Ernie Pyle: The Dogface who became the GI’s best friend
Like all geniuses, Ernest “Ernie” Taylor Pyle grappled with what Churchill called the “black dog of depression” at various points in his life, even as the Indiana boy moved among…
How USS Laffey became the ‘ship that would not die’
“Picket duty” might sound like a boring punishment or the job for the person who drew the short straw. But as the story of the USS Laffey illustrates, it’s an…
How Japan reacted to the Allied invasion of Normandy on D-Day
When you’re fighting a global conflict alongside two other countries, one of them get knocked out of the war, and the third suddenly has an existential threat introduced to it…
Pound for pound, these were the deadliest boats of World War II
They were made of wood, carried no heavy guns, and would sink at the drop of a hat. But they were fast, hard to hit, and could kill nearly anything afloat. Pound for pound, the deadliest boats of World War II weren’t the carriers or the legendary b…
The first American on the beach at D-Day served through the Vietnam War
Leonard Schroeder trained his whole career for that moment. A native of Linthicum Heights, Maryland, he attended the University of Maryland with a ROTC scholarship, graduating in June 1941. He…
The bold plan to capture 2 mined bridges on D-Day
There were literally hundreds of small-scale operations on D-Day that added up to the full, Great Crusade that General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower spoke of in his pre-invasion…
Top 5 battles commemorated by coins
Many wars have occurred in the past, and sometimes, it is difficult to remember them all. One way of remembering those who have fallen or bringing past battles to life…
The longest land battle in US history was a huge mistake
The fight for the Hurtgen Forest was one of the most devastating battles of all World War II Europe and one of few the U.S. Army lost after landing at Normandy on D-Day. The relatively quick advance through France gave Allied commanders the drive to…
Why you don’t hear about the German Navy on D-Day
Think of D-Day. What do you see? Probably the U.S. Navy pounding the shores with artillery as Army soldiers landed in boats driven by Coast Guardsmen as German soldiers rained artillery and machine gun fire while Luftwaffe pilots bombed and strafed …
Listen to these D-Day ‘frogmen’ explain their crazy role in the historic battle
Despite a limited number of submarines and other surveillance assets, naval forces in World War II had to find a way to spot enemy obstructions and defenses at fortified islands and beaches.
Into the gap stepped the frogmen and recon swimmers…