85 PIONEER COMPANY
The 85th Pioneer Company served under the Royal Pioneer Corps of the British Army during WWII. On D-Day in 1944 the 85th Company served with the 6th Beach Group assisting the units landing on Sword Beach. Pioneer units performed a variety of tasks during WWII, and in all theaters of war, including strecher-bearing, handling all types of stores, laying prefabricated track on beaches or airfields, and working various logistical operations.

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85. priekopnícka rota slúžila počas 2. svetovej vojny pod Kráľovským pionierskym zborom britskej armády. V deň D v roku 1944 slúžila 85. rota 6. plážovej skupine, ktorá pomáhala jednotkám vyloďujúcim sa na Sword Beach. Pionierske jednotky plnili počas 2. svetovej vojny a na všetkých vojnových scénach rôzne úlohy, vrátane nosenia strecherov, manipulácie so všetkými typmi skladov, kladenia prefabrikovaných tratí na plážach alebo letiskách a vykonávania rôznych logistických operácií.


3rd CANADIAN DIVISION
The 3rd Canadian Division was formed in 1915 as a formation of the Canadian Army. The Division fought in WWI, after which it was deactivated. It was reactivated in 1941 and sent to the UK, where it spent three years in garrison and training duties, before landing on Juno Beach on D-Day in June 1944 as part of the British Second Army. The division faced intense German resistance, but managed to advance inland despite suffering heavy casualties. They continued to fight through the Normandy Campaign and played a key role in the Battle of Caen and the liberation of Falaise. Later the division became part of the First Canadian Army and was involved in the clearing of the French channel ports and the following Battle of Boulogne. In October 1944 the division fought in the Battle of the Scheldt in Belgium, where they earned the nickname “Water Rats“ in recognition of the poor terrain conditions they were forced to fight in. After that they kept fighting in France and were involved in the liberation of Bolougne-sur-Mer and Calais. After the war the 3rd served as part of the Canadian Army Occupation Force in Germany, until 1946 when it was sent back to Canada where the Division was Disbanded shortly after.

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3. kanadská divízia vznikla v roku 1915 ako formácia kanadskej armády. Divízia bojovala v prvej svetovej vojne, po ktorej bola deaktivovaná. V roku 1941 bola reaktivovaná a odoslaná do Spojeného kráľovstva, kde strávila tri roky v posádke a výcvikových povinnostiach, predtým ako pristála na pláži Juno v deň D v júni 1944 ako súčasť druhej britskej armády. Divízia čelila intenzívnemu nemeckému odporu, no napriek ťažkým stratám sa jej podarilo postúpiť na domácej pôde. Pokračovali v boji počas kampane v Normandii a zohrali kľúčovú úlohu v bitke pri Caen a oslobodení Falaise. Neskôr sa divízia stala súčasťou Prvej kanadskej armády a podieľala sa na čistení prístavov francúzskych kanálov a následnej bitke pri Boulogne. V októbri 1944 divízia bojovala v bitke pri Scheldte v Belgicku, kde si vyslúžila prezývku „Vodné krysy“ ako uznanie za zlé terénne podmienky, v ktorých boli nútené bojovať. Potom pokračovali v bojoch vo Francúzsku a zapojili sa do tzv. Oslobodenie miest Bolougne-sur-Mer a Calais. Po vojne 3. slúžila ako súčasť okupačných síl kanadskej armády v Nemecku až do roku 1946, kedy bola poslaná späť do Kanady, kde bola divízia krátko nato rozpustená.

SEXTON
The 25pdr SP, tracked, Sexton was a Canadian built self-propelled artillery vehicle used by the British and other Allied forces in WWII. Two variants were made, the Sexton I with its design based on the Canadian Ram tank hull and the chassis of the American Medium Tank M3, and then the Sexton II design which was based on the Grizzly (M4A1 Sherman) hull. Both versions used a QF 25 punder gun-howitzer as its main armament and for secondary armament it used two 0.303 (7.7 mm) Bren light machine guns. The British forces used the Sexton for indirect supporting fire and kept them back from the front line and used forward observers to direct fire onto a target. The Sexton was produced from 1943 to 1945 with a total of 2000 units put into service.

