Second World War

81 years ago, paratroopers of the 17th Airborne Division take a ride on a Churchill Tank through Münster, Germany, following their jump during Operation Varsity. 🪂

Churchill fires an American .30 carbine during a visit to the US 2nd Armoured Division on Salisbury Plain, 23 March 1944. Image: IWM (H 36961)

The Churchill Mk IV (A22) served as the early base for Britain's deadliest flamethrower tank experiment before evolving into the full Crocodile variant on the Mk VII. This slow, heavily armored beast replaced its hull Besa machine gun with a flame projector, towing an armored trailer packed with 400 gallons (1,800 liters) of fuel and nitrogen propellant for roughly 80 one-second bursts. It hurled flames up to 120 yards (110 m), scorching bunkers and fortifications during the Normandy campaign and beyond with Hobart's Funnies.🔥🫡

Understanding German Military Ranks During World War II stephenjbedard.com/understanding-…

📜 This Day in WWII History — March 21, 1945 Allied forces captured Mandalay during the Burma campaign, dealing a major blow to Japanese control in the region and advancing the push toward victory in Southeast Asia. #WWII #OnThisDay #History

WW2: British Army Footage

20/3/42 General Douglas MacArthur famously declared "I shall return" during World War II after being ordered to leave the Philippines, a promise he fulfilled over two years later when he returned to liberate the islands.

Australia and New Zealand in World War II: A Vital Contribution stephenjbedard.com/australia-and-…

Nothing but clear skies 😎

Canada’s Crucial Contribution to Victory in the Second World War stephenjbedard.com/canadas-crucia…

SWWP 16 – Low Blow: The Invasion of the Netherlands and Belgium stephenjbedard.com/swwp-16-low-bl…

A Sherman of 3rd RTR reverses whilst other tanks of the 2nd Northamptonshire Yeomanry burn on the Bourguébus ridge during Operation Goodwood, Normandy, 20 July 1944. IWM (A70 90-2), Sgt Laws, AFPU

An American Marine aiming his Garand M1 rifle, whilst perched on Japanese ammunition crates on the Island of Iwo Jima, c. February/March 1945.

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This photo shows US Navy personnel guarding the Japanese battleship Nagato shortly after Japan's surrender in August 1945. Nagato is known as the world's first battleship armed with 16-inch guns. The ship was taken over by US sailors on August 30, 1945, as a symbol of the Japanese Navy's surrender. The only Japanese battleship still afloat at the end of World War II, Nagato was eventually sunk during a US atomic bomb test at Bikini Atoll in July 1946.

Warriors by Max Hastings youtu.be/uEtE76GOXW4?si… via @YouTube

I'm not sure why, but this is one of the most read posts on my blog. stephenjbedard.com/understanding-…