Military History

Probable scenario fodder, but I don't see how to build it ... http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/9602103/HMS-Conquerors-biggest-secret-a-raid-on-Russia.html

Five full episodes, starting with: Darkness Falls

From Air Force Times Tuskegee Airmen get congressional medal today By Darlene Superville - The Associated Press Posted : Thursday Mar 29, 2007 8:02:02 EDT Six decades after completing their World War II mission and coming home to a country that discriminated against them because they were black, the Tuskegee Airmen are getting high honors from Congress. That gratitude will be expressed Thursday when the legendary black aviators will receive a Congressional Gold Medal during a ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda. The award is the most prestigious Congress can offer. “It’s never too late for your country to say that you’ve done a great job for us,” said Ret. C…

Japan's WWII super-submarine found scuttled off Hawaii (CBC News)

From BBC News "... one of the most potent symbols of Cold War division of Germany and of Europe."

Surviving a Falklands 'suicide' mission By Leesa Rumley Producer, Sea of Fire BBC The destroyer, HMS Coventry was one of four Royal Navy warships sunk during the Falklands conflict 25 years ago this week. Now, the captain and crew tell their story for the first time. HMS Sheffield on fire in the Falklands War on 4 May, 1982 HMS Coventry's sister ship, HMS Sheffield was hit 4 days into the war "It's like a game of chess. You've got to give up some pieces to get checkmate in the end. I was one of those pieces," says Captain David Hart Dyke. He was in command of HMS Coventry when at the height of the Falklands conflict, she was ordered to lure enemy bomb…

Details of regiments and locations from 1945-1991

Not very clear yet the issue: http://www.expressen.se/nyheter/frammande-ubat-hittad-i-svenskt-vatten/ Someone suggested was a WWI British sub, but clearly not (my own research): "All the British WWI sub losses are localized and is not a British WWI sub (Russian troll idea?). And is none of these, but is an interesting story (from Wiki E-1 entry): "E1‍ 's service ended on 3 April 1918 outside Helsinki, 1.5 nautical miles (2.8 km) off Harmaja Light in the Gulf of Finland. She was scuttled by her crew, along with E8, E9, E19, C26, C27, and C35 to avoid seizure by advancing German forces which had landed nearby."

Guns and trains? Yeah, that will be popular. Steam Trains Were 19th-Century Super-Weapons (War is Boring)

From Code One [excerpt]

Ever very detailed reports on weapons systems and sensors here: https://www.forecastinternational.com/archive/

I've just finished watching The Sinking of the Laconia, a dramatisation of the events surrounding the sinking of a cruise liner turned troop transport by a German U-Boat in 1942. I don't know if you've heard the story, but it's described here. An interesting lesser known story from the Second World War. The dramatisation was very good with excellent production values, but honestly was about ten minutes too long.

CV32: Hard to believe in some ways that UAVs are old enough to constitute "military history", but there it is. Air Force UAVs: The Secret History This comes by way of Bill Sweetman at Aviation Week's Ares Blog, who offers this synopsis: Tales from the Crypt: Secret UAVs Tales From The Crypt - Secret UAVs Posted by Bill Sweetman at 7/19/2010 1:07 AM CDT Click-of-the-month-club selection at Ares is Tom Ehrhard's report on the history of UAVs in the US Air Force, just published by the Mitchell Institute. It is based on Ehrhard's unpublished 1000-plus-page thesis on the subject, and sheds new light on many programs - some of which were, at the time, close…

From Air Force Magazine, Feb 2012 issue [excerpt]

From Defense Aerospace Harriers - 40 Years Old and Still Jumping (Source: UK Ministry of Defence; issued March 17, 2009) Few aircraft can be described as truly iconic, fewer still remain in service over long periods, but this year the British-designed Harrier celebrates its 40th birthday, having spent the past five years as a mainstay on operations in Afghanistan. And the Harrier really is unique - no other jet in service has its Vertical/Short Take-Off and Landing (V/STOL) capability where pilots can land on shortened runways, carrier decks or on landing pads in the middle of a forest. Developed during the Cold War, the Harrier has continually been devel…

From Air Force Times Doolittle Raiders mark 65th anniversary The Associated Press Posted : Monday Apr 16, 2007 7:00:50 EDT SAN ANTONIO — A band of aging survivors of the Doolittle Raiders will gather in San Antonio this week to celebrate the 65th anniversary of their famed World War II bombing raid on Japan. Seven survivors of the April 18, 1942, raid are expected to attend the five-day reunion, which starts Tuesday. Of the 80 pilots and crewmen who took part, 14 are still alive. Lt. Col. James Doolittle led the 16 B-25B Mitchell bombers that embarked from the aircraft carrier Hornet on a risky mission that was credited with buoying American spirits in t…

From BBC News 15 February 1989: Soviet troops pull out of Afghanistan Soviet troops are withdrawing from Afghanistan, nine years after they swept into the country. A convoy of Soviet armoured vehicles travelled the 260-mile (418km) journey to the USSR border while other soldiers left aboard an Ilyushin 76 transport aircraft. Earlier, the Soviet government had announced the departure of the last troops although snow had delayed a five-day airlift from the Afghan capital Kabul. The journey is especially dangerous on the Salang Pass through the Hindu Kush Mountains, where more than 10,000 mujahideen operate. The mujahideen - Afghan Islamic fighters - …

Probably some rare facts of interest in parts of this site: http://rusnavy.com/science/sor6.htm

From BBC News 1 March 1954: US tests hydrogen bomb in Bikini The US has produced the biggest ever man-made explosion so far in the Pacific archipelago of Bikini, part of the Marshall Islands. It is believed the hydrogen bomb was up to 1,000 times more powerful than the atomic bomb that destroyed Hiroshima. It was so violent that it overwhelmed the measuring instruments, indicating that the bomb was much more powerful than scientists had anticipated. The bomb was the equivalent of 20m tons of TNT. One of the atolls has been totally vaporised, disappearing into a gigantic mushroom cloud that spread at least 100 miles wide and dropping back to the sea…

The Great Carrier Reef NYT Video