Military Battle Zone

Matthias Soh

  • Project Z: Japan’s America bomber WW2

    Project Z was Japan’s ambitious attempt to develop a long-range, intercontinental bomber capable of reaching the United States of America during the Second World War. A similar counterpart to Germany’s “Amerika” bomber, Messerschmitt Me 264, the program started in 1942.… Continue reading

  • The SOE and exploding rats

    The British SOE (Special Operations Executive) used many inventive and exotic ways to disguise their explosive devices during the Second World War. One of these was a dead rat developed in 1941. The idea is that a SOE agent will… Continue reading

  • The Panzerschreck Anti-tank launcher

    The German Panzerschreck Anti-tank launcher, also known as the Raktetenpanzerbuchse 54, was inspired by US bazookas captured in North Africa. It was one of two Anti-tank launchers used by the German army, such as the Panzerfaust. Due to its effectiveness… Continue reading

  • Japanese Lunge mine WW2

    The Japanese use many ways to honor and commit to the ‘Bushido code’. From bayonets to high-profile suicide weapons like Kamikaze strike aircraft, Kaiten human torpedo submarines and the Shinyo motorboats, but an anti-tank stick? Yes. This modern take on… Continue reading

  • Japanese Ohka plane WW2

    The Japanese Yokosuka MXY7 Model 11 (Ohka or ‘Cherry Blossom’), codenamed ‘Baka’ by Allied troops, was a suicide attack aircraft used against Allied warships. Tested in October 1944, this rocket-powered gilder packed with 3000 pounds of explosives is designed to… Continue reading

  • German Goliath tracked mine WW2

    Also known as the “Doodlebug” or “Beetle” by Allied troops, the Sd. Kfz 302 and 303 Leichter Ladungstrager “Goliath” was a miniature, remotely controlled tracked mine that carried a 60kg explosive charge used for detonating various strongpoints or disrupt enemy… Continue reading

  • Anti-tank dogs of WW2

    During the Second World War, there were many ways to destroy a tank: anti-tank guns, rifles, grenades, and artillery, but dogs? Yes, the Soviet Red Army did use dogs strapped with an incendiary device weighing 10-12kg to disable and destroy… Continue reading

  • Monkeys used in warfare (Song dynasty)

    Many animals, like horses and elephants, in war were commonly used as war mounts for maneuver or ramming into enemy formations. However, some animals like monkeys are used for more unconventional means. For example, it was claimed that during the… Continue reading

  • Irish boy letter to Lord Kitchener 1914

    This letter is written by a 9 year old Irish boy, Alfie Knight, to the British Secretary of State for War, Lord Kitchener, who wants to volunteer for the British army as a dispatch rider, despite his adolescent age. Alfie… Continue reading

  • Crater fields in No man’s land by Otto Dix

    This painting or sketch was drawn by a WW1 German veteran, Otto Dix, as part of his 1924 monumental portfolio “Der Krieg,” showing a vast, barren field pockmarked with artillery shell craters that evokes the vibe of a hellish lunar… Continue reading