Alamo Scouts: America’s Undefeated WWII Recon Force

The Alamo Scouts emerged from one of the most demanding and complex theaters of World War II, the vast and unforgiving Southwest Pacific. By late 1943, Allied forces under General Douglas MacArthur were pushing steadily northward along the New Guinea coast, preparing for the eventual return to th...

By Eugene Nielsen •

How a 45-Day Moratorium Becomes a Permanent Gun Store Ban

Two Southern California jurisdictions froze new firearms retailer approvals within two weeks of each other. The mechanism was not a gun law — it was land use, and it moves faster than anything most dealers track.

By Claire Eason •

Sd.Kfz. 2 Kettenkrad: Germany’s Halftrack Motorcycle

The argument can be made that the Germans make the world’s best engineers. By way of evidence I would submit the StG44 assault rifle, the Me 262 jet fighter, and the Panther tank. While, in each case, the exigencies of around-the-clock bombing certainly took a toll on these revolutionary weapon...

By Will Dabbs, MD •

Capt. Dale Dye: The Battle of Guadalcanal

“It was scary, you know? The damnedest thing…” The old Marine flicked at a bright yellow tie he was wearing. “We were ordered to take Atabrine to prevent malaria. Most of us did that but it tended to turn our eyes and skin a bright yellow. And then a rumor started that the stuff would Rea...

By Capt. Dale Dye, USMC (Ret) •

SETAF-AF Hosts Joint Ghanaian Delegation to Advance Partner Drone Production

VICENZA, Italy — U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) hosted Ghana Armed Forces representatives for a showcase of U.S. unmanned aircraft systems innovation, technical management and production capabilities at Caserma Del Din in Vicenza, Italy, July 21-22. The five-member de...

By Eric G •

M18 Recoilless Rifle: New Concept in Infantry Firepower

During the morning of March 24, 1945, more than 9,000 men of the US 17th Airborne Division landed behind German lines on the east side of the Rhine. While the Wehrmacht was in deep trouble, many of their units remained effective, and any available Panzers could pose a significant threat to the fr...

By Tom Laemlein •

Curtiss SB2C Helldiver — The Big-Tailed Beast

In 1937, the Curtiss SBC Helldiver entered service, but even at that point, the carrier-based two-seat scout/dive bomber was on the verge of being obsolete. Interestingly, it was also the second aircraft produced by Curtiss-Wright to earn the designation “Helldiver” after the United States Ma...

By Peter Suciu •

Battle of Britain: Myth vs. Reality

The idealized concept immediately took root and blossomed: the Royal Air Force saved Britain from invasion in 1940. The conventional wisdom holds that Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s legendary “few” handed Nazi Germany its first defeat in World War II and paved the road to eventual victo...

By Barrett Tillman •

Curtiss P-36 Hawk: Hero Plane of Pearl Harbor?

At the National Museum of the United States Air Force, many visitors will see an unfamiliar aircraft at the entrance to the WWII gallery. The museum’s display of the gleaming silver fighter coded “86” on the fuselage, features a pilot boarding the plane in his pajamas, with an M1911 pistol ...

By Tom Laemlein •
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