Jesse Beckett

Jesse Beckett is one of the authors writing for WAR HISTORY ONLINE

Articles by Jesse Beckett:

How German Soldiers Used Lentil Soup as an Effective Defense Mechanism Against the Soviets

It has been said that the hardest military maneuverer is a retreat. Usually, the defeated force is in poor shape (hence the retreat), has lost…

George Patton bought supplies from Sears because the US was so unprepared for WWII

George Patton and Sears

Legendary but controversial US General George S. Patton was known as a man of action who got things done no matter how difficult. He was…

Rolls-Royce selected to supply new engines for the B-52

B52 and the F130 Engine

The 70-year-old B-52 Stratofortress bomber is finally set to get new engines decades after the US became interested in the idea. The B-52’s current 1950s-era…

Loreta Janeta Velázquez disguised herself as a man to fight alongside her husband in the Civil War

Loreta Janeta Velázquez and her husband Lieutenant Harry Buford

The life of Loreta Janeta Velázquez is one of adventure, twists, and turns. She was born in the mid-1800s, and later disguised herself and fought…

Brig. Gen. Martin Green Bragged About His Invincibility – He Was Quickly Proven Wrong

Painting of the fighting at the Siege of Vicksburg + Military portrait of Martin Green

The sheer scale of the American Civil War meant a number of seemingly improbable events occurred. Among them were bullets colliding and fusing in mid-air,…

The sinking of U-864: The only time a submarine has sunk another submarine while submerged

HMS Venturer

Although movies like to portray intense cat and mouse submarine battles that are fought solely underwater, this type of combat is actually extremely rare. So…

The British Army stopped walking in-step on bridges because of an incident in 1831

In 1831 a suspension bridge in Greater Manchester, England, collapsed while British troops marched over it. The bridge had a few design flaws, but the…

Here’s why US Military Helicopters are named after Native American Tribes

You may have noticed that US helicopters follow a pattern of being named after Native American tribes. This is not a coincidence; almost every single…

Here’s why British Soldiers were forced to have Mustaches and Why the Practice Ended

British Soldiers and Mustaches

When one imagines the British Empire, it’s hard not to think of a British soldier standing proud with a neatly trimmed mustache. This tradition was…

Meet The Tanks Worthy Enough To Be Named After General Patton

Patton Tanks

Since WW2 US vehicles have been named after notable American historical figures, but this ongoing tradition of the US’ tank names was actually started by…

The Strangest Military Units in History And Why They Existed

Strangest Military Units

Over the course of human history, there have been countless militaries, armies, and units, some of which were formed for peculiar reasons. This article contains…

77 Years Later: Soldier Identified from WWII Will Be Laid To Rest In North Carolina

James E Wright

The remains of an Army servicemember who was declared missing during WWII have been successfully identified almost 77 years later. The lieutenant from Parkton, North…