Zayn Malik Reveals the Real Reason He Left One Direction

Eight years after Zayn Malik left One Direction, he shared the true reason why he decided to go solo.

Zayn Malik was simply ready to live while he was still young.

In fact, as the One Direction alum—who formed the group with bandmates Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson in 2010—recently revealed, he knew the exact moment he needed to step away from the band five years after their debut.

“There was a lot of—look I don’t want to go into too much detail, but there was a lot of politics going on,” he said during the July 12 episode of the Call Her Daddy podcast. “Certain people were doing certain things, certain people didn’t want to sign contracts, so I knew something was happening, so I just got ahead of the curve. I was like, ‘I’m just going to get out of here. I think this is done.’”

As the 30-year-old explained, he was more than ready to take charge of his own career.

“I completely selfishly wanted to be the first person to go and make my own record, if I’m being completely honest with you,” the dad to daughter Khai, 2, (with ex Gigi Hadid) said. “I was like, ‘I’m going to jump the gun here for the first time.’”

And though he would usually describe himself as “passive,” the “Pillowtalk” singer said he’s the opposite when it comes to his music.

“I’m serious about it and I’m competitive, so I wanted to be the first to go and do my own thing,” he added. “That was the reason—and then there was obviously underlying issues, like within our friendships too.”

But that’s not all the X Factor alum had to share. Keep reading for all the bombshells from Zayn’s rare interview.

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Zayn Malik Addresses 2021 Incident With Yolanda Hadid

Zayn Malik and Gigi Hadid, who share 2-year-old daughter Khai, broke up in late 2021 amid reports he’d gotten into an argument with her mom Yolanda Hadid at the Pennsylvania home he shared with the model. According to a police report obtained by E! News that year, Zayn was accused of acting with “intent to harass, annoy or alarm” Gigi (who was not present) and Yolanda, while allegedly communicating “lewd, lascivious, threatening or obscene words.” At the time, Zayn denied the accusations and issued a statement, saying in part that he remained “vigilant” in protecting their daughter by giving her “the privacy she deserves.”

Nearly two years later, the singer stands by his statement.

“I knew what the situation was, I knew what happened and the people involved knew what happened too,” he told Call Her Daddy host Alex Cooper. “And that’s all I really cared about. If anybody of the same mind would look at the situation, I believe that you could respect that I just didn’t want to bring attention to anything. I just wasn’t trying to get into a negative back and forth with her—any sort of narrative online where my daughter was going to look back and be able to read into it and it would just be something, there was no point.”

As Zayn explained, he believes he dealt with the situation “in an amicable, respectful way.”

“And that’s all that needs to be said,” he continued. “I just I feel like it’s a lot of negativity.”

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Zayn Malik Discusses Co-Parenting With Gigi Hadid

The One Direction alum also discussed the importance of keeping personal issues private. “If something happens in the family, like I’d rather keep that between the family,” he shared. “You don’t need a whole audience of people and opinions because it’s hard enough to manage between two.”

As for his co-parenting relationship with his ex, Zayn noted that he and Gigi have a “really good” bond, confirming that he has 50 percent custody.

“I’m super full on, hands on with my child every chance I can be,” he explained. “If I could get 60 percent, I would have it.”

Ken McKay/Talkback Thames/Shutterstock

Zayn Malik Details One Direction Taking Off to Superstardom

To say One Direction was huge when they debuted as a group in 2010 would be a bit of an understatement. In fact, as Zayn recalled, everything for him and fellow bandmates Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson changed within an instant.

“It was kind of strange, the visual evidence of life changing like people being outside of the studio and stuff,” he said. “When we were in the live shows, we started to get a fan base and an audience, you could see that people paying interest in us. From that point on, it was kind of a bit crazy.”

So much so that Zayn now realizes that he didn’t take it all in at first.

“I don’t I comprehended it at all,” he said of the sudden fame. “It was a rush, it was fun and then repetitive fun over and over again and eventually it’s going to take its toll.”

Jason Merritt/Getty Images

Zayn Malik Reveals Why He Left One Direction

When Zayn left One Direction in 2015, he felt it was simply time for a change in direction.

“There was a lot of—look I don’t want to go into too much detail, but there was a lot of politics going on,” he said of the group. “Certain people were doing certain things, certain people didn’t want to sign contracts, so I knew something was happening, so I just got ahead of the curve. I was like, ‘I’m just going to get out of here. I think this is done.’…I completely selfishly wanted to be the first person to go and make my own record, if I’m being completely honest with you. I was like, ‘I’m going to jump the gun here for the first time.’”

Noting that he usually thinks of himself as a “passive dude,” Zayn admitted he takes a different approach when it comes to music.

“I’m serious about it and I’m competitive, so I wanted to be the first to go and do my own thing,” he continued. “That was the reason—and then there was obviously underlying issues, like within our friendships too.”

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Zayn Malik Explains How He Views One Direction Now

As Zayn explained, it was just a matter of growing pains.

“We’ve been together every day for five years and we’ve got sick of each other, if I’m being completely honest,” he added. “We were close. We done crazy things with each other that nobody else in the world will ever understand or have those experiences that we’ve shared with each other, and I look back on it now in a much fonder light than I would’ve as I just left. There were great experiences, I had great times with them, but yeah, we just run our course.”

Raymond Hall/GC Images

Zayn Malik Shares Why He Took a Break From The Spotlight

Zayn’s recent interview marks his first major sit-down in six years, and as the “Flames” performer revealed, his step back was a much-need break after being part of such a well-known group.

“I think that’s why I’ve took the time I have to not even necessarily do interviews and do too much press exposure because I feel like we were so overexposed in the band that it takes a bit of time for you naturally to progress as a human,” he said, “and give something else that is interesting that you have to say.”

As he put it, “You don’t want to be sat there just saying the same s–t on repeat, you know? I mean day in, day out, like, I think this should be a good healthy break in between—and that was my approach to it. I feel like in terms of figuring out what your identity is as an artist, the only way you’re going to do that is by living.”

Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images

Zayn Malik Shares How He Deals With Anxiety

Zayn shared that he suffers from anxiety, especially when it comes to performing in front of thousands of fans. But he’s found a new sense of bravery since being becoming a dad.

“For me, since I’ve had my daughter, since she was born, the main thing in my mind is trying to be a good example to her, in terms of—I can do things,” he shared. “I can achieve things and I can overcome things and you could do this too. And to let things like a feeling stop you from doing that, after having a child, feels like a really small thing.”

As he noted, “I used to get a lot of anxiety around having a conversation and I want her to be able to look at me be like, ‘My dad’s doing this, he’s the man. He’s cool.’”

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Zayn Malik Describes His Unbreakable Bond With His Daughter

“When I’m with her, I don’t work like at all,” he shared. “I just spend a full day with her doing things that she wants to do. We just have fun and I feel like I’ve like rekindled my own childhood through her. I feel like we get to a certain point in in adult life where everything’s kind of vague and gray and boring and she’s brought that color back for me for sure.”

