flying Archives - World War 2 Collection

This Week in WWII – 3rd Week of March

1933
Enabling Act gives Hitler dictatorial power.
1941
Battle of Tobruk begins.
1942
Stalag Luft III opens.
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This Week in WWII – 4th Week of February

By Shawn Janes |

1933
The German Reichstag burns.
1941
Bismark sister ship, Tirpitz, is commissioned.
1943
Norwegian commandos destroy the heavy water plant at Norsk Hydro, the basis for the film “The Heroes of Telemark.”
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This Week in WWII – 1st Week of February

By Shawn Janes |

1933
Assassination attempt on Hitler. Ludwich Assner, ex-Nazi, sends Hitler a poisoned letter.

1941
Erwin Rommel appointed commander of the Africa Corps.

1942
B-25s take off from Hornet in a test for the bombing of Japan. Japanese troops land on Singapore Island.
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This Week in WWII – 4th Week of November

By Shawn Janes |

1937
Assassination attempt on Hitler by Josef Thomas in Berlin.

1940
The puppet government of Czechoslovakia signs the Axis Tripartite Pact.
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This Week in WWII – 2nd Week of May

By Shawn Janes |

1944
Germany launches the first V-1 rocket on Britain. U.S. defeats the Japanese in an air battle known as the Battle of the Philippine Sea.
1945
The Red Army releases Commonwealth and US POWs at Stalag III-A, Luckenwalde.
1946
75 Nazis go to trial for the Malmedy Massacre, which occurred on 12-17-1944.
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This Week in WWII – 4th Week of May

By Shawn Janes |

1935
First flight of the Messerschmitt Bf 109.
1940
Evacuation of allied troops from Dunkirk begins. The 27th is the worst day at Dunkirk. Churchill reprimands King Leopold of Belgium for seeking a separate peace with Germany. Conflict between Halifax and Churchill over Italy and the overall conduct of the war effort.
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U.S. Aircraft Carrier History

By Shawn Janes |

The first ever heavier-than-air, fixed-wing aircraft came into existence in the year 1903 and was run for its first experimental take off in 1910. This took place on the deck of USS Birmingham, a United States Navy Vessel. The first-ever naval experimental landing took place in the succeeding year.

“OLD 666” And Its CREW: Job Well Done

By Shawn Janes |

Death has always been a companion to those serving in the line of fire. There’s always a chance for these soldiers to get hit by a sniper’s bullet, be buried alive, be hit by explosive devices, or be caught by the enemy. Definitely, the risk of being a solider cannot be fully known.

Until We Meet Again Aboard USS Arizona

By Shawn Janes |

The famed USS Arizona was a magnificent battle ship that was hit by a Japanese torpedo during the war. The ship exploded and sank after a few minutes. Many of those who died were trapped below deck.

Remembering The Heroes: RAF Bomber Command Memorial

By Shawn Janes |

This is one of the reasons why the RAF Bomber Command Memorial was created. It was a way of commemorating those brave souls who served in Bomber Command during the war. It is a way of remembering the sacrifice of the RAF crew who played an important part in winning the War.