Fighter Pilot Legend Bob Hoover Dies at 94

World famous aviator and fighter pilot, Robert “Bob” Hoover, who escaped the Nazi’s during WWII by stealing a plane, dead at age 94. Oh, what an aviation life to have lived. Robert “Bob” Hoover left us on Tuesday at age 94, but his legacy will remain in fighter pilot lore for generations. When you have […]

Firsthand account of Lt. Clair Hess during the Battle of the Bulge – 101st Airborne – 1945

Lieutenant Hess explains the division was responsible for the defense of Bastogne leading up to the Battle of the Bulge. As Lt. Hess recounts the action, we see snow-covered scenes of the battle and the frozen bodies of soldiers killed in action. Lt. Hess tells of one of the most famous events in WW2 history.

On December 22, 1944, German emissaries asked for the American surrender, to which General McAuliffe answered tersely, “Nuts!” (Lt. HessHess explains that it was “just GI American for ‘Go to hell!’”) A few days later the skies cleared, allowing Allied air forces to retaliate and to drop much-needed food, medicine, and weaponry to ground troops. On Christmas Eve, the Americans allowed the Germans to get as close as possible before opening fire. “You could hear them hollering, ‘Comrade!’ Begging for mercy. Asking for a break. Oh sure. We gave ‘em a break,” says Lt. Hess as the film shows the dead, frozen bodies of Nazi soldiers in the mud and muck. “The German supermen. They didn’t know what the hell had happened.”

Army Delta Force co-creator remembered

He was a qualified U.S. Army Ranger, Special Forces officer and Master Parachutist. Henry has his name engraved on the Special Operations Legacy Wall at the Special Operations Command Center at MacDill AFB. His decorations include the Legion of Merit (with cluster), Air Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Vietnam Honor Medal and several campaign service medals.

World War II Ace Flies 100th Plane at Age 95!

Dean “Diz” Laird is the only known US Navy pilot to shoot down both German and Japanese planes during the Second World War.  The World War II Ace flew his 100th plane this past weekend at age 95. Dean “Diz” Laird is a legend in naval aviation.  If you have ever been to Coronado, California, you […]

Legendary Tuskegee Airman Dies at 94

Dr. Roscoe C. Brown Jr., who flew with the legendary Tuskegee Airmen in World War II, has died at the age of 94.  Brown flew 68 combat missions and earned a Distinguished Flying Cross. He resided in Riverdale, New York located in the Bronx of New York City. Born March 9, 1922, Brown graduated from the […]

Remains of 13 more World War II Marines found on Pacific atoll

The founder of a volunteer group says it has found the remains of 13 more World War II Marines on a Pacific atoll. Mark Noah, head of Marathon, Florida-based History Flight, tells The Associated Press that 12 sets of remains were found on Tarawa between January and March and a 13th set of remains was […]

After Hiroshima and Nagasaki – The “Bomb” and the Advent of the Cold War

United States Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson considered sharing the atomic bomb; in his plan to President Harry Truman. Secretary Stimson expressed a prophetic understanding of the global dynamics of what would soon become an international arms race for dominance of atomic and nuclear armament: The Cold War.  Secretary Stimson’s plan addressed the fundamental […]

Special Report: V-E Day Victory in Europe – 71st Anniversary

V-E Day Marked End of Long Road for World War II Troops When President Harry S. Truman, British Prime Minister Winston S. Churchill and Soviet Premier Josef Stalin simultaneously announced that Nazi Germany had surrendered on May 8, 1945, the joy Americans felt was tempered by where they were. The war that began with Germany […]

Did Allied Intelligence Help Win World War II?

Most World War II spies learned little of import—and those who did were invariably disbelieved. Any historian who hopes to tell the true story of secret intelligence operations, even from the distant past, quickly discovers that he is up against two formidable obstacles. First is the Kafkaesque system of government classification. Not only do U.S. […]