AskHistorians

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What were the origins of the vicious rivalry between Imperial Japan’s Army and Navy?	15
The sheer volume of ordnance deployed in the Battle of the Atlantic is staggering: 200-300 lbs explosive for each depth charge, ~600 lbs of explosive for each German torpedo. Did either side ever struggle to produce enough explosives?	15
How was Israel able to decisively defeat the Arabs in 1948 despite being badly outnumbered and lacking a professional military? That’s like starting boxing on a Monday then winning by knockout on Saturday.	14
What role did West Berlin play in NATO war plans? Was protecting/reinforcing Berlin a priority, or was it basically written off as lost in the event of a general war with the Eastern Bloc?	14
Famed German rocket scientist Werner von Braun spoke fluent English, but with a peculiar accent. Why did von Braun’s English sound so different from most other native German speakers?	14
During WW2 there were more US Army soldiers in the Pacific theater than US Marines, but there were no Marines whatsoever in the European theater. What was the reason for this?	14
I’m a citizen of an ancient Greek city-state and I have, ironically, injured my Achilles tendon during army training. Are there any specialists for treating such injuries? Do I have any hope of recovery?	14
During the battleship Bismarck’s first & only mission, the Germans used divers to repair damage to the ship between engagements. What sort of diving capabilities did the Kriegsmarine have? Was diving a collateral or primary duty for German sailors?	14
Surrender was enormously disgraceful for a serviceman in Imperial Japan, but what about survival? Would a downed pilot or sailor from a sunk ship, if rescued, face similar stigma? Did any avoid rescue for this reason?	13
The popular belief that WW1 was an example of tactics failing to catch up with weapons technology has been heavily criticized & arguably debunked. What, then, caused such a prolonged stalemate on the Western Front?	13

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