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25pdr SP, pásový, Sexton bolo kanadské samohybné delostrelecké vozidlo používané Britmi a ďalšími spojeneckými silami počas druhej svetovej vojny. Boli vyrobené dva varianty, Sexton I s dizajnom vychádzajúcim z trupu kanadského tanku Ram a podvozku amerického stredného tanku M3 a potom dizajn Sexton II, ktorý vychádzal z trupu Grizzly (M4A1 Sherman). Obe verzie používali ako hlavnú výzbroj pušnú húfnicu QF 25 a na sekundárnu výzbroj dva ľahké guľomety Bren ráže 0,303 (7,7 mm). Britské sily použili Sexton na nepriamu podpornú paľbu a držali ich späť od prednej línie a používali predných pozorovateľov na nasmerovanie paľby na cieľ. Sexton sa vyrábal v rokoch 1943 až 1945 s celkovým počtom 2000 kusov uvedených do prevádzky.

CHURCHILL Mk III AVRE
The Churchill AVRE (Assault Vehicle Royal Engineers) was a converted Churchill tank, Mk III or IV, that was designed to protect engineers during frontline battlefield operations. The Churchill AVRE had the 6 pounder gun replaced with a 290 mm petard spigot mortar that was used to destroy defenses such as roadblocks, bunkers, pillboxes and other concrete, brick or earthen obstacles. The AVRO could also be equipped with other devices such as the Canadian Indestructible Roller Device (CIRD) that protected the tank against mines, and the Small Box Girder bridge that could be laid over narrow ditches or rivers. The first Churchill AVRO's were deployed in Normandy during D-Day and a total of 754 tanks were produced before the end of the war.

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Churchill AVRE (Assault Vehicle Royal Engineers) bol prerobený tank Churchill, Mk III alebo IV, ktorý bol navrhnutý na ochranu inžinierov počas frontových bojových operácií. Churchill AVRE mal 6 punder kanón, nahradený s 290 mm mínometom, ktorý sa používal na ničenie obranných zariadení, ako sú cestné zátarasy, bunkre, bloky a iné betónové, tehlové alebo hlinené prekážky. AVRE by mohlo byť vybavené aj ďalšími zariadeniami, ako je kanadské nezničiteľné valčekové zariadenie (CIRD), ktoré chránilo tank pred mínami, a malý krabicový nosníkový most, ktorý by sa dal položiť cez úzke priekopy alebo rieky. Prvý Churchill AVRE boli nasadený v Normandii počas dňa D a pred koncom vojny bolo vyrobených celkom 754 tankov.

P-40 KITTYHAWK

The P-40 Kittyhawk, also known as Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, was an American all-metal fighter and ground-attack aircraft that was produced and used in WWII by the Allies. The P-40s was first used in combat by the British Commonwealth squadrons in the Middle East and North African campaigns. The British and the Soviets named the aircraft Kittyhawk, but the Americans used the name Warhawk.

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P-40 Kittyhawk, tiež známy ako Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, bolo americké celokovové stíhacie a pozemné lietadlo, ktoré bolo vyrobené a používané v druhej svetovej vojne spojencami. P-40 boli prvýkrát použité v boji eskadrami Britského Commonwealthu na Blízkom východe a v severoafrických kampaniach. Briti a Sovieti pomenovali lietadlá Kittyhawk, ale Američania používali názov Warhawk.


SPITFIRE Mk IIa
The Spitfire Mk II variant was a modification of the Mk I and came with factory fitted armour and a Merlin Mk XII powerplant that made it more powerful and faster than its predecessor. The Mk IIa was fitted with eight .303 Browning machine guns and the Mk IIb was fitted with four .303 Brownings and twin 20mm Hispano cannons. Some early Mk II were used in the Battle of Britain in 1940, but most were used during the Allied offensive in Europe, until superseded by the Mk V. A total of 921 Mk II were bult, some were converted into Mk V and 50 of them were converted for air-sea rexcue work.