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Zayn Malik Explains Why He & Gigi Hadid Live in Pennsylvania

For Zayn, a quiet place to call home is what makes life beautiful.

“It’s interesting,” he said. “I ended up coming out here with my ex a bit, and I fell in love with it. It was just super calm and chill. And I just wanted to like take a break from like the busy city because  I was living in New York for three years at the time and it just got a bit overwhelming.”

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Zayn Malik Says New Music Will Feature Mentions of Daughter Khai

The “Dusk Till Dawn” singer revealed his forthcoming album will feature a sweet source of inspiration.

“I’m doing a record I don’t think people are really going to expect,” Zayn teased. “It’s a different sound for me and it’s got some more narrative going on, like real life experiences and stuff. So, yeah, my daughter’s mentioned in there a couple of times.”

After stealing the spotlight and our hearts on The X-Factor in 2010, One Direction skyrocketed to superstardom. Following Zayn Malik’s departure in 2015 and the group’s breakup in 2016, here’s what the five former bandmates have been up to since

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Liam Payne

SHIRLAINE FORREST/WIREIMAGE; MIKE MARSLAND/WIREIMAGE

After One Direction’s split, Liam Payne released his first solo EP, First Time, in 2018, followed by his debut studio album, LP1, the following year.

Payne and English singer and X Factor judge Cheryl Fernandez-Versini — formerly of the girl group Girls Aloud — began dating in late 2015. They welcomed son Bear Grey in 2017, but in July 2018, Payne and Cheryl announced their split on social media after more than two years together.

Two years later, the “Strip That Down” singer became engaged to model Maya Henry, his rep confirming the news to PEOPLE in August 2020 after Henry was spotted out and about in London wearing a massive diamond ring. The pair were first romantically linked in August 2018.

However, Payne revealed in June 2021 that he and Henry called off their engagement. While the couple rekindled their relationship and got engaged a second time, they ultimately split again in May 2022.

After rumors swirled of a romance between Payne and influencer Kate Cassidy in November 2022, the pair made their red carpet debut as a couple at the British Fashion Awards in December of that year. In February 2023, Payne and Cassidy were spotted together at Netflix’s BAFTAs afterparty in London.

Payne has also been open about his dependency on alcohol in the past, spurred by his newfound One Direction superstardom.

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Harry Styles

GARETH CATTERMOLE/GETTY; DIA DIPASUPIL/GETTY

Oh, Harry Styles, how we adore you! Following the band’s breakup, Styles released his self-titled debut album in 2017. In 2019, he returned with his second album, Fine Line, spawning the song of summer, “Watermelon Sugar,” in 2020 and earning him his first Grammy Award in 2021. He released his third album, Harry’s House, in 2022, winning two Grammys in 2023, including album of the year. Styles boasts seven top 10 hits in the UK, counting his two No. 1 hit singles: “Sign of the Times” (2017) and “As It Was” (2022).

The singer-songwriter made his film debut in 2017’s Dunkirk and joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe with a surprise cameo in 2021’s Eternals. He also starred in 2022’s My Policeman and is renowned for his fashion choices, becoming the first man to land a solo cover of Vogue.

Styles initially kept details of his love life private, though he had a brief relationship with Taylor Swift from 2012 to 2013. He and Kendall Jenner also made headlines with their long-rumored, on-and-off romance. In 2021, he began a high-profile relationship with actress and filmmaker Olivia Wilde, with whom he costarred in her sophomore directorial effort Don’t Worry Darling in 2022.

Wilde and Styles split in November 2022 after two years together, but a source told PEOPLE in February 2023 the exes have remained “good friends.”

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Zayn Malik

MIKE MARSLAND/WIREIMAGE; JOHN SHEARER/GETTY

As the first member to leave the band in 2015, Zayn Malik set out to “be a normal 22-year-old who is able to relax and have some private time out of the spotlight.” He’s since released three solo albums: 2016’s Mind of Mine, 2018’s Icarus Falls and 2021’s Nobody Is Listening. He had a No. 1 hit in 2016 in the U.S. and the UK with his single “Pillowtalk.”

Malik was previously engaged to Little Mix singer Perrie Edwards before breaking things off in 2015. That same year, Malik began an on-and-off relationship with model Gigi Hadid. Though the two welcomed daughter Khai in September 2020, the couple seemingly split for good after Malik was accused of “striking” Hadid’s mom, Yolanda Hadid, in October 2021. Malik later pleaded no contest to the charges and received 360 days of probation.

Malik and Hadid continue to co-parent their daughter.

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Louis Tomlinson

GARETH CATTERMOLE/GETTY; ZACH PAGANO/NBC/NBCU PHOTO BANK VIA GETTY

Louis Tomlinson, the oldest member of the boy band, was also the first to become a father, welcoming his first child, son Freddie Reign, in January 2016 with ex Briana Jungwirth. In 2017, he released two singles, “Back to You” and “Just Like You,” before returning to The X Factor UK as a judge on season 15. In 2020, Tomlinson released his debut solo album, Walls, and his sophomore album, Faith in the Future, was released in 2022.

Since the band split, the singer has faced several family tragedies, including losing his mother to cancer in December 2016 and his 18-year-old sister Félicité dying after a suspected cardiac arrest in March 2019.

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Niall Horan

GETTY; GARETH CATTERMOLE/GETTY

Irish singer Niall Horan has enjoyed a successful solo career, starting with blessing fans with his album Flicker and his single “Slow Hands” in 2017. In 2020, he released his sophomore album, Heartbreak Weather, with the lead single “Nice to Meet Ya.”

Horan’s third album, The Show, was released in 2023, the same year he joined The Voice as a judge and coach on season 23.

On the romance front, he and actress-singer Hailee Steinfeld were romantically linked in February 2018, but PEOPLE confirmed the couple’s breakup in December of that year. Horan otherwise has had quite the dating history and has been in a relationship with Amelia Woolley since 2020.

Liam Payne Celebrates One Direction’s ‘What Makes You Beautiful’ Nearing 1 Billion Streams: ‘Miss You Boys’

“I’m so happy that for 5 years we made such a great soundtrack to life,” the singer wrote on Instagram

Liam Payne and his former One Direction bandmates. Photo:Dave Benett/Getty Images; Karwai Tang/WireImage

Liam Payne is feeling nostalgic for his boy band days.

The “Strip That Down” singer, 29, took to Instagram to share that he and his former group, One Direction, are approaching a special milestone.

“What Makes You Beautiful,” the British boy band’s first-ever single — which they released in 2011 following their formation on The X Factor — has reached nearly 1 billion streams.

To commemorate the occasion, Payne shared an alternative album cover of band’s first album Up All Night, alongside which he wrote, “Wow I just got told we’re about to make a billion streams on wmyb.”

“Never in the making of this song so early in our career did I think I would be looking at those numbers,” he continued. “What an achievement boys!”

Payne added that he is “so lucky” to share the milestone not only with his former bandmates Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson, but “this amazing fanbase everyday.”

