‘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…
Operation Varsity – Crossing Of The Rhine In The Final Months Of World War 2
Throughout history, rivers have divided countries, territories, and armies. They’ve proved to be difficult obstacles, keeping invading troops at bay and keeping countries separated. Of…
Pierre Ortiz: French Legionnaire, US Marine, Hollywood Actor, German Nightmare
In late 1944, a man sat in a French café wearing a long, dark cape. Around him were German officers grumbling and cursing President Roosevelt,…
The Tragedy of Exercise Tiger: A Training Mission That Left More GIs Dead Than Utah Beach
Exercise Tiger is one of Britain’s most harrowing wartime secrets. It involved the slaughter of young American soldiers on the shores of a Devon beach. At…
Franz von Werra: Only Western-Held POW to Return to Combat
Although there is a book written about his story and a movie by the same name (The One That Got Away), most people would not…
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…
The Submachine Gun – An Infantry Weapon Which Changed The Face Of Warfare
From the First World War to the Second World War, the submachine gun played an important part in infantry fighting. A small machine gun firing…
Warren G. H. Crecy: the Baddest Man in the 761st
Warren Gamaliel Harding Crecy was born on January 4, 1923, in Corpus Christi, Texas. Those who knew him called him “Harding.” His wife, Margaret, and…
When The Finns And The Snow Resisted The Soviet Invasion In The Winter War
As the Second World War was breaking out in Western Europe, the Soviet Union embarked on another war – one in which it would easily…
Medal of Honor – One American’s Daring Escape from German Soldiers In WW2
Typically, the actions for which a man earns the Medal of Honor are the most exciting and frightening of his military career. For Russell Dunham,…
FUSAG: The Ghost Army – Patton’s D-Day Force That Was Only A Threat In The Enemy’s Imagination
An army can help win a war without even existing. Strange as that may seem, this is exactly what happened in the case of the First United…
Banzai Cliff, The Site of Hundreds of Suicides at the End of the Battle of Saipan
Banzai Cliff, also known as Suicide Cliff, was the site of a massive group suicide which took place during World War II. Located on the north side…