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Higgins PT Boat - The American side of the PT Boat wars of World War II are primarily remembered through the exploits of the men governing their ELCO PT systems against the vessels of the mighty Japanese Navy. However, the USN held two major designs as their standard PT boat and this included the ELCO 80-footer and the Higgins 78-foot. While ELCO represented most of the PT boats produced for the US Navy - with 326 total units in play - Higgins Industries of New Orleans was next with production totaling 199. A third manufacturer - Huckens Yacht Corporation - managed just 18 examples and these were mostly reserved for training crews and active patrolling in Hawaiian waters or near the Panama Canal Zone - never seeing combat like her sisters.

USS Bellatrix - This was an Arcturus-class attack cargo ship in the United States Navy during World War II and the Korean War. The ship was named after the star Bellatrix in the constellation Orion. The name means "warrioress," and the star is usually named as the 22nd brightest star in the northern hemisphere. Bellatrix was constructed in Tampa, Florida as a C2-T class merchant marine cargo ship for the Maritime Commission under the name Raven. In April 1941, the War Shipping Administration transferred control of the unfinished Raven to the U.S. Navy. She was reclassified as an AKA-3 attack cargo ship and launched in August under the command of W.F. Dietrich. Bellatrix served in the Pacific during 1942 and participated in the Battle of Guadalcanal by delivering troops and supplies to the initial attack on 7 August. She made two subsequent shipments to the island, bringing both cargo and reinforcements. In 1943 she became part of the Mediterranean Theater of Operations, participating in the Allied invasion of Sicily. A subsequent shipment to the Gilbert Islands was terminated due to engine failure; Bellatrix returned to San Francisco for repairs.

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B-17 Flying Fortress - This was the world’s first 4-engine long-range heavy bomber and was developed during the 1930s by Boeing for the United States Army Air Forces. The initial contract was for 200 bombers which were later renewed as war kicked off. It was heavily used for strategic bombing campaigns against German industrial complexes. It came with the concept that a bomber should be able to defend itself and came with eight gun positions, 13 heavy machine guns, operated by a total crew of 10. It had the capacity to carry almost 5 tons of bombs & munitions. This was also one of the fastest bombers during WW2 and could cruise at a speed of 406 km/h, a number much higher than the competition. The “Flying Fortress” was constantly used throughout the war and delivered massive blows to the Germans. It wasn’t used as extensively on the Pacific Front as it was on the German one. A number of variants were later developed by several nations who managed to acquire or capture B-17s in repairable shape.

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P-38 Lightning - the two turbocharged engines, range, firepower and the best aerodynamics of the era made the P-38 one of the top choices ever. Its only drawback was its altitude capabilities but even still, it dominated the Pacific. The P-38 had many roles which included dive bombing, ground-attack, level bombing, interception, recon, night fighting, evacuation mission, radar and visual pathfinding for bombers, and long-range fighting. It also saw most of its success in the Pacific and China-Burma-India Operations; it was used by the U.S.’ top ace pilots, Charles H. MacDonald (36 victories), Thomas McGuire (38 victories) and Richard Bong (40 Victories).

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The Soviet Union began and ended the war with more tanks than the rest of the world combined so, I thought it would only be fair to include the T-26 on the list. The T-26 tank was a Soviet light infantry tank used during many conflicts of the 1930s and in World War II. It was a development of the British Vickers 6-Ton tank and was one of the most successful tank designs of the 1930s until its light armor became vulnerable to newer anti-tank guns. It was produced in greater numbers than any other tank of the period, with more than 11,000 units manufactured. During the 1930s, the USSR developed 53 variants of the T-26, including flame-throwing tanks, combat engineer vehicles, remotely controlled tanks, self-propelled guns, artillery tractors, and armored carriers. Twenty-three of these were series-produced, others were experimental models.

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M1 Garand - The M1 Garand was the standard U.S. Army infantry rifle from 1936-1959. The semi-automatic rifle was often referred to as "the greatest battle implement ever devised" by General George S. Patton. Compared to other country's weapons, the M1 Garand was semi-auto compared to the bolt-action rifles, and it also retained higher accuracy. Not only that, but it also led to the Japanese strategy of a “banzai charge” being far less effective since they now faced an enemy with a high rate of fire. The M1 could also be accessorized with a bayonet or even a grenade launcher.

Colt 1911 - This weapon has now become one of the most popular handguns of all time and set the standard for the 20th Century pistol. This was the standard issue sidearm for U.S. Armed Forces from 1911 until 1986, the Colt 1911 has even been modified and for use in various service branches to this day. The Colt 1911 was developed by Browning during the Philippine-American War because troops needed more stopping power from their weapons. The .45 caliber rounds of the Colt offered just that. It was a reliable and powerful sidearm for U.S. infantry during World War II.

Thompson Submachine Gun - The United States produced over 1.5 million Thompsons during World War II. Already iconic for its U.S. prohibition-era use by both criminals and police, this recognizable weapon was especially treasured by paratroopers for its effectiveness in close-quarters combat. The model mass-produced for the U.S. Army, beginning in 1942, was the M1A1, which was simpler and cheaper. Usually equipped with a 30-round magazine, the Thompson fired .45 caliber bullets – very common for the U.S. forces at the time – and provided excellent stopping power.