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MacArthur still endures as a larger-than-life figure — for good or ill
Few subjects in military history are more loaded than public perception of Douglas MacArthur.
By Jon Guttman
Restoration of Navy plane offers family closure
Lt. John Lendo was the last person to pilot the U.S. Navy Douglas "Dauntless" Dive Bomber SBD-2P before he was forced to make an emergency landing on Lake Michigan Feb. 18, 1944, during a training mission.
How the Navy built a better jet
Faced with an air superiority gap compared to Air Force jets in the late 1940s and early 1950s, the Navy embarked on an ambitious aircraft development program that produced one of the world’s best all-around fighters.
By E.R. Johnson, Aviation History Magazine
‘Hell, this is like an old-fashioned turkey shoot.’
One of the greatest aircraft battles of all time devolved into a one-sided slaughter.
By John W. Lambert, Aviation History Magazine
The unloved, unlovely, yet indispensable LST
One of the biggest threats to D-Day success came from the Allied side — the shortage of a key ship.
By Craig L. Symonds, World War II Magazine
How World War II spurred vaccine innovation
As the Second World War raged in Europe, the U.S. military recognized that infectious disease was as formidable an enemy as any other they would meet on the battlefield. So they forged a new partnership with industry and academia to develop vaccines for the troops.
By Kendall Hoyt, Dartmouth College
Miracle at Midway?
At 10 o’clock on the morning of June 4, 1942, the Japanese were winning the Pacific War; an hour later, three Japanese aircraft carriers were on fire and sinking.
By Craig L. Symonds, World War II Magazine
The inside story on why Air Boss barred paddles from wagering boozy ‘bottle bets’ with nuggets
The practice was both widespread in the tiny world of naval aviation and almost completely unknown to outsiders, according to records provided to Navy Times.
Trial by fire in the Coral Sea
The Battle of the Coral Sea was a tactical defeat for the U.S. Navy that also proved to be a significant strategic victory.
By Joseph H. Alexander, Military History Quarterly
What if the Japanese Had Won the Battle of the Coral Sea?
Many “what if” scenarios rely on close calls, in which the outcome pivoted on a single event that went one way but might easily have gone another. But in the case of Coral Sea, it's almost easier to explain how the Japanese could have won the battle than explain how they managed to lose it.
By Mark Grimsley, World War II Magazine