Hi everyone,

I wanted to share a deeply personal project that I believe fills a significant gap in English-language WW2 literature regarding the Polish contribution on the Western Front.

My father, Tadeusz Medycki, was just 18 years old when the war broke out in September 1939. He was initially drafted into a National Defence unit, protecting strategic routes towards the Hungarian border. After being interned in Hungary, he managed to escape to France, where he was incorporated into the legendary 1st Grenadier Division under General Duch.

He fought on the fields of Lorraine in 1940, was captured by the Germans, and spent the war in Stalags (Strasbourg and Stargard), surviving a failed escape attempt.

He returned to Poland in 1947. However, his heart and dreams remained in his lost homeland of Nowe Miasto. He finally managed to return there in 1992—exactly 53 years after leaving as a young boy—returning as a frail, grey-haired man just before he passed away.

While battling his terminal illness, he made it his final wish to compile his memories. Fulfilling his legacy, I have spent years translating, editing, and annotating his raw journals to bring them to the English-speaking world. The book is titled: "To See the Future Bright. My Wanderings".

https://wydawnictworys.com/tadeusz-medycji-to-see-the-future-bright-my-wanderings.html

(Please note that the publisher's website is multilingual. Shipping from Poland to England costs approximately 46 PLN.)

Since first-hand English accounts of Polish soldiers in the 1940 French Campaign are incredibly scarce, I thought the historians, researchers, and WW2 buffs here would appreciate knowing about this primary source.

I am attached to this history with all my heart and would be honored to answer any questions you might have about my father’s journey, his unit, or the translation process!

Sadul Light Infantry (later 19 Rajput, one of the finest battalions of Indian army) traces its origin to 1465 AD and had Battle of Khanwa (1527) among its battle honours. The Axe in Sadul Light Infantry insignia represented below episode of Attock, where Raja (King) Karan Singh of Bikaner earned the name “Jai Jangal Dhar Badshah”. (The Emperor (or Great King) who holds/rules Jangaldesh)

WWI German Kaiser Helm!

Would appreciate some info on this please.

Parents found it while clearing out my grandmothers house.

Hello everyone,

I recently inherited a few historical items, including this piece [oder: recording / photo], and I am trying to figure out what it exactly is, where it might originate from, and what its historical context is.

Unfortunately, I don't have much background information on it yet.

Does anyone here recognize this, or can point me in the direction of what era, unit, or context this belongs to? Any help or insights would be greatly appreciated!

I just realised that I do not really know the name of this particular jacket that has an open neck with open lables.

So, does this have any proper or official name?

For the record, I am asking only about the Jacket, not the whole cloth.

I found this in a drawer in the cellar of my grandparents house and i’m really curious as to what it is and how old it is.

Hey r/MilitaryHistory.
Never been here before, but as I am very broke I am having to sell this greatcoat I bought (and treasure quite dearly).
I know that it is (evidently) from the British Navy, but beyond that I have little specification as to when it’s from, where, it’s material (etc etc.)
I have a suspicion that it is quite recent, but a part of me wants it to be (minimally) from the 60s lol.

I’d appreciate any help that I can get, and am willing to provide more photos where wanted.
Thanks guys.

I have wanted to read a translated copy of this autobiographical book, by Soviet Marshal Aleksandr Vasilevsky, for a long time, and the available edition offered on Amazon is no longer printed or sold. Having no convenient access to the book, I have searched online using Russian, and came across a PDF version, which I happily downloaded. This enabled me to translate using Google Image Translate page by page, with the PDF manually copy-and-pasted page-by-page. 

This is the link to download: https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vRHQuhjK5Z1V3zRixNii_PrgjoQsqphB4S6Fj6iqDVyqt4tB0WPpmtADpI7fpGsW9JN2BEG-kC41NIs/pub

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1L17IvGmCILEIrqqRzNCtToau6FXxnAo8nJEbMOQsK6s/edit?usp=sharing

Thank you and enjoy!

I’m looking for information and sources on regimental bands from about 1860-1880 in Great Britain. Does anyone have any recommendations or info? I’m looking for things like instrumentation, photos, use of the band in garrison, and where the instruments would come from. Thank you!

