Gladiators of World War II

Originally created as Hitler's personal household troops, the Waffen-SS grew into a formidable fighting force during World War 2. It gained a reputati...

In the dark days of summer 1940 Winston Churchill set up the Special Operations Executive to "set Europe ablaze". Its task was to nurture and support...

The brainchild of a junior British officer, the Special Air Service first saw action in North Africa, making daring raids against Axis airfields. Ther...

The men of the British Armoured Division gained the nickname Desert Rats during their epic campaign against the Axis forces under Erwin Rommel in the...

The German overrunning of their country in 1939 did not crush the Polish spirit. Many escaped to the West to carry on the fight. Polish fighter pilots...

It was the Few of RAF Fighter Command who saved Britain from almost certain defeat in summer 1940. The unique spirit generated by its fighter pilots e...

Winston Churchill created the Commandos in summer 1940 as a means of striking at the coasts of Nazi Occupied Europe. Beginning as a mere raiding force...

Norway was strategically important to Hitler and endured five years of Nazi occupation, but it developed one of the most effective resistance movement...

In autumn 1944, with ultimate defeat beginning to stare them in the face, the Japanese introduced a new and terrible weapon - suicide attack aircraft....

Never before nor since has the Royal Navy been so challenged as it was during 1939-45. In the Atlantic it fought the longest campaign of the war again...

Born of one man's vision at a time when the Japanese seemed to be sweeping all before them, the Chindits proved an inspiration to the Allied forces in...

In June 1940, with France about to collapse, General Charles de Gaulle unfurled his Free French banner in London. His followers were initially few and...

The Australian and New Zealand forces built on the reputation they had earned during World War 1 for being among the finest fighting troops in the wor...