Updated | War History

Amazing Innovation or Billion Dollar Blunder? The Norden Bombsight

Thomas Ferebee crouching beside a Norden bombsight outside of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress 'Enola Gay'

The United States went “all in” on the Norden bombsight before the Second World War, subsequently doubling down on it and its variations during the…

Project MKUltra: The CIA’s Unethical Cold War-Era Human Experimentation Program

Aerial view of the original CIA Headquarters + Portrait of Allen Dulles

The CIA has been subject to much scrutiny since its establishment in 1947 and this only increased following the conclusion of the Cold War, when…

Maynard Harrison Smith Was Given Two Options: Go to Jail or Join the Army – He Wound Up Receiving the Medal of Honor

Henry L. Stimson placing the Medal of Honor around Maynard Harrison Smith's neck

Often, war brings out traits in people they never quite knew they possessed. The most outwardly confident and confrontational individuals can turn out to be…

Pearl Harbor: The Worst Military Decision In History?

Aerial view of Pearl Harbor during the Japanese attack

The morning of December 7, 1941, is a date remembered across the world, particularly by American citizens. That morning, the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) caught…

John Wayne, Draft Dodger? Why the Duke Never Served In World War II

John Wayne as Lt. Col. Benjamin H. Vandervoort in 'The Longest Day'

John Wayne is undeniably one of the most popular actors in American history. His vast legacy of films set the standards for years to come…

Republic P-47 Thunderbolt: The Most Produced American Fighter of World War II

Republic P-47 Thunderbolt in flight

The “Juggernaut,” the “Jug” – whatever you want to call it, the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt was an absolute beast in the skies over Europe and…

The BBC’s Coded Messages to the French Resistance During World War II

French Resistance member sitting in front of a radio

One of the best-known films about the Second World War is The Longest Day (1962), which centers around D-Day. In a number of scenes, members…

Wilfred Wood: The British Private Who Took Over 300 Prisoners In Just One Battle

Soldiers gathered around a vehicle

Over 100 years ago, British Pvt. Wilfred Wood earned the Victoria Cross for his actions in the First World War. He may have seen action…

The Most Decorated Unit in US Military History Fought for a Country That Locked Up Their Families

Members of the 522nd Field Artillery Battalion loading 105 mm shells into a weapon

The heroes of World War II came in all shapes and sizes, and some of the biggest fought for their country, despite facing injustice at…

Browning Hi-Power: The WWII-Era Semi-Automatic Pistol Canada Struggled to Part Ways With

Browning Hi-Power being held up in a field

At the Armed Forces Skill at Arms (AFSAM) competition in 2017, the Canadian Armed Forces’ best marksmen arrived with 20 of their field-issued, World War…

Did German Americans Actually Leave the US to Fight for Germany During WWII?

German soldiers marching together in uniform

In the acclaimed HBO miniseries, Band of Brothers (2001), Tech. Sgt. Donald Malarkey, played by Scott Grimes, asks a German prisoner of war (POW) where…

Dietrich von Saucken: The German General Who Told the Führer, ‘I Will Not Take Orders from a Local Chieftain’

German soldiers walking along a dirt road + Military portrait of Dietrich von Saucken

Any school teacher or parent will give the same advice to a child who is being harassed by a bully: stand up to him and…