INSTANT ARTICLES | War History

Winged Hussars: The Rise and Fall of Europe’s ‘Angels of Death’

Drawing of the winged hussars during a charge

For two centuries, the elaborate winged uniforms and menacing battle tactics of the Polish hussars dominated the battlefield. Coming across the winged hussars must have…

The Lee-Enfield Repeating Rifle Has the World’s Second-Longest Service History

Todd Neikirk
British soldiers training on Lee-Enfield repeating rifles

The first version of the Lee-Enfield repeating rifle entered into service in 1895. Since then, 17 million units and a number of variants have been…

Richard H. Best: The Only WWII Pilot to Bomb Two Japanese Aircraft Carriers in One Day

Ed Skrein as Richard Best in 'Midway' + Douglas SBD Dauntless on the deck of the USS Enterprise (CV-6)

Of the four Japanese aircraft carriers sunk during the Battle of Midway – one of the most critical battles to occur in the Pacific Theater…

USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63): The Decorated Aircraft Carrier That was Sold to Scrap Dealers for One Cent

USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) at sea

In May 2022, the decommissioned supercarrier USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) arrived in Brownsville, Texas for scrapping. The iconic vessel served the US Navy for nearly…

What Made the Polish No. 303 Squadron the Most Effective Pilots During the Battle of Britain?

Todd Neikirk
Polish pilots standing together

At the outset of World War II, the Germans decided to treat Poland like a prize for the taking. What they didn’t realize, however, was…

Ukraine to Launch Touring Exhibit of Russian Tanks Destroyed During Ongoing War

Clare Fitzgerald
Destroyed Russian T-72 tank

The Russo-Ukrainian War has continued to rage for the better part of four months. What the Russian military presumed would be a quick takeover has…

Highways Across the World Are Built for Warplanes to Land on Them

Airplane landing on a highway

Typically, an aircraft landing on a highway would indicate a serious problem, perhaps a mechanical issue or medical emergency with one of the pilots… That…

The Doolittle Bombers Traded Their Tail Guns for Broomsticks

James Doolittle and his crew standing together

On April 18, 1942, the United States responded to Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor by doing something that had never been done before: launching bombers…

The US Military Used Tourist Maps to Prepare for the Invasion of Grenada

Samantha Franco
US Marines sitting on a captured Soviet-made BRDM-2 amphibious armored scout car

When the US military invaded Grenada in 1983, troops were grossly unprepared. Knowing little about the country, officials had to get inventive in order to…

Why the Battle of Ortona Was Nicknamed the ‘Italian Stalingrad’

Todd Neikirk

While initially intended to be a super power on the Axis side during World War II, Italy wound up playing a smaller role in the…

Were There German Spies in the French Foreign Legion?

Members of the French Foreign Legion landing on a beach

The French Foreign Legion is a historic and elite part of the French Army. It was created in the 1830s as a way to deal…

Aníbal Augusto Milhais: The Portuguese Soldier ‘Worth a Million Men’

Todd Neikirk
Aníbal Augustus Milhais sitting with his fellow soldiers

The story of Aníbal Augustus Milhais, also known by the nickname Soldado Milhões (“Soldier Millions”), reads like something out of Star Wars. A simple farmer…