World War 2 | War History

The Iowa Class: A Departure from Traditional US Battleship Design

War History Online presents this Guest Article from Chris Knupp The four vessels of the Iowa class were the last battleships put to sea by…

Honor: Counterproductive Japanese War Ethics in WWII

War History Online proudly presents this guest article by Ryan Kim On the morning of May 11, 1945, the USS Bunker Hill (CV-17) was supporting the…

Charged alone with nothing but a pistol killing all four occupants, First Lt. Harry L. Martin Sacrificed his life for his Marines

Jeff Edwards

For a soldier, to have made it to March 26, 1945, on the island of Iwo Jima was to have looked death in the eye.…

The Awesome Alaska Class: America’s (Not Quite) Battlecruisers

War History online proudly presents this Guest Piece from Chris Knupp This class of cruiser is perhaps one of the more confusing ships ever put to sea…

‘Lucky Luciano’ – The Father of Organized Crime Won His Freedom by Helping the US Government during WW2

War History Online Presents This Article By Guest Blogger Jack Hawkins It is often said that crime does not pay, and when Charles ‘Lucky’ Luciano…

M/Sgt Nicholas Oresko, Who Set Out Alone To Inspire His Men In The Final Year Of WW2

Jeff Edwards

Often in combat NCOs and Officers find themselves in a situation where they have to lead by example. Ordering a young private to charge a…

“What we went through” – James Belshe, WWII Veteran Earns Purple Heart for Injury Sustained in the Philippines

War History Online proudly presents this Guest Article by military historian Jeremy P. Amick. “Seventy-something years ago,” described Eldon, Mo., veteran James Belshe, a “wide-eyed…

Lightning Strike: Killing Admiral Yamamoto and Avenging Pearl Habor

Colin Fraser

Not only did the Pearl Harbor attack of December 7th, 1941 deal a devastating blow to the United States’ Navy and draw the nation into…

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…

Franz Staudegger – German Tiger Ace in the Battle of Kursk

War History online proudly presents this Guest Piece from Evan Pinter The German Panzerkampfwagen VI, better known by its official designation “Tiger”, has sealed its reputation…

The Luftwaffe Self Destruct Mission: Operation Bodenplatte – January 1st 1945

Colin Fraser

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 Russian KV Tank and Its Crew That Stopped The German Advance for a Full Day

Colin Fraser

On June 22, 1941, Germany and the Axis powers commenced Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union along a 2,900 km front with a…