Machinery & Gear | War History

HMS Prince of Wales (53): The British Battleship That Took on Bismarck – and Survived

HMS Prince of Wales (53) at sea

The HMS Prince of Wales (53) was one of five King George V-class battleships commissioned during the Second World War. Laid down at a time…

Ship That Took Part In Operation Overlord Can Be Yours for Just €40,000

Close-up of Light Vessel 72's light tower + Light Vessel 72 moored along the river Neath

Moored along the river Neath in Wales is Light Vessel 72 (LV72). Better known by the name Juno, the vessel might look like your average…

Fritz X: The World’s First Precision-Guided Missile Took Out the Italian Navy’s Flagship

Fritz X on display

The Fritz X was a German radio-guided anti-ship missile that went by many names: Ruhrstahl SD 1400 X, PC 1400X, Kramer X-1 and FX 1400.…

How the USS Yorktown’s (CV-5) Sacrifice Helped Lead the US to Victory at Midway

USS Yorktown (CV-5) at sea

After suffering extensive damage in the Battle of the Coral Sea, the USS Yorktown (CV-5) limped her way back to Pearl Harbor as preparations for…

The USS Laffey (DD-724) Was Known As ‘The Ship That Would Not Die’

USS Laffey (DD-724) at sea

A number of US Navy vessels are named for veterans who served their country gallantly and with valor. That being said, few live up to…

AVS-36: The Worst Rifle Ever Developed By the Soviet Union

Four Red Army soldiers running through the snow + AVS-36

While the Soviet Union may have been adept at producing tanks, the same can’t really be said about its handheld weaponry. The interwar period and…

The Republic XF-84H Thunderscreech Was So Loud It Made Ground Crews Sick

Republic XF-84H Thunderscreech taking off

The US Air Force has developed a number of experimental aircraft over the decades, but none was as interesting as the Republic XF-84H Thunderscreech. A…

Gewehr 43: The German Semi-Automatic Rifle Inspired By the Soviet SVT-40

East German soldiers marching together while armed with Gewehr 43s

When the Germans launched Operation Barbarossa, they weren’t prepared for a number of things. While the weather is often the aspect most historians point to,…

Brazilian Navy’s Plans to Scuttle Asbestos-Ridden Aircraft Carrier Draws Ire from Environmentalists

NAe São Paulo at sea

The decommissioned Clemenceau-class aircraft carrier NAe São Paulo is causing headaches for the Brazilian Navy. Following her sale to a Turkish company in 2021, the…

PBRs: The US Navy’s Small and Nimble Watercraft In Vietnam

Still from 'Apocalypse Now'

The Patrol Boat, River – commonly known as PBR – was a nimble, speedy riverboat commissioned by the US Navy, for use during the Vietnam…

The German V-1 ‘Buzz Bomb’ Was Developed to Terrorize the British Public

V-1 "buzz bomb" on display

Vengeance weapon one (V-1), the “buzz bomb,” the “doodlebug” or the “Fi 103” – whatever name you call it by, this impressive World War II-era…

HMS Victory: The World’s Oldest Warship Still In Commission

Illustration of the HMS Victory at sea

At well over 200 years old, the HMS Victory is undeniably one of the most famous ships in the world. Serving as the flagship for Lord…