Modern | War History

Indra Lal Roy was India’s Sole Flying Ace During World War I

Todd Neikirk
Royal Air Factory S.E.5a in flight + Portrait of Indra Lal Roy

World War I was the first major conflict to feature aircraft engage in aerial battles. At the time, it was incredibly dangerous to take to…

Gold Dust Twins: The Two Coast Guardsmen Who Saved Chesty Puller’s Marines on Guadalcanal

Todd Neikirk
Painting of US Coast Guardsmen firing weapons from a boat

The Guadalcanal campaign – also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal – is among the most well-known engagements to occur in the Pacific Theater during…

A Lone KV-1 Tank Held Off German Advances During the Battle of Raseiniai

Soldier climbing out of a tank

On June 22, 1941, Germany launched Operation Barbarossa, the World War II invasion of the Soviet Union. Despite signing the German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact in 1939,…

Operation Mincemeat: How a Dead Body and a False Identity Helped the Allied Invasion of Sicily

Soldiers watching while additional troops disembark from a landing craft

In the years since the Second World War, many documents have been released, detailing the covert operations undertaken by the UK’s Special Operations Executive (SOE),…

Why Did the German Cruiser Deutschland Change Her Name During WWII?

German cruiser Deutschland at sea

Many ships have had their names changed or passed on to another. For example, the US Navy has had eight different vessels called Enterprise, with…

How Many 5 Star Generals Are There? Nine: A List of 5 Star Generals in the US

Douglas MacArthur standing in uniform + Military portrait of Dwight D. Eisenhower + Chester Nimitz standing in his naval uniform

Following the death of Gen. Omar Bradley in 1981, the elite rank of five-star general feels more like a legend than reality. Since Congress allowed…

Patrick Fleming: The Flying Ace Who Shot Down 19 Japanese Aircraft In Just Six Sorties

Military portrait of Patrick Fleming + Boeing B-52 Stratofortress in flight

Patrick Dawson Fleming was born an Army “brat” on January 17, 1918. He took an interest in flying at an early age and became the…

Clarence L. Tinker: The First Native American to Be Promoted to Major General in US Army History

Todd Neikirk
Clarence L. Tinker sitting at a desk

They don’t make soldiers like Clarence L. Tinker anymore. Born on a Native American reservation in 1887, Tinker was inspired to serve the United States…

All Five of the Second World War’s Triple Aces in a Day Flew for the German Luftwaffe

Messerschmitt Bf 109G parked on a runway

The Second World War saw thousands of air battles between pilots. Germany, which started the conflict in 1939 with its invasion of Poland, held a…

Richard ‘The Giant Killer’ Flaherty was the Shortest Green Beret to Fight in Vietnam

US soldiers climbing out of a stream

The US Army Special Forces, commonly referred to as the Green Berets, are one of the country’s most elite fighting forces. They’re known for their…

MoH Recipient Gregory ‘Pappy’ Boyington was Among the Most Famous Pilots of WWII

Todd Neikirk
Gregory "Pappy" Boyington wearing his Medal of Honor + Members of the Black Sheep Squadron standing in front of an aircraft

During World War II, ace fighter pilots became household names, and few were more famous than Gregory “Pappy” Boyington. The star swimmer and wrestler joined…

Horizontal Collaboration: How Traitors Were Dealt With Following the Liberation of France

Group of women standing together

When France was liberated in 1944, foreign press agencies were there to document the aftermath. Among the photos taken were of thousands of French women…