that fought and died and gave everything so that I could have the life that I have. That's not an exaggeration."

Friends of the National World War II Memorial

From North Africa to the liberation of Adolf Hi**er's lair in Berchtesgaden, Germany, the men of the 3rd ID slogged through it all.

03/24/2023

‘Give Me...’: For More Than Two Centuries, Those Words Have Been a Constant in Our Wartime Vocabulary

For more than two centuries, those two words — give me — have been an essential and recurring element of our wartime vocabulary.

03/24/2023

This Flight Leader Received the Only Medal of Honor Awarded for the Battle of Midway

Capt. Richard Eugene Fleming's heroism earned him the only Medal of Honor awarded to a participant in the Battle of Midway.

Capt. Richard Eugene Fleming's heroism earned him the only Medal of Honor awarded to a participant in the Battle of Midway

03/24/2023

Was World War II Ace 'Butch' O'Hare Killed by Friendly Fire?

The Navy's first ace of World War II disappeared mysteriously one night during the Tarawa campaign.

03/24/2023

Famed 'Wait for Me, Daddy' Photograph Has a Complicated History

Canada’s most famed photograph from the Second World War has a somewhat happy ending.

03/23/2023

A Conversation with Bob Dole, the Gentleman from Kansas

Bob Dole rose to fame during a decades-long career in state and national politics. However, during WWII the amiable Kansan was a GI Everyman.

03/23/2023

The Famed American Aviatrix Secretly on the N**i Payroll

As World War II neared, Laura Ingalls took to the skies in the name of U.S. isolationism—and in support of N**i Germany.

As World War II neared, Laura Ingalls took to the skies in the name of U.S. isolationism—and in support of N**i Germany

03/23/2023

'Did Winston Churchill's American Party Guests Not Know Where Pearl Harbor Was?'

Here's what really unfolded at Chequers, Winston Churchill's country estate, following Japan's surprise attack on America's Hawaiian naval base on December 7, 1941.

03/23/2023

During WWII the Japanese Created A Law To Commit War Crimes

How the Japanese Enemy Airmen’s Act led to horrific war crimes.

03/23/2023

The Bataan Death March War Crimes Trial: Was It Fair?

Did General Homma deserve to die?

It was the trial of the century for the man in charge of one of the most horrific events of World War II. But was it the right outcome?

03/23/2023

Why on Earth Did Hi**er Invade the Soviet Union?

Historians have been grappling with that question for decades.

03/22/2023

From Here to Eternity: Inside the Pre-War Hawaii Life That Inspired the Book & Movie

James Jones built his best-selling novel, From Here to Eternity, around his real-life experiences as a U.S. Army private in Hawaii before World War II.

03/22/2023

Through Muck and Mud: How the Weather Dictates Spring Offensives

The military history of the Northern Hemisphere is replete with spring offensives and there is a logical reason for it.

03/22/2023

A Bloody Assault on Angaur Island Proved the Folly of "Mopping Up" Operations

In late 1944, a now-forgotten battle led to some of the Pacific War's most doomed and wasteful clashes against the Japanese.

03/22/2023

Was Tokyo Rose a Victim or Villain?

A new graphic novel examines the legacy of the wartime broadcaster.

03/22/2023

The 1st Ranger Battalion's First Adversary Wasn't the N**is — It Was Patton

Before paving the way for a significant victory over N**i Germany, the commando outlet's men clashed with the infamous general.

03/22/2023

'Cats in the Navy': Book Explores the Secret Life of Sea Cats

Aside from ruling their owners’ homes (and the Internet), cats have also turned out to be rulers of the waves.

03/21/2023

Yank Magazine Created a Unique Record of American Soldiers' Roles in World War II

From June 1942 through 1945 frontline American soldiers filed stories and photographed World War II and its aftermath for a select readership—themselves.

From June 1942 through 1945 frontline American soldiers filed stories and photographed World War II and its aftermath for a select readership—themselves

03/21/2023

Gangsters of the Sky: How a Captured Bombardier’s ‘Murder, Inc.’ Jacket Inspired a Failed N**i Propaganda Campaign

Newspapers across Germany claimed that Lt. Kenneth Williams' flight jacket was "photo evidence for the underworld nature of [Allied] air terror."

