INSTANT ARTICLES | War History

RPD Machine Gun: The Soviet-Era Weapon That’s Seen Nearly 80 Years of Action

Australian soldier firing an RPD Machine Gun

The Soviet Union developed a number of effective machine guns during World War II