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The Abdiel was an Abdiel-class British mine laying ship built by J. Samuel White. She was first commissioned April 15, 1941 and had a displacement of 2,650 tons. She was sunk September 10, 1943 by mines in Taranto Harbour.
Abercrombie (F109), HMS
The Abercrombie was a Roberts-class British monitor ship built by Vickers-Armstrongs. She was first commissioned May 5, 1943 and had a displacement of 8,536 tons. On December 24th, 1954, she was scrapped at Barrow-in-Furness, England.
Abukuma
The Abukuma was a Nagara-class Japanese light cruiser. She was first commissioned May 26, 1925 and had a displacement of 5,088 tons. After repeated attacks by U.S. Navy and air forces, she was sunk October 26, 1944 off Negros Island.
Acasta (H09), HMS
The Acasta was an A-class British destroyer built by John Brown & Company. She was first commissioned February 11, 1930 and had a displacement of 1,350 tons. On June 8, 1940, after holding her own against the more powerful and larger German ships Schamhorst and Gneisenau, she was eventually sunk.
ACG-1 Tank
Also known as The Renault AMC 35, these tanks were manufactured in France. It featured a 47 mm cannon and a coaxial MG. Although the Belgian army ordered 25 of this model, they only received 12 of them due to supply problems.
Achates (H12), HMS
The Achates was an A-class British destroyer built by John Brown & Company. She was first commisisoned March 27, 1930 and had a displacement of 1,350 tons. On December 31, 1942, she was sunk by the German heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper in the Battle of the Barents Sea, near Bear Island.
Acavus, MV
The Acavus was a British Merchant Aircraft Carrier, or “MAC” ship, built by Workman, Clark & Co. She was first commisisoned October 3, 1943 and had a displacement of 16,000 tons. Post-war, she was renamed Iacara and returned to merchant service. She was scrapped in Italy in 1963.
Acheron (H45), HMS
The Acheron was an A-class British destroyer built by the John I. Thornycroft & Company. She was first commissioned October 13, 1931 and had a displacement of 1,350 ons. She was sunk December 17, 1940 after hitting a mine near the Isle of Wright.
Achilles (70), HMNZS
The Achilles was a Leander-class British cruiser that served in the Royal New Zealand Navy and was built by Cammell Laird. She was first commissioned Octber 6, 1933 and had a displacement of 7,270 tons. She was sold the the Indian Navy in 1948 and was eventually scrapped June 30, 1978 at Bombay.
Active (H14), HMS
The Active was an A-class British destroyer built by Hawthorn Leslie & Company. She was commissioned February 9, 1930 and had a displacement of 1,350 tons. She was dismantled and sold for scrap in 1947.
Activity (D94), HMS
The Activity was a British escort aircraft carrier built by Caledon Ship Building and Engineering Company. In February 1941, she was renamed the Empire Activity. Originally built as a refrigerated cargo ship, she was commissioned October 15, 1942 and had a displacement of 11,800 tons. On March 25, 1946, she was sold into merchant service and was renamed the Breconshire. She remained in service for over twenty more years until sailing to Mihara for scrap on April 24, 1967.
Admiral Graf Spee
The Admiral Graf Spee was a German Deutschland-class cruiser. Due to its large caliber main gun, it was also classified by the British as a pocket battleship. Commissioned January 6, 1936, it had a displacement of 12, 100 tons. On December 17, 1939, it was scuttled in the Montevideo Harbour.
Adelaide (1918), HMAS
The Adelaide was an Australian Birmingham-class light cruiser built at Cockatoo Island Dock Yard. Commissioned August 5, 1922, she had a displacement of 5,560 tons. She was decommissioned May 14, 1946 and sold to Australian Iron and Steel for scrap.
Admiral Hipper
The Admiral Hipper was a German Admiral Hipper-class cruiser, built by Blom and Voss. It was commissioned April 25, 1939 with a displacement of 13,000 tons. It was scuttled in dock at Kiel Deutsche Werke May 2, 1945.
Admiral Scheer
The Admiral Scheer was a German Deutschland-class cruiser. Due to its large caliber main gun, it was also classified by the British as a pocket battleship. Commissioned November 12, 1934, it had a displacement of 12, 100 tons. On April 9, 1945, it was sunk by the RAF while in its home port of Kiel.
Adrias
The Adrias was a Hunt type III-class escort destroyer originally built for the Royal Navy. She was given to the Greek Royal Helenic Navy on July 20, 1942. Commissioned August 5, 1942, she had a displacement of 1,000 tons. On October 22, 1943, she struck a mine in the Dodecanese Islands. She was repaired and given back to the British who, in turn, sold her for scrap.
