Modern | War History

Meuse-Argonne Offensive: The Deadliest American-Involved Campaign of World War I

US Marines running through a combat-wrecked forest

The Meuse-Argonne Offensive toward the end of World War I is widely considered to be the campaign that truly stopped any and all fighting along…

Is ‘The Bridge on the River Kwai’ Really the Greatest War Film Ever Made?

Alec Guinness and Sessue Hayakawa as Lt. Col. Nicholson and Col. Saito in 'The Bridge on the River Kwai' + Alec Guinness as Lt. Col. Nicholson in 'The Bridge on the River Kwai' + Still from 'The Bridge on the River Kwai'

The 1957 historical epic The Bridge on the River Kwai has long been regarded as one of the greatest war films ever made. Based on…

Rheinwiesenlager: The Notorious American Prison Camps That Held German POWs Following WWII

American soldier keeping watch over prisoners of war (POWs) held at the Rheinwiesenlager

There were hundreds of thousands of prisoners of war (POWs) taken during World War II. Under the Geneva Convention, it was required they receive certain…

The Polish 1st Armoured Division Served As the ‘Cork’ of the Falaise Pocket

Tanks driving across a field + Polish 1st Armoured Division insignia

Nicknamed the “Black Devils” by the German military, the Polish 1st Armoured Division was created in the middle of the Second World War. Working with…

Where Is Hacksaw Ridge, the Location Where Desmond Doss Rescued 75 US Soldiers?

Andrew Garfield as Desmond Doss in 'Hacksaw Ridge'

Conscientious objector Desmond Doss staged one of the most daring rescues of the Second World War, risking life and limb to get 75 of his…

Two Aircraft Carriers Were Stationed In the Great Lakes During WWII

USS Sable (XI-81) sailing through Lake Michigan

If there’s one thing aircraft carriers were known for during the Second World War, it was their role in changing the face of aerial combat.…

Mayaguez Incident: The Post-Vietnam Rescue Operation That Left Over 40 Americans Dead

US Marines boarding the SS Mayaguez

Just weeks after the Vietnam War was declared to be over, a new conflict erupted, threatening the peace many US and South Vietnamese soldiers had…

Eddie Slovik: The Only US Soldier to Be Executed for Desertion Since the Civil War

Still from 'The Execution of Private Slovik' + Military portrait of Eddie Slovik

Throughout the Second World War, Allied and Axis militaries struggled with desertion. Among the American forces alone, most occurred in the European Theater – an…

The German Flammenwerfer Forever Changed Warfare – And Not for the Better

Australian soldier kneeling with a captured Wechselapparat

For centuries, militaries tried to harness the ability to command fire. There were various methods used, but the flammenwerfer models developed by the German Army…

Friedrich Paulus: The German Field Marshal On the Soviet Payroll

Friedrich Paulus standing beside another man

The Battle of Stalingrad was one of the most deadly engagements of the Second World War. It’s also where soon-to-be German Generalfeldmarschall Friedrich Paulus earned…

The Ending of the Battle of Ia Drang Was Different Than How It’s Depicted In ‘We Were Soldiers’

Mel Gibson and Sam Elliott as Lt. Col. Hal Moore and Sgt. Maj. Basil Plumley in 'We Were Soldiers'

We Were Soldiers (2002) is considered by many to be one of the best Vietnam War films ever made. This praise is largely due to…

British Actors Who Served In the Military

Sean Connery and Michael Caine as Maj. Gen. Roy Urquhart and Lt. Col. J.O.E. Vandeleur in 'A Bridge Too Far'

Actors are best-known for their work on-screen, with their pre-fame lives being, generally, forgotten. That being said, there are many whose pre-acting experiences influenced the…