John Curatola is the Military Historian at the Jenny Craig Institute for the Study of War and Democracy. A Marine Corps officer of 22 years, he graduated from the University of Nebraska and is a veteran of Operation Provide Hope in Somalia, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and the 2005 Indian Ocean tsunami relief effort. He holds masters’ degrees in both American and Military History. With a PhD from the University of Kansas, John’s research focuses upon World War II, airpower, and the early Cold War period. Previously he taught history at the US Army’s Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. His first book Bigger Bombs for a Brighter Tomorrow addressed the nature of the American atomic monopoly with his latest entitled, Autumn of Our Discontent, assessing US national security policy development in 1950. Additionally, his works are available in compendium books, popular magazines, and academic journals with his many presentations available for viewing on CSPAN and YouTube.
John Curatola, PhD
Military Historian

More from the Contributor
-
Article Type
Hitler's Precision Guided Bombs: Fritz X & Hs 293
German technology surpassed the Allies by also producing radio-guided weapons that worked in a combat environment. As early as 1943, the Henschel (Hs) 293 and the Ruhrstahl X-1 (Fritz X) were the first guided bombs employed in combat. These weapons debuted around the time of the Allied assault on Salerno and were a new concern for fleet defense.
-
Article Type
The Battle of Britain: The (Not So) Few
Churchill’s famous quip about the Royal Air Force’s “few” was inspirational, but Fighter Command wasn’t so few and even had several advantages.
-
Article Type
Schweinfurt–Regensburg Raid: August 17, 1943
The Eighth Air Force’s first penetrating strike into Nazi Germany was a bloody affair that provided lessons for both sides.
-
Article Type
Delivering the Atomic Bombs: The Silverplate B-29
Most people are aware that Boeing's B-29 Superfortress was the plane that made the first atomic attacks. However, the B-29s delivering America’s first atomic weapons were far from ordinary.
-
Article Type
Trinity: Why It Really Mattered
While most people are familiar with the names of “Little Boy” and “Fat Man” as the atomic weapons used over Japan, what they may not be familiar with was how different the respective technologies of each bomb were and why this difference mattered.
-
Article Type
Operation Gomorrah: The First of the Firestorms
The fire seemed to become a living entity, changing course at will, consuming everything in its path, and generating a heat that melted glass and cutlery and turned bricks to ash. For over four hours, Hamburg burned.
-
Article Type
Operation Husky: The Classroom for Amphibious Landings
Many of the tactics, techniques, and procedures used during the invasion of Sicily set a precedent for further development in Allied amphibious assaults in the European theater of operations.
-
Article Type
Private Mikio Hasemoto’s Belated Medal of Honor
Decades after his death, Mikio Hasemoto’s Distinguished Service Cross was upgraded to the Medal of Honor. A second-generation Japanese American serving in the segregated 100th Infantry Battalion, Hasemoto’s sacrifice was one of many initially overlooked because of race.
-
Article Type
James Jabara: The Unlikely Fighter Pilot
A first-generation American of Lebanese descent, James Jabara was intent on being a fighter pilot. Soon, the five foot five airman would make US military aviation history.
-
Article Type
Operation Vengeance: The Killing of Isoroku Yamamoto
US code breakers deciphering Japanese naval messages provided an opportunity for vengeance in April 1943 after intercepting the travel plans of Japan’s naval commander in chief, the mastermind behind the attack on Pearl Harbor.