Military Vehicles | War History

Lt. Gen Wainwright, Prisoner Of War, Who Was Awarded the Medal of Honor in WW2

Being captured by the Japanese during the early days of WWII meant facing years of grueling conditions, torture, and starvation.  Also, many were cut off…

The U-Boat War: A Vital and Misjudged Part of WWII

The Battle of the Atlantic was a vital arena of the Second World War. A protracted campaign that lasted for most of the war, German…

How the British Military Learned in Advance About the V2 Rocket – and How They Responded

The V2 rocket and its predecessor V1 had the potential to transform the Second World War. The world’s first long-range unmanned missiles, they were a…

The Submarine Which Inspired The Movie – U-Boat 96, And The Film “Das Boot”

In 1981, a film was released which is still cited as one of Germany’s greatest cinematic triumphs. It followed the exploits of U-96, a German…

Death in the Skies in World War Two – The RAF and the Luftwaffe face off in Battle

One of the most crucial conflicts of the Second World War was between the air forces of Britain and Germany. The Royal Air Force (RAF)…

A Massive Operation – Raising A U-Boat To Recover Her Precious Cargo

In 1958, a German submarine was hoisted from the depths of the Kattegat Bay between the North and Baltic Seas off the coast of Sweden.…

“Hobart’s Funnies” – The Crazy-Looking Tank Mods That Helped Win D-Day

The landings in Normandy demanded new sorts of hybrid tanks that were capable of fulfilling multiple engineering tasks to provide maximum support to the infantry.…

The Iowa Class: A Departure from Traditional US Battleship Design

War History Online presents this Guest Article from Chris Knupp The four vessels of the Iowa class were the last battleships put to sea by…

Making An Aircraft Carrier Out of Ice and Sawdust In World War Two

In WWII the British were desperate. Metal was in short supply, and German U-boats were sinking Britain’s lifeline – ships. The Allies needed an unsinkable…

Nine Reasons Why The Allies Won The Battle of Britain

The most famous aerial battle in history, the Battle of Britain was a hard fought and desperate struggle to hold back Nazi Germany. Having launched…

Why the World’s Greatest Naval Power Opposed the Use of Steam Ships

From the start of the 19th century, the race was on to create steam-powered navies. This would eventually take the world’s fleets from wooden sailing…

The 1905 Mutiny on the Battleship Potemkin

In the abortive revolution of 1905, the Russian Black Sea Fleet was a powder keg of discontent. In the war with Japan, the Russian navy had…