A Japanese Oil Tanker captain fell into a cactus at a Santa Barbara Oil Field, provoking laughter from the local workers. 5 years later he returned in an Imperial Japanese Navy sub and made the first mainland shelling of the US at that oil field. 00
After fighting in the winter war against the USSR…
After fighting in the winter war against the USSR, Lauri Törni, a Finnish soldier, joined the SS and kept fighting until the end WW2. After WW2, he migrated to the US and joined the US Army, and died in combat in Vietnam in 1965 by which time he had earned high ranking U.S. awards. 00
Gen. George S. Patton believed in reincarnation…
Gen. George S. Patton believed in reincarnation, and believed himself to have been a military leader killed in action in Napoleon’s army, or a Roman legionary. He assumed that his past lives had a similar status to his current life, which does fit many models of reincarnation. It is not done randomly but is based […]
During World War II a Dutch minesweeper evaded the Japanese…
During World War II a Dutch minesweeper evaded the Japanese for eight days disguised as an island. The crew covered the decks in cut trees and painted exposed surfaces to look like rocks. They moved only at night and anchored closed to shore by day, eventually escaping to Australia.
Owen J. Baggett became legendary as the only person to down…
Owen J. Baggett became legendary as the only person to down a Japanese aircraft with a M1911 pistol hitting the pilot in the head while he was parachuting.
Polish Catholic midwife Stanisława Leszczyńska delivered 3,000 babies…
Polish Catholic midwife Stanisława Leszczyńska delivered 3,000 babies at the Auschwitz concentration camp during the Holocaust in occupied Poland.
Franz Von Werra, a Nazi POW who was transfered to Canada to deter his multiple…
Franz Von Werra, a Nazi POW who was transfered to Canada to deter his multiple escapes and recaptures, escaped again in less than a month, traveling through the US, Mexico, Brazil, Spain and Italy to become the only Western held POW to return to combat. On 25 October 1941 Von Werra took off in Bf […]
The Jerrycan is named for the ‘Jerries’, which was British slang…
The Jerrycan is named for the ‘Jerries’, which was British slang for ‘Germans’ during WW2. Captured Jerrycans were coveted by British soldiers, as they were superior to the leaky and unreliable British models. Jerrycans were so superior to previous designs that the British North Africa campaign was hindered by their inferior version, known as “flimsies”. The Allied forces reverse engineered the jerrycan to replace their ‘flimsies’.
A Japanese pilot waged a one-man war against the inhabitants of a Hawaiian…
A Japanese pilot waged a one-man war against the inhabitants of a Hawaiian island he crash landed on during Pearl Harbour. He was assisted by three Japanese locals. This incident ultimately contributed to the decision to intern Japanese-Americans during the war.