During the battle of Stalingrad, Mikhail Panikakha had only two Molotov cocktails left after helping repel German attacks. He raised the one to throw when a bullet hit it, setting him on fire. He then took the last bottle, jumped out of the trench and hit the nearest German tank with it.
There is a hotel that sits right on the border of…
There is a hotel that sits right on the border of Switzerland and France. A set of stairs started in France and ended in Switzerland upstairs. The upper rooms were thus ideal as a hideout for French Resistance members during WWII as the Nazis weren’t allowed to cross into the Swiss side.
In Germany (and other parts of Europe) there are brass…
In Germany (and other parts of Europe) there are brass plaques set in the sidewalks in front of the former homes of people who fell victim to German Nazism.
WWII fighter pilot James Howard won the medal of honor for single…
WWII fighter pilot James Howard received the medal of honor for single handedly taking on 30+ German fighter planes all by himself to protect a group of American bomber planes.
During WWII, the NFL lost a lot of players because they…
During WWII, the NFL lost a lot of players because they left for military service. As a result, by the 1943 NFL season, the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers were forced to merge into one team called the Pennsylvania Steagles.
Starting in 1945, more than 8,000 Dutch people have adopted the grave…
Starting in 1945, more than 8,000 Dutch people have adopted the grave of an American WWII soldier buried at Margraten, Netherlands. They visit regularly with flowers and graves are passed to the next generation. There is a waiting list to adopt a grave.
In WW2 an American popular culture trend resulted…
In WW2 an American popular culture trend resulted in people graffiti-ing “Kilroy was here” across Europe, which convinced Hitler that Kilroy was a spy and Stalin even investigated trying to find out who Kilroy was.
Explorers on Greenland found a P-38 aircraft used during WWII…
Explorers on Greenland found a P-38 aircraft used during WWII buried under 264 ft of ice. They dug it out and restored it to flying condition.
Some of the first German Soldiers captured at Normandy on D-Day…
Some of the first German Soldiers captured at Normandy on D-Day were actually Korean. They had been pressed into service by the Japanese, captured by the Soviets, then captured by the Germans, then captured by the Americans.
During the Battle of Stalingrad, factories in the city…
During the Battle of Stalingrad, factories in the city continued to produce tanks. These tanks, unpainted and lacking gunsights, were driven directly from the factory floor to the front line and were often crewed by factory workers.