Military Battle Zone

Matthias Soh

  • Japan’s fire balloons WW2

    One of the most secret weapons in the Pacific War, the Fu-Go balloon, is part of the Japanese Army’s long-term strategy in response to the US Doolittle raid. Designed to traverse the North Pacific Ocean and carrying explosives and anti-personnel… Continue reading

  • Britain’s “earthquake” bomb WW2

    One of Britain’s most memorable and formidable weapons of the Second World War, the British supersized “Earthquake” bomb was developed by aviation engineer Barnes Wallis to penetrate heavily fortified targets. The idea was conceived in 1941 when Barnes wrote a… Continue reading

  • German rocket U-boats WW2

    The rocket U-boats were a series of military projects by the German Kriegsmarine (German Navy) aimed at developing submarine-launched rockets that could be launched against sea or offshore targets. The first experimentation with the idea of rocket U-boats is the… Continue reading

  • Germany’s atomic bomb project WW2

    Codenamed Uranverin or “Uranium Club”, the secret Nazi project to develop the atomic bomb began when fission (breaking of atomic nuclei), a basic process of making nuclear weapons, was first discovered in December 1938 by German scientists Otto Hahn and… Continue reading

  • Pigeon guided missiles

    During the Second World War, the US Military needed to find accurate ways to guide its missiles for a precision strike on its targets. This is the centerpiece of Project Pigeon, an attempt by American psychologist B.F. Skinner’s to develop… Continue reading

  • Britain’s Nuclear land mine chickens

    As the Cold War sparked a nuclear arms race between East and West, Britain launched a top-secret operation to deter a potential Soviet invasion of Western Europe. The project: bury nuclear landmines across West Germany, powered by live chickens that… Continue reading

  • The Sun Gun WW2

    The German Sun Gun, also known as the “Sonnengewehr,” was an experimental and scientific weapon conceptualized by German physician Hermann Oberth that could concentrate enough sunlight onto Earth with a devastating effect. Looking like a real-life orbital space weapon seen… Continue reading

  • The CIA’s “Aswang”

    For centuries, Filipinos have upheld a strong superstition of supernatural entities that lurk in the night. One such monster is the Aswang, a vampire-like creature who can shape shift and feed on the bloodless corpses of unfortunate villagers and travelers.… Continue reading

  • Ghost Tape 10

    Imagine a Vietcong soldier resting for the night, only to be awoken by the anguish, disemboweled voices of his dead comrades. According to local folklore, it was believed that the spirits of the dead who were not properly buried were… Continue reading

  • The Bat bombs of WW2

    Codenamed “Project X-Ray”, the US Military’s bat bombs were small, experimental incendiary devices attached to live bats. The concept was the brainchild of Dr. Ltyle. S. Adams, a dental surgeon who was inspired by the behavior of free-tailed bats during… Continue reading