80 years ago. MG Walter Robertson of 2nd Div. gets approval to shift behind the 99th Div. due to their problems holding back German Ardennes attack. The 3/23rd Infantry is the first to arrive in the Krinkelt woods, including Capt. Charles McDonald’s Co. I.

80 year ago. LTC Wm. D. McKinley was ordered to hold the Lausdell crossroads at all costs. The 1/9th Infantry fought off repeated German attacks on the night of 17/18 Dec. and was ordered to withdraw the next morning. Of the original 515 men, 217 escaped.

80 Years ago. Delayed by the fight for the Lausdell crossroads and behind schedule, the 12.SS-Pz.Div. made a rash attack into the twin villages of Krinkelt Rocherath, held by the 2nd Inf. Div. It became a Panzer graveyard, with the US Army claiming 77 destroyed Panzers.

80 years ago. After capturing Krinkelt-Rocherath, a weakened 12.SS-Pz.Div. heads towards Dom Butgenbach. Standing in the way is 2/26th Infantry, 1st Div. The commander is LTC Derrill Daniel who was awarded the DSC and Silver Star with 6 Oak Leaf clusters during the war.

80 years ago. The 12.SS-Pz.Div. attempts to reach Butgenbach, but is stymied by the 2/26th Infantry defense of the Dom Butgenbach manor farm. Three days of costly fighting put an end to the German advance.

80 years ago. Op. Herbstnebel is failing. On 20 Dec, OB West shifts the Schwerpunkt from 6.Pz.Armee to 5.Pz.Armee due to the failure of 1.SS-Pz.Korps to secure a breakthrough. The 2.SS-Pz.Korps is shifted to 5.Pz.Armee. This is the OKH’s Ardennes map of 20 Dec.

This is a fresh look at the iconic Capa photos of Omaha Beach on D-Day. The author argues that much of the hype that surrounds the photos was legend-building by Capa and Life magazine. A "must-read" for anyone with serious interest in Omaha Beach on D-Day.

Vol. 1B of "Defending Normandy" just came in. Typical of the very high standards of the first volume. Superb research, highly detailed text and lavish maps. A "must-have" for anyone with serious interest in the campaign on the Cotentin Peninsula and Cherbourg.

Everyone remembers Lt. Dick Winters and the capture of the German battery at Brécourt Manor on D-Day. Hardly anyone remembers Capt. Lloyd E. Patch of the 506th PIR who led the capture of the nearby Holdy battery, and who also received the DSC. He is the officer in the middle.

Here's an interesting "Then & Now" from the battle for Carentan on 13 Jun 1944. A 57mm/airborne 6 pdr gun of 101st AB Div. on the Carentan-Periers road at the intersection of today’s route D903 and D971, south of Carentan. The ko'd StuG IV of SS-PzRgt.17 are heading southward.

Seasonal bird migration where Chesapeake Bay meets the Susquehanna river near Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. An Osprey above its nest, and a Blue Heron searching for fish.

I was up at the US Army Heritage and Education Center's Ridgway Library today doing book research. The weather was especially nice, so I photographed their M4A3 medium tank, one of several AFVs on display there.

Stuart tank in Operation Crusader in November 1941 with the rarely seen canvas sand skirts. Illustration based on a 1/35 scale Miniart kit.

My forthcoming books over the next few months.

For anyone interested in the Battle of Carentan between the 101st Airborne Division vs. Fallschirmjager Rgt.6 and 17.SS=Pz.Gren.Div. 81 years ago today, my presentation on the ever intriguing WW2TV podcast: youtube.com/watch?v=tNPrxY…

The "Wheels of Liberation" collection is holding their annual open-house today and tomorrow (28-29 June 2025 just south of Gettysburg, PA. It emphasizes Polish WWII vehicles, but plenty of other stuff including US Army. A wonderful opportunity for anyone in range of Gettysburg .

Modeling History on the 1 Sep 1939 anniversary. An assortment of Polish AFVs in 1/35 scale.

I attended the annual Association of the US Army (AUSA) show in Washington DC today. Here's a few of the displays.

On the Road to La Fière Bridge: Normandy June 1944. A 1/35 scale vignette based on the new Tamiya 1/35 Hotchkiss H39 in the markings of Pz.Aus.u.Ers.Abt.100.

The last Soviet tank, the Obiekt 477, armed with a 152mm 2A73 gun. Prototypes tested in the late 1980s. Program collapsed in the 1990s due to lack of funding in independent Ukraine.