World War 2 | War History

Eddie Slovik: The Only US Soldier to Be Executed for Desertion Since the Civil War

Still from 'The Execution of Private Slovik' + Military portrait of Eddie Slovik

Throughout the Second World War, Allied and Axis militaries struggled with desertion. Among the American forces alone, most occurred in the European Theater – an…

Friedrich Paulus: The German Field Marshal On the Soviet Payroll

Friedrich Paulus standing beside another man

The Battle of Stalingrad was one of the most deadly engagements of the Second World War. It’s also where soon-to-be German Generalfeldmarschall Friedrich Paulus earned…

British Actors Who Served In the Military

Sean Connery and Michael Caine as Maj. Gen. Roy Urquhart and Lt. Col. J.O.E. Vandeleur in 'A Bridge Too Far'

Actors are best-known for their work on-screen, with their pre-fame lives being, generally, forgotten. That being said, there are many whose pre-acting experiences influenced the…

PTRS-41: The Powerful WWII-Era Anti-Tank Gun Destroying Modern Tanks In Ukraine

Red Army soldier aiming an anti-tank gun

The minute tanks entered the battlefield, weapons specialists tried to develop ways to eliminate the threat. During World War I, the Germans introduced the 13.2…

Jewish Man Reunites With Family Who Hid Him and His Mother During WWII

Otto Frank opening a bookcase door in front of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands

David Rossler, 83, and his mother, Haja Sura Zoltak, were kept hidden by a Belgian family during the the Second World War, a defiant act…

After 80 Years, the Fate Of the USS Cythera (PY-26) and Her Crew Still Remains a Mystery

USS Cythera (PY-26) anchored at a dock

The USS Cythera (PY-26) has several distinctions. She started out life as a civilian yacht before being acquired by the US Navy, and later went on…

Mitsuo Fuchida Led the Aerial Attack on Pearl Harbor Before Finding Religion

Mitsuo Fuchida speaking with Jimmy Doolittle

Perhaps the last person you’d expect to become a Christian Evangelist is the man who commanded the Japanese aerial attack on Pearl Harbor on December…

Wreck of Long-Lost USS Albacore (SS-218) Discovered Off the Coast of Japan

USS Albacore (SS-218) at sea

The wreck of the long-lost submarine USS Albacore (SS-218) has officially been located off the coast of Hokkaido, Japan, with the Underwater Archaeology Branch of…

The Battle of Cologne Saw a Legendary Standoff Between a Panther and a Pershing

Soldier standing near the cathedral in Cologne's city center

Following the incredible success of the Allied landings in Normandy and their push through occupied territory, it became clear who was going to win the…

Frederic Walker: The Most Successful Anti-Submarine Commander During the Battle of the Atlantic

U-boat sinking at sea + Military portrait of Frederic Walker

Imperative to the success of the British Royal Navy in the Second World War was curbing the nefarious German U-boats that terrorized the Allies throughout…

Human Shadows Left Etched In Stone By the Atomic Bombs Dropped On Japan

Human shadow on the steps at the entrance of the Hiroshima branch of Sumitomo Bank

There were many scars left behind in Japan after the Americans dropped the atomic bombs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The explosions had lasting effects on…

How Canadian Paratroopers Prevented the Soviet Red Army’s Westward Advance

Pvt. L.H. Johnson and Sgt. D.R. Fairborn manning a PIAT anti-tank gun

As the Second World War drew to a close, the Allies became suspicious of those they’d previously been fighting alongside. This was particularly clear with…