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Varianta Spitfire Mk II bol modifikáciou Mk I a prišiel s továrenským pancierom a pohonnou jednotkou Merlin Mk XII, vďaka ktorej bol výkonnejší a rýchlejší ako jeho predchodca. Mk IIa bol vybavený ôsmimi guľometmi .303 Browning a Mk IIb bol vybavený štyrmi 303 Browningmi a dvoma 20 mm kanónmi Hispano. Niektoré skoré Mk II boli použité v bitke o Britániu v roku 1940, ale väčšina bola použitá počas spojeneckej ofenzívy v Európe, kým ich nenahradili Mk V. Celkovo bolo vyrobených 921 Mk II, niektoré boli prerobené na Mk V a 50 kusov boli prerobené na záchranné vzduchomorské práce.



MOSQUITO FB Mk VI
The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito, also known as "Mossie", was a British twin-engine shoulder-winged multi-role combat aircraft. The aircraft had a crew of two (pilot and navigator) sat side by side. It was used during and after the WWII by the British and the Allies and served as light bomber, fighter-bomber, night fighter, maritime strike aircraft and photo-reconnaissance aircraft.

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De Havilland DH.98 Mosquito, tiež známy ako „Mossie“, bolo britské dvojmotorové viacúčelové bojové lietadlo s ramennými krídlami. Lietadlo malo dvojčlennú posádku (pilot a navigátor), ktoré sedeli vedľa seba. Počas druhej svetovej vojny a po nej ho používali Briti a spojenci a slúžilo ako ľahký bombardér, stíhací bombardér, nočný stíhač, námorné úderné lietadlo a fotoprieskumné lietadlo.

BEAUFIGHTER TF Mk X
The Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter (often called the Beau) is a British multi-role aircraft developed during the Second World War by the Bristol Aeroplane Company. It was originally conceived as a heavy fighter variant of the Bristol Beaufort torpedo bomber. The Beaufighter proved to be an effective night fighter, which came into service with the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Battle of Britain, its large size allowing it to carry heavy armament and early airborne interception radar without major performance penalties.

The Beaufighter was used in many roles; receiving the nicknames Rockbeau for its use as a rocket-armed ground attack aircraft and Torbeau as a torpedo bomber against Axis shipping, in which it replaced the Beaufort. In later operations, it served mainly as a maritime strike/ground attack aircraft.






LANCASTER B.III
The Avro Lancaster was a British four-engine heavy bomber used by the Royal Air Force (RAF) during WWII. The aircraft had a standard crew of 7 men, and it had the greatest bomb carrying capacity of all WWII bombers, which meant it could carry the biggest bombs the RAF had in their arsenal. The Lancaster was first used in the strategic bombing offensive over Europe in 1942 and after that it operated in almost every major bombing raid in the European conflict.














MANCHESTER IA
The Avro 679 Manchester was a British twin-engine medium bomber developed and manufactured by the Avro aircraft company. The aircraft was the forerunner of the famous four-engine Avro Lancaster, but due to various failures it was not manufactured in great numbers and production was terminated early on in the war. Many technical issues with the aircraft were encountered, and although variants were produced in order to address these issues, the Manchester was considered too unreliable and it was withdrawn from operations in mid 1942. Due to the many technical issues, Bomber Command was often unable to raise significant numbers of the aircraft to participate in large scale bombing missions. For example, out of a force of over 400 bombers sent on a mission to bomb Berlin in November 1941, only 15 were Manchesters.






WELLINGTON
The Vickers Wellington was a British twin-engined, long-range medium bomber. It was used as a night bomber in the early years of the Second World War, performing as one of the principal bombers used by Bomber Command. The Wellington holds the distinction of having been the only British bomber that was produced for the duration of the war, and of having been produced in a greater quantity than any other British-built bomber.

MONTY
Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, nicknamed "Monty" and "The Spartan General". He commanded the British Eighth Army in the North African campaign, the Allied invasion of Sicily and the Allied invasion of Italy. Later, he was in command of all Allied ground forces during Operation Overlord and continued in command of the 21st Army Group in the campaign in North West Europe.














