Battle of WWI merchant raiders: HMS Alcantara v SMS Greif
On February 27, 1916, the Norwegian cargo ship Rena steamed out of Cuxhaven on Germany’s North Sea coast. In peacetime, this would not have been…
The First Yale Unit: College Students Form a Flying Squadron in 1916 an amazing group of guys
In the Spring of 1916, as WWI was raging in Europe, the students at Yale University’s class of 1918 were preparing themselves for a summer of…
Sergeant York – I hear you have captured the whole German army “No Sir, only 132”
Sergeant Alvin York was seemingly born to a hardscrabble existence and anonymity in death, but World War One changed that forever. The story of York is…
Key Artillery Techniques of WWI
One of the great revelations of the First World War was the vast destructive power of artillery. Never before had so many guns of such…
6 Great Aviators of the First World War
The First World War saw the birth of aerial combat. Initially used to provide reconnaissance for ground forces, biplanes soon started fighting each other above…
Godley continued to fire for two hours, artillery shells were landing all around him, he than ran out of ammunition. He Was Awarded The Victoria Cross
The British Expeditionary force was awoken on August 23, 1914, by a massive infantry attack. The German army had amassed along the French frontier, having…
Shell Shock: A Sad Side-Effect of WWI
Shell shock was one of the major side effects of WWI. Many soldiers suffered from it, as it was caused by the heavy explosions and constant…
Forces of Nature – Dealing with Weather in the Trenches of WW1
One of the most important battlegrounds of WW1 was the battle in the trenches. It was gruesome, for many reasons. At times the soldiers would be…
The Dawn of the Submarine: U-21 sinks HMS Pathfinder
In 1914 submarines were still a novel idea. Many nations had not utilized them until 1900, Germany not until 1906. Soon their worth would be…
Battlecruisers: A Flawed Naval Experiment of WWI
WWI was a time of change in naval warfare. Heavy dreadnoughts were replacing older, more vulnerable ships. Submarines made their first serious appearance in combat.…
HMS Audacious: The Only Super-Dreadnought Sunk in WWI – By A German Naval Mine
The biggest, most advanced, most expensive, and most daunting war machinery of World War I was the super-dreadnought battleship. These great sea beasts were near…
The European Powers Were Rapidly Developing Ground-Breaking New Strategies In World War One
The beginning of WWI was dictated by carefully developed strategies and their failure in the face of reality. The diplomatic and strategic plans of the…