World War II

Irving Isaacson was one of America’s OSS operatives during World War II serving with the Dutch, but after the war, he traveled across Europe and spied on the Soviets. He passed away last week in Maine at the age of 102. Like his wife, who died three years ago, Irving Isaacson did what he knew […]

Operation Chariot (also known as the St. Nazaire Raid) was a very successful if highly costly Commando raid on the port of St Nazaire in German-occupied France on March 28, 1942. The Royal Navy and Royal Marine Commandos targeted the German naval base there because it housed not only a fully equipped submarine base but […]

On March 25, 1961, Elvis Presley did a benefit concert for the Arizona Memorial which raised over $62,000 and helped to restart public funding for the war memorial that so many Americans visit every year. After the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the United States quickly rebuilt its facilities there and raised […]

The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was finally recognized by the U.S. Congress when the Congressional Gold Medal Act (S. 2234) was passed by the House of Representatives back in December and the Medal was officially presented on Wednesday. OSS was the World War II predecessor to CIA, the US Special Operations Command and the […]

“Woody” Williams never knew the names of the Marines who helped protect him during some of the fiercest fighting in World War II. But finally, he was able to pay his respects to the men who saved his life. Seventy-three years ago on the island of Iwo Jima, Hershel “Woody” Williams randomly chose several fellow […]

The aircraft carrier USS Lexington, sunk during the Battle of the Coral Sea in May of 1942, has been found by a team of wreck-hunters led by the billionaire Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. The Lexington was the first aircraft carrier ever to be sunk in combat. But during the battle, her planes also sunk the […]

There is a kind of mythological component when people talk about invading Russia in the winter. A lot of people imagine Hitler, rashly deciding to invade the northern country during the coldest time of year, just as Napoleon had, and their asses getting handed to them by both the terrible cold and the Russians who […]

Operation Halyard was the greatest rescue mission of American airmen in our history. And it was conducted by a three-man OSS (Office of Strategic Services) team dropped into Serbia that was occupied by the Germans. The OSS operatives linked up with Serbian “Chetniks” led by General Draža Mihailović in August of 1944. This three-man Halyard […]

The fighting to take the small volcanic but the strategically vital island of Iwo Jima was the site of the some of the bloodiest fighting in the U.S. Marine Corps history. Admiral Chester Nimitz said of the battle, “Uncommon valor was a common virtue”, where in fact 27 Medals of Honor were presented, 22 to […]

February 27, 1942 — The USS Langley was sailing off the Indonesian coast with her escort anti-submarine vessels in tow. A Japanese reconnaissance plane spotted them and reported back to their command. By mid-day, the U.S. ships were being bombarded by Japanese bombers — Mitsubishi Navy Type 1 attack bombers, to be precise, known to […]

On  February 23, 1945, World War II was raging across the globe. In Europe, brutal fighting continued as Germany was being squeezed from two sides by the American and British in the west and the Russians in the east. In the Pacific, the Japanese were putting up fanatical resistance in the Philippines and on a […]

Robert Hugo Dunlap was a Marine Corps officer whose bravery astounded even battle-hardened Marines on the vicious fighting of Iwo Jima during the US invasion there. During the days of February 20-21, 1945, Dunlap, a company commander in C Company, 1st Battalion, 26th Marines was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Harry S. Truman […]