World War 2 | War History

With Every Other Senior Officer Dead, the Battle Control Officer of the USS San Francisco Waded through Waist Deep Water to Save the Ship

It is a scenario we have seen play out in the movies time and time again. Amidst heavy combat, a naval vessel is taking on…

Japanese-American Soldiers, The Nisei: The Purple Heart Battalion

When Japan bombed Pearl Harbor in 1941, Japanese-Americans became enemy aliens and were sent to internment camps. One responded in a most spectacular way. Daniel…

One Secret Agent Who Helped Pave the Way for D-Day

Many agents served in secret during the Second World War. Sent behind enemy lines, they risked their lives gathering information and supporting acts of resistance…

The One-Armed Warrior Who Was Awarded The Victoria Cross

Some soldiers are so pig-headedly persistent that they go down in legend; including one who did so with only one arm. George Albert Cairns was…

Saving Sara Matuson: How 10 POWs Risked Their Lives to Save One Woman

Life in a prisoner of war camp could be hard and dangerous during the Second World War. It was even more so for ten British…

How Britain was Unprepared for World War Two

In retrospect, the outbreak of the Second World War seems both obvious and inevitable. However, to many people at the time, particularly in Britain, there…

Second World War Naval Reservist Was Awarded the VC After Surviving 31 Air Attacks in 4 Days

At the start of the Second World War, thousands of reservists were called up to serve in the armed forces of Britain and other European…

“That’s how they did things” – Veteran shares story of WWII Navy service in the Pacific

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…

The First US Soldier to Receive the Medal of Honor in WW2 Volunteered for the Fight that Killed Him

Perhaps that could be said of many in that they volunteered for the fight in World War 2.  But with Alexander Nininger, who was already…

Rudolf von Ribbentrop Wounded Five Times & Awarded Germany’s Highest Award in WWII

Joachim von Ribbentrop is well known as the Nazi diplomat and foreign minister who negotiated the non-aggression pact between Germany and the Soviet Union and…

The Myths Of The Montana Class Battleships

War History Online presents this Guest Article by Chris Knupp. Artist’s impression of the Montana class Battleship Myth #1: The Montana class Ignored the Panama Canal…

Field Marshal Erich von Manstein – German Commander in WW2

One of Nazi Germany’s greatest military planners, Field Marshal Erich von Manstein displayed a thorough understanding of the use of strategy. However, his conclusions were…