HIS MAJESTY CHOSEN
The British Eight Army was the formation of the British Army that fought in North Africa and Italy from 1941-1945. The units came from all over the Commonwealth, but also from Greece, the Free French Forces, mostly from the French colonies, and the Polish II Corps. The Eighth Army was awarded battle honors for its victory against the Axis forces in the Second Battle of El Alamein. By then the army consisted of 10 divisions and several independent brigades, counting over 220,000 men.













HMS ILUSTRIOUS
HMS Illustrious was a British aircraft carrier built before the war and launched in 1939. The ship carried 36 aircraft and was used in the frontline throughout the war. Its most notable achievement was when it sank an Italian battleship and damaged two others in the Battle of Taranto in 1940. The carrier was last used in combat in the Battle of Okinawa in 1945, but was sent home early due to mechanical failure. HMS Illustrious was decommissioned and sold for scrap in 1956.













ROYAL RESEARCH
























SINCERELY YOURS

























COMMITED CREW
RAF ground crews were essential to air operations and often had to work while under fire furing WWII. This was particularly true during air raids on RAF airfields and during bombing missions against enemy targets. RAF airfields were frequently targeted by enemy aircraft, and ground crew had to be ready to repair and refuel aircraft even during air raids. In addition, the ground crew often accompanied aircraft on missions to provide maintenance and support, and they were often exposed to enemy fire during these missions. For example, during the famous “Dambusters“ raid in 1943, ground crew members flew in Lancaster bombers alongside the pilots and aircrew to maintain the aircraft and equipment during the mission. These ground crew members were exposed to enemy fire and several of them were killed or injured. RAF ground crew also worked under difficult and dangerous conditions in remote locations, such as in North Africa and the Middle East. In these locations, ground crew had to maintain aircraft and equipment in extreme heat and harsh desert conditions while under threat drom enemy air and ground attacks. Many ground crew members were awarded medals for their bravery and service during WWII.

HMS TALBOT

HMS Talbot, also known as the 10th Submarine Flotilla, was the name of the Royal Navys submarine base at Manoel Island, Malta, from 1941 to 1943. The base hosted submarines from both the Royal Navy and the Polish Navy, and the flotilla never counted more than 12 submarines at the time. Despite its small size, it managed to sink 412,575 tons of Axis shipping between 1941 and 1942. The base was a priority target for Axis aerial attacks and was heavily bombed in 1942, which forced a withdrawal of the flotilla from Malta to Alexandria, where the ships of the Mediterranean Fleet had already moved.










ULTRA

ULTRA was a codename the Allies used to describe German coded messages they had managed to intercept and decode. This included the famous decryption of the Enigma, a cryptography machine used by the Germans.

507th PIR

​The 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR) was activated on July 20, 1942 at Fort Benning, Georgia. Lieutenant Colonel George V. Millett, Jr was given command. After jump-training at Fort Benning the regiment deployed to the Army Air Base at Alliance, Nebraska and became part of the 1st Airborne Brigade. After arriving in North Ireland in December, 1943, the 507th was attached to the 82nd Airborne along with the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment. Still under the command of Colonel Millett, the 507th moved to Nottingham, England in March, 1944 to prepare for the Allied invasion of Europe.
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327th PATHFINDERS
The 327th Infantry Regiment (Bastogne Bulldogs) is an infantry regiment of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) of the United States Army. During World War II, the 327th was a glider-borne regiment of the 101st Airborne Division.


















5th MEDICAL BATTALION
A medical battalion was a divisional unit that offered medical support to the division in the field. Its main role was to conduct necessary evacuation and to administer medical care for the casualties of the division. The 5th Medical Battalion was attached to the 5th Infantry Division, aka “Red Devils“ , of the US Army during WWII.
















101st AIRBORNE
The 101st Airborne Division, aka "Screaming Eagles", was an elite infantry division trained for air assault operations. During WWII it was famous for its role in Operation Overlord, Operation Market Garden, the liberation of the Netherlands and for their defense of the city of Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge.

M24 CHAFEE
The M24 Chaffee, officially called Light Tank M24, was an American tank used by the Allies in WWII. It was given the name Chaffee after the United States Army General Adna R. Chaffee, Jr.. It had a crew of 5 (commander, gunner, loader, driver, assistant driver/radio operator), a main armament of 75 mm Gun M6 in Mount M64 and a secondary armament of .50 cal Browning M2HB machine gun.
















