Ernest J King served as the Chief of Naval Operations during World War II. King was only the second person in history to have earned the rank of Fleet Admiral, and he left a nearly-unparalleled legacy on the history of the service. Last week in our Thursday Tidings we looked at President Truman’s reflections on
On August 6th, 1945, the United States dropped the first nuclear-powered ordnance upon the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Three days later, a second nuclear bomb was detonated over the city of Nagasaki. Tomorrow, August 9th, 2019, will mark the 74th year from this history-altering event.While these two bombings may have ended World War II, the
This October 24th will mark the 75th Anniversary of the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the largest naval battle in history and a watershed moment in World War II. The Naval Historical Foundation remembers our friend and selfless supporter, Lt. Jack Taylor. Jack Taylor as an aviation cadet in the Navy in 1943. Photograph by the U.S. Navy. Courtesy
Admiral Fallon convened the 94th Annual meeting of the Naval Historical Foundation on Saturday June 8, 2019 at 1217 in the main space of the Navy Museum under the Fighting Top following a BBQ lunch provided at the largess of Board Member Dr. J.P. “Jack” London. Following the approval of the minutes for the 2017, Adm.
Imagine chaos raging from France through Germany that surrounded the end of the slaughter on the Western Front in the fall of 1918. Or the new rounds of killings that accompanied the revolution in Russia through 1924 and engulfed the Baltic States, ravaged Poland and ripped East Prussia from Berlin. As well, the privation of
James P. Delgado is a maritime archaeologist, explorer, story-teller, acclaimed author, television host, and explorer who spent nearly four decades in underwater exploration. A native of California, he earned his doctorate in Archaeology from Simon Fraser University, has an M.A. in Maritime Studies from East Carolina University, and took his B.A. in History from San
Immediately before and after the outbreak of the First World War, Britain seriously considered sending its fleet into Heligoland Bight and seizing an island base off the German coast – Borkum perhaps. The goal was to force the German fleet out to fight, or bottle it up with mines, submarines and destroyer flotillas, instituting a
Martin Mace has a wealth of knowledge in writing about military history. Currently, he is the editor for Frontline Books and has over twenty years of experience in publishing and journalism. He has published several books on the subject and has co-authored multiple best-selling titles. In addition, he is the founding editor of Britain at
With over 55-years of experience as a military leader and corporate executive, J. Phillip London has developed a singular guiding premise which directly relates one’s character to one’s success: “your character will absolutely determine the kind of life you will live.” (p. 18) He systematizes this concept in what he refers to as character-driven success,
For many years the Naval Historical Foundation published a naval historical blue booklet series on a broad range of topics ranging from John Paul Jones, the resignation of officers of the U.S. Navy at the outbreak of the Civil War, and even a history of the Main Navy Building once located on Independence Avenue in
The First World War stands as the one of the great turning points in history. At its time, the most destructive human conflict ever experienced, the world before and after the war were distinctly different. Great empires fell, while others receded, new powers rose and ideas about patriotism, nationality, the role of class in society,
World War II was an air war. That is not to say that other arms were not important, they certainly were, but as the war progressed, victory at sea or on the ground grew to be difficult, if not impossible, without at least local air superiority. Underscoring the importance of air power at sea, Thomas
The ‘Stan is a collection of 17-short comic book style stories told by Afghanis and Americans having firsthand knowledge of America’s longest war. Each short cartoon briefly describes an individual’s personal story of the events leading up to the conflict and their roles during the actual war. While illustrated in cartoon form, the stories in
For many years after WWII, discussion of the Japanese wartime submarine force focused on its apparent failure – certainly its failure to achieve anything like the US and German submarine campaigns. Writing in the USNI Proceedings in 1961, Japanese submarine officer and historian Kennosuke Torisu notes that Japanese subs sank only a total of 171
Aside from what extraordinarily provocative stories we hear in the news today, few citizens are familiar with the U.S. presidents’ lives following their departure from Oval Office. Ex-presidents continue to have the highest celebrity status and use their influence in their follow-on efforts to support the current administration, help society through philanthropy, and focus on
