Introduction The Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF), whose members were referred to as WAAFs, was the female auxiliary of the Royal Air Force during World War II. Established in 1939, WAAF numbers exceeded 180,000 at its peak strength in 1943, with over 2,000 women enlisting per week. Brief History A Women’s Royal Air Force had… Read More
Introduction Ordinance No. 46 (full title: Abolition of the Provinces in the British Zone of the Former State of Prussia and Reconstitution thereof as Separate Länder), effective 23 August 1946, was an ordinance issued by the British Military Government (CCG/BE) in the British Zone of Allied-occupied Germany by which, among others, the Prussian Province of… Read More
Introduction Mauno Olavi Laiho (1907 to 02 September 1944) was the last Finn to be executed in Finland. Early Life Olavi Laiho was born the son of a farmhand in Halikko, Finland. He was introduced to communism very early on, and was an active member of the underground Finnish Communist Party. He moved to Turku,… Read More
Introduction Margaret Elizabeth Doolin Utinsky (26 August 1900 to 30 August 1970) was an American nurse who worked with the Filipino resistance movement to provide medicine, food, and other items to aid Allied prisoners of war in the Philippines during World War II. She was recognised in 1946 with the Medal of Freedom for her… Read More
Introduction During World War II, Project Pigeon (later Project Orcon, for “organic control”) was American behaviourist B.F. Skinner’s attempt to develop a pigeon-controlled guided bomb. Refer to ASM-N-2 Bat (Glide Bomb) and Bat Bomb. Overview The testbed was the same National Bureau of Standards-developed, unpowered airframe that was later used for the US Navy’s radar-guided… Read More
Introduction The Swedish extradition of Baltic soldiers (Estonian: Balti sõdurite väljaandmine Rootsis) or simply the Extradition of the Balts (Swedish: Baltutlämningen, Latvian: Baltiešu izdošana, Estonian: Baltlaste väljasaatmiseks), is a controversial political event that took place in 1945-1946, when Sweden extradited some 150 Latvian and Estonian Waffen-SS volunteers and conscripts who had been drafted and recruited… Read More
Introduction Wolfgang Lüth (15 October 1913 to 14 May 1945) was the second most successful German U-boat captain of World War II. His career record of 46 merchant ships plus the French submarine Doris sunk during 15 war patrols, with a total tonnage of 225,204 gross register tons (GRT), was second only to that of… Read More
Boot Camp & Military Fitness Institute 