M26 PERSHING
The M26 Pershing was an American heavy tank which came into service during the final months of WWII during the invasion of Germany, but was used extensively after that in the Korean War. The M26, and later variants, had a crew of 5 (Commander, Gunner, loader, driver, co-driver), a mounted 90 mm gun as main armament and a secondary armament of 2x Browning .30-06 machine guns.

C-47 SKYTRAIN
The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota (RAF designation) is a military transport aircraft developed from the civilian Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II. During the war the C-47 was used for troop transport, cargo, paratrooper, for towing gliders and military cargo parachute drops. The C-47 remained in front-line service with various military operators for many years. It was produced in approximately triple the numbers as the larger, much heavier payload Curtiss C-46 Commando, which filled a similar role for the U.S. military.
Approximately 100 countries' armed forces have operated the C-47 with over 60 variants of the aircraft produced.

PBY CATALINA
The Consolidated Model 28, more commonly known as the PBY Catalina (US Navy designation), is a flying boat and amphibious aircraft that was produced in the 1930s and 1940s. In US Army service it was designated the OA-10, in Canadian service as the Canso and it later got the NATO reporting name Mop It was one of the most widely used seaplanes of World War II. Catalinas served with every branch of the United States Armed Forces and in the air forces and navies of many other nations. The last military PBYs served until the 1980s. As of 2021, 86 years after its first flight, the aircraft continues to fly as a waterbomber (or airtanker) in aerial firefighting operations in some parts of the world.

MASS DEPLOYMENT
Out of the more than 16 million Americans that served in WWII, approximately 11.7 million of them served overseas. Although the United States fought many campaigns in the Pacific, Asia and North Africa, their largest military deployment was in Europe.

COUNTER STRIKE
A counter strike, or counterattack is a tactic employed in response to an attack with the objective of regaining lost ground or to destroy an attacking enemy. This is a tactic that was frequently employed in WWII, for example, during the Battle of the Bulge, American troops successfully resisted German attacks in the Battle for St. Vith. After some resistance the Americans finally evacuated the town, but did so by falling back to entrenched positions and continued their resistance. This slowed down the German advance even more and dealt a major setback to their timetable.

15 cm AUTOKANONE
The 15 cm Autokanone M. 15/16 was a heavy field gun that was designed and manufactured by Skoda for the Austrian Empire in WWI. They were taken into the service of the German Wehrmacht after the annexation of Austria and the occupation of Czechoslovakia, but due to their unique ammunition they weren't used much, and mainly for coast-defenses.
















LEOPOLD
The Leopold was a Krupp K5 gun (named Leopold by its crew), a railway gun used by Germany throughout WWII. With its 25 meter long barrel it had a maximum range of 64 km and it fired shells that weighted 243 kg. Two K5 guns, "Leopold" and "Robert", were shipped to Italy to help counter the American landing at the town of Anzio in 1944. The gun fired a few rounds but since it couldn't be evacuated due to its immense size during the German retreat, it was destroyed by its crew.

GREIF
The Sd.Kfz. 250 was a light armored half track used by the Wehrmacht during WWII. The most common version of the vehicle was used as a basic troop carrier, but the 250/3 and 250/5 were command variants that had fewer seats and were equipped with long-range radios. Rommel used a couple of custom made 250/3 variants in the North Africa campaign called “GREIF” and ADLER”.















PANZER III-L
The Panzerkampfwagen III-L was a Panzer III variant, a German medium tank produced from 1939 to 1943. It was manufactured by Daimler-Benz and was used in all major theaters by the Germans and the Axis powers. The Panzer III-L was a re-designated III-J tank equipped with long 5 cm gun, 20 mm stand-off armor plates on hull and turret front.
















