General George S. Patton – one of the most brilliant commanders of WW2 but some would disagree
General George S. Patton was one of the most flamboyant, brilliant, and troublesome commanders of WWII. He argued with colleagues, offended allies, and assaulted his…
How The Soviets Caught Dozens of German Agents In A WWII Spy Game – Even Staging a Mock Battle To Keep Up The Charade
During the height of WWII, a major funkspeil began which was a counter-espionage plan, introduced by Joseph Stalin. The operation was carried out by the…
Before Calling it a Night: The One Man Demolition Squad Destroyed, With Grenades, Six Enemy machine guns posts
Thomas Currie “Diver” Derrick wasn’t among the first to join the Australian military when WWII broke out in 1939. When he finally did join the…
The 4 Types of Men Who Fought for Napoleon – Not All Wanted To
The awesome power of the Napoleonic Empire was built on the blood and courage of millions of soldiers. Though Napoleon is remembered as an icon…
The amazing SOE operation to kidnap ‘The Butcher of Crete’ his actions were as infamous as his SS colleague Reinhard Heydrich
The Special Operation Executive (SOE) in 1944, planned to conduct a daring mission in Crete. Their initial plan was to kidnap the German commander of…
100s Killed In Tragic ‘Friendly Fire’ our own navy… shot down 27 transport planes killing 410 paratroopers, who were coming in to reinforce us
Operation Overlord and the D-day landings on June 6th, 1944 were supported by a massive assault of airborne infantry, both paratroopers and men in large…
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…
RAF: The Tragic Sinking of the SS Cap Arcona, 5,000 Concentration Camp Prisoners Killed
The end of WWII was only days away, yet the RAF carried out the Nazis dirty work for them during the Cap Arcona disaster. Docked…
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 Secret Weapon – used only once in WWII
It is not always superior weapons, numbers, or tactics that win battles. In this case, of all things, it was potatoes! After the Japanese had…
French Castle, Destroyed in WWII, Auctioned Off for $1 million
Chateau le Paluel, a 15th-century castle in the Dordogne region of France, is up for sale. The former home of the Aymerique family, and later…
Focus On Training – Cole County sheriff served more than 31 years in Air Force and National Guard
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 Families…