The Luftwaffe Self Destruct Mission: Operation Bodenplatte – January 1st 1945
For the German Luftwaffe, World War II all but ended on January 1st, 1945 with their last, desperate attempt to strike back against the Ally’s…
The Amazing Harry Errington: The Only London Fireman to Earn a George Cross for Service in the Blitz
The bombing campaigns of WWII put a massive strain on firefighters. In both Britain and Germany, campaigns of deliberate destruction set cities alight. Not just…
Taking the War to the Skies – Some of the Best Fighter Planes of the War
Boulton Paul Defiant A two-seater British plane, all of the Defiant’s firepower lay with the rear gunner. It performed well in the Battle of France…
The Desperate Measures Hitler Took to Avoid Losing WWII
In the summer of 1944, Adolf Hitler’s monstrous dream of an eternal empire began to collapse. Five years after his invasion of Poland had plunged…
The Doolittle Raid – American Planes Take Revenge For Pearl Harbor
The Doolittle raid is one of the most famous air attacks of WWII. The first American attack on the Japanese Home Islands, it was achieved…
Fleet Admiral Leahy, Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief Was Fiercely Opposed to Dropping the Atomic Bomb on Japan
Before the official establishment of the position of Joint Chiefs of Staff in the United States Military in 1947, there served a man who was…
Piggyback Hero – by Ralph Kinney Bennett
We present this guest blog by author Ralph Kinney Bennett In 2003 they laid the remains of Glenn Rojohn to rest in the Peace Lutheran Cemetery in…
The Rise Of The Night-Fighters – Devastating Aircraft in Two World Wars
Fighting between planes began in daylight which allowed pilots and gunners to see what was going on so they could target their prey and see…
From The Tank Museum: First Tiger I Knocked Out By The British
While Tiger 131 was the first intact Tiger I to be taken back to Britain, it was not the first to be knocked out. This…
Two Invasions of Belgium By Germany in Two World Wars: 1914 and 1940
In both World Wars, the fighting in the West began with a German invasion of Belgium. 1914: Why German strategy in the late 19th and…
The Crew Of The B-24 Liberator “Star Valley” – Downed Behind Enemy Lines
War History Online presents this Guest Article by Mark Gero Saturday, February 5th, 1944, in a remote part of central France lies a village called…
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…