Category: Weapons and Technology
Liberty and Justice – How a Handful of Merchant Ships Struck a Blow for Civil Rights in WW2
By Ron Franklin LIBERTY SHIPS WERE THE cargo carrying workhorses of World War II. While they played an essential role in winning the war, some also helped in America’s ongoing struggle for racial equality. A merchant…
Big Bang Theory – 11 of History’s Heaviest Conventional Bombs
FOR 14-YEAR-OLD Luis Iriondo Aurtenetxea and the other inhabitants of the Basque capital of Guernica, April 27, 1937 should have been just another Monday market day. At 4:30 p.m., most of the city’s 7,000 residents were in…
The V-1 Flying Bomb – 13 Facts about Germany’s Infamous Cruise Missile
“Londoners christened them ‘buzz bombs’ or ‘doodlebugs.’ But despite the charming nicknames, it was clear that these new inventions were deadly killers.” ONE WEEK AFTER D-DAY, calm had finally returned to the streets of London. In the…
From Gangland to the Battlefield — 15 Amazing Facts About the Thompson Submachine Gun
“Over the past 90 years, it’s been used in both war and peace in just about ever corner of the globe.” By Matthew Moss THE THOMPSON SUBMACHINE GUN, better known as the Tommy gun, is…
Killer Antiques – 13 Weapons From WW2 That Were Still in Use in the 21st Century
“The Lee-Enfield isn’t the only piece of World War Two-era hardware that’s still in use around the world in 2015. Here are some other examples.” AFTER 120 YEARS IN SERVICE, the venerable Lee-Enfield .303 rifle’s…
Flying Under the Radar – The Hidden History of Stealth Warplanes
WHILE CHINA’S NEW SPACE-AGED J-31 stealth fighter is designed to be virtually invisible, Beijing’s trumpeting of the new aircraft has been anything but inconspicuous. After unveiling the low-observable supersonic jet at the country’s national airshow…