Machinery & Gear | War History

Henschel Hs 129 :The Luftwaffe’s Soaring Tank Buster Armed With a 75 mm Cannon

Sky at sunrise + Drawing of a Henschel Hs 129

As tank warfare evolved and became a key strategy during the interwar period, the German Wehrmacht envisioned a new kind of blitzkrieg – one that…

National Emergency Command Post Afloat: The ‘Floating White Houses’ for Times of Nuclear War

USS Wright (CC-2) at sea + Mushroom cloud rising into the sky

During the 1960s, America’s Continuity of Operations plans included the National Emergency Command Post Afloat (NECPA). It was one of three parts – airborne, ground…

Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star: The Only US Jet Fighter to See Action In WWII – During Secret Operations In Italy

Lockheed P-80A-1-LO Shooting Star in flight

The Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star, also known as the F-80, was the first jet fighter used operationally by the US Army Air Forces (USAAF). While…

No. 1426 Flight RAF Flew German Aircraft Decked Out In Royal Air Force Insignia

Messerschmitt Bf 109E-3 in flight

In September 1942, Rachel and Eddie Jones were enjoying the warm weather at their home near Romsey, England. Rachel had formed a keen interest in…

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…

Battle for Best Prom Entrance – Teens Arrive At High School Dance In WWII-Era Tank

Sherman Bynum and Sam Tetro riding in an M3A1 Stuart

While most teenagers attend prom in a limousine or in the passenger seat of their parents’ car, two high school students from Camas High School,…

A WWII-Era Mystery for the Ages – What Happened to the French Submarine Surcouf?

French submarine Surcouf at sea

Although they weren’t known as a naval superpower, the French still built one of the most impressive submarines of the Second World War. In fact,…

KAI T-50 Golden Eagle: The Supersonic Trainer That Took Out Rebels In the Philippines

KAI T-50 Golden Eagle in flight

The KAI T-50 Golden Eagle is one of few supersonic trainers in the world and the first developed for the Republic of Korea Air Force…

The Darne Machine Gun Could Be Used as Both a Ground and Aerial Weapon

Soldier manning a Darne machine gun on a boat

Of the many weapons created at the end of the First World War, the Darne machine gun is certainly one of the less popular. It…

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…

Saab J35 Draken: The Nordic Dragon That Accidentally Discovered the Cobra Maneuver

Saab J35F Draken in flight

In the post-World War II world, the need for advanced jet fighter technology loomed large. In the soaring 1960s, the Saab J35 Draken was nothing…