What was Kantai Kessen?

Introduction The Decisive Battle Doctrine (艦隊決戦, Kantai Kessen, “naval fleet decisive battle”) was a naval strategy adopted by the Imperial Japanese Navy prior to the Second World War. The theory was derived from the writings of American naval historian Alfred Thayer Mahan. In the Decisive Battle Doctrine the Japanese navy would win a war by… Read More

What is IFF Mark X?

Introduction IFF Mark X was the NATO standard military identification friend or foe transponder system from the early 1950s until it was slowly replaced by the IFF Mark XII in the 1970s. It was also adopted by ICAO, with some modifications, as the civilian air traffic control (ATC) secondary radar (SSR) transponder. The X in… Read More

What was an Ilag?

Introduction Ilag is an abbreviation of the German word Internierungslager. They were internment camps established by the German Army in World War II to hold Allied civilians, caught in areas that were occupied by the German Army. They included United States citizens caught in Europe by surprise when war was declared in December 1941 and… Read More

What is a Civilian Internee?

Introduction A civilian internee is a civilian detained by a party to a war for security reasons. Internees are usually forced to reside in internment camps. Historical examples include Japanese-American internment and internment of German-Americans in the United States during World War II. Japan interned 130,000 Dutch, British, and American civilians in Asia during World… Read More