“I’m learning about myself and what was all of this for,” he continued. “But now when I listen back and think of the power we all had including you as a fanbase I’m so happy that for 5 years we made such a great soundtrack to life.”

One Direction – “What Makes You Beautiful” Music Video.Courtesy of Columbia Records

Payne added that this soundtrack was “for myself and everyone who got to listen” and share “laughter pain and everything in between.”

“Miss you boys,” he concluded. “Lots of love me x.”

One Direction broke up in late 2015 after Malik, 30, announced his departure from the band earlier in the year.

While the boys, each of whom embarked on a solo music career post-split, have each commented on their time in the band, Payne has made lots of headlines in recent years for his One Direction-related remarks.

Liam Payne performing on ‘Good Morning America’ with One Direction in 2015. Al Pereira/WireImage

A year ago, the “For You” singer appeared on Logan Paul’s Impaulsive podcast and spoke critically about his former bandmates, namely Malik. “There’s many reasons why I dislike Zayn and there’s many reasons why I’ll always, always be on his side,” he said in the June 2022 appearance.

Payne has since apologized for his comments, retracting them last month via a YouTube video in which he also revealed he is now sober after spending 100 days in rehab.

“A lot of what I said came from the wrong place,” he admitted in the emotional video. “I was so angry at what was going on around me and instead of taking a look inwards, I decided to look outwards at everybody else and I took it out on everybody else, which is just wrong, really … I want to apologize for that because that’s definitely not me.”

In the same video, the singer — who has since exchanged friendly remarks with Malik via Instagram comments — added that his former bandmates were there for him when he was experiencing extreme low points. “When I needed them most they kind of came to my rescue,” he shared.

The singer has also shown support for bandmates Tomlinson, 31, and Styles, 29, this year.

After attending the London premiere of Tomlinson’s documentary All of Those Voices in March, Payne shared a heartfelt Instagram post dedicated to the “Walls” singer.

One Direction members Liam Payne, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles and Niall Horan.

In the now-deleted post, Payne apologized for being “out of my mind” and not being “as good of a friend as you have been to me” adding that he is going to “try and make amends.”

“I’m so thankful to have you in my life mate,” he wrote. “I feel so lucky and I know you know this but you were part of a small group of people that literally saved my life, you dragged me out of something so dark I’ve never shared it, but your approach is something I admire and aspire to so I can one day do the same.”

The singer also shared an Instagram tribute to Styles after the “As it Was” singer won the award for album of the year for Harry’s House at the 2023 Grammy Awards.

“Wow… this image is really something to wake up to and when you write music like you do Harry you deserve every millisecond of that moment looking down smiling at the trophy you’ve earned,” he captioned the post. “God bless you brother congratulations.”

Liam Payne’s girlfriend ‘manifested’ relationship with One Direction star 14 years ago

Liam Payne’s girlfriend claims she is the “best manifester” as the One Direction star appeared in the same childhood bedroom where she had made art projects in his image over a decade ago.

Liam Payne issue emotional message after tour cancellations

Liam Payne’s girlfriend, Kate Cassidy, seems to be living every fangirl’s dream as she took her beau back to her childhood home yesterday where she realised their relationship might all be down to the power of manifestation.
The 24-year-old started off a TikTok clip saying: “I’m the best manifester and I’m going to show you why.”

The influencer candidly revealed a sweet little art project she’d made a staggering 14 years ago when Liam first sprung to global stardom as part of the hit British boyband One Direction.

The then-10-year-old drew Liam on a popsicle stick, and while she admitted she didn’t know why she had done it at the time, it now seemed to be a form of manifesting her destiny.

Teasing her followers, Kate turned the camera around to show Liam lying in the same childhood bedroom where she had made her fanart and gently bopped him with the popsicle stick.

Cuddling the pop star in a loved-up display, the 24-year-old giggled: “Careful what you wish for!”

Viewers were in utter disbelief at the “crazy” scenario with a few requests streaming in for Kate to “manifest a One Direction reunion”.

One fan couldn’t believe how Kate “just casually has Liam Payne in her bedroom,” while others compared her situation to fanfiction romance novels.

Kate and Liam confirmed their relationship in the public eye last October when they appeared together at the British Fashion Awards after months of rumours about their blossoming romance.

However, there were a few critics who claimed the influencer had hidden motives for dating Liam, but the Wolverhampton-born star quickly came to Kate’s rescue.

Shortly after their relationship went public, Liam shared a screenshot of one of his followers warning him on Instagram that Kate only wanted his money, writing on his story according to the Daily Mail: “Gotta say you could tell me anything and I couldn’t be turned,” he wrote in response. “I’ve never felt a love like I do for Katelyn. We make each other better people.”

“If it was just for the money I’d give her all of it. It’s not though (please remember I’m hella sexy) and I know I’m fun and a loveable person. And I don’t give a f**k to say that for the first time in my life I’m happy to be me and that’s priceless.”

Their lowkey relationship also saw the couple landing in hot water earlier this year as many fans believed they had parted ways simply because they hadn’t been seen together in months, but their recent loved-up appearances assured that isn’t the case.

Kate has also been a direct line for fans to the 30-year-old musician as he struggled with his health in recent months after a kidney infection forced him to cancel his tour.

His beloved partner has since been keeping fans duly updated on Liam’s hospitalisation and recovery, assuring that he’s “in good hands” and on the mend.

New Book Will Reveal Never-Before-Shared Secrets of Life with The Beatles

Coming in April 2024, ‘All You Need Is Love: An Oral History of The Beatles’ promises to reveal previously unknown details about the band’s history and breakup

The Beatles. Photo:getty

The Beatles have inspired countless books over the decades. Even though it’s been more than six decades since their formation in 1960 Liverpool, the band continues to fascinate — for both its music and its stories. The band’s 1970 breakup — why it happened (and who if anyone is to blame) — has lingered as a point of debate among Beatles fans.

A new book promises to reveal previously unknown details about the band’s story, including that devastating breakup. All You Need Is Love: An Oral History of The Beatles, by Peter Brown and Steven Gaines, will be published by St. Martin’s Press on April 9, 2024, the press announced Wednesday.

The Beatles.Bettmann/Getty

Brown and Gaines previously collaborated on the 1983 bestseller The Love You Make: An Insider’s Story of the Beatles, which chronicled the rise and fall of the iconic band, including the often complicated relationships among its four members: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.

For the new book, the pair have mined archival interviews with members of The Beatles, as well as with the women who were among their inner circle, including Yoko Ono, Cynthia Lennon, Pattie Harrison Clapton and Maureen Starkey.

Brown is himself a long-time Beatles insider, having known the Fab Four since their early days as a band; he was best man when Lennon and Oko married in 1969. Steven Gaines is a journalist and author whose books also include Heroes and Villains: The True Story of the Beach Boys and the memoir One of These Things First.

All You Need Is Love is currently available for pre-order.

