Valor | War History

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…

Is ‘The Guns of Navarone’ One of the Most Underrated War Films of All Time?

Clare Fitzgerald
Cast of 'The Guns of Navarone'

A slew of World War II films have been released in the decades since the conflict, so it’s understandable that some never wound up receiving…

Wreck of Long-Lost USS Albacore (SS-218) Discovered Off the Coast of Japan

USS Albacore (SS-218) at sea

The wreck of the long-lost submarine USS Albacore (SS-218) has officially been located off the coast of Hokkaido, Japan, with the Underwater Archaeology Branch of…

First Battle of Fallujah: America’s Hard-Learned Lesson On Urban Warfare

US service members walking down a dirt road

Located along the Euphrates is Fallujah, Iraq, a densely-populated industrial city with ties to the ancient Silk Road. In 2004, its over 250,000 residents became…

The Battle of Cologne Saw a Legendary Standoff Between a Panther and a Pershing

Soldier standing near the cathedral in Cologne's city center

Following the incredible success of the Allied landings in Normandy and their push through occupied territory, it became clear who was going to win the…

Playboy’s Surprising Impact On the Vietnam War

US soldier reading a magazine while sitting in a river

For those fighting overseas during the Vietnam War, there was nothing like the comforts of home. From Adrian Cronauer‘s radio show on the American Forces…

Andrew Bundermann’s Expert Leadership Saved the Lives of Many Stationed at COP Keating

Samantha Franco
Aerial view of Combat Outpost (COP) Keating + Andrew Bundermann wearing a suit

Andrew Bundermann had to tap into everything he knew about battle when the Taliban led a 400-man attack against his position at COP Keating in…

Frederic Walker: The Most Successful Anti-Submarine Commander During the Battle of the Atlantic

U-boat sinking at sea + Military portrait of Frederic Walker

Imperative to the success of the British Royal Navy in the Second World War was curbing the nefarious German U-boats that terrorized the Allies throughout…

Human Shadows Left Etched In Stone By the Atomic Bombs Dropped On Japan

Human shadow on the steps at the entrance of the Hiroshima branch of Sumitomo Bank

There were many scars left behind in Japan after the Americans dropped the atomic bombs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The explosions had lasting effects on…

The US Air Force Lost a Mark 15 Nuclear Bomb Off the Coast of Tybee Island

Samantha Franco
Aircraft flying over Tybee Island + Mark 15 nuclear bomb on a dolly

Somewhere in the waters off Tybee Island, near the population hub of Savannah, Georgia, lies a Mark 15 nuclear bomb that was dropped by US…

How Canadian Paratroopers Prevented the Soviet Red Army’s Westward Advance

Pvt. L.H. Johnson and Sgt. D.R. Fairborn manning a PIAT anti-tank gun

As the Second World War drew to a close, the Allies became suspicious of those they’d previously been fighting alongside. This was particularly clear with…

HMS Prince of Wales (53): The British Battleship That Took on Bismarck – and Survived

HMS Prince of Wales (53) at sea

The HMS Prince of Wales (53) was one of five King George V-class battleships commissioned during the Second World War. Laid down at a time…