World War 2 | War History

Red Army Cook Ivan Pavlovich Sereda Took Out a German Tank With Just an Axe

German soldiers riding on a Panzerkampfwagen 38(t) + Axe + Pot filled with vegetable soup

Over the course of human history, unlikely heroes have emerged from surprising places, and the battlefields of World War II were no exception. Ivan Pavlovich…

American Fighter Pilot Clarence ‘Bud’ Anderson Was a World War II Triple Ace

Military portrait of Clarence "Bud" Anderson + Clarence "Bud" Anderson standing with his arms crossed in front of him

It was late in the Second World War – 1944, to be exact – when Clarence “Bud” Anderson shot down his first enemy aircraft near…

Poland Demanding $1.3 Trillion in World War II Reparations from Germany

German soldiers running down a dirt road

Poland’s right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party has released a report, which puts the country’s monetary losses during World War II at $1.32 trillion (6.2…

Snipers: The Four Greatest Marksmen In Military History

Chris Kyle staring at someone + Simo Häyhä smiling + Chris Hathcock smiling + Vasily Zaytsev holding his sniper rifle

Becoming one of the greatest snipers in history isn’t an easy feat to accomplish. The following four snipers, however, proved themselves worthy of the title…

Bruce Carr Was Shot Down Behind Enemy Lines and Flew Back In a Stolen Aircraft

Bruce Carr standing in front of his North American P-51D Mustang "Angels' Playmate"

There were many astounding feats accomplished by flying aces throughout the course of the Second World War. Earning the title of “flying ace” is itself…

Lauri Törni: The Only SS Member to Be Buried At Arlington National Cemetery

Military portrait of Lauri Törni

Finland was in a strange place during the Second World War. At first, the nation hoped to stay out of the conflict. That became impossible…

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer Was the Luftwaffe’s Best Night Fighter Pilot

Todd Neikirk
Underside of a Messerschmitt Bf 110 in flight + Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer in uniform

Between World War I and II, a number of advancements were made in aviation. Despite this, there were still some conditions that made flying difficult,…

The Incredible Military Career of Graves Erskine, the US Marine Who Escorted the Unknown Soldier

Graves Erskine standing with John Wayne

When John Wayne and Republic Pictures needed a technical adviser for the 1949 film Sands of Iwo Jima, they reached out to Graves Erskine. It…

Only 10 Crewmen Survived the Sinking of the Japanese Battleship Fusō – Out of 1,600

Fusō at sea

Prior to the First World War, Japan designed two dreadnought-style battleships. They were developed at a time when international players were engaged in a naval…

The Still-Unsolved Mystery of the US Navy’s ‘Ghost Blimp’

L-8 hovering above a building

Today, blimps are a common sight at college football games. Goodyear has been advertising during big games for decades. However, back in the 1940s, blimps…

The Char B1 Tank’s Superiority Couldn’t Stop France’s Fall to Germany

Soldiers standing beside a wrecked Char B1

When the Second World War began, German leadership ordered the use of blitzkrieg tactics to quickly overwhelm their enemies. One of the key aspects of…

The Enduring Legacy of Submarine Commander Dudley Morton

Todd Neikirk
Sailors standing on the USS Wahoo (SS-238) + Military portrait of Dudley Morton

Many heroes from the Second World War became famous upon returning to the United States. Audie Murphy became an actor and songwriter, while Dwight D.…