The ex-Beatle shared archived photos that allude to his late bandmate’s troubled childhood

John Lennon and Paul McCartney in 1963. Photo:Fox Photos/Getty

Paul McCartney got exceptionally candid about his former Beatles bandmate, John Lennon, last week at the 2023 Tribeca Festival.

On Thursday, the 81-year-old English musician shuffled through aged Beatles photos with Conan O’Brien, 60, for a live recording of O’Brien’s podcast, Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend. When the former late-night talk show host queued up a photo of the late John Lennon, he noted hints of vulnerability and anxiety in Lennon’s expression.

“I don’t know about the anxiety, but vulnerability is very true,” McCartney told O’Brien, explaining that Lennon endured many “minor tragedies” at the beginning of his 40-year life.

“As a kid, his mother was decreed to not be good enough to bring him up… His father had left the home when John was 3. So that’s not too wonderful,” he recalled. “It made me realize why he had that vulnerability. I always admired the way he dealt with it because I’m not sure I would deal with the stuff he went through that well.”

Last week, McCartney announced the creation of what he calls “the final Beatles record,” which uses artificial intelligence to extract Lennon’s voice from old demos. The singer was shot and killed in December 1980 at the age of 40.

Paul McCartney and John Lennon in 1963.Val Wilmer/Redferns

McCartney and O’Brien sat down at the Storytellers panel to talk about the musician’s upcoming book titled 1964: Eyes of the Storm, which features 275 recently discovered photographs taken by McCartney from the end of 1963 to the beginning of 1964 — the explosive period in which the Beatles sensationalized and cemented their place in music history forever.

Paul McCartney and John Lennon in 1964.William Vanderson/Fox Photos/Getty

The photos will also be on display at the U.K.’s National Portrait Gallery in London from June 28 to Oct. 1. In a release about the exhibit, McCartney said the decades-old photos have an air of innocence about them.

“They now bring back so many stories, a flood of special memories, which is one of the many reasons I love them all, and know that they will always fire my imagination.”

M1 8 in (203 mm) howitzer
M115 8 in (203 mm) howitzer

The M115 8 in (203 mm) howitzer, which was replaced by the M110 self-propelled howitzer, is a towed weapon developed prior to World War II as a heavy artillery weapon. The weapon uses NATO standard 203mm ammunition, and was used during World War II, in Korea, and in Viet Nam. In NATO service their prime mission was to fire nuclear rounds which have since been phased out of service.

The first American attempt to develop a 203mm gun had failed in the early 1920’s due to budgetary constraints. During World War I the US Army had determined that an 8″ field gun would be desirable, in 1919 a specification for this weapon was founded but all work was suspended in 1924.

The project was relaunched in 1939 as an answer to the German 17cm K18. Intended to be used in conjunction with the 240mm M1 howitzer, it shared with it many components, among them the mount and the breech. The 8″ Howitzer was the “partner piece” to the American 155mm gun, in that both used the same carriage to mount different barrels for different roles.

Tests of the prototype T3 howitzer began at Aberdeen Proving Ground in 1939 and the howitzer entered service as the 8 in Howitzer M1. The prototype T2 took a long time before being standardized as the M1 in January of 1944. The inner surface of the barrel was subjected to a high erosion by its shells, which increased dispersion and was detrimental to accuracy. Although it could fire further and launched a heavier shell than its German counterpart, production numbers remained limited and it was usually confined to training duties. The wheels are removed from the carriage when in use and it takes some time to prepare the M1 for travel or to place into a new firing position. the carriage is designed for high speed travel.

The answer to the German 170-mm. gun was the 8-inch gun, which had a range of 35,000 yards, outranging the 170-mm. by about 5,000 yards. The Caliber Board Report of 1919 had recommended the development of a long-range 8-inch gun along with the long-range 240-mm. howitzer, and the Chief of Field Artillery had asked the Chief of Ordnance in January 1940 to procure pilot models of both, but the Army’s interest in heavy artillery had lapsed in the early years of the war when the Germans were demonstrating so spectacularly the effectiveness of dive bombers and tanks. It revived after Tunisia, where the U.S. forces had come up against the 170-mm. gun for the first time. Returning from North Africa, General McNair on 15 May 1943 had stated, “Instead of artillery becoming an arm which is tending to fade out of the picture under the pressure of air power or tanks, it is there in the same strength and importance that it had in the [first] World War.”

The 240-mm. howitzer was standardized in the spring of 1943, the 8-inch gun in December 1943. General McNair considered the ammunition for the 8-inch gun unsatisfactory; there was also trouble with the carriage. Though originally it was thought that the same mount could be used for both the heavy howitzer and the gun, the 65-degree elevation for the howitzer could not be accommodated to the plus 10-degree elevation of the gun, and therefore another carriage for the gun had to be devised.

Field Artillery officers wanted to wait until the gun and carriage were improved before sending them to the battlefield. The Ordnance Department took the position that although improvements were desirable, the guns ought to get into action. General Campbell urged General Somervell early in July 1943 to speed the production of the 8-inch gun as well as the 240- mm. howitzer; a few days before Salerno General Barnes, the head of Ordnance’s Research and Development Division, told the AGF Ordnance officer that the guns were all right “and not to be using them is wasting a tremendous amount of firepower which is definitely needed in operations on the continent.”

It took Anzio Annie to clinch the argument, for until she spoke the theater was in no hurry for the big gun. When Brig. Gen. Gordon M. Wells, chief of Ordnance’s Artillery Division, visited the Cassino front during Christmas week 1943 he noted that the German 170-mm. gun outranged all Allied artillery in the theater, making it necessary to move the 155-mm. guns far forward for effective counterbattery action; that the 8-inch gun would no doubt provide the proper remedy; and that Fifth Army, though still concerned about the transportation problem, intended to request 8-inch guns “as soon as they are ready for issue.”

Four 8-inch guns arrived in Italy at the end of April 1944 and were assigned to the 240-mm. howitzer battalions. Two went to the Cassino front, two to Anzio. The ammunition for them arrived just in time for the big guns to add their roar to the great salvo from Cassino to the sea that heralded the beginning of the battle for Rome on 11 May. They silenced 170-mm. guns emplaced deep in enemy territory; they harassed areas the Germans had hitherto considered safe; and to intensify the effect on the enemy’s morale, Ordnance troops had bored holes in the windshield of the shell to produce a scream.

In the Anzio breakout, beginning 23 May, the 8-inch guns shattered power and railway stations in Albano, cratered roads, and generally hampered the retreat of the Germans. In moving the big guns and howitzers forward on both fronts in the drive for Rome, the T2 tank recovery vehicle justified the confidence the Ordnance Department had placed in it. The use of the 8-inch guns and 240-mm. howitzers on the Italian front was nevertheless comparatively brief. After the capture of Rome, the shipment of guns to the high-priority European theater began and by November 1944 none of the 8-inch guns and 240-mm. howitzers were left in Italy.

