The wreckage of what is believed to be the USS Juneau has been discovered in the South Pacific near the Soloman Islands.
Continue reading “Shipwreck of World War II Shipwreck Discovered”
On This Day – 7th/8th May 1942
The Battle of the Coral Sea is fought to stop the Japanese-planned capture of Port Moresby. It is a confused engagement and is the first major naval battle fought without visual contact being made between the surface forces of the opposing fleets. Continue reading “WWII – Battle of the Coral Sea”
On This Day – 16 December 1944
The Germans launched their last major offensive of World War II, known to most as the Battle of the Bulge the Germans originally called it Unternehmen Wacht am Rhein (operation watch on the Rhine). This battle which lasted until the 25th of January 1944 became the bloodiest battle of World War II for the Americans, The Department of the Army recording US losses at more than 108,000.
On This Day – 8 December 1941
One day after the surprise attack on Pearl Harbour by the Japanese military the American President Franklin D. Roosevelt called for the US to declare war on Japan.
On This Day – 14 November 1941
The HMS Ark Royal was sunk
Commissioned in November 1938, the HMS Ark Royal was sunk less than three years later on 14 November 1941 by the German U-81. The HMS Ark Royal was an innovative Royal Navy aircraft carrier serving during WWII, the first on which the flight deck and hangers were an integral part of the hull.
4 September 1941
During a convoy operation the US destroyer Greer is attacked by a German U-Boat.
Continue reading “WWII – The 75th Anniversary – Battle of the Atlantic”
1 September 1941
Army Group North closes in on the city of Leningrad (St. Petersburg). Continue reading “WWII – The 75th Anniversary – Eastern Front”
2 August
PT 109 the torpedo motor boat commanded by Lieutenant Junior Grade John F Kennedy the future president of the United States of America was rammed by the Japanese Destroyer Amagiri.
On This Day – 1 August
The Warsaw Uprising, a major operation to liberate Warsaw from the Nazi’s during WWII, began. Continue reading “1944 – The Warsaw Uprising”
26 June
The Grumman F6F Hellcat was an American carrier-based fighter aircraft designed to replace the earlier F4F Wildcat in United States Navy (USN) service.
22 June
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Nazi Germany’s World War II invasion of the Soviet Union, which began on this day in 1941. The operation was driven by Adolf Hitler’s ideological desire to conquer Soviet territory, even though he was still fighting the British Commonwealth in the west.
Continue reading “1941 – World War II – Operation Barbarossa”
19-20 June
The Battle of the Philippine Sea concludes with a decisive U.S. naval victory over the forces of the Empire of Japan. The lopsided naval air battle is also known as the “Great Marianas Turkey Shoot”.
Continue reading “1944 – World War II: The “Great Marianas Turkey Shoot””
15 June
The Vickers Wellington twin-engined, medium bomber made its first flight from Brooklands on this day in 1936.
6 June
The Battle of Normandy begins when Operation Overlord, commences with the landing of 155,000 Allied troops on the beaches of Normandy in France. The allied soldiers quickly break through the Atlantic Wall and push inland in the largest amphibious military operation in history. Continue reading “1944 – World War II Operation Overlord”
