MSN Slideshow | War History

Esmond Knight: The British Actor Who Was Injured During a Battle with the German Battleship Bismarck

Still from 'Sink the Bismarck!' + Portrait of Esmond Knight

A number of British actors served during the Second World War, but few could claim they came face to face with the German battleship Bismarck…

Iraq War Timeline: Looking Back At the Conflict 20 Years Later

Rosemary Giles
Six soldiers walking at sunset

For many, it might feel like the Iraq War happened just yesterday, with the nightly news reporting updates on American troops overthrowing Saddam Hussein’s government…

RPD Machine Gun: The Soviet-Era Weapon That’s Seen Nearly 80 Years of Action

Australian soldier firing an RPD Machine Gun

The Soviet Union developed a number of effective machine guns during World War II and the Cold War. Some were only used for a short…

Operation Long Jump: The Alleged German Plan to Assassinate the ‘Big Three’

Joseph Stalin, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill sitting amongst military officials

A number of plans never came to fruition during the Second World War; one involved the use of bombs guided by pigeons, while another called…

MoH Recipient Richard O’Kane Was the US Navy’s Most Successful Submarine Commander

USS Tang (SS-306) leaving port + Military portrait of Richard O'Kane

Richard O’Kane is the most successful submarine commander in the history of the US Navy. He served during the Second World War, and sank a…

Battlefield Cross: A Powerful Symbol to Memorialize the Sacrifices of Fallen Soldiers

Samantha Franco
Battlefield Cross in a room + Battlefield Cross in the middle of a debris-strewn field

The Battlefield Cross has gone from having a functional purpose to providing symbolic meaning for those mourning the loss of their comrades. Its imagery is…

Charles Brown Never Received His MoH Because He Deserted Before It Was Presented

Samantha Franco
Charles Brown, Hugh Purvis and McLane Tilton standing in front of a captured Korean flag

During the 19th century, Korea was extremely isolationist. Before agreeing to the Japan-Korea Treaty of 1876, it didn’t have an interest in developing trade agreements…

The Personal Experiences That Influenced Oliver Stone’s Vietnam War Trilogy

Tom Cruise as Ron Kovic in 'Born on the Fourth of July' + Tom Berenger as Staff Sgt. Bob Barnes in 'Platoon' + Portrait of Oliver Stone

Oliver Stone is arguably one of the best directors and screenwriters in Hollywood, known for his ability to bring blockbuster and award-winning stories to the…

The Little-Known Lost Battalions of World War II

Six members of the Lost Battalion in the Pacific Theater sitting together

Everyone is aware of the Lost Battalion of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive; 554 men from the US 77th Division who became trapped by the Germans in…

Four Men Aboard the USS California (BB-44) Were Awarded the Medal of Honor

USS California (BB-44) at sea

The attack on Pearl Harbor was disastrous for American vessels, particularly those moored along Battleship Row. The nine were the primary targets of the Japanese,…

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…

Cast of ‘Saving Private Ryan’ – Where Are They Now?

Still from 'Saving Private Ryan'

Saving Private Ryan (1998) is arguably one of the best war films ever released. The film follows a group of US Army soldiers as they…