Newspapers across Germany claimed that Lt. Kenneth Williams' flight jacket was "photo evidence for the underworld nature of [Allied] air terror"

03/21/2023

Americans Had Only Seconds To Escape A V-1 Flying Bomb in London’s Sloane Court

When a German V-1 flying bomb struck Sloane Court, it marked the worst incidence of loss of life for American servicemen due to a V-1 blast in World War II.

When a German V-1 flying bomb struck Sloane Court, it marked the worst incidence of loss of life for American servicemen due to a V-1 blast in World War II

03/21/2023

When the Soviets Needed a Submarine, They Turned to the Germans

The result was a successful Russian sub.

03/21/2023

What Happened to the B-25s of 'Catch-22'?

There was a life after the movies for these supporting actors. Where are these iconic bombers now?

03/20/2023

American soldiers look at the looming wreck of a Messerschmitt 323 at Tunisia’s El Aouina airport circa June 1943.

The Germans hoped the six-engine transport plane, designed to carry 140 troops, could help reinforce their strength in North Africa, but Allied troops crushed the remnants of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel’s once-proud army.

The year 2023 marks the 80th anniversary of key final battles in World War II North Africa.

03/20/2023

How an M1 Garand Rifle Provided a Portal to the Past

The once-ubiquitous M1 Garand prompted an outpouring of memories from World War II veterans. Andrew Biggio, author of "The Rifle" (2021), was listening.

03/20/2023

Charles Norman Shay's Job in Normandy Was to Save Lives

Shay, a member of the Penobscot Nation, served with the 1st Infantry Division as a combat medic and landed in the first wave at Omaha Beach.

Shay, a member of the Penobscot Nation, served with the 1st Infantry Division as a combat medic and landed in the first wave at Omaha Beach

03/20/2023

Half Truck, Half Tank, the German Sd.Kfz 251 Was Wholly Successful

This half-track served a variety of functions in a mechanized war.

03/20/2023

This German Plane Was Clumsy and Slow—But Somehow Earned a Rep as a ‘Tank Buster'

During the interwar period, Germany began developing a ground-attack airplane to take on well-defended troops and armor, bucking post-WWI wisdom.

During the interwar period, Germany began developing a ground-attack airplane to take on well-defended troops and armor, bucking post-WWI wisdom

03/20/2023

Think It's Easy to Destroy Tanks With Airplanes? Think Again

A close examination of the historical record reveals that ground-attack aircraft in World War II were not as successful against armor as many believe.

03/20/2023

This British Policeman Trained Commandos In the Art of 'Ungentlemanly Warfare'

W.E. Fairbairn was a savvy martial arts master who survived hundreds of street fights and helped train special agents during World War II.

W.E. Fairbairn was a savvy martial arts master who survived hundreds of street fights and helped train special agents during World War II

03/19/2023

Ernie Pyle in the Blitz

Famed reporter Ernie Pyle went on a personal mission to Britain to relate the extraordinary deeds of ordinary people in wartime.

Famed reporter Ernie Pyle went on a personal mission to Britain to relate the extraordinary deeds of ordinary people in wartime

03/19/2023

This Asian-American Captain Charged Japanese Guns Again and Again

Francis Wai is the only American of Chinese ancestry to have received the Medal of Honor.

03/19/2023

Unsettled History Review: What Happened in China After the Doolittle Raid

A new documentary, Unsettled History tells the story of the Doolittle raid on Tokyo but concentrates on the aftermath in China, where citizens put themselves in danger to aid the downed Americans.

A new documentary, Unsettled History tells the story of the Doolittle raid on Tokyo but concentrates on the aftermath in China, where citizens put themselves in danger to aid the downed Americans

03/19/2023

How The SS Hunted For The Skeleton Of A King From the Dark Ages

The SS dug frantically in search of a missing royal skeleton and held candlelit ceremonies in a crypt to appease Heinrich Himmler.

03/19/2023

Brewster Buffalo: The Plane That Knocked the Soviets on Their Heels

This unloved American plane proved itself in Finnish pilots' hands as it beat back the Soviets in World War II.