Military history website

The great wizard of technology

On the one hand, the design of the famous VW "Beetle", which with 22 million units produced became the absolute most successful vehicle in the history of car, on the other hand, a dedicated Hitler armorer who designed one of the most difficult versions of the heaviest tank "Königstiger" and "Elephant", nicknamed "Ferdinand" in honor of the creator - this is not only the technical but also the human scope of the story of this great wizard of technology, which thus agrees with the Faustian fate of another German, Wernher von Braun.

Colonel General Curtis Emerson LeMay

One of the most important figures in the US Bomber and Strategic Air Force. Author of the statement: "Bomb them to the Stone Age!"

Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 242

Formed for the Afrikakorps, almost destroyed at Stalingrad, it made its way through Italy to the foothills of the Alps. The long journey of an assault gun unit into American captivity.

Frank Luke

WWI fighter ace

September 28 - Feast of St. Wenceslas

Legends are biographies of saints, but these biographies are very strange. Their hero is born only at the moment of his death, when, as a martyr, he lays down his life for faith, or at least he fills with life the life to which he has given the testimony of holiness. Therefore, the anniversary of the saint's death is celebrated in the church as the anniversary of his birth. The legend unfolds the life of the saint in its natural order, from birth, but in turn, from his death. It shows how the fulfillment of the ideal of holiness in this surrender of the soul to God was prepared from birth.

Treaty of the Three Powers

On September 27, 1940, a pact of three powers was concluded in Berlin between Germany, Italy and Japan (Berlin Pact, Berlin-Rome Axis, Tokyo) on mutual assistance and the division of spheres of influence.
The text of the treaty of Germany, Italy and Japan, the so-called OSA.

Natalja Meklin - Heroine of the Soviet Union

The life story of a brave flight attendant who made 980 combat flights on a slow biplane and dropped 147 tons of bombs on the enemy.

This aircraft was created in the pre-war period and for Great Britain was to set a world speed record in the category of ground aircraft. It must be said that the designers' hopes were justified, the prototype Spitfire was a fast aircraft and its kite had performance reserves.

Army General in memoriam Rudolf Viest

Hero of the Slovak National Uprising. Tortured by the German Nazis. During interrogations, he often repeated that he believed in the defeat of Nazism.

Electrochemical igniter ECHRO

The ECHRO electrochemical detonator is designed for delayed detonation of charges and mines when adjusting the detonator with a combined detonator Žk.

Qadisiyyat Saddam - Iraq-Iran War Part 1

The Iraq-Iran War, also known as the first Gulf War, is certainly one of the longest and bloodiest interstate armed conflicts, not only in the Middle East. In terms of killing, destruction and length, it will overcome only a few conflicts. Despite the fact that it has brought both rival countries almost to the brink of economic, social and political collapse, it is part of their national myth in both countries. In Iran, designations are used as: " Yang-e Tahmili " - forced war, or " Defa-e Mogchaddas " - ( time ) of sacred defense. In Iraq during the reign of Saddam Hussein, this period was revered as Qādisiyyat Ṣaddām (قادسيّة صدّام) - as a modern equivalent of the battle of Kadisiya between Muslim troops and the army of Sasanian Persia. As a result, it was the trigger for events that culminated ten years later in the occupation of Kuwait and the subsequent confrontation of Iraq with the international community under the leadership of the United States.

Stanley James Ledger Hill

Many times awarded British paratrooper, commander and hero of the African campaign and invasion of Normandy

Czechoslovak pilots in Soviet captivity 1939–1941

"Hunger forced us to beg for bread from the settlers, and on this occasion we learned from them that the Red Army had crossed the border on September 17 and was going to help Poland. We are all just scattered around the village when 28 Russian planes arrive at ground level. We do not know the situation, and when we see a red rocket fired from a plane, we know that a rage command has been given, perhaps the worst in my life. The planes bomb the village from low altitudes in all directions, this one is immediately in one sea of flames, stirred up by massive detonations of standing ammunition trucks. After the bombing, Russian planes occupy a different formation, the so-called 'wheel', and machine guns fire at every target in the village that still seems alive. After an hour of this furnace, where we can't see each other for smoke and a hundred dead and wounded, the planes take off and we get out of the village. Our last things were destroyed by flames, so I'm glad to meet Lt. Lenc, rtm. Fornůstek and des.Vyhnis. We are looking for our unit, but in vain. ” So were the words of Lt. Václav Kopecký, who later fell into Soviet captivity.

T-100

The prototype T-100 was deployed in combat in the war against Finland at the turn of 1939/40 in the 20th Heavy Tank Brigade.

Strv fm/31

The knowledge of designer Joseph Vollmer (LK I / LK II) or Ferdinand Porsche was used in the development of this wheel-track tank.

Post-war reverberations from the deployment of Slovak state pilots in the Polish campaign

Slovak pilots continued to accompany German bombers to a depth of 60 to 90 km in Polish territory. On September 17, they accompanied the attack of German pilots on Hluboczek Wielki, whose anti-aircraft defense was entrusted to Czech and Czechoslovak-oriented Slovak pilots who left their own state. Thus, for the first time, but not for the last time, Slovaks fought against Slovaks in World War II.

Ilya Grigorievich Starinov

His name is referred to by units Vympel, Alfa, Omon, Speznaz, DI, Vega, DRG, Anti VIP, Obon - he is considered the "grandfather" of Soviet / Russian special forces.

Polish September 15, 1940

September 15, 1940 was to bring the most stubborn air battles during the entire Battle of Britain. The German Luftwaffe tried to break through the British defenses with massive air raids throughout the day, but at the end of the day, the German command had to acknowledge the failure and postpone the planned invasion of the British Isles. Polish fighters also took part in the famous victory of the Royal Air Force, claiming 30 victories after the fight.