The original WW2 M1 series (which became the M2 with some manufacturing improvements) put a 95lb/42kg HE shell to 25,000 yards/23km while the 8″ – also designated M1 and later M2 – fired its heavier 203mm calibre 200lb/90kg shell to 18,000 yards/17km. Both guns were the mainstay of American and allied heavy artillery units and served for many years post-war with US forces as well as being widely distributed to America’s allies.

After the Second World War the complete weapon was redesignated the Howitzer, Heavy, Towed: 8 in: M115. They were redesignated as M115 for the 8″ and this gun was used in its original 25 calibre format in the early model M110 series self-propelled guns. As such it served for many years, with the M115 in towed form being still in service in the 1990s which shows what a solid and reliable gun it was. It was also capable of firing nuclear rounds. Its 155mm partner was also used for many years, under its new title of M59. The same carriage was also adopted by the British Army to mount the 7.2″ Howitzer Mk 6.

Variants of the M110 with a longer barrel include the M110A1 (no muzzle brake) and the M110A2 (fitted with muzzle brake). In most countries the M115 and the M110 have been phased out of service due to short range. The carriage of the 8 in howitzer is also used to mount the 155 mm Gun M1 (Long Tom), which is still in use with some armies.

The carriage consists of equilibrator assemblies, elevating and traversing mechanisms, two single-wheel, single-axle heavy limber, two-axle bogie with eight tyres and two trails. Four spades, carried on the trails, are used to emplace the weapon. In recent years some armies have towed the weapon without the limber.

Just a year after she was born in 1902, Albert Einstein’s daughter Lieserl Einstein suddenly vanished from the historical record — and until 1986, no one even knew she existed.

Public DomainAlbert Einstein and Mileva Marić with their first son, Hans, in 1904, two years after Lieserl Einstein was born.

Albert Einstein was one of the greatest physicists in history. But for years, parts of his private life remained hidden — including the fact that he had a daughter, Lieserl Einstein.

Why was Lieserl a secret? Because she was born out of wedlock. In 1901, Mileva Marić, a physics and mathematics student with Einstein at the Zurich Polytechnic, left the school and returned home to Serbia, giving birth to a daughter the following year. In 1903, Einstein and Marić married.

But then, Lieserl Einstein disappeared. And she remained hidden until well after both Marić’s and Einstein’s deaths in 1948 and 1955. It wasn’t until discovering decades-old personal letters between the two in 1986 that Einstein’s biographers even learned that she existed at all.

So, what happened to Lieserl Einstein, Albert Einstein’s only daughter?

Albert Einstein with his step-daughter Margot at the opening of the Jewish Pavillion at the World’s Fair in Flushing Meadows in Queens.

The Mystery Of Albert Einstein’s Forgotten Child

Lieserl Einstein was born on Jan. 27, 1902, in the city of Újvidék in what was then the Kingdom of Hungary in Austria-Hungary and is today part of Serbia. And that is just about all researchers know for sure about the life of Albert Einstein’s daughter.

Her disappearance was so complete that historians never learned about Einstein’s daughter until 1986. That year, early letters between Albert and Mileva surfaced. Suddenly, scholars discovered references to a daughter called Lieserl.

Ann Ronan Pictures/Print Collector/Getty ImagesAlbert Einstein with his first wife Mileva Marić, c. 1905.

On Feb. 4, 1902, Albert Einstein wrote to Mileva Marić, “I was scared out of my wits when I got your father’s letter because I had already suspected some trouble.”

Mileva had just given birth to Einstein’s first child, a daughter they referred to as Lieserl. At the time, Einstein lived in Switzerland, and Marić had returned to her hometown in Serbia.

“Is she healthy and does she already cry properly?” Einstein wanted to know. “What kind of little eyes does she have? Whom of us two does she resemble more?”

The physicist’s questions went on and on. Finally, he said, “I love her so much and I don’t even know her yet!”

Albert asked Mileva, “Couldn’t she be photographed once you are totally healthy again?” He begged his lover to make a drawing of his daughter and send it to him.

“She certainly can cry already, but to laugh she’ll learn much later,” Einstein mused. “Therein lies a profound truth.”

But when Mileva joined Albert in Bern, Switzerland, to be married in January 1903, she did not bring Lieserl. The child seemingly vanished from all historical records. Lieserl Einstein became a ghost. In fact, not a single letter dated after 1903 contained the name Lieserl.

Searching For Lieserl Einstein

When scholars learned that Albert Einstein had a daughter named Lieserl Einstein, the search for information about her began. But historians could not find a birth certificate for Lieserl Einstein. Not a single medical record remained. They could not even find a death certificate referencing the child.

Even the name “Lieserl” was likely not her real name. Albert and Mileva referred variously in their letters to a “Lieserl” and a “Hanserl,” generic gendered German diminutive names, when referring to their desires of having a girl or a boy — somewhat similar for hoping for a “Sally” or a “Billy.”

Left with a mystery, historians tried to piece together clues about what happened to her.

ETH LibraryMileva and Albert with their first son, Hans.

Albert Einstein and Mileva Marić were unmarried when they had Lieserl. The pregnancy disrupted Mileva’s plans. She had been the only woman in Einstein’s class at Zurich Polytechnic. But after learning of her pregnancy, Mileva withdrew from the program.

Albert’s family never approved of Mileva. “By the time you’re 30, she’ll already be an old hag,” Einstein’s mother warned of the woman who was just three years older than him.

Despite his family’s misgivings, Albert married Mileva. But only after leaving Lieserl behind in Serbia, where Mileva’s family cared for her.

Einstein had a motive to hide his illegitimate daughter. Working in a Swiss patent office, an out-of-wedlock child could halt his career before it began.

Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty ImagesMileva Marić and Albert Einstein in 1912, two years before they separated.

The last reference to Lieserl in Einstein’s letters comes in September 1903. “I’m very sorry about what has befallen Lieserl,” Albert wrote to Mileva. “It’s so easy to have lasting effects from scarlet fever.”

Lieserl had apparently come down with scarlet fever around 21 months old. But Einstein’s letter implies she survived. “If only this will pass,” he wrote. “As what is the child registered? We must take precautions that problems don’t arise for her later.”

The scant clues left scholars with two theories: either Lieserl died as a child or the Einsteins gave her up for adoption.

What Happened To Lieserl Einstein?

In 1999, author Michele Zackheim published Einstein’s Daughter: The Search for Lieserl. After years spent searching for clues and interviewing Serbians about family trees, Zackheim developed a theory.

According to Zackheim, Lieserl had been born with unknown developmental disabilities. Mileva Marić left Lieserl behind with her family when she traveled to Bern to marry Albert. Then, some months before her second birthday, Lieserl died.

Hebrew University of JerusalemMileva Marić and her two sons, Hans Albert and Eduard.

It’s possible that Albert, so eager for a photograph of his daughter, never met Lieserl Einstein. He certainly never mentioned her in writing after 1903.

It’s also possible that Albert hid Lieserl from his family. However, a few weeks after Lieserl’s birth, Einstein’s mother wrote, “This Miss Marić is causing me the bitterest hours of my life. If it were in my power, I would make every possible effort to banish her from our horizon, I really dislike her.”

