The Eastern Front saw more fatalities than all other fighting fronts combined. Take Operation Barbarossa in 1941, where the Nazis invaded Russia with a bewildering army of 3 million men. In a matter of months, the Soviets had lost a staggering 2.5 million men. However, there was an unusually bitter winter that year, and eventually, the Soviets got the upper hand over the ill-equipped Germans.
80% of all German soldiers who died in WWII died on the Eastern Front, a total of 4 million out of the total 5 million German fatalities. The battles on the Eastern Front were the turning point of WWII, and it was too ambitious for Germany’s resources.
Chiricahua Carlisle
A bleak chapter of Native American history is captured in this photo of eleven children and teenagers before attending their first day of school at Carlisle Indian School in November 1886. The Carlisle Indian School was an attempt by the United States government to force the assimilation of Native American children into Western culture and appearance.
The Chiricahua people were known nomads and had the reputation of being the most warlike of all the Arizona nations. The cold, snowy land of Pennsylvania, where the Carlisle school was located, was a far cry from their desert homelands.
Operation Overlord
The Normandy Invasion, D-Day, The Battle of Normandy, and Operation Overlord — there are a lot of names for this one historical event. And, to be fair, it was one of the most significant days in WWII. June 1944 saw the largest amphibious attack in history with five naval divisions attacking on the beaches of Normandy, France.
In preparation for the assault, the Allies conducted a broad and impressive military deception that led the Germans to mispredict the actual time and place of the Allies landing in France. The Battle of Normandy kickstarted the liberation of France, as well as made tremendous headway in freeing Western Europe from Nazi control.
The USS West Virginia
This was a battle-ax if there ever was one. Pictured here is the destruction of the USS West Virginia, but that's just a blip in the story of this vessel. The ship made routine Navy trips throughout the 1920s and 1930s, and on the 7th of December 1941, it was just minding its business at port. Those of you history buffs will recognize the date immediately, but here's another hint as to what happened — the port in question was Pearl Harbor.
The USS West Virginia was one of seven US battleships that bore the brunt of the Japanese attack. From 1943-1944 the ship was restored, and she was back in action shortly thereafter, leading US lines into numerous battles, and even shaking off a kamikaze attack with minimal damage.
The V2 Rocket Failure of 1947
After WWII, the US brought back with them a number of German-made V2 rockets, the most advanced of their kind, as well as some prominent German rocket scientists. They were brought to White Sands Proving Ground in New Mexico where they were studied. In 1947, one rocket was launched as per routine but faltered mid-air.
The Safety Control Team, for some reason, didn't cut off the rocket's motors upon seeing this, so it continued to swerve off-course until it hit an unpopulated area in El Paso-Juarez. Thankfully, there were no injuries and the rocket contained no explosives, but residents say it shook every building for miles.