Mary Edwards Walker: The Only Woman Ever to Be Awarded the Medal of Honor
Mary Edwards Walker lived a life full of excitement and courage, forging paths during a time when feminism was largely unheard of, and the country…
The US Camel Corps: An Abandoned 19th-Century Army Experiment
The US Army does not immediately come to mind on hearing the words “Camel Corps.” Instead, armies in Northern Africa or the Middle East, maybe…
Japanese Fire Balloons: An Unprecedented WWII Weapon (Watch)
When people think about Japanese warfare during WWII, they usually envisage kamikaze pilots or the horrific conditions of their POW camps. However, there was one…
The Battle of the Coral Sea – The First Major Clash Of Aircraft Carriers In Military History
In 1942 in the Pacific Theater of WWII, the Battle of the Coral Sea was fought by the Japanese, against the United States and Australia.…
When The Guided Missile Cruiser USS Belknap Collided with the Aircraft Carrier USS John F. Kennedy
The USS Belknap was the first ship in a new group of guided missile cruisers. She was laid down in 1962 and launched in 1963.…
Allied Attacks on Japanese “Hell Ships” Unintentionally Killed Thousands of POWs in WWII
In the American Revolutionary War, hell ships were used by the British to hold American prisoners of war. Those ships had abhorrent living conditions, and as…
Shell Shock: A Sad Side-Effect of the First World War
Shell shock was one of the major side effects of WWI. Many soldiers suffered from it, as it was caused by the heavy explosions and constant…
The Drafts – Building the armies of the American Civil War
In America, the draft is a controversial subject. Many people support it, as they feel it is necessary for a country at war, while many…
Forces of Nature – Dealing with Weather in the Trenches of WW1
One of the most important battlegrounds of WW1 was the battle in the trenches. It was gruesome, for many reasons. At times the soldiers would be…
Kaiten: The Japanese Suicide Submarines in WWII
During the last months of World War II, as the Japanese were becoming desperate, they turned to a new kind of weapon. While it incorporated…
The History Of Dog Tags – A Feature Of Warfare Since Before The First World War
Dog tags have a simple purpose; they exist to identify people. The term “dog tag” is informal, but it is the nickname for those two pieces…
A Nightmarish Place – The Mauthausen-Gusen Concentration Camp
The Mauthausen-Gusen Concentration Camp lies just North of Linz, in Austria. It was one of the first large concentration camps created in Nazi Germany and…