July 10, 1940 — The Battle of Britain begins
The Battle of Britain is virtually unique in the annals of wartime history for being one of the few extended...
February 7, 2019
Politics & War
April 10, 1941 — The siege of Tobruk begins
In early 1941, the Allied forces in North Africa, comprised mostly of British and Commonwealth units (the Australians being the...
January 29, 2019
May 10, 1941 — Rudolf Hess crashes in Scotland
To this day, there is no clear explanation of his motives, but the facts in the case are these: on...
January 24, 2019
September 3, 1941 — Zyklon B is first used at Auschwitz
One of the deadliest chemicals ever invented, Zyklon B is a derivative of Prussic acid. It was invented in 1922...
January 14, 2019
December 12, 1941 — Hitler announces the destruction of the Jews
Of all things, it was the entry of the United States into the war that prompted Hitler to move the...
January 4, 2019
July 20, 1942 — The defence of the Kokoda Trail begins
It is one of Australia’s greatest military triumphs: a simple holding action across a narrow dirt trail that spanned the...
December 14, 2018
August 2, 1943 — The Japanese destroyer Amagiri rams and sinks US Navy PT-109
Motor Torpedo Boat PT-109, under the command of Lieutenant junior grade John F. Kennnedy, was one of 15 PT boats...
November 4, 2018
April 29, 1945 — Adolf Hitler marries Eva Braun
Eva Braun first met Adolf Hitler in 1929, when she was only 17 years old. At the time, she was...
October 19, 2018
September 5, 1945 — Iva Toguri D’Aquino is arrested under suspicion of being “Tokyo Rose”
During the Second World War, Japanese propagandist and DJ Tokyo Rose broadcasted to American and Allied soldiers from somewhere behind...
October 4, 2018
June 5, 1947 — The Marshall Plan is announced
Named for then US Secretary of State George Marshall, the Marshall Plan is one of the largest foreign aid schemes...
September 25, 2018
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