Military and Naval
The Royal Oak
HMS Royal Oak U 47 – Kapitänleutnant Günther Prien As war approached Admiral Karl Donitz, in charge of the German U-boat arm, was already considering an attack on Scapa Flow, despite the loss of U-18 and UB-116 in the last war. After war broke out he got aerial reconnaissance photographs from the Luftwaffe and came to the conclusion: In Holm…
Most Recent
AN EXEMPLARY MARITIME REPUBLIC: VENICE AT THE END OF THE MIDDLE AGES Part IV
Venetian carrack Bernard Doumerc By the beginning of the sixteenth century, the reconciliation of economic policy with the constitution as well as with the defence of a colonial empire was no longer appropriate. Then, it was said, ‘the whole navy is devoured by the army’ and numerous voyages of merchant…
THE KIEVAN RUS AND THEIR WARSHIPS
From earliest times the life of the Slavs has been connected with water. Like most ancient peoples, the Slavs built settlements near rivers and lakes. Fishing provided an important food source and waterways became main transportation arteries. Even in a rough-hewn boat it was easier and safer to travel long…
Japanese Bombing of Darwin
On February 19, 1942, the war-crowded northern Australian harbor of Port Darwin was struck by 198 Japanese bombers. This coordinated land and naval-based air strike surprised the ill-prepared defenders and devastated the port and the shipping concentrated within its harbor. Arriving in two waves, the forty-five minute attack sank eight…
GAZ-2975 “Tiger” or Russian Tigr Part I
The GAZ `Tigr’ or `Tiger’ is a Russian 4×4, All-Terrain Infantry Mobility Vehicle manufactured by GAZ, first delivered to the Soviet Army in 2006. Primarily used by the Russian Federation’s armed forces, it is also used by numerous other countries. The Tiger was first shown at the IDEX exhibition in…
South Korea Sends Its Forces Into The Strait Of Hormuz After Iran Seizes Tanker
By Thomas Newdick and Joseph Trevithick January 4, 2021 Iran has been demanding South Korea release frozen assets and the seizure also comes amid a flurry of Iranian threats aimed at the United States. The South Korea’s government says it has dispatched military forces into the strategic Strait of Hormuz…
Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet
As is often the case, wartime accelerates the development of new technology, and World War II was no exception. For Germany, this took the form of the Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet, the first operational rocketplane in human history. Like its immediate predecessor the He 176, it used liquid propellants in…