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Submitted by
Steve Mercatante
on: Jul 16 2014 - 3:07pm

Hardly a week goes by without either the Pentagon itself or some establishment figure bemoaning the fiscal cliff deal and sequester whose cuts to the military budget began in 2013. Media outlets amplify and blindly parrot these dire warnings regarding the U.S. military's ability to keep America safe if the sequester cuts are not rolled back.

But how bad have these cuts really been?

A recent look at the numbers suggests not bad at all.

For instance, according to the Government Printing Office

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Submitted by
Steve Mercatante
on: Jun 6 2014 - 2:10pm

On June 6, 1944 the Anglo-American led alliance invaded Nazi occupied France. Known today as D-Day it would be the greatest invasion in history. And though the Red Army was by June of 1944 well into the process of bleeding the Wehrmacht white, inflicting approximately 80% of Germany's Second World War military casualties, this should not take away from the considerable achievement that is since remembered today and forever since as D-Day.

It was actually on June 5, 1944 that D-Day could really

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Submitted by
Steve Mercatante
on: May 26 2014 - 8:08pm

On this Memorial Day, and with the pending 70 year anniversary of the June 6, 1944 D-Day landings in Normandy, France, I want to highlight the often overlooked sacrifice of those U.S. servicemen killed while preparing for the most famous invasion in modern military history.

In the months leading up to the June 6th Allied invasion of Nazi occupied France the assault divisions went through an intensive training regimen. Needless to say there were many fatal mistakes.

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Submitted by
Steve Mercatante
on: Apr 30 2014 - 6:54pm

Good Afternoon. I just wanted to let everybody know that the Michigan War Studies Review has published my review of Dennis Showalter's Armor and Blood: The Battle of Kursk: The Turning Point of World War II. I am happy to say that this is a wonderful book, unlike the last book I reviewed for them (David Stahel's lamentably lacking Operation Typhoon), especially in terms of introducing the general World War II enthusiast to an accurate and well written description of this very important battle.

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Submitted by
Steve Mercatante
on: Apr 22 2014 - 2:21pm

We have a new poll up. For those of you who have read my book it is no mystery that armored warfare is by far my favorite aspect of the Second World War. In particular, my research and interests are overwhelmingly directed at the great armored clashes of the German-Soviet 1941-1945 war. As such, I am looking forward to your responses to our new poll question.

There were obviously a number of different tank models deployed by the Red Army and Wehrmacht during Nazi Germany's June 1941 invasion

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Submitted by
Steve Mercatante
on: Mar 24 2014 - 11:12pm

I just finished Lizzie Collingham's The Taste of War, and in my most recent review for this website strongly recommend it to anyone interested in the Second World War.

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Submitted by
Steve Mercatante
on: Mar 14 2014 - 8:31pm

Since I was a kid one of my all time favorite WWII movies was "Patton." For those of you who have spent the past half century living under a rock the film, originally released in 1970, is not only about one of the most iconic and controversial Generals in U.S. Army history, but also starred George C. Scott, who deservedly won an Academy Award for his portrayal of U.S. Army Four Star General George S. Patton.

Now, there is no question the film is far from perfect.

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Submitted by
Steve Mercatante
on: Mar 1 2014 - 3:38pm

Ok, on the one hand I don't want this website to be known as the WWII obituary page. On the other hand, a number of very notable participants in or survivors of the Second World War have passed away of late. And when it comes to someone like Alice Herz-Sommer...well let's just say that it behooves us to take note of her passing.

Alice Herz-Sommer was a remarkable person, and her advanced age of passing is only one of many things for which she should be remembered.

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Submitted by
Steve Mercatante
on: Feb 21 2014 - 3:20pm

Just a brief break from our usual programming.

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Submitted by
Steve Mercatante
on: Feb 16 2014 - 6:17pm

In Halifax Harbor, Nova Scotia Canada sits one of the more unique Second World War era museum ships: the HMCS Sackville. The Sackville was one of 123 Flower Class Corvettes to serve with the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. As of this writing it is the last of its kind.

Corvettes are small multi-role ships that for centuries have served as a key component of the world's naval powers.

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