Jesse Beckett

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

Articles by Jesse Beckett:

Lunge Mine’s Were A Terrifying Japanese Weapon That Claimed The Lives Of Its Users

lunge mine example

During WWII, Japan was famous for its suicidal attacks against its enemies. Although to many this may seem strange, Japan understood the overwhelming odds they…

The Story Behind Ejector Seats And The Man Who Pioneered The Industry

The invention of the ejection seat is one of the biggest milestones for aviation safety in the history of flight. Before ejection seats, exiting an…

The Swiss Panzer 68 MBT Was Obsolete Before It Was Even Produced, Then Things Got Worse

The Panzer 68 Tank

The Swiss Panzer 68 was Switzerland’s attempt at designing and building their own main battle tank (MBT), which is no easy feat. It was designed…

4,000 Sea Mines Were Set Off By the Sun During the Vietnam War

Illustration of solar flares on the surface of the Sun

In August 1972, American magnetic sea mines in the oceans surrounding northern Vietnam began simultaneously exploding. They had been strategically placed to detonate close to…

When Japan sent Young School Girls into the Battle of Okinawa

The Okinawa Campaign

In March of 1945, as the end of the Second World War was nearing, the US attacked the island of Okinawa. Capturing Okinawa was vitally…

Paratrooper Bicycles Were Incredibly Popular And Featured A Brilliant Design

Folding Paratrooper Bike

As if jumping out of an aircraft laden with parachutes, equipment, and a weapon while under enemy fire wasn’t daring enough, some British paratroopers made…

Civil War Air Balloons Existed And Had Their Own Corp

An air balloon and gunfire is not something you’d usually want to mix together, but the Union Army certainly did so with respectable results during…

The U.S. has used Ghosts, Vampires, and other Superstitions as Psychological Warfare

War and Psychological Tricks using mythical creatures

The US military has the most extensive arsenal of weapons and equipment in the world. If something needs to be destroyed, the US will likely…

Dazzle Camouflage Made It Harder To Hit Ships By Using A Unique Process

Dazzle Camouflage

The threat presented by German U-boats led to the adoption of ‘dazzle’ camouflage for merchant shipping crossing the Atlantic Ocean. German submarines were a truly…

Weather Station Kurt: The German’s Only North American Operation During the 1940s

In 1943 a German U-boat visited Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada and established the only German military operation on North American soil during the war.…

Fake Spy Trees and their use in No Man’s Land

Spy Trees

The stalemate in the trenches during The Great War meant the two sides were evenly matched, so even the smallest advantage for one could mean…

Lockheed nearly armed the U-2 with anti-ship missiles

U-2 Plane

The Lockheed U-2 has been serving the US silently at high altitudes since the 1950s. In that time, it has been used by the US…