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…
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…