“There’s a real attempt to keep Einstein as the icon of humanitarianism and goodness, and he wasn’t good,” Zackheim argues. “He was an enormously talented creative genius and he was a dreadful father and a dreadful person and not kind to his children at all.”

Ferdinand Schmutzer/Austrian National LibraryAlbert Einstein left Mileva Marić and his sons in 1914.

In 1904, Mileva realized she was pregnant again. She waited to tell Albert, afraid of his reaction. “I’m not the least bit angry that poor Dollie is hatching a new chick,” the physicist told his wife. “In fact, I’m happy about it and had already given some thought to whether I shouldn’t see to it that you get a new Lieserl.”

By then, mere months after Lieserl Einstein disappeared from historical records, Albert already had his mind on a “new Lieserl.”

What happened to Lieserl Einstein? Whether she died as a child or her parents gave her up for adoption, Lieserl vanished from history.

Albert Einstein had at least two children after Liesel. Learn more about his son Hans Albert Einstein, a renowned mechanical engineer who taught at Berkeley. Then read the depressing story of Eduard Einstein, Albert Einstein’s forgotten son.

The Sherman Tank – Beast or Bust?

The Sherman tank is one of the most well-known tanks involved in WWII, alongside the German Tiger and Soviet T-34. In the decades after the war, the reputation of the Sherman decreased to the point where many regarded it as the worst tank of the war. We will take an in-depth look into whether or not the Sherman is deserving of this reputation, and some of the reasons why it could easily be argued as being the best tank design of WWII.

The Sherman and its terrible reputation

If you ask people about the Sherman, you might think they look like this new. (Photo Credit: Lev Fedoseyev\TASS via Getty Images)
The basic running gear, drivetrain, and lower hull of the Sherman dated back to the 1930s and were designed with a huge emphasis on reliability and commonality of parts to make maintenance easier.

Many complaints about the tank come from its gas engines, the fuel for which would easily ignite when the tank was hit. The vehicle was originally designed for the 400 horsepower air-cooled Continental R975 radial engine. It had a good power-to-weight ratio but was very tall, resulting in the Sherman being almost as tall as the Tiger, even though it weighed 25 tons less. This height made the Sherman an easy target, especially from the side.

The armor is another area of debate, as it was only 50 mm on the front of the hull, and 38 mm on the sides and rear. The turret faired a little better with 76 mm over the front and 50 mm over the sides and rear.

With the right ammunition, the Tiger, Panther, and King Tiger could all penetrate the Sherman from well over 3,000 meters away, a simply unfair advantage.

A penetrating hit to the earlier models would almost certainly set the tank ablaze too, due to the storage of the ammunition. In fact, studies conducted during the war found 55–80 percent of Shermans burned after being hit.

The ammunition it did store was relatively useless against later German tanks. The 75 mm M3 gun firing the M61 APCBC round could penetrate 88 mm of armor at 100 meters. The Tiger 1 had 100 mm of armor over the front.

For these reasons, it’s clear to see in a direct one-on-one engagement the Sherman had almost no chance of success against the heavier German tanks. A German tank could sit 3,000 meters away, fire a round, penetrate the Sherman, and set it ablaze, right? Absolutely. Does this make the Sherman an inferior tank? Not quite.

Why was the Sherman like this?

Photo Credit: Lev Fedoseyev\TASS via Getty Images
Many of the arguments highlighting the Sherman’s shortcomings rely on heavier and newer German tanks. However, to fully understand the Sherman, one needs to understand the challenges facing Allied militaries at the time.

Any tank produced in the U.S. that was destined for Europe had to be shipped over the Atlantic. To increase the number of vehicles per shipment, engineers had to strike a perfect balance between weight and performance.

Germany did not face such weight limits, as they transported their vehicles across the continent by rail. From the get-go, the Sherman was limited in many ways.

Despite this, it still managed to be packed full of great qualities.

The Sherman’s excellent qualities: Firepower

Photo Credit: European/FPG/Getty Images
At the time of its design, the heaviest German tank was the Panzer IV. The Panzer IV was a superb tank in its own right, which many argue should have been prioritized over the nation’s bigger tanks.

Until 1942, the maximum amount of armor found on a Panzer IV was 50 mm, which was mounted flat on the front of the hull. The turret front was even worse, with just 30 mm of armor. A Sherman with the smaller 75 mm gun could punch through this armor from over 2,500 meters away, while the Panzer IV’s short-barrelled 75 mm gun would simply tickle the Sherman’s frontal armor, even at point-blank range.

Empty 75mm HE shell cases being collected from Sherman tanks firing in the indirect fire support role in the Anzio bridgehead, Italy, 5 May 1944. (Photo Credit: No 2 Army Film & Photographic Unit)
For dealing with thicker armor, the British adapted Sherman to carry a 17-pdr gun with the Sherman Firefly, which was extremely powerful. The U.S. later followed suit with the 76 mm M1 gun

Armor

View of a pair of M4 Sherman tanks as they manouver through smoke during a training exercise, July 1942. (Photo Credit: Camerique/Getty Images)
On paper, the Sherman’s armor seems unimpressive, with exactly half the frontal armor as the Tiger I, but in reality, the Sherman was one of the most well-protected medium tanks of the war. Its 50 mm of frontal hull armor was angled at 56 degrees, which gave it an effective thickness of 90 mm, an amount almost equal to the front of the Tiger I. A German study concluded that even the Tiger I’s infamous 88 mm gun would not be able to penetrate the front of a Sherman if it was angled away by 30 degrees.

The Sherman’s side armor was only 38 mm and not angled at all. In comparison, the Panther’s side armor was only 2 mm thicker, albeit set at a 30-degree angle. However, even with this angle, it could be penetrated by the Sherman’s 75 mm M3 from well over 2,000 meters away.

This level of armor protection on a 35-ton tank was virtually unheard of at the time.

The later, longer-barrelled 88 mm KwK 43 L/71 used on vehicles like the Tiger II and Jagdpanther would have made mincemeat of the Sherman at any combat range, but even the heaviest Soviet vehicles fielded during the war were not immune to this devastating gun.

Fire risks

A blazing Sherman tank abandoned during the Battle of the Bulge. (Photo Credit: Allan Jackson/Keystone/Getty Images)
The main complaint about the Sherman was its notorious habit of burning when hit; however, this is unfair. The main reason for the Sherman’s volatility was because of its ammunition storage. Ammunition was stored in the turret, hull sides, and hull floor, which meant a hit in the side (where hits were most likely to come from), would almost certainly hit ammunition. Likewise, the petrol would easily ignite when exposed to flames.

The problem with this argument is almost all comparable tanks; the T-34, Panzer IV, Tiger, and Panther, stored their ammunition in these locations too, and all of those except the T-34 also used petrol engines. This means the Sherman was not alone in its combustibility. According to an Allied study, the Panzer IV actually caught fire more often than the Sherman.

