Remembering the “Mukden Incident” of 1931 that Started World War II in Asia

written by Todd DePastino The September 18 History Museum in Shenyang (陳炬燵, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons) On September 18, 1931, the first seeds of catastrophe were sewn when a five-foot section of rail in the city of Mukden, China, sustained minor damage from small explosion. The so-called “Mukden Incident” was

VBC Magazine on Guadalcanal!

VBC member and Military Historian Jeff Ballard sent this wonderful photo from the American Memorial on Guadalcanal in the Soloman Islands last week. Note the latest VBC Magazine Jeff is holding. Jeff was there for the 81st Anniversary of the Battle of Guadalcanal, which occurred in August 1942. The battle was an early pivotal

Meet “Little David,” the World’s Largest Gun from World War II, and the Father-Son Team Keeping Its Memory Alive

written by Todd DePastino "Little David" was, by measure of caliber, the largest gun ever built (tied with the British 1857 Mallet's Mortar), and there's only one, housed for the time being at Fort Gregg-Adams (formerly Fort Lee) after its recent transport from Aberdeen Proving Grounds. The Veterans Breakfast Club recently heard

What’s Wrong with this WWII Jeep Prototype? A Lesson Learned at the Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh

By Todd DePastino Last night, Ben Wright, Larry Woods, and I all walked out of the Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh together after our 70th Anniversary of the Korean War Armistice Agreement Commemoration event. As we filed from the elevator through the first-floor Great Hall, we passed a much-treasured artifact from World War II:

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