Weapons | War History

The Lee-Enfield Repeating Rifle Has the World’s Second-Longest Service History

Todd Neikirk
British soldiers training on Lee-Enfield repeating rifles

The first version of the Lee-Enfield repeating rifle entered into service in 1895. Since then, 17 million units and a number of variants have been…

Russian Forces Are Hitting Eastern Ukraine With an Estimated 60,000 Shells Per Day

Ukrainian soldier holding a rocket fragment

The Russo-Ukraine War is nearing the four-month mark, and the Ukrainian military is beginning to run dangerously low on the ammunition needed to operate its…

M777 Howitzer: The US Military’s Lightweight Replacement for the M198

Clare Fitzgerald
US soldiers firing an M777 howitzer

The M777 howitzer might not look all that intimidating when placed alongside its much larger counterparts, but this small and lightweight artillery system packs quite…

Vietnam War Traps: 9 Viet Cong Booby Traps That Defined the Vietnam War

American soldiers walking along a rice field

The Vietnam War was infamous for the guerrilla warfare the American forces were largely unprepared for. The Viet Cong were on home turf and used…

The Germans Had High Hopes for the Goliath Tracked Mine

US Navy sailors standing around captured Goliath tracked mines

It’s common today for bombings to be done via drone. This is an effective strategy for a number of reasons. The aerial vehicles don’t need…

M142 HIMARS: The Artillery System Capable of Providing Combat Support in All Conditions

Marines loading an M142 HIMARS

The M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) has been getting a lot of press lately, due to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. The…

Six Things War Movies Get Wrong About Grenades

Elisabeth Edwards
Soldier preparing to throw a hand grenade

When it comes to explosive weapons, nothing is more recognizable (and misunderstood) than the hand grenade. Movies and video games usually depict someone pulling the…

Was Ball Turret Gunner the Worst Position to Hold During World War II?

Gunner sitting in the entrance to a ball turret

There were plenty of positions during World War II that put a serviceman’s life at risk. Arguably one of the worst was being the ball…

The Mark 14 Torpedo Scandal of 1941-43

Mark 14 torpedo on display + Military portrait of Rear Admiral Charles A. Lockwood Jr.

The Mark 14 Torpedo Scandal occurred during the period of 1941-43, with problems related to the weapon dating back almost 25 years. It was among…

Atomic Annie: The Cold War-Era Cannon Capable of Firing a Nuclear Warhead

Mushroom cloud + M65 atomic cannon parked on grass

Toward the start of the Cold War, the United States government looked into developing atomic weapons capable of launching an attack on the Soviet Union,…

Lahti L-39: The Anti-Tank Weapon the Finnish Nicknamed the “Elephant Gun”

Two Finnish soldiers lying behind a Lahti L-39

When the Soviet Union invaded Finland in November 1939, its military was largely unprepared. In fact, the vast majority of men who signed up to…

The M203 Grenade Launcher’s Decades of Service Are Proof of Its Effectiveness

US soldier lying on his stomach with an M16A2 rifle equipped with an M203 grenade launcher

Throughout the course of the Vietnam War, the US Army developed a number of grenade launchers to aid forces in Southeast Asia. One of those…