Conflict: World War II
The turning point of the Battle of Midway came rather unexpectedly—at the hands of the hard-earned skill and sheer luck of a small group of American SBD-3 “Dauntless” bombers. Led by Air Group Commander C. Wade McClusky, Jr., two squadrons, … Continue reading
Conflict: World War II
In 1928, a biologist and pharmacologist named Alexander walked into his lab with a friend and picked up one of his experimental dishes to show how much work he had to do. The dish was supposed to contain a culture … Continue reading
Conflict: World War II
The USS William D. Porter, nicknamed the Willie D, became infamous not long after its launch for some embarrassing, yet humorous in hindsight, accidents that befell the ship during World War II. In November of 1943, the destroyer—though crewed with … Continue reading
Conflict: World War II
On the night of 30 June 1942, the Arctic merchant convoy PQ 17 set out from Iceland toward Archangel, Russia, to deliver supplies to the German-besieged Soviets. Although the convoy knew that the danger from German planes and U-boats based … Continue reading
Conflict: World War II
The Battle of Saipan (15 June–9 July, 1944) was a grueling three-week fight to take the essential Japanese-held Marianas island of Saipan. Casualties were high on both sides, but the number grew even higher when, with the Japanese defeat imminent, … Continue reading