Ryan McLachlan

Ryan McLachlan is a historian and content writer for Hive Media. He received his Bachelor of Arts in History and Classical Studies and his Master of Arts in History from the University of Western Ontario. Ryan’s research focused on military history, and he is particularly interested in the conflicts fought by the United Kingdom from the Napoleonic Wars to the Falklands War.

Ryan’s other historical interests include naval and maritime history, the history of aviation, the British Empire, and the British Monarchy. He is also interested in the lives of Sir Winston Churchill and Admiral Lord Nelson. Ryan enjoys teaching, reading, writing, and sharing history with anyone who will listen.

In his spare time, he enjoys watching period dramas such as Murdoch Mysteries and Ripper Street and also enjoys reading classical literature and Shakespeare. He also plays football and is an afternoon tea connoisseur.

Articles by Ryan McLachlan:

Mk 47 Striker: The US Military’s Modern Automatic Grenade Launcher

Three US Army Special Forces members manning an Mk 47 Striker

The Mk 47 or Striker 40 – often called the Mk 47 Striker – is an American 40 mm advanced automatic grenade launcher. It was…

Ryan FR-1 Fireball: The US Navy’s First Jet-Engine Fighter Was Also the Worst Aircraft of World War II

Ryan FR-1 Fireball in flight

The Ryan FR-1 Fireball was an American fighter designed by Ryan Aeronautical for the US Navy during the Second World War. It was a mixed-power…

Sturmpistole: The German Handheld Grenade Launcher That Failed to Match More Powerful Anti-Tank Weaponry

German soldier aiming a Sturmpistole

The Sturmpistole was a multi-purpose weapon developed for the German Army during World War II. A modified flare gun, it was capable of firing a…

The M18 Recoilless Rifle Obliterated Enemy Machine Gun Nests In Korea

Group of men standing near an M18 recoilless rifle in the snow

The M18 is a 57 mm shoulder-fired, anti-tank recoilless rifle the US Army equipped troops with during the Second World War and in Korea. The…

Bell X-1: America’s Experimental Rocket-Powered Aircraft That First Broke the Sound Barrier

Bell X-1 in flight

The Bell X-1 was a rocket-powered aircraft designed by Bell for a supersonic joint research project between the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) and…

National Emergency Command Post Afloat: The ‘Floating White Houses’ for Times of Nuclear War

USS Wright (CC-2) at sea + Mushroom cloud rising into the sky

During the 1960s, America’s Continuity of Operations plans included the National Emergency Command Post Afloat (NECPA). It was one of three parts – airborne, ground…

No. 1426 Flight RAF Flew German Aircraft Decked Out In Royal Air Force Insignia

Messerschmitt Bf 109E-3 in flight

In September 1942, Rachel and Eddie Jones were enjoying the warm weather at their home near Romsey, England. Rachel had formed a keen interest in…

Clint Eastwood’s Iwo Jima Duology Accurately Depicts the Battle from Both Sides

US Marines raising the American flag + Portrait of Clint Eastwood

In 2006, legendary actor and director Clint Eastwood released two World War II-era films that focused on both the American and Japanese perspectives of the…

Panzerschreck: Germany’s Much More Powerful Version of the American Bazooka

Two German soldiers manning a Panzerschreck in the rubble of a semi-collapsed building

The Panzerschreck was an anti-tank weapon designed and primarily used by Germany during World War II. Officially known as the Raketenpanzerbüchse 54, it was based…

Messerschmitt Me 410 Hornisse: The German Bomber Destroyer That Was No Match for Allied Fighters

Messerschmitt Me 410A-1/U2 Hornisse parked on the tarmac

The Messerschmitt Me 410 Hornisse was a German twin-engine heavy fighter and bomber destroyer operated by the Luftwaffe during the Second World War. Designed as…

Mikoyan MiG-29K: The Russian Cold War-Era Fighter That Didn’t Enter Service Until 2010

Mikoyan MiG-29K landing on the flight deck of the INS Vikramaditya

The Mikoyan MiG-29K is a Russian all-weather carrier-based multirole fighter. Developed by the Mikoyan Design Bureau in the late 1980s, it was the naval variant…

Fort Drum: The Unsinkable Concrete Battleship That Guarded the Philippines

Aerial view of Fort Drum

Fort Drum, or El Fraile, was a heavily-fortified island operated by the US in the Philippines for decades. The “concrete battleship” was constructed between 1909-14…