Adula, MV
The Adula was a British Merchant Aircraft Carrier, or “MAC” ship, built by Blythewoods. She was first commisisoned February 9, 1944 and had a displacement of 16,000 tons. Post-war, she was reconverted back to an oil tanker, as which she served as until scrapped at Briton Ferry May 16, 1953.
Aetos
The Aetos was a Greek Wild Beast-class destroyer purchased from the British in 1912. Commissioned October 19, 1912, she had a displacement of 1,050 tons. She was decommissioned in 1945 and eventually scrapped in 1946.
Airacobra
The P-39 fighter was manufactured by Bell Aircraft in the United States. Primarily used by the United States Army and Airforce, the Soviet Airforce and the Royal Airforce. Introduced in 1941 and produced from 1940 – 1944. Approximately 9,600 built.
Alan Brooke, Lord (1883-1963)
Field Marshal Alan Francis Brooke, 1st Viscount Alanbrooke, was one of Great Britain’s military leaders during WW II. He won special distinction for his leadership during the retreat to, and later from, Dunkerque, France after Belgium fell to Germany in May 1940.
Alexander of Tunis, Earl (1891-1969)
Field Marshal Harold Rupert Leofric George Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis, was responsible for organizing the evacuation of Allied troops at Dunkerque, France, in 1940. He later served as British Commander in Burma, the Middle East, and North Africa. Alexander directed the Allied campaigns in Sicily and Italy in 1943 and 1944, and was named Supreme Commander of the Allied forces in the Mediterranean. The same year, he became the youngest Field Marshal in the British Commonwealth.
The AMC 34 was a light tank originally built for the French army cavalry units, manufactured by Renault in France. It weighed 9 tons and had a top speed of 40 km/h (25 mi) with an operational range of 200 km (124 mi). Its main armament was a 47 mm gun which was capable of fighting enemy tanks. Production of the tank was cut short soon after it began in favor of the more heavily armored AMC 35. There were no AMC 34 vehicles in service by the time the Battle of France took place in June 1940.
The AMC 35 was a medium tank designed for the French cavalry and manufactured by Renault in France. It was developed as an improvement to the under-armored and slower AMC 34. It was one of the few French tanks of the time to feature a two man turret. Its primary armament was a 47 mm SA35 L/32 gun or FRC 47 mm gun and its secondary was a coaxial 7.5 mm Reibel machine gun or 7.65 mm Hotchkiss. It had a top speed of 42 km/h 161 km (26 mi). Produced from 1938 to 1940 with about 60 built and were used by France, Belgium and Germany, post-French invasion.
The P16 was a half-track that was manufactured by Schneider in France. Its primary armament was a 37 mm SA18 gun with a 7.5 Reibel machine gun as a secondary. Designed for trench crossing, it had a relatively low weight of 6.8 metric tons. It had a maximum speed of 50 km/h (31 mi) and a range of 250 km (155 mi). Produced between 1928 and 1931, there were approximately 100 built.
The Mitrailleuse de Reconnaissance Renault Modéle 1933 was a French light tank used by the French army in the Second World War. Manufactured by Renault in France, there were around 120 built. It weighed 5.5 metric tons with a top speed of 54 km/h (34 mi) and an operational range of 200 km (124 mi). Its primary armament was a 7.5 mm Mitrailleuse Mle 1931 and had a reserve gun that was sometimes used as an anti-aircraft weapon.
The Mitrailleuse de Reconnaissance Renault Modéle 35 was a French light tank used by the French army during World War II. Manufactured by Renault in France, it was an improved version of the AMR 33. Produced from 1936 to 1939, there were around 200 built that consisted of many different variations. Its primary armament was a 7.5 mm Reibel or 13.2 mm Hotchkiss machine gun. It had a speed of 55 km (34 mi) with an operational range of approximately 200 km (124 mi). Weighing 6.5 tons, it was one of the fastest tanks of its day. Most were lost during the first weeks of the Battle of France. For the remainder of the war, Germany made use of the few that were left.
Arizona (BB-39), USS
The Arizona was a Pennsylvania-class battleship of the United States Navy. The first ship to bear the name “Arizona”, she was built in the Brooklyn Navy Yard and launched June 19, 1915. With a displacement of 31,400 tons, she was the first and the last of the super dreadnaught battleships built. She is perhaps the most famous ship sunk on December 7, 1941 during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The wreckage still lies at the bottom of the harbor and was established as a memorial not only to the 1,177 lives lost on the ship, but as well as to those others who died during the Pearl Harbor attack.
Arnold, Henry Harley (1886-1950)
Henry Harley “Hap” Arnold, General of the Air Force, fought for expansion for U.S. air power before and during World War II. He became chief of the Army Air Corps in 1938 and U.S. Deputy Chief of Staff in 1940. Arnold was made Chief of the new Army Air Forces in 1941 and Commanding General in 1942. He was the only person to serve as General of both the Army and Air Force.
