MSN | War History

Matthew Modine Turned Down ‘Top Gun’ for ‘Full Metal Jacket’

Matthew Modine's head superimposed on the body of Tom Cruise

Top Gun (1986) was among the most popular films of the 1980s, and it’s just one of the few box office hits Matthew Modine didn’t…

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…

Frank Fiegel: The Real-Life Popeye Wasn’t a Sailor Man (or in the Military)

Robin Williams and Shelley Duvall as Popeye the Sailor Man and Olive Oyl in 'Popeye'

When E.C. Segar began his career as a cartoonist, he took inspiration from those around him. His most popular character, Popeye the Sailor Man, was…

Russia Loses 130 Armored Vehicles In Biggest Tank Battle of Russo-Ukrainian War

Clare Fitzgerald
Ukrainian tank driving through the snow and mud

For three weeks, Russian and Ukrainian ground forces have been embroiled in a costly tank battle on the outskirts of Vuhledar, in southern Ukraine. The…

The Owen Gun Was Favored By Australian Troops for Its Reliability In the Pacific Theater

Leon Ravet and Bernard Kentwell carrying Owen guns through the jungle

If there’s one thing Australia isn’t known for, it’s weapons development. That’s not to say some ingenious firearms haven’t come out of the country. During…

Val Kilmer Accidentally Landed Matthew Modine the Starring Role in ‘Full Metal Jacket’

Samantha Franco
Matthew Modine as Pvt. J.T. "Joker" Davis in 'Full Metal Jacket' + Val Kilmer posing on a red carpet

Full Metal Jacket (1987) was one of director Stanley Kubrick’s masterpieces. It follows a young Marine during the Vietnam War who experiences the struggles of…

PTRS-41: The Powerful WWII-Era Anti-Tank Gun Destroying Modern Tanks In Ukraine

Red Army soldier aiming an anti-tank gun

The minute tanks entered the battlefield, weapons specialists tried to develop ways to eliminate the threat. During World War I, the Germans introduced the 13.2…

Jewish Man Reunites With Family Who Hid Him and His Mother During WWII

Otto Frank opening a bookcase door in front of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands

David Rossler, 83, and his mother, Haja Sura Zoltak, were kept hidden by a Belgian family during the the Second World War, a defiant act…

The Incredible Discovery of Cold War-Era Avro Arrows At the Bottom of Lake Ontario

Two Avro Arrows at the bottom of a picturesque lake

Avro Canada’s CF-105 Arrow was a sophisticated aircraft that put the Canadian air industry on the map. The Cold War-era jet interceptor was designed to…

Trailer for Gerard Butler’s CIA-Afghanistan Action Film ‘Kandahar’ Released

Clare Fitzgerald
Gerard Butler and Navid Negahban in 'Kandahar'

The trailer for Gerard Butler’s new action-thriller, Kandahar, has officially been released, hyping up audiences ahead of its debut over the upcoming Memorial Day weekend.…

How Did An A-10 Warthog Wind Up With A Cow Kill Marking?

Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II parked on a runway + Portrait of a cow

Among the Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt IIs operated by the US Air Force, there’s one that stands out from the rest. The reason? Among its…

The Soviet Maxim-Tokarev Light Machine Gun Outperformed The Classic PM M1910

Fedor Tokarev and his son standing with a Maxim-Tokarev

The Maxim-Tokarev was the first ever domestically mass-produced light machine gun of its kind. Born off the back of the reliable PM M1910, it became…