A small boat rescues a seaman from the 31,800-ton USS West Virginia. Smoke rolling out amidships shows where the most extensive damage occurred.
[U.S. Library of Congress/fsa.8e00810]

When trade and resources turn to war

STORY BY STEPHEN J. THORNE

A bitter war between Japan and China, with vague similarities to the current Russia-Ukraine conflict, had been simmering and boiling over for a decade when the United States and the aggressor, Japan, began talks in early 1941 to try to end it.

Europe was already under Hitler’s thumb. In June, the Nazi dictator sent his forces east into Soviet Russia. The Allies’ supply lines were suffering unsettling losses to German U-boats in the North Atlantic, while Erwin Rommel was notching up victories and laying siege to the key port of Tobruk in oil-rich North Africa.

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Sergeant Bill Byers (left) and his identical twin, Sergeant George Byers, took part in one of the Second World Wars deadlier raids staged by No. 6 Group RCAF. [Commonwealth War Graves Commission]

British historian James Holland highlights Canada’s WW II contributions

STORY BY ALEX BOWERS

“We underestimate the Canadians” said British military historian James Holland in a 2022 episode of his podcast We Have Ways of Making You Talk, “they don’t get the credit they deserve for their part in the Second World War.”

The author of various non-fiction books, including Normandy ’44: D-Day and the Epic 77-Day Battle for France (2019) and the most recent Cassino ’44: Five Months of Hell in Italy (2024), has long respected Canada and Newfoundland for their tendency of “punching massively above their weight whether it be in the air forces, whether it be in the Battle of the Atlantic, whether it be on land.”

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RCAF Foundation launches children’s book on aviation

An armchair tour of HMCS Haida with Jared Shawcross

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Wang Guangjun, one of two Chinese fighters captured by Ukrainian forces in early April 2025. [SBU/SSU]

Chinese fighters take up positions alongside Russians in Ukraine

STORY BY STEPHEN J. THORNE

Ukrainian intelligence documents indicate at least 163 Chinese nationals have been fighting alongside Russian troops in Ukraine, and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says there are likely more.

The Kyiv Independent newspaper reviewed two documents, including one with photos, passport details and other information on 155 Chinese fighters. Another document detailed 13 Chinese recruits selected for service in the Russian army as of April 2, 2025.

U.S. intelligence sources told Reuters the fighters are mercenaries who don’t appear to have a direct link to China’s government. Beijing has always denied any direct Chinese involvement in the war since Russian forces invaded in February 2022.

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Aviation Nation: How Canadians Contributed to Flight and Space Around the World is a new children’s book from the RCAF Foundation. [RCAF Foundation]

RCAF Foundation launches children’s book on aviation

STORY BY ALEX BOWERS

“It seems like in the environment we’re in currently,” says the RCAF Foundation’s founding CEO, Jeremy Diamond, “it is even more important to make sure that we understand our stories, our background, our origins, and be proud of what we’ve done, while equally providing a space to be critical and introspective about some of the things we’ve done and achieved throughout our shared history as a nation.”

This is exactly what the RCAF Foundation itself strives for, established in 2021 to “recognize, foster and celebrate the Royal Canadian Air Force through community engagement, education programs and commemorative activities.” It began with a focus on marking the air force’s centenary in 2024. Nevertheless, Diamond’s hopes for the organization stretch well into the future.

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An armchair tour of HMCS Haida with Jared Shawcross

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Heroic Black doctor of the Halifax Explosion highlighted in new publication

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