The last battle of Sergeant Taichi Ito 伊藤太市 and his Type 97 “Shinhoto Chi-Ha” tank on Shumshu
By Pierre Kosmidis Source of photos Japanese medium tank Type 97 “Shinhoto Chi-Ha” (an improved version of Type 97 “Chi-Ha”, where “shinhoto” means “new turret”), from the 11th Tank Regiment, stationed on Shumshu still lies where it was knocked out on August 18th 1945 during a counter-attack against advance units of Soviet paratroopers in the […]
The WW2 Pacific Treasures of Kwajalein Lagoon by Dan Farnham PART 5- The F1M2 ‘Pete’ wreck at the Shoei Maru
By Pierre Kosmidis Text, photos and additional information by Dan Farnhham, used by permission CLICK THE LINKS BELOW TO READ THE FOLLOWING STORIES The WW2 Pacific Treasures of Kwajalein Lagoon by Dan Farnham PART 1 – Exploring aircraft wrecks The WW2 Pacific Treasures of Kwajalein Lagoon by Dan Farnham PART 2 – Warrant Officer […]
The WW2 Pacific Treasures of Kwajalein Lagoon by Dan Farnham Part 20: The SBD Dauntless wrecks of Kwajalein lagoon
By Pierre Kosmidis Photos, text and research submitted by Dan Farnham, used by permission Designed in 1938, the SBD ‘Dauntless’ became one of the best-known US naval aircraft of World War II. Considered obsolete when American entered World War II in late 1941, the SBD ended up sinking more enemy ships in the Pacific than any […]
The WW2 Pacific Treasures of Kwajalein Lagoon by Dan Farnham PART 2 – Warrant Officer Nobuo Fujita, the only man who has bombed the continental US and the story of the E14Y1 floatplanes found in a shipwreck
By Pierre Kosmidis Text, photos and additional information by Dan Farnhham, used by permission ADDITIONAL RESOURCES The WW2 Pacific Treasures of Kwajalein Lagoon by Dan Farnham PART 1 – Exploring aircraft wrecks Locating and identifying WW2 aircraft wrecks: The Kwajalein Missing in Action (MIA) Project An E14Y1 submarine-launched seaplane, code named “Glen” […]
The WW2 Pacific Treasures of Kwajalein Lagoon by Dan Farnham PART 1 – Exploring aircraft wrecks
By Pierre Kosmidis Additional info and photographs by Dan Farnham, used by permission Dan Farnham has been living on Kwajalein, working as a civilian contractor for the US Army, since December 2005. Dan, along with a group of fellow history enthusiasts, is spearheading “The Kwajalein Missing in Action (MIA) Project” an all-volunteer team which is made up of […]
The WW2 Pacific Treasures of Kwajalein Lagoon by Dan Farnham Part 17: The mystery of the lost Wildcats at the aircraft graveyard
By Pierre Kosmidis Photos, text and research submitted by Dan Farnham, used by permission Manufactured by Grumman Aviation, the F4F Wildcat fighter was one of the most well-known American carrier aircraft of World War II. The Wildcat was the U.S. Navy’s first monoplane fighter, replacing biplane fighters that had been in service in the U.S. fleet […]
Battlefield Archaeology: Searching for the Missing in Action aircrews in Yap island, by Patrick Ranfranz
By Pierre Kosmidis Photos and videos by Patrick Ranfrantz, used by permission Yap island is located in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean. It was occupied by Japanese troops in September 1914, and passed to the Japanese Empire under the Versailles Treaty in 1919 as a mandated territory under League of Nations supervision. In World War […]
The Hell of Peleliu: An account on the flags of the KIA Marines and soldiers by Dan Reeder
By Pierre Kosmidis Photo and documentation by Dan Reeder The Battle of Peleliu, codenamed Operation Stalemate II was fought between the U.S. and Japan during the Mariana and Palau Campaign of World War II, from September to November 1944, on the island of Peleliu. U.S. Marines of the 1st Marine Division, and later soldiers of […]
The Japanese WW2 aircraft wrecks of Kwajalein Lagoon by Dan Farnham PART 8
By Pierre Kosmidis Dan Farnham has been living on Kwajalein, working as a civilian contractor for the US Army, since December 2005. Dan has completed Parts 1 to 7, regarding WW2 Japanese aircraft wrecks in the lagoon and this is a wrap-up of all the stories and photos. All the links are below in RED and by clicking them […]
Balalae island, a tragic story of loss during WW2
By Pierre Kosmidis Based on author Ken Wright’s account Balalae airfield lies obscured in the vicinity of Bougainville in the Solomon Islands. It would have been the final destination of Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, commander of the Imperial Japanese Navy, flying from Rabaul to Balalae island, if his Mitsubishi G4M “Betty” light bomber of 705 Kōkūtai had not been shot […]