When you go home, tell them of us and say: For your tomorrow, we gave our today. – John Maxwell Edmonds

During the second world war, aviation became a crucial weapon of modern warfare. From the Battle of Britain to dropping atomic bombs on Japan, much of WWII was fought in the skies. Investment in aircraft technology during this time drove the aviation industry in general forward in leaps and bounds, paving the way for the modern aircraft used in passenger operations today. //

The largest allied bomber of WWII was the B-29 Superfortress. Responsible for the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, this aircraft also has a less dubious claim to fame. It was one of the first times pressurized cabins had been used, which protected crew from subzero temperatures when flying long-range bombing missions, and is something we all rely on today for long-distance, high altitude flying. //

Although there had been some experimentation with pressurization prior to the second world war, it wasn’t until the demands of war really pushed the boundaries of technology that it came into its own. In 1943, the Lockheed Constellation became the first widespread airliner with a pressurized cabin, followed by aircraft like the DC-6 and DC-7, laying the path for the cabins we fly in today. //

As well as developing technology used in aircraft themselves, the second world war also saw the widespread use of radar for the first time. Developed in the decade preceding the start of WWII, radar had the capability to detect approaching aircraft from miles away, allowing British fighters to intercept bombers before they arrived.During WWII, this technology was further developed for use in aircraft themselves. This allowed RAF pilots to find their enemies, even when they could not be seen. Modern radar technology is a world away from these early interactions, but nevertheless an essential component in keeping flight safe in the skies. //

At the start of the war, there were very few airports that could support military operations. Throughout the war, aerodromes were rapidly constructed all over participating nations. Many of these became civil aviation bases after the war, heralding the move from flying boats for long haul operations to modern land planes.

A pair of warships lost during a historic 1942 naval battle have completely disappeared from their resting places at the bottom of the Java Sea. Large portions of a third ship are also missing. An international investigation has been launched in hopes of solving this bizarre maritime mystery.

The Netherlands defense ministry has confirmed that two of its ships lost during the Battle of the Java Sea—the HNLMS de Ruyter and HNLMS Java—have vanished, while a third ship, the HNLMS Kortenaer, appears to be missing some of its parts. The wrecks were rediscovered back in 2002, but a new expedition to mark the 75th anniversary of the historic battle came up short. Sonar images showed imprints of where the wrecks used to be on the ocean floor—but no ships.

“An investigation has been launched to see what has happened to the wrecks, while the cabinet has been informed,” noted the defense ministry in a statement. “The desecration of a war grave is a serious offense,” hinting that the wrecks were illegally salvaged. //

This practice is in contravention of laws set up to protect these historically sensitive sites. Around 2,200 people died when these ships went down, and the wrecks have been declared sacred war graves. “The people who died there should be left in peace,” said Theo Vleugels, director of the Dutch War Graves Foundation, in The Guardian.

Late last year, the Netherlands defense ministry confirmed that two of its ships lost during World War II had disappeared from the bottom of the Java Sea, likely the result of illegal salvaging. Now, a trio of Japanese shipwrecks off Borneo have likewise been torn apart for scrap, highlighting what appears to be a growing problem.

As reported in The Guardian, the three shipwrecks—the Kokusei Maru, Higane Maru, and Hiyori Maru—have been stripped to practically nothing. Collectively known as the Usukan Bay Wrecks (also known as the “Rice Bowl Wrecks” on account of their cargo), all three are within a kilometer of each other, and are prized by recreational divers for their near-pristine condition and rich aquatic life. The three cargo ships were torpedoed off the coast of Borneo in 1944 by US forces, and may still hold the remains of dozens of crewmen.

The incident bears a striking resemblance to the disappearance of two Dutch wrecks lost during the Battle of the Java Sea. In both cases, blame is being pointed directly at illegal salvaging operations. But in the case of the missing Japanese wrecks, there appears to be some complicity from a local university.
As for the claim that the operation was an effort to clean-up toxic materials, that’s dubious at best. According to international law, naval shipwrecks remain the property of their nations (in this case, Japan). The looters—even if sanctioned by the university—had no legal business dismantling the ships and extracting the metal without authorization from Tokyo.

With hindsight, it is easy to assume that by 1944, the Third Reich was doomed. It could have all gone very wrong.

So Japan could never have crushed U.S. maritime forces in the Pacific and imposed terms on Washington. That doesn't mean it couldn't have won World War II. Sounds counterintuitive, doesn't it? But the weak sometimes win. As strategic sage Carl von Clausewitz recounts, history furnishes numerous instances when the weak got their way. //

There are three basic ways to win wars according to the great Carl. One, you can trounce the enemy's armed forces and dictate whatever terms you please. Short of that, two, you can levy a heavier price from the enemy than he's willing to pay to achieve his goals. //

Dragging out the affair so that he pays heavy costs over time is another. And three, you can dishearten him, persuading him he's unlikely to fulfill his war aims.

Maybe more than you think... //

Moscow subsequently declared war on Tokyo on August 8, 1945, two days after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and one day before the second bomb fell on Nagasaki (though Western historiography has long emphasized the role of the nuclear attacks in compelling Japan’s surrender, newly available Japanese documents emphasize the importance of the Soviet declaration of war in forcing Tokyo’s hand). //

The dispute over these islands has prevented an agreement formally ending hostilities between Japan and Russia (as the USSR’s legal successor) up to the present. //

With both Russia and Japan increasingly wary of Chinese power in the Asia-Pacific, four sparsely populated outposts at the edge of the Sea of Okhotsk remain in many ways the biggest impediment to a rapprochement between Moscow and Tokyo that could reshape Asian geopolitics.

Stalin’s intervention in the war against Japan came late in the day, but in many ways it continues shaping the Asian security environment six decades later.

During World War I, the British and Americans faced a serious threat from German U-boats, which were sinking allied shipping at a dangerous rate. All attempts to camouflage ships at sea had failed, as the appearance of the sea and sky are always changing. Any color scheme that was concealing in one situation was conspicuous in others. A British artist and naval officer, Norman Wilkinson, promoted a new camouflage scheme. Instead of trying to conceal the ship, it simply broke up its lines and made it more difficult for the U-boat captain to determine the ship's course. The British called this camouflage scheme "Dazzle Painting." The Americans called it "Razzle Dazzle."U-boats did not aim their torpedos directly at a ship to sink it. Because the target was moving, it was necessary to aim ahead of its path in order for the torpedo to arrive in the correct spot at the same time as the ship. If the torpedo is too early or too late, it will miss. The primary goal of dazzle painting was to confuse the U-boat commander who was trying to observe the course and speed of his target. As you can see in the photo of the French Cruiser "Gloire" on the left, contrasting diagonal stripes can make it hard to see just which direction the ship's bow is pointing. The American merchant ship "Mahomet" is another example. How many bows can one ship have?