Tag: world war II

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#BattleofBritain 75th anniversary – key dates, fighter plane details, statistics – an annotated infographic

E&T magazine

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, one of the most decisive clashes of World War II, when a handful of Royal Air Force pilots fought in the skies over southern England to defeat Germany’s mighty Luftwaffe squadrons and foil Adolf Hitler’s invasion plans. Click on the graphic for an expanded view. Continue reading #BattleofBritain 75th anniversary – key dates, fighter plane details, statistics – an annotated infographic

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#Hiroshima honours 70th anniversary of the city’s atomic annihilation by the USA – an annotated infographic

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A minute of silence this morning commemorated the 150,000 victims of the world’s first nuclear explosion targeted to kill civilians – the American attack on Japan’s Hiroshima, which took place 70 years ago today. Uranium fission that provided the basis for the construction of a nuclear weapon was first described by German scientists in 1938. America was thus impelled to fast-track the development of the atomic bomb technology with the knowledge that the Germans had got a headstart. E&T news reported on the Hiroshima 70th anniversary event earlier today. Click on the graphic for an expanded view.   Continue reading #Hiroshima honours 70th anniversary of the city’s atomic annihilation by the USA – an annotated infographic

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#DDay landings, the 70th anniversary – details of the big day in 1944 – an annotated infographic

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Today is the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings, a seismic event in World War II that turned the tide (figuratively, at least) of the war in favour of the Allies. Today, heads of state including Queen Elizabeth II, US President Barack Obama, French President Francois Hollande, and Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel will attend the official 70th anniversary of the invasion. The event will take place in the British sector at the Channel port of Ouistreham on Sword Beach. Meticulously planned for three years and miraculously kept an extremely strict secret, the storming of the Normandy beaches by thousands of … Continue reading #DDay landings, the 70th anniversary – details of the big day in 1944 – an annotated infographic

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Talking of #Dambusters 70th anniversary, a German bomber is to be salvaged from the English Channel – an annotated graphic

E&T magazine

As today we salute the Dambusters on the 70th anniversary of their historic World War II mission, now also seems like a good time to share this infographic about the salvage mission planned for the only known surviving example of a German bomber, a Dornier Do 17 currently lying 30 metres below the surface of the water in the English Channel. This example of the “flying pencil”, as the Luftwaffe bomber was known, was intercepted and shot down by RAF fighter aircraft during the Battle of Britain in 1940. She crash-landed in the Strait of Dover and is now lying … Continue reading Talking of #Dambusters 70th anniversary, a German bomber is to be salvaged from the English Channel – an annotated graphic

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#Dambusters 70th anniversary of the May 1943 raid – an annotated graphic

E&T magazine

The legend of the Dambusters – the 19 Lancaster bombers of the RAF’s 617 Squadron – was enshrined in war-time history 70 years ago, when the planes flew to Germany on the night of 16/17 May to drop their Barnes Wallis-designed bouncing bombs on the Mohne, Eder and Sorpe dams in the industrial heartland of the Ruhr region. Codenamed Operation Chastise, 56 of the airmen who set out on the mission did not return. Eight bombers were shot down, 53 men were killed and three men were captured. Today’s infographic salutes the incredible bravery of all those who dared to … Continue reading #Dambusters 70th anniversary of the May 1943 raid – an annotated graphic

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Searching for lost RAF #Spitfire haul buried in Burma – an annotated graphic

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An entertaining story of military archaeology today, with the news that a British search team is continuing its hunt for up to 140 RAF Spitfire fighter planes, buried in channels 10 metres deep in the Burmese mud in 1945 at the end of World War II by US military engineers. Thanks, Septics! At the time, the planes were deemed surplus to requirements and the Spitfires were buried in their original transport crates. Seems crazy now, eh? The good news is that the team has uncovered 60 planes so far, with approximately 80 left to find. Click on the graphic for … Continue reading Searching for lost RAF #Spitfire haul buried in Burma – an annotated graphic