Burning was not a localized issue to the Sherman, but was observed with most tanks from the era.

circa 1940: An Axis armored division is under heavy fire from British artillery. (Photo Credit: Keystone/Getty Images)
But the U.S. actually tried to correct this, by first adding applique armor over vulnerable areas, and later adding wet ammunition racks. Wet ammunition racks surrounded the shells with liquid which would immediately extinguish any fires. This made an enormous difference to the burn rates of Shermans, with only 10–15 percent burning after a hit, ironically making it one of the least flammable tanks of the war.

Large spring-loaded hatches and a floor hatch made for a quick escape out of the vehicle should it catch fire.

Tanks with wet ammunition storage can be identified by a “W” by its designation, for example, M4A1(76)W.

In addition to this, the belief that the Sherman was nicknamed the “Ronson,” because of their “Lights first time, every time” slogan is likely a myth. This exact slogan only appeared on Ronson adverts in the 1950s. There is a Ronson advert from 1927 that contains the slogan “Lights every time,” but servicemembers linking the Sherman to a slogan used 15 years prior to the tanks adoption seems unlikely.

Adaptability

Sherman Firefly. (Photo Credit: No 5 Army Film & Photographic Unit)
The Sherman’s design lent itself well for future upgrades.

The tank had a very large turret ring for its size (larger than the Panther’s), which allowed it to easily accept future gun upgrades and improved crew comfort. The tank’s tall height translated to more room for the crew inside too, who could operate much more effectively than in foreign designs. It also allowed for a wide range of engines, which eliminated the problem of engine shortages holding up production.

Later upgrades increased the tank’s combat capabilities, with the up-armored M4A3E2 “Jumbo” Sherman, and the up-gunned British Firefly.

Logistics

Photo Credit: U.S. Army Signal Corps
The main arguments addressed so far have been the most commonly mentioned attributes of the Sherman that many regard as severe drawbacks on the battlefield, but the Sherman is even more impressive when you consider its logistical advantages.

The Sherman was designed from the beginning to be easy to build, repair and maintain. They used interchangeable parts, so a suspension bogie could simply be unbolted from one tank and bolted onto another. Similarly, the front-mounted transmission and its housing could be completely unbolted and removed. This placement also gave the crew more protection.

The Sherman was so easy to produce, that the U.S. made 50,000 of them during the war. The Soviets produced many more T-34s, but the quality of these vehicles was often so poor that rainwater would seep through the welds, and they would be built to wildly different specifications by different factories, limiting the interchangeability of parts.

The Germans simply could not keep up with the production of Allied vehicles, with just under 1,400 Tigers and 490 Tigers IIs being produced during the war. As a result, tank-on-tank engagements with these vehicles were exceptionally rare. Because of this, many crews actually preferred the 75 mm gun over the more powerful 76 mm gun as it fired a much better high explosive round that was used against the more numerous soft-skinned vehicles and troops.

M4 Shermans crossing a pontoon bridge. (Photo Credit: Fred Ramage/Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Its weight of around 35 tons allowed it to cross smaller European bridges than heavy German tanks, and it made recovering a knocked-out tank much easier.

Conclusion

Photo Credit: Galerie Bilderwelt/Getty Images
So, was the Sherman the best tank of the war? It depends on the metric you are using.

If you are basing the best tank on the most powerful gun, for example, then the Jagdtiger would be the winner. But the Jagdtiger is a design that is considered today as a failure. This highlights why choosing one attribute is a poor method of identifying the best tank of the war.

From an unbiased perspective, the Sherman is an exceptional all-rounder that was still able to compete with much newer and more advanced vehicles later in the war, thanks to its adaptability. Its simple maintenance kept them running, and its ease of production kept new ones arriving. Its gun was perfectly adequate against most of the targets it faced, and up-gunned versions were able to deal with almost anything else. Crews operated in relative comfort, and in the event that it was hit, later models were some of the safest vehicles to be in and escape from.

For these reasons, the Sherman deserves a better reputation at the very least, and a solid case can be made for it as the best tank of WWII.

James Stewart Paused His Hollywood Career to Bomb German Strongholds In Europe

Photo Credit: 1. Mondadori Portfolio / Getty Images (Colorized by Palette.fm) 2. U.S. Air Force / National Museum of the United States Air Force (Colorized by Palette.fm)

James “Jimmy” Stewart is among the most recognizable stars from the era of Vintage Hollywood. Starring in the likes of Vertigo (1958), It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) and The Philadelphia Story (1940), he was involved a number of classic films. Despite being in the midst of growing his acting career, Stewart opted to serve with the US military during World War II, and participated in a number of bombing missions over Germany.

James Stewart wanted to be an aviator

James Stewart and his family, 1918. (Photo Credit: Unknown Author / Jimmy Stewart: A Biography / Eliot Marc / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain)
Born on May 20, 1908, James Stewart was a shy child who took an interest in all things aviation. Rather than spend time playing with other kids in his neighborhood, he spent hours in the basement of his family’s home, building model aircraft, learning about chemistry and creating mechanical drawings. Given this interest, it was a dream come true when the young Stewart was able to take to the skies with a barnstormer immediately following the First World War.

While the future actor hoped to attend the US Naval Academy and become a naval aviator, his father had other plans. He wanted Stewart to attend his alma mater, Princeton, and thus enrolled him in Mercersburg Academy to improve his grades. It was at the school that he first became involved in acting, appearing on-stage in a 1928 production of The Wolves.

Stewart enrolled in Princeton in 1928 to study architecture. While there, he joined a number music and drama clubs, which led him to turn down graduate school to perform with the University Players in West Falmouth, Massachusetts, alongside Henry Fonda, who fast became a close friend and confident.

Entry into Hollywood

The Philadelphia Story, 1940. (Photo Credit: Carlito / Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer / MovieStillsDB)
Before landing in Hollywood, James Stewart appeared in a handful of Broadway productions. After being given an uncredited role in the 1934 film, Art Trouble, he signed a multi-year contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). This afforded him both minor and co-starring roles, the most popular of which were Next Time We Love (1936), alongside Margaret Sullivan, and Navy Blue and Gold (1937).

Despite his growing success and popularity, MGM was nervous to give Stewart any leading roles, and often refused to lend him out to other studios. He was eventually given permission to star in the 1938 Columbia Pictures feature, You Can’t Take It With You, which thrust him into the spotlight. The following year, he starred in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, for which he earned a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor.

Stewart’s success only continued, as, in 1940, he appeared in two popular films: The Mortal Storm, alongside Sullivan, and The Philadelphia Story, in which Katharine Hepburn was his co-star.

James Stewart enlists in the US Army Air Corps

James Stewart with a Consolidated B-24 Liberator crew member. (Photo Credit: U.S. Air Force / National Museum of the United States Air Force)
While making a name for himself in Hollywood, James Stewart continued to pursue his interest in aviation. He’d obtained his commercial pilot’s license and private pilot’s certificate, and had amassed over 400 flight hours by the time he enlisted with the US Army Air Corps. He also owned his own aircraft – a Stinson Voyager – and was an investor in Thunderbird Field, which had been contracted to train military pilots.

