The Battle of Messines 1917: Australian & New Zealand Troops Together
On June 7, 1917, Australian and New Zealand Forces (ANZAC) combined to form an attack on a German defensive position near the Belgium town of…
From Booze to Bombs: The Beer Carrying Spitfires of WWII
To prepare for a beer run, the fuel tanks attached to the pylons would be steam cleaned by ground crews. The tanks would then be…
The Top Ten Most Terrifying Weapons of WWII
On many occasions in both wars, merely the sight of a flamethrower would be enough to make even experienced troops flee. In creating a list…
Why WERE WWII Aircraft Painted With Camouflage Patterns?
One rather striking detail that is immediately noticeable about many WWII combat aircraft, regardless of which nation fielded them, is the fact that they were…
How Ingenuity, Skill & The Humble Sandbag Saved a Squadron of Hurricanes
None of the pilots of No. 46 had trained in carrier flight operations, and the Hurricanes lacked arrestor hooks. They would try anyway! Ingenuity and…
Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig: The Most Controversial Figure of WWI?
Like most people, Haig used his diary to vent his anger and frustration, and some historians feel it’s unfair to assume he meant every heightened…
Fighting for Mother England: The Australian Infantry in WW1
The Australians were ordered to attack German trenches across an exposed strip of land in broad daylight. When the United Kingdom declared war on Germany…
The Real War Horse: WWI Grave Saved From Development Plans
The stone is green with age and moss, tilted by subsidence and the action of tree roots, but the words remain clear with “France and…
Kiev: The Largest Encirclement In The History Of Warfare
More than 600,000 people were lost during this battle, including those who had gone missing or been taken prisoner as well as those who were…
The Maginot Line: Then and Now- From Defence to Discos!
Some of the forts were sold off to private companies and became discos, underground mushroom farms, and museums. In the 1920s France was still reeling…
The Mystery Of The Missing Billions: The Hunt For Yamashita’s Lost WWII Gold
The gold, allegedly, was then used to fund top-secret black operations conducted by the CIA over the next few decades. One indisputable fact about war…
A One Man Arsenal: German Stormtroops of WWI
Stormtroops would be equipped with satchels full of grenades, making virtually every man a walking arsenal. In recent years, the term “stormtrooper” has come to…