20 obscure facts from the depths of WWII history. Even Mike might not know these.
The US 23rd Headquarters Special Troops used inflatable tanks, sound trucks, and fake radio signals to convince German intelligence that the invasion would come at Calais. The unit included fashion designer Bill Blass and artist Ellsworth Kelly. Thei…
Operation Hailstone in February 1944 was a two-day American attack on Japan's primary naval base at Truk Lagoon (modern-day Chuuk) in the Central Pacific. The assault sank 12 warships, 32 merchant ships, and over 275 aircraft — effectively destroying…
Operation Hailstone (February 1944) was the American attack on Japan's primary naval base at Truk Lagoon in the Central Pacific. In two days, U.S. forces sank 12 warships, 32 merchant ships, and 275 aircraft — earning it the nickname 'Japan's Pearl H…
On September 12, 1944, the Japanese transport ship Arisan Maru was torpedoed by the USS Shark in the South China Sea. What makes this tragedy uniquely obscured: the ship was carrying approximately 1,800 Allied POWs — mostly captured Americans from th…
During the Philippine campaign, U.S. PT boats engaged Japanese supply barges in the rivers and narrow waterways around Luzon — a battle not fought at sea but in river channels no wider than a city street. The PT boats had to be modified, their deep-d…
Japanese intelligence officer Hiroo Onoda deployed to Lubang Island in 1944 with orders never to surrender. He hid for nearly 30 years, dismissed leaflets as propaganda. In 1974 his original commanding officer flew to the island and formally relieved…
Japanese intelligence officer Hiroo Onoda was deployed to Lubang Island in the Philippines in December 1944 with explicit orders never to surrender or take his own life. After Japan surrendered in August 1945, he and three comrades hid in the mountai…
Japanese intelligence officer Hiroo Onoda was deployed to Lubang Island in the Philippines in December 1944 with orders never to surrender. He and three comrades hid in the mountains, attacking local villagers and Filipino police patrols for 30 years…