Operation Torch, November 1942 – Seizing the Oran Airfields
During WWII, death from the skies was a constant threat. The sudden appearance of bombers or fighters on a strafing run could spell doom for…
How 230 American Soldiers Walked Through Enemy Lines to Safety
On February 15, 1943, 230 American soldiers achieved a remarkable escape. Trapped behind German forces during fierce fighting in North Africa, they walked through the…
“He gave his life” – Moniteau County, Mo., soldier killed during Battle of Leyte in World War II
War History online proudly presents this Guest Piece from Jeremy P. Ämick, who is a military historian and writes on behalf of the Silver Star…
Powerful Hardware After WWII – Soviet Tactical Ballistic Missiles of the Cold War
Missiles were a vital part of the Cold War. Intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) threatened to hurl nuclear payloads from one side of the globe to…
Breaking The Deadlock – Machine Gun Tactics of WWI
The machine-gun was possibly the most valuable weapon in defining the fighting of WWI. Its massive firepower devastated infantry formations and virtually eradicated the use…
The US 503rd Parachute Battalion Seize the “High Ground” From the Axis
When American forces arrived in North Africa in November 1942, the 503rd Parachute Battalion were among the first troops on the ground. A week later,…
Project Acoustic Kitty – The CIA’s Top Secret Spy Cats Project
When Seal Team Six killed Osama Bin Laden in 2011, they did not do it alone. They had help from a Belgian Malinois dog named…
Hermann Ramcke, German Marine Turned Paratroop General
In an American prison cell, a former German officer sat writing a letter to his captors. The war was over, but his concern for his…
America’s First Ever Paratrooper Assault – Operation Torch
On the night of November 7, 1942, American forces launched Operation Torch, the invasion of Axis-occupied North Africa. It was an operation that involved several…
Milne Bay – The first Japanese Land Defeat of the Second World War
Reprinted with permission from Australian Bunker and Military Museum Milne Bay is located on the south-eastern tip of Papua. Before World War II, most of the area’s…
Ordinary Heroes – The Story of Civilian Volunteers in the First World War
By Sally White Ordinary Heroes is the first book to focus on the staggering achievements of hundreds of thousands of civilian volunteers and charity workers,…
Desperate Measures – Two Massive Lies That Shaped the Last Days of WWII
Propaganda played a huge part in WWII. Lies, distortions, and half-truths were spread by all sides to motivate the people and deceive the enemy. In…