KING TIGER
The King Tiger (German: Königstiger), official designation Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf. B, was a German heavy tank that first entered service in 1944. The tank saw action on the Eastern Front and in Europe and its 8.8cm KwK 43 gun and armour made it a formidable weapon. It could knock out any Allied tank that came up against it and its thick armour made it almost impenetrable for any Allied weapon. The main problem with King Tiger was its reliability and many crews were forced to abandon the tank when it either broke down or ran out of fuel. Luckily for the Allies the tank was produced late and under the most difficult circumstances, both the bombing of German factories and lack of materials caused a series of delays and limited the production capabilities. Only 489 King Tigers were manufactured.

FW 190 JAGDBOMBER
The Focke-Wulf Fw 190 is a German single-seat, single-engine fighter aircraft designed by Focke-Wulf in the late 1930s and widely used during World War II. It was well-liked by its pilots. Some of the Luftwaffe's most decorated fighter aces claimed many of their kills while flying it, including Otto Kittel, Walter Nowotny and Erich Rudorffer. The G-1 variant could carry a 250 kg (550 lb) or 500 kg (1,100 lb) bomb on the centreline and up to a 250 kg (550 lb) bomb under each respective wing.













KOMET
The Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet was a German rocket-powered interceptor aircraft. It's the only rocket-powered fighter aircraft ever to have been operational and the first piloted aircraft to exceed 1000 km/h in level flight. Over 300 Komets were built, and although the design was revolutionary they were considered a tactical failure. Me 163 fighters began operations in May 1944 and their speed overwhelmed Allied fighters. However, the rocket engines soon became the aircrafts biggest weakness, due to the rocket's short fuel life which only allowed for a short time to attack. Allied pilots soon learned to simply wait until the rocket fuel ran out before beginning their attacks.









ME 410 HORNISSE
The Messerschmitt Me 410 Hornisse (Hornet) is a German heavy fighter and Schnellbomber used by the Luftwaffe during World War II. Though an incremental improvement of the Me 210, it had a new wing plan, longer fuselage and engines of greater power. The changes were significant enough for the aircraft to be renamed the Me 410. About 1,200 Me 410 were produced (all variants combined).















ME 262A SCHWALBE
The Messerschmitt Me 262, nicknamed Schwalbe (German: "Swallow"), was the world's first operational jet-powered fighter aircraft. The Me 262's roles included light bomber, reconnaissance and experimental night fighter versions, and it was faster and more heavily armed than any Allied fighter. Me 262 pilots claimed to have shot down 542 Allied aircraft, but some claim the number was higher. However, despite being the most advanced military aircraft design at the time it had an insignificant impact on the course of the war, both due to its late introduction and the small numbers put into operational service. In total 1,430 ME 262's were built and after the war they were no longer used by the Germans, however the Czechoslovak Air Force the operated the aircraft until 1951.

ADMIRAL HIPPER
Admiral Hipper was the lead ship of the Admiral Hipper class of heavy cruisers which served with the German Kriegsmarine during WWII. The ship was launched in 1937 and entered into service in 1939, shortly after the outbreak of the war. Admiral Hipper was used in the Battle of the Atlantic and saw a significant amount of action. The ship sank the British destroyer HMS Glowworm in 1940 and several merchant ships in 1941 before returning to Germany. The ship was then transferred to Northern Norway where it participated, with some success, in operations against Allied convoys sailing to the Soviet Union in 1942. In 1943 the ship returned to Germany for repairs and never returned to active service after that time.

ENVELOP
To envelop means to mount an attack on the enemys flank, a military tactic that has been widely used in warfare throughout history.

1st SIGNAL REGIMENT
The 1st Signal Regiment was attached to the Japanese 25th Army which was formed in 1941 and participated in the Battle of Malaya and Battle of Singapore. After that the 25th Army served as a garrison force in the occupied territories until the surrender of Japan in August 1945. The signal regiment was made up of several wire companies, several radio platoons, a fixed radio unit, a radio intercept unit and a field pigeon unit.














114th INFANTRY REGIMENT
























JADE DIVISION
The call sign of the 1st Infantry Division was Jade Division and it was one of the oldest divisions in the Japanese Imperial Army. During WWII the division engaged in combat in the Battle of Khalkhin Gol, the Battle of Leyte and the Battle of Luzon.

