Allied and Axis GDP
A well established predictor of military victory in great power warfare is GDP. This analysis shows that while by 1942 there was a substantial Allied economic advantage, measured in GDP, this did not exist at the beginning of the war in 1939.

Lest we... forgot
It is perhaps important to remember that the way we got here was through a vicious bloodletting known as World War II. Perhaps that was necessary and inevitable because we have found no better way of altering established power relationships to reflect reality.

The Assault Rifle
Combat experience on the Eastern Front during 1941-42 caused the German Army to reconsider the basic armament of an infantry soldier. What the German engineers eventually produced was the MP-44.

The Will to Fight
It was Elizabeth's continuing efforts to foster the British will to fight that awarded her Hitler's description as "The most dangerous woman in Europe", perhaps the highest accolade she has ever received.

Madame Chiang
Madame Chiang, media darling and the power behind the Nationalist leader, Chiang Kai-shek, was so prominent in the Chinese war effort against Japan that General Stilwell recommended, only half jokingly, that she be appointed Minister of Defense.

Strange Bedfellows - Chiang and Stilwell
At the time of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the Nationalist Chinese led by Chiang Kai-Shek were in desperate need. Help was at hand through the Allies but it arrived with American General Joseph Warren "Vinegar Joe" Stilwell.

Spy vs. Spy 
The popular image of spies is very glamorous. Indeed, life for the few agents working undercover can be very exciting. It can also be very short and undercover work is not where the main area of intelligence gathering takes place.

Warriors in Greasepaint 
One of the things that keeps an army fighting is morale. Thrown into bewildering and often horrible circumstances soldiers can become depressed and lose the will to live, much less fight.

Kamikaze Submarines 
The long Lance torpedo was remarkably effective, until it was transformed into a one man submarine.

From Nazis to NASA, Part II 
Operation Paperclip was mounted with intent of securing samples of the world's most advanced rocket for the US. Bringing the designer along seemed like the only viable option. Von Braun was quite willing.

From Nazis to NASA, Part I 
His boyhood was characterized by a passion for rockets. In the Second World War his work became known world wide with the development of the V-2 rocket. After the war he was instrumental in putting a man on the moon.

Vengeance Weapons 
During the latter days of the war, the Germans conducted a renewed terror bombing of London. This blitz was not carried out by waves of Heinkel, Junker and Stuka bombers, but by mindless robots, the Vergeltungswaffen -- vengeance weapons.