Many places in Japan suffered repeat bombings in World War II but one had the dubious distinction of being the first and among the last hit by B-29s. On the night of June 15/16, 1944, the then-Imperial Steel Works gained…
Atlantikwall
Today’s video takes us to a forbidding section of the Atlantic Wall, Nazi Germany’s coastal defense scheme that saw artillery batteries, bunkers and other defensive fixtures dot the seaside from Norway to France to keep out any potential liberating forces.…
Shaking the Heavens from Below: Ozushima Kaiten Memorial Museum
The sky was clear of enemy aircraft on the morning of Nov. 20, 1944 at Ulithi, the American anchorage and resupply base that kept the fleet moving towards victory over Tokyo in the latter part of the Pacific War. Fleet…
A Recent History of Japanese Aviation: The Hamamatsu JASDF Museum
Some time ago, shortly after we started this blog, I wrote about the underwhelming castle in Hamamatsu. As I mentioned then, there is a lot more to see in Hamamatsu, and things that are more worth seeing. One of those…
Bansei: The Phantom Kamikaze Peace Museum
Today people come to Minami Satsuma’s Fukiage Sand Dune for fun and relaxation. At 50 kilometers long, it’s one of Japan’s three biggest dunes and every year hosts a competition that does for sand what Hokkaido does for snow. That’s…
Last Warship Standing: USCGC Taney
When I first laid eyes on the old cutter berthed at Pier Five in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, I didn’t think much of her. Part of a maritime collection that boasts a sloop that fought in the U.S. Civil War and…