The Story of Big Week: The Plan to Cripple the Luftwaffe, Some Say it Was a Waste of Men & Machines
In 1944 the United States Strategic Air Forces decided they had to do something about the German Luftwaffe. What they did became known as Big…
Bomber Dog: Antis the dog that went on bombing missions to Germany even earned a medal
In the immense tragedy of war, some people need something to hold on to during its darkest moments. For a Czech Pilot at the start…
Jumped Onto Another Bunker With His Flamethrower, Stuck The Nozzle Into Air Vent & Pulled The Trigger. There Were No Survivors
Modern warfare has few comparisons to the terror of World War 2. A soldier steps into battle accepting that he might be on the receiving…
Napoleon As Augustus: How He Modelled Himself On The Roman Empire
“I am a true Roman Emperor; I am of the best race of the Caesars – those who are founders.” – Napoleon Bonaparte, 1812. Throughout…
Merritt Edson: The Valiant Colonel Who Led His 800 Men to Victory Against 2,500 Japanese Soldiers
After more than 24 hours of fending off a ferocious Japanese assault, the men of the 1st Marine Raider Battalion knew they were in for…
Why I Still Like Ike – The Rapid Rise of General Eisenhower – By Raymond Panko
War History Online recently published “I Don’t Like Ike” by guest blogger Peter B. Gemma. Here, Ray Panko of the University of Hawaii responds. In general,…
When Pirates Kidnapped Julius Caesar He Laughed at Their Ransom Demands & Told Them To Ask for More
Long ago a 25-year-old Roman author, poet, priest, and aristocrat was kidnapped by pirates. Rather than plead for his release, however, he ordered them to…
The Man Who Spared A Wounded Hitler’s Life In WWI – And Changed The World Forever
The History of War will always be about that which we know for certain, that which we have reason to believe, and that which will…
From The Tank Museum: The Mystery Of The Tiger Recovery Vehicle
These pictures have invariably been identified as an improvised Tiger recovery vehicle, photographed in Italy in 1944, but is it? Renowned tank historian David Fletcher…
This Was The First Major Battle Between US And German Forces In WW2 – Kasserine Pass 1943
On 19 February 1943, German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel launched an attack on allied troops at the Kasserine Pass. This gap in the Atlas Mountains…
An Unprecedented And Terrifying Weapon – Gas Arrives On The Battlefields Of World War One
Few weapons create as deep a sense of horror as poison gas. Its arrival on the battlefields of WWI brought horrendous injuries and appalling deaths…
The Little Known Battles of Attu And Kiska: Retaking The Only US Soil Lost During WWII
In the cold, desolate Arctic near Alaska in 1942, Japanese troops quietly invaded and took over two of the Aleutian Islands, considered to be North…