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 Schneider CA1 Was The First Operational Tank Ever – A First In Military History
The beginning of armored weaponry dates back to the days of the First World War when a stalemate occurred on the Western Front due to…
Henry Johnson, Known as the “Black Death” – America’s First World War Hero
Henry Johnson was a World War I soldier who singlehandedly beat back a German assault while critically wounded. He was a great American hero and…
How 50 German Sailors sailed, marched and rowed home from a tiny island halfway around the world
The Keeling Islands are little more than overgrown coral reefs, but in 1914 they saw the beginning of one the most epic adventure stories of…
How a band of German Pirates Captured 15 Ships During World War 1
On Christmas day, 1916 a Norwegian clipper ship, the Irma, was boarded by the British cruiser, Avenger. There was nothing particularly unusual, the captain spoke…
Military Technologies Invented In WWI That We Still Use Today
The evolution of military technology is an ongoing process, and breakthroughs in new weapons and defensive systems make the news every year. However, many staples…
The Red Baron: Manfred von Richthofen, Famed WW1 Flying Ace
The greatest fighter ace of the First World War, Manfred von Richthofen, was born on the 2nd of May 1892. Becoming an officer cadet at…
Harold Ackroyd – A Selfless WWI Medic with More than 20 Separate VC Recommendations
Life in war is never easy. Watching your fellow soldiers and friends fighting for their lives and suffering serious wounds – physically and mentally – can be…
49 Men Would Receive the Victoria Cross During the Battle of Somme Including These 9 on the First Day
In the 70 years following World War II only 15 men have been awarded the Commonwealth’s highest military honor. And yet during one five-month long…
The Infamous Battle of the Somme
1. The Battle of the Somme was originally meant to be predominantly a French offensive. The Battle of the Somme was first planned in late…
Edith Cavell: The British Nurse Who Saved 200 Allies And Had A Huge Effect On WW1
Edith Cavell was a British nurse during World War I, with a history that was tragically cut short. Before her execution at the hands of…
The Story Behind “In Flanders Fields” – One Of The Most Famous War Poems Of History
More so than any other modern war and certainly more than any war fought before it, The First World War was the age of the “war…