Know Your WW2 History: The Blitzkrieg – Word and Concept

I never used the word Blitzkrieg because it is a very stupid word. Adolf Hitler, 8 November 1941 The Word “Blitzkrieg” In sober military language, there is hardly any other word that is so strikingly full of significance and at the same time so misleading and subject to misinterpretation as the term blitzkrieg. Its early […]

The Blitzkrieg – Word and Concept — Weapons and Warfare

Ferdinands/Elefants on the Eastern Front

Superb piece of WW2 History.

I have mentioned this before, but as a Military Historical Fiction Writer if you have not read The Last Citadel by David L. Robbins about the Battle of Kursk, I HIGHLY Recommend it.

https://www.amazon.com/Last-Citadel-Novel-Battle-Kursk/dp/0553583123

Mike's Research

The Ferdinand Sd.Kfz.184 was a 70 ton panzerjäger (tank hunter) armed with a 88mm Pak 43/2 L/71 main gun and used by the Germans during WWII.    Its combat debut was during Operation Citadel (German: Unternehmen Zitadelle, AKA the Battle of Kursk) in July 1943 where it was misused as a direct assault weapon and suffered heavy losses.

Dr. Ferdinand Porsche submitted a design for a new 45-ton heavy tank, the VK 45.01 (P).    In preparation for production, 100 chassis were built and 9 were used for prototypes.    No spare parts were produced.    During test trails at Berka, Germany, the VK 45.01 (P) competed against the Henschel identically-armed VK 45.01 (H) H1 prototype which proved to be superior in performance.    In October 1942, the two entries were evaluated and the Henschel prototype was accepted for mass production which became the infamous Tiger I tank.

Ferdinand mit 21cm Beutemorse

An early proposal…

View original post 4,292 more words

Military History Movies Worth A Damn: Asian Top 5 List

1. City of Life and Death (2009)

This gritty epic from 2009 depicts the Rape of Nanking by the Japanese Imperial Army in 1937 during the Second Sino-Japanese War. The majority of the movie is in black and white which adds to the authenticity and historical realism. Chinese with English subtitles.

2. Back to 1942  (2012)

A Chinese Made War film that tells the tragic story of the great Henan Famine of 1942-43 and the invasion of mainland China by the Japanese. It stars Adrien Brody and Tim Robbins. (Chinese with English subtitles.)

3. Assembly (2007)

Set in 1948 during the Chinese Civil War, this Chinese made war film is action packed. In true Asian fashion, some of the battle scenes are a bit over the top, but it is still a good movie. (Chinese with English subtitles.)

4. My Way (2011)

One of the most unique and amazing Foreign World War Two movies in recent history, My Way is a Korean made film that is based on the true story of Yang Kyoungjong, a Korean who was conscripted into the Japanese Imperial Army, The Soviet Red Army and the Wermacht (German Army) during World War Two and was captured by the Americans on D-Day. (Korean with English Subtitles.)

5. The Admiral, Roaring Currents (2014)

The film mainly follows the famous 1597 Battle of Myeongryang during the Japanese invasion of Korea (1592-1598), where the iconic Joseon admiral Yi Sun-sin managed to destroy a total of 31 of 133 Japanese warships with only 13 ships remaining in his command. The battle, which took place in the Myeongryang Strait off the southwest coast of the Korean Peninsula, is considered one of the greatest victories of Yi. (Korean with English Subtitles.)

Foreign WW2 Movies Worth A Damn: Back to 1942

Back to 1942 a Chinese Made Period Piece/War Movie from 2012 that tells the tragic story of the great Henan Famine of 1942-43 and the invasion of mainland China by the Japanese. It stars Adrien Brody and Tim Robbins. (Chinese with English subtitles.)

I will warn you right now, this is a tough, gritty watch. It pulls no punches on how MILLIONS of civilians suffered and died, both by the inaction of the Chinese Government to aid those effected by the famine and the utter brutality of the invading Japanese.

The movie shows in great detail the utter chaos and despair of China at the time due to the ongoing Civil War between the Communist led by Mao and the Nationalist (Kuomintang) led by General Chiang Kai-Shek.

You can watch it for free HERE.

As always when watching any free streaming site, I recommend you ensure your anti-virus/malware software is up to date and you install a free ad/pop-up blocker such as UBLOCK Origin.

Know Your History: Was Hitler’s Ho 299 the First True Stealth Fighter?

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/was-hitlers-ho-299-first-true-stealth-fighter-152356

The Nazi invention wasn’t exactly a “stealth” fighter, but it did share a certain idea. by Sebastien Roblin Key point: The plane never took over. However, it did accidentally stumble upon how a certain shape can help reduce a plane’s radar signature. Northrop Grumman revealed this year it is developing a second flying wing […]

via Was Hitler’s Ho 299 the First True Stealth Fighter? | The National Interest — Additional survival tricks