F1M2 PETE
The Mitsubishi F1M was a Japanese sea plane used in WWII (nicknamed "Pete" by the Allies). Although it was built as an reconnaissance aircraft it took on a number of roles including convoy escort, bomber, anti-submarine, maritime patrol, rescue, transport, and anti-shipping strike.

















Ki-83
The Mitsubishi Ki-83 was designed as a long range heavy fighter. It was designed and built by a team led by Tomio Kubo, designer of the highly successful Mitsubishi Ki-46. The design was a response to a 1943 specification for a new heavy fighter with great range. The first of four prototypes flew on 18 November 1944. The machines displayed remarkable maneuverability for aircraft of their size, being able to execute a 671 m (2,200 ft) diameter loop in just 31 seconds at a speed of over 644 km/h (400 mph). The Ki-83 carried a powerful armament of two 30 mm (1.18 in) and two 20 mm cannon in its nose.










N1K-J SHIDEN
The Kawanishi N1K-J Shiden (Violet Lightning) was an Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service WWII fighter, a land-based version of the N1K Kyōfū which was a Navy float plane. The Allied nicknamed the aircraft "George" and both pilots and opponents considered it to be one of the finest land-based fighters flown by the Japanese during WWII. The N1K-J Shiden entered service in early 1944 and 1,007 aircraft were produced before production was switched to the improved N1K2-J.

KAWANISHI H6K
The Kawanishi H6K was an Imperial Japanese Navy flying boat produced by the Kawanishi Aircraft Company and used during World War II for maritime patrol duties. The Allied reporting name for the type was Mavis; the Navy designation was "Type 97 Large Flying Boat" . Developed in the 1930s, it was used for reconnaissance, transport, bombing, naval warfare, and executive transport by the Imperial Japanese Navy. The national airline also used it as commercial airliner.

ISOLATION
The military tactic to isolate an enemy is often referred to as encirclement, where the aim is to surround the enemy force and cut it from the supply route and/or the logistical base. This was a common tactic in WWII, utilized both on a grand scale and in smaller skirmishes.


















LIGHTNING CONQUEST
The Japanese Imperial Army started out as military conquerors of the Pacific and East Asia. However, as the war progressed and the US and Soviet allies joined the war against Japan their strategy changed to a defensive war.



















SOUL OF OLD JAPAN
Yamato-dmashii is a term in the Japanese language that dates back to the Heian period (794-1185) and is used to describe Japanese characteristics and cultural values as opposed to those of foreign nations. Originally Yamato-damashi did not bear the same cultural or racial weight as in pre-war modern Japan, but during the 1930s and 40s it was comparable with the German “Master Race“ ideology and would help fuel the sentiment that the Japanese were racially superior people and destined to rule the world.












BOMBING RAID
The most famous Japanese bombing raid was the attack on Pearl Harbor which was lead by the Japanese Imperial Navy. During WWII the Japanese Navy and Army mostly used tactical bombing against ships, airfields, military positions, and military installations, but they also bombed Chinese cities such as Shanghai, Wuhan, and Chongqing, as well as conducting air raids on Philippines and Northern Australia.















BANZAI
A Banzai Charge was a term used by the Allied forces and refers to the Japanese human wave attacks that were used as a last resort during the Pacific War. The Banzai charge was mainly used when Japanese commanders knew beforehand that the battle was lost, but would rather face death in all-out desperate attack, rather than being captured by the enemy.

329th ENGINEER BATTALION
The Sappers from the 329th Engineer Battalion were attached to the 7th Guards Army which fought in numerous battles and campaigns on the Eastern Front during WWII, including the Battle of Stalingrad, the Battle of Kursk, the Budapest Offensive and the Prague Offensive. In 1943 during the Battle of Stalingrad, sappers of the 329th Engineer Battalion captured Field­Marshal von Paulus, commander of the 6th German Army, together with soldiers from the Motorized ­Rifle Division.













6th AIRBORNE
The 6th Airborne Guards were attached to the 1st Guards Airborne Division which was formed in 1942 and participated in numerous battles and operations during WWII. They fought in the Battle of the Dnieper, the Battle of the Korsun–Cherkassy Pocket, the Uman–Botoșani Offensive, the Jassy–Kishinev Offensive, the Battle of Debrecen, the Siege of Budapest and the Prague Offensive. In August 1945 it was sent east and fought in the Soviet invasion of Manchuria.

