The South Pacific’s WW2 forgotten base

By Pierre Kosmidis Additional info and photos submitted by Kevin McCarthy  During WW2, Vanuatu was overrun by American troops in an effort to stop the advancing Japanese army and prevent them from gaining a foothold in the area. At the time, this South Pacific island nation, consisting of a string of roughly 80 islands, was a […]

The Nakajima B5N2 Navy Type 97 Carrier Attack Bomber of Aua Island

By Pierre Kosmidis Rod Pearce has dedicated his time and efforts finding underwater aircraft wrecks and seeking closure to the families of hundreds -if not thousands- of Missing in Action (MIA) airmen from all nations that fought during World War Two. Rod has been diving in Papua New Guinea for 40 years and is credited […]

Surrendered in 1951: The Japanese who did not believe the war was over in 1945

By Pierre Kosmidis A group of stranded survivors of a Japanese vessel sunk by the American military found their way to the island of Anatahan, 75 nautical miles north of Saipan. The island’s coast line is precipitous with landing beaches on the northern and western shore and a small sandy beach on the southwest shore. […]

“Fly’ in Home” the M4 Sherman destroyed on Peleliu island, October 18th, 1944

By Pierre Kosmidis Photos and additional information by Seth Erazmus A lone Sherman tank wreck is located on Peleliu island, still echoing the ferocity of warfare. According to Mr. Seth Erazmus, this specific tank was named “Fly’in Home” and was destroyed on October 18th, 1944 along with most of her crew. The grandfather of Mr. Seth Erazmus was the […]

The hidden WW2 Pacific treasures of Babeldaob island: A buried Type 95 Ha-Gō (九五式軽戦車 ハ号) light tank

By Pierre Kosmidis Photos by Shinohara Naoto Babeldaob is the largest island in the island nation of the Republic of Palau. During World War II a Japanese garrison on Babeldaob was composed of 21,449 Imperial Japanese Army men under the command of Lieutenant-General Sadae Inoue and 8,286 Imperial Japanese Navy men under the command of Vice-Admiral Kenmi Itoh. While Babeldaob […]

Straight out of the jungle: The WW2 Japanese Type 95 Ha-Go tanks forgotten in time

By Pierre Kosmidis Photos by Dirk H.R. Spennemann  According to Dirk H.R. Spennemann at the end of World war II the US forces requested that the Japanese concentrate their equipment for disarmamment. All tanks were parked for inspection on the Etscheidt property outside Kolonia, Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia. Several of the tanks were pulled out of the […]

The search for the surviving crew members of HMS Whelp, by Victoria L. Short

By Pierre Kosmidis Photos submitted by Victoria L. Short and used by permission History is written by millions of young men, individuals who gave their all and fought for their ideals during World War 2. One such case is Leslie Wilfred Dodge, who served as a stoker on HMS Whelp. Leslie Wilfred Dodge passed away in […]

The WW2 Japanese destroyer Hibiki Shipwreck off Karamzin island in Vladivostok, by underwater photographer Aleksei Kondratuk 響

By Pierre Kosmidis Photos by Aleksei Kondratuk www.uwvision.com used by permission Karamzin Island is a military area for target practice and home to some splendid shipwrecks. Russian underwater photographer Aleksei Kondratuk recently visited one of the most important WW2 shipwrecks in the area of Vladivostok, the naval base of the Russian Pacific Fleet.   At a depth […]