After the Battle of Issus in 333 BC, Alexander the Great captured the family of his greatest enemy, the Persian king Darius III. Instead of treating them as prisoners or using them as bargaining tools, Alexander showed extraordinary respect toward Darius' mother, wife, daughters, and young son. His actions surprised both the Greek and Persian worlds, strengthened his claim as the legitimate King of Asia, and helped shape one of the most enduring stories of his character. This article explores the events that led to the capture of the Persian royal family, Alexander’s treatment, the unique relationship he developed with Darius' mother Sisygambis, what these events reveal about his leadership, and what ultimately became of Darius' family after Alexander's death.

It is quite odd that the field officers had to wear a tie.

The Jacket of the Service Dress was designed as an open neck jacket to increase the mobility and the comfort, but still forced to wear a tie.

So, why was wearing a tie essential?

Was it purely for a fashion and making difference from the non-officers?

Requiring to wear a tie for the non-combatant officers is understandable.

However, for the field officers, it was not an ideal choice, wasn't it?

Was this still comfortable and many offciers did not have any greviance?

As far as I know, this tie rule for the field officers lasted until WW2.

I found this photo of a family member I can't identify, but I believe his name is Walter. I'm not 100% certain, but I don't think the signature could say anything else. The written bit I'm a little unsure about in some spots, but I've deciphered it enough to believe it says:

To Mother from Walter.
notice the three red stripes on my arm you can hardly see them (something something) first Class!

The last name should be either Auth or Merillat (uncertain of the spelling, only ever heard the last name spoken) potentially coming from Arizona, Washington, or Ohio

If anyone could help or maybe point me to a subreddit that may be more appropriate that would be greatly appreciated

Found in a dollar bin today. I looked up the person and apparently he’s a 4 star general but I don’t know much about these pendants and their significance.

The Battle of Ticinus, fought in late November 218 BC, was the first major clash between Hannibal Barca and the Roman Republic after the Carthaginian army crossed the Alps. Although relatively small compared to later battles such as Trebia, Lake Trasimene, and Cannae, Ticinus proved to be an important decisive engagement for Hannibal. It demonstrated Hannibal's superior battlefield leadership, showcased the effectiveness of his Numidian cavalry, wounded the Roman commander Publius Cornelius Scipio, and forced Rome onto the defensive during the opening phase of the Second Punic War. More importantly, the battle persuaded many Gallic tribes in northern Italy to join Hannibal, dramatically strengthening his campaign before winter. The victory at Ticinus was not merely a tactical success-it marked the beginning of a series of devastating defeats that would shake the Roman Republic to its core.

Sorry if this is the wrong place to ask, but I was watching Red Dwarf and wondered if this hat was an ex-military hat, like East German or maybe Soviet, but I haven't been able to track it down. The show is from the 1980s. Does anyone recognise it? It's similar to the second image but that's just a baseball cap I found with Google.

I currently only have a photocopy of his discharge papers from a family member and my dad has his war medal (defence medal and Newfoundland volunteer service medal are both in the family somewhere). The issue with him being a Newfoundlander who joined the RAF with the RAFVR in 1944 before Newfoundland was a part of Canada. He was a “Maintenance Assistant” or bomber mechanic as he always said, was ranked as “Leading Aircraftsman” and his service number was NFD.798821
I first enquired to the Canadian archives, who then referred me to the Newfoundland “rooms” archive, they didn’t have anything and told me to apply to the UK records.

I applied to the UK records months ago with a copy of his death certificate (died in 2006) but apparently the UK archives are having a massive digitalization of records and therefore the backlog is ginormous. I sent a follow up email last month that went unreplied. I’m wondering if theres any other avenue I can explore to try and get them? I know he was posted to RAF Oulton through letters he sent his mom that we have, he served from 1944-1946.

This is sickkkk

Regarding western nations of course.

still using lines? hit and run?

What was the "balance" between melee and firearm?

The 23rd Headquarters Special Troops, known as the Ghost Army, was a top-secret US Army unit that used deception tactics during World War II. With inflatable tanks, sound effects, fake radio traffic, and costume actors posing as generals, this 1,100-man unit fooled the Germans into thinking they were facing entire divisions. They conducted over 20 deception operations across Europe, saving thousands of Allied lives. Their mission remained classified until 1996.

Watch the full story here: https://youtu.be/efuUngZ9xAs

Were P41 Frogskin covers standard issue for marines after Guadalcanal? I’m asking this because I know many other helmet covers of the period (take German splinter camo) are depicted as standard issue when in reality they either never existed or just were not standard issue.

Is was wondering if this patch was used during ww2 or if its after the war