Alvin Cullum York: the Most Decorated Pacifist of the First World War
He was a deeply religious man who abhorred violence and warfare. Despite that, he went on to become the most decorated veteran of WWI. Alvin…
Building ‘Camp Swampy’ – Missouri military experience helped inspire iconic Beetle Bailey® comic strip
War History online proudly presents this Guest Piece from Jeremy P. Ämick, who is a military historian and writes on behalf of the Silver Star…
Echo of Infamy – The Little Known Second Attack on Pearl Harbor, March 4, 1942
War History Online presents this Guest Article by Thomas D. Pilsch With great solemnity and reverence, America observed the 75th anniversary of the devastating December…
Vinegar Joe Stilwell – a tough, brilliant, but difficult commander in World War Two
General Joseph Stilwell, widely known as Vinegar Joe, had one of the strongest personalities of WWII. As American commander in Burma, he showed incredible insight…
Sergeant First Class Robert Howard: Refused Two Medals of Honor
He earned three nominations for a Medal of Honor but received only one. Not because he did not deserve all three, but because some of his…
How the Allies Smashed the Nazi German Military Industry
WWII was a war between industries as much as it was between nations. From tanks and planes to bullets and bombs, the materials of war…
Operation Thursday: Orde Wingate, Building Fortresses Behind Enemy Lines in WWII
Building a fort behind enemy lines sounds like an impossible challenge. It was the tactic developed by Orde Wingate during the Second World War and…
Abdol Hussein Sardari – the Iranian Schindler – Saved Many Lives in WW2
During WWII, people found different and creative ways to save Jews from internment and death. Perhaps the most unusual method involved using Nazi racial laws…
The First Yale Unit: College Students Form a Flying Squadron in 1916
In the Spring of 1916, as WWI was raging in Europe, the students at Yale University’s class of 1918 were preparing themselves for a summer of…
WWII 1944: The Assault on Myitkyina was a Failure of Leadership
In May 1944, the Allies assaulted Japanese-held Myitkyina in Burma. It was an attack that brought successes despite significant failures of leadership and coordination. Stilwell…
John D. Bulkeley’s Daring Evacuation of General Douglas Macarthur on a 77′ PT Boat
The US Navy is best known for its Admirals and battleships. Both are often the most prominent assets in the fleet, but in the Philippines,…
Gino Merli: A Scrappy Kid from Scranton who was awarded the Medal of Honor
A scrappy kid from Scranton, Pennsylvania, Gino Merli was born to a coal mining family in 1924. Coming of age just in time for service,…