Military service was in Stewart’s blood, as both his grandfathers had fought in the American Civil War. His father had also served during the Spanish-American War and World War I. He first tried to enlist in November 1940, but was rejected after not meeting the necessary weight requirements. He tried again the following February and was accepted, becoming the first major American movie star to join the US Army during WWII.

When later asked why he opted to put his acting career on hold to serve, he said, “This country’s conscience is bigger than all the studios in Hollywood put together, and the time will come when we’ll have to fight.”

As he was 33 years old at the time, Stewart applied for a commission on the basis of his private piloting experience and the fact he was a university graduate. He was subsequently made a second lieutenant and underwent basic training at Moffett Field, in Santa Clara County, California. Before long, he was teaching aspiring pilots how to fly the Beechcraft AT-6 Wolverine, the Model 18 and the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress.

During this time, Stewart, still under contract with MGM, made no new commercial films. Instead, he did public appearances for the US Army Air Forces, which, by then, had replaced the Air Corps.

Combat in the European Theater

Consolidated B-24 Liberators with the 445th Bombardment Group in-flight over enemy territory, 1944. (Photo Credit: USAAF / National Archives / United States Air Force Historical Research Agency, Maxwell AFB Alabama / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain)
The US Army was hesitant to allow someone as well-known as James Stewart to engage in combat, despite the actor wanting to see action in the European Theater. After stints at airfields across the United States, he was given the opportunity with the 703rd Bomb Squadron, 445th Bombardment Group, of whom he was the commander. Upon arriving in England, they were based at RAF Tibenham and assigned to the 2nd Combat Wing, before being transferred to RAF Old Buckenham.

The 445th flew their first combat mission on December 13, 1943, attacking a U-boat pen in Kiel, Germany. Stewart was in charge of the high squadron, and flew as the lead pilot on a mission to Bremen just three days later. On Christmas Eve, he, again, led the group, this time on a mission against German rocket-launch sites in Pas-de-Calais, France. This wound up being the largest raid by the US Eighth Air Force up to that date, with 2,000 aircraft involved.

On January 7, 1944, Stewart was promoted for his actions during a raid over the German city of Ludwigshafen. Upon departing the target area, the bombardment group accompanying the the 445th flew 40 degrees off course. When Stewart informed the group lead of this, he was told he was the who was mistaken. Despite knowing the truth and the danger the other group would face, he followed them and helped many survive an attack by 60 Luftwaffe aircraft.

Changing roles

James Stewart receiving the Croix de Guerre with palm, 1944. (Photo Credit: US Air Force / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain)
During the early months of his time in Europe, James Stewart developed a favorable reputation among his men and superiors. He was named the operations officer of the 453rd Bombardment Group on March 31, 1944, after which he became the chief of staff of the 2nd Combat Wing, 2nd Air Division, Eighth Air Force.

In early 1945, Stewart was, again, promoted, this time to colonel, putting him one of a small list of American service members to rise to the rank in only four years. He was also the recipient of a number of decorations, including the Air Medal with three oak clusters, the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Croix de Guerre with palm.

When the war in Europe began to wind down, Stewart was tasked with overseeing the demobilization of the 2nd Combat Wing, so its members could be transferred to the Pacific Theater.

James Stewart retired from the US Air Force after decades of service

James Stewart. (Photo Credit: U.S. Air Force / National Museum of the United States Air Force)
James Stewart returned to the US in mid-1945 and continued to serve for another two decades. He was placed in a reserve role with the US Army Air Forces and, later, the Air Force. When reinstated into active-duty, he served as the deputy director of operations with the Strategic Air Command, learning to fly the Boeing B-47 Stratojet and B-52 Stratofortress. After this, he was named the Air Force’s officer of information at the Pentagon.

In 1957, Stewart was nominated for a promotion to brigadier general. While this was initially opposed, he was given the rank two years later, becoming the highest-ranking actor in the history of the US military.

Given his age and position in the Air Force, Stewart saw limited service during the Vietnam War. In February 1966, he flew as a non-duty observer on a B-52 as part of Operation Arc Light. Three years later, his son, US Marine Corps Lt. Ronald Stewart, was killed in action (KIA) while serving overseas.

On May 31, 1968, Stewart officially retired from the Air Force after 27 years of service. The reason: he’d reached the mandatory retirement age of 60. Both during and after, the actor rarely spoke about his service, with the only exception being an episode of the 1974 documentary series, The World At War. He also refused to star in any war-related movies, saying that film was “not the same” as real-life combat.

A turbulent return to Hollywood

It’s a Wonderful Life, 1946. (Photo Credit: MoviePics1001 / RKO Radio Pictures / MovieStillsDB)
Following the Second World War, James Stewart made his return to Hollywood, despite his continued military service. However, he initially didn’t believe it would happen, as he’d begun to question his acting abilities. His self-doubt was so great, in fact, that he considered returning home to run his family’s store.

In 1946, It’s a Wonderful Life hit theaters as Stewart’s first post-war film. While viewed as a classic nowadays, the film received mixed reviews upon its release and was only moderately successful at the box office. Following this, he performed on radio and made a brief return to Broadway.

It wasn’t until 1949 that Stewart, again, found film success, starring as baseball star Monty Stratton in The Stratton Story. He followed this up with numerous collaborations with Alfred Hitchcock – Vertigo, The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956), Rope (1948) and Rear Window (1954) – and Anthony Mann. He also starred in a number of Western films, with the roles affording him appearances alongside such actors as John Wayne and his old friend, Henry Fonda.

Stewart’s final live-action film came in the form of 1980’s The Green Horizon, which was panned by critics. He semi-retired after its release, with his official final role being An American Tail: Fievel Goes West (1991), in which he voiced the character of Sheriff Wylie Burp.

James Stewart’s final years and death

James Stewart with his Honorary Oscar at the 57th Annual Academy Awards, 1985. (Photo Credit: ROB BOREN / AFP / Getty Images)
Despite largely retiring from acting in the later years of his life, James Stewart remained in the public eye. That being said, he was guarded about his personal life and rarely revealed details to the media. In February 1994, his wife, Gloria, passed away from lung cancer. He subsequently fell into a deep depression and became even more reclusive, only leaving his bedroom to see his children and eat.

In December 1996, the battery in Stewart’s pacemaker was scheduled to be changed, but he refused to keep the appointment. This would have fatal consequences, with him being hospitalized the following February for an irregular heartbeat. He then developed thrombosis, and a week later suffered a pulmonary embolism, which led to a heart attack. He passed on July 2, 1997 surrounded by his children.

Several high-profile stars were present at his funeral, including Carol Burnett, June Allyson and Robert Stack. In recognition of Stewart’s decades-long service with the Air Force, he was given full military honors, complete with three volleys of musketry.