Japanese Fire Balloons and the Tragic Tale of the Last WWII Casualties on US Soil
The Revolutionary and the Civil War tore North America apart, but the World Wars and most subsequent conflicts have been largely fought beyond its borders –…
Some of the Most Effective Melee Weapons of WWI, The Bayonet Was Not One of Them
WWI was a terrifying fusion of old and new. An infantryman might have a slower-firing bolt action rifle, or he could find himself behind a…
FUSAG: Patton’s D-Day Army That Didn’t Exist
An army can help win a war without even existing. Strange as that may seem, this is exactly what happened in the case of the First United…
Hobart’s Funnies – The Strange-Looking Tanks That Helped To Win On 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.…
Two Amazing Stories From USCGC Escanaba – Heroism And Heartbreak In The North Atlantic, 1943
The Rescue of the Dorchester USCGC Escanaba was steaming along calmly on February 2, 1943. She was part of a six-ship convoy; three escorts, and…
The Shetland Bus – Escape, Survival, And Adventure To Keep Norwegian Resistance In The Fight
Europe during the Second World War was a bleak place; German forces invaded Norway on the 9th of April, 1940, and as the country was…
The Greatest German General No One Has Heard Of – Lieutenant General Of Armored Troops Herman Balck
Herman Balck might be one of the most effective German Generals, whose actions are largely forgotten today. He came from a military family, his father,…
Le Paradis – The WW2 Massacre Of British Soldiers Which Outraged Even The Nazis
In 1940, members of the British military were slaughtered – after they had surrendered to German forces. Two survived, but no one believed their story.…
Chemical Weapons Created and Used During the First World War
Often referred to as the “Chemists War,” World War I saw the rise of chemical weapons being used on the battlefield. It all began with the…
Donald Cook – The Only Marine to Be Awarded a Medal of Honor for Actions as a POW
To be clear, there have been multiple Marines who displayed inexplicable gallantry in combat warranting a Medal of Honor before they were subsequently captured. However,…
Making History – The Ship’s Cook Who Grabbed A .50 Cal To Shoot Down Enemy Planes At Pearl Harbor
In 1942, when Dorie Miller stood onboard the USS Enterprise at Pearl Harbor to receive the Navy Cross he made history. Miller was the first…
‘Lucky Luciano’ – The Father of Organized Crime Won His Freedom by Helping the US Government during WW2
War History Online Presents This Article By Guest Blogger Jack Hawkins It is often said that crime does not pay, and when Charles ‘Lucky’ Luciano…