David Lippman

2 months ago | warfarehistorynetwork.com | David Lippman

By David H. LippmanSnow and biting cold covered American foxholes in the Vosges and the Alsace plain as GI wristwatches ticked down the last hours of December 31, 1944, awaiting the German attack. In their positions, American soldiers peered northward toward German West Wall fortified positions, into heavy woods, or tried to catch some sleep. Nobody felt like celebrating the opening of 1945 on the thin American lines.

Jan 20, 2025 | warfarehistorynetwork.com | David Lippman

By David H. LippmanOn February 19, 1945, nine British and Canadian divisions stood on the brink of victory after fighting their way through rain, mud, cold, and determined Germans to break through the Reichswald Forest between the Rhine and Maas Rivers—opening the way for the British assault into Germany’s heartland. “Operation Veritable” was one of British Field Marshal Sir Bernard Law Montgomery’s set-piece designs, which called for Gen.

Aug 22, 2024 | warfarehistorynetwork.com | David Lippman

By David H. LippmanShe was the lead ship of her class, built under the 1930 London Naval Treaty, which imposed limits on cruiser, destroyer, and submarine tonnage for the United States, Great Britain, and Japan. Four ships were built in the class, with Mogami slipping down the ways on March 14, 1934, at Kure Navy Yard. Mogami would go on to a lengthy but luckless career in the Imperial Japanese Navy.

Aug 15, 2024 | warfarehistorynetwork.com | David Lippman

By David H. LippmanIt was called “rodding,” and it was a complex manual procedure used by British cryptographers at Hut Eight in the Government Code and Cipher School at Bletchley Park to decipher Italian Naval Enigma coded messages. Unlike its more sophisticated German version, the Italian Enigma machine lacked a plugboard that increased the variations on a coded message. Since the Italian Enigma lacked the plugboard, it was easier to solve.

May 17, 2024 | warfarehistorynetwork.com | David Lippman

By David H. LippmanApprised of an approaching LCM full of VIPs, the beachmaster surveyed his busy dock full of ships loading and unloading troops and supplies at Red Beach on the Philippine island of Leyte. His authority over the beach absolute, he decided the ongoing work was more important than the “brass hats” and denied their request to land at the dock. The biggest “brass hat” in the Pacific–General Douglas MacArthur—was not amused.