BM-13N US6
The BM-13N, also known as Katyusha, was a Soviet rocket launcher system used during WWII. It was usually mounted on a Soviet truck chassis. The Katyusha gained notoriety for its ability to bomb enemy positions with a large number of rockets simultaneously, causing chaos and demoralizing the opposing forces. Its distinctive sounds, resmbling a howling or screaming, led to its nickname “Stalins Organ“ among German troops.

T-28
The T-28 was a Soviet Medium tank hat was introduced in the early 1930s and used by the Soviet Union and other forces prior to and during WWII. The tank was intended for infantry support and most of them were deployed by the Red Army during the Winter War with Finland and the Soviet Invasion of Poland. At the start of Operation Barbarossa the Red Army had 411 T-28 tanks available, but most of they were lost during the first months of the invasion, either in combat or they were abandoned after mechanical breakdown. The T-28 had a crew of six, a main armament of 76.2mm KT-28 howitzer and a secondary armament of 4-5 x 7.63 mm DT machine guns. A total of 503 tanks were produced, including variants, but very few were still in use after 1941.







BP-43 ARMORED TRAIN
The BP-43 was an armored transport train that was used by the Red Army during WWII. It was developed in 1943 and designed to withstand both Axis air and ground attacks while carrying huge amounts of supplies to the battlefield. The BP-43 had six separate armored cars, each protected with a 50 mm armor and mounted with a 76.2 mm gun in a T-34 Medium Tank turret, a 37 mm anti-aircraft gun and machine gun ports. The locomotive weighted 362.8 metric tons, plus the optional flat cars for transport, and had a crew of over 100 men. Around 21 BP-43 armored trains were created during WWII.










KV-1 1941
The Kliment Voroshilov (KV) tanks were a series of heavy tanks used and developed by the Soviets during WWII. The KV-1 1941 was, as the name suggests, produced in 1941 and unlike the previous model it had reinforced armor added to the turret, hull front and sides. The turret was cast instead of welded and it was armed with a longer-barreled ZiS-5 tank gun. 1,121 units were produced of the 1941 series.

YAK 7
The Yakovlev Yak-7 was a Soviet fighter that was originally designed to be a two-seat trainer version of the Yak-1 fighter, but was modified to a single-seat fighter that provide to be superior to the Yak-1. The Yak 7 was first used in front line service in 1942 where it was mostly used as a fighter-bomber, but also as an interceptor and fighter. The Yak-7 was a very capable aircraft and 6,399 aircraft were produced throughout the war, including variants. In 1944 the aircraft was retired from combat service and resumed its role as a trainer.

ROAD TO BERLIN
On 16 April 1945 the Soviet Red Army started the final offensive against the German capital. After fierce fighting the Battle of berlin ended on 2 May when the commander of the Berlin Defense Area unconditionally surrendered the city to General Vasily Chuikov of the Red Army. Operation Barbarossa started on June 22 1941, and 1410 days later the tables had turned.
















UPGRADE
At the start of WWII the Soviet Union only possessed 20.000 tanks. Throughout the war they manufactured 106.000 tanks, and on top of that they received 22.000 tanks from the US and the UK. During the war approximately 120.000 Soviet tanks went out of service, some were destroyed, others broke down and were not repaired, some were considered obsolete and withdrawn from servise.















GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR
The Great Patriotic War is a term used in Russia and other former republics of the Soviet Union (except for the Baltic states and Ukraine) to describe the conflict on the Eastern Front between the Soviet Union and Germany and its Allies, from June 22, 1941 to May 9, 1945. The Great Patriotic War is commemorated on May 9th each year.
















TRACTOR FACTORIES
























MINORITY RECRUITS
Switching sides during WWII was not uncommon, even for nations. At the start of WWII Romania, Bulgaria, Finland and Italy were allied with Axis powers, but the wars developments in later years would influence these countries decisions to switch their allegiance to the Allies.