Ryan McLachlan

Ryan McLachlan is a historian and content writer for Hive Media. He received his Bachelor of Arts in History and Classical Studies and his Master of Arts in History from the University of Western Ontario. Ryan’s research focused on military history, and he is particularly interested in the conflicts fought by the United Kingdom from the Napoleonic Wars to the Falklands War.

Ryan’s other historical interests include naval and maritime history, the history of aviation, the British Empire, and the British Monarchy. He is also interested in the lives of Sir Winston Churchill and Admiral Lord Nelson. Ryan enjoys teaching, reading, writing, and sharing history with anyone who will listen.

In his spare time, he enjoys watching period dramas such as Murdoch Mysteries and Ripper Street and also enjoys reading classical literature and Shakespeare. He also plays football and is an afternoon tea connoisseur.

Articles by Ryan McLachlan:

Clint Eastwood’s Iwo Jima Duology Accurately Depicts the Battle from Both Sides

US Marines raising the American flag + Portrait of Clint Eastwood

In 2006, legendary actor and director Clint Eastwood released two World War II-era films that focused on both the American and Japanese perspectives of the…

Panzerschreck: Germany’s Much More Powerful Version of the American Bazooka

Two German soldiers manning a Panzerschreck in the rubble of a semi-collapsed building

The Panzerschreck was an anti-tank weapon designed and primarily used by Germany during World War II. Officially known as the Raketenpanzerbüchse 54, it was based…

Messerschmitt Me 410 Hornisse: The German Bomber Destroyer That Was No Match for Allied Fighters

Messerschmitt Me 410A-1/U2 Hornisse parked on the tarmac

The Messerschmitt Me 410 Hornisse was a German twin-engine heavy fighter and bomber destroyer operated by the Luftwaffe during the Second World War. Designed as…

Mikoyan MiG-29K: The Russian Cold War-Era Fighter That Didn’t Enter Service Until 2010

Mikoyan MiG-29K landing on the flight deck of the INS Vikramaditya

The Mikoyan MiG-29K is a Russian all-weather carrier-based multirole fighter. Developed by the Mikoyan Design Bureau in the late 1980s, it was the naval variant…

Fort Drum: The Unsinkable Concrete Battleship That Guarded the Philippines

Aerial view of Fort Drum

Fort Drum, or El Fraile, was a heavily-fortified island operated by the US in the Philippines for decades. The “concrete battleship” was constructed between 1909-14…

USS Wisconsin (BB-64): The American Battleship That ‘Lost Her Temper’ In Korea

USS Wisconsin (BB-64) docked at port

The USS Wisconsin (BB-64) was an Iowa-class vessel that served with the US Navy on and off from 1944-91. She was the second-last of her…

de Havilland Mosquito: The Versatile Aircraft That Struck Fear Into the Germans

de Havilland Mosquito in flight

The de Havilland Mosquito was a British twin-engine, multirole combat aircraft that served with the Royal Air Force (RAF) and other Allied air forces during…

Battle of Fort Driant – World War II’s Strangest Engagement?

Landscape torn apart by war + German soldier armed with a panzerschreck

The Battle of Fort Driant was a World War II-era engagement fought between the US Third Army and Germany’s 1st Army from September 27 to…

When War Production Dipped, the US Staged the Mock ‘Battle of the LA Coliseum’

Entryway to the LA Coliseum

As the Second World War progressed, the US government became concerned that production wasn’t as high as it should be, which directly correlated to public…

USS Harder (SS-257): The WWII-Era Submarine That Took Out Five Enemy Destroyers In Four Days

USS Harder (SS-257) sailing close to shore + USS Harder (SS-257) at sea

The USS Harder (SS-257), a Gato-class submarine, served in the Pacific Theater during the Second World War. She was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation and…

Bruce Willis’ Film ‘Tears of the Sun’ Gave Post-9/11 America An Important Moral Message

Still from 'Tears of the Sun'

US Navy SEALs are infamous special operators. It’s fitting, then, that they’ve been the subject of numerous films, among them 2003’s Tears of the Sun.…

Northrop Grumman X-47B: The US Navy’s Historic Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle

Northrop Grumman X-47B flying near the USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77)

The Northrop Grumman X-47B is an American unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV). Two were developed for use under the US Navy’s Unmanned Combat Air System…