While world attention turned to World War II’s more celebrated battles—especially on the Normandy beaches last summer—other 50th anniversary commemorations have honored lesser- known but equally bloody fights. In this issue, photojoumalist David Gaddis pays tribute to the veterans of these largely forgotten battles, from the very beaches and hills of obscure Pacific islands where they took place.
Our biggest coup in this issue comes from Russia, where two top submarine designers disclose the planning and execution of what became known in the United States as “the Whale.”
Jon Sumida reprises his presentation at a McCormick Foundation/Naval Institute Seminar, and Dale Andrade takes us to the headquarters of the Sino-American Cooperative Organization, an unorthodox U.S. naval group established to train Chinese guerrillas in World War II.
And finally, for those who wonder how the Navy arrived at the letters and numbers affixed to ship names, Samuel L. Morison launches the first in a five-part explanation of this often confusing evolution.