Family & General Military History
The Junker Ju 87 "Stuka" (dive bomber), was a two-man German dive bomber and ground attack aircraft. The aircraft was famous for the blitzkrieg aka "lightning war." victories between 1939-1942. It's role, was to support the rapid advancement of German tanks upon an enemy.
It was called the Churchill Flying Dustbin or AVRE. (AVRE stands for Armored Vehicle Royal Engineers). AVRE was basically a standard body of armored vehicle, upon which different varieties of weapon systems and other unique systems were installed.
I doubt the enemy ever heard the name Churchill Crocodile, but those on the receiving end of the fire-breathing, croc, surely thought, they had come upon a dragon! One can only imagine a pillbox full of German soldiers, as they peered out the slit of their reinforced concrete bunker, only to see a stream of fire headed their way.
WWII History of Dodge Military Vehicles: Not long after Dodge was founded in 1914, it began to produce light trucks. These first models were based on existing passenger cars, but subsequent requirements, called for better chassis and body designs.
Operation Market-(Airborne), Garden-(Ground), took place in Germán occupied Holland September 1944. It was the largest airborne assault up to that time. In the scheme of the things it’s overall airborne operations over successive days, was even larger than the airborne assault during the D-Day Invasion of Normandy. The Operation was massive, and well planned, however, Market Garden turned out to be a disaster for both British and American forces. (Sgt. Mac).
Operation Fortitude, was part of a deceptive strategy, called Operation Bodyguard, which took place prior to the invasion of Normandy, France on June 6, 1944. The allies intent, was to deceive the Germans into thinking the real invasion would take place elsewhere, and not at the beaches of Normandy.
The first C 47 Skytrain were procured by the Army Air Force in 1940. By the end of the war, nearly 9400 aircraft had been produced. This new aircraft was multifunctional, in that it was capable of carrying personnel and cargo, towing troops in gliders to war zones, or dropping paratroopers behind enemy lines.
Three months after the initial D-Day landings in France, Major General Norman Cota commanding the 28th Infantry Division, was involved in the Battle of Hurtgen Forest. The plan to attack the dug in German defenses in a heavily forested region, was the brain child of General Omar Bradley.
The Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless handgun, is a .32 ACP caliber, self-loading, semi-automatic pistol. It was designed by the famous John Browning and built by Colt Patent Firearms of Hartford, Connecticut. It was produced from 1903-1945. The pistol was upgraded to the Colt Model 1908, which came in a .380 caliber.
The first group to drop bombs on Europe, known as the Egypt-Libya Campaign, belonged to a small detachment of B-24's, led by Col. Harry A. Halverson. Halverson's group originally had planned to bomb Japan, but because of Doolittle's raid on Tokyo, the Japanese responded by overrunning the bases in China, that were to be used for Halverson's mission.