WWII History - October 2016

Features

Three Days Behind Enemy Lines
An American infantry sergeant survived an ordeal during the opening chapter of the Battle of the Bulge. By Jay Marquart 

Witness to the Opening Salvos
The .50-caliber machine guns of the battleship USS Pennsylvania unloaded 65,000 rounds of ammunition on December 7, 1941. By Brian H. Wright

Deadly Dash Forward 
Japanese parachute forces mounted an assault on the island of Sumatra soon after Pearl Harbor. By Gene Eric Salecker

Mishap at Maleme
A series of mistakes cost the British dearly in the defense of a critical airfield during the German offensive against the island of Crete. By Jon Diamond

Cracking the Geilenkirchen Salient
American and British forces coordinated an effort to eliminate a German threat to the U.S. Ninth Army. By Nathan N. Prefer

Columns

Editorial
Controversy swirls around the iconic Iwo Jima photo. 

Ordnance
Igor Sikorsky demonstrated the practicality of the helicopter to the U.S. Army in 1940. 

Profiles
Squadron leader Alan George led aircraft of the Royal New Zealand Air Force in combat. 

Insight
A crafty captain worked to free his cargo ship after its seizure by the Germans on the high seas. 

Top Secret
Analysis raises questions concerning the long-held beliefs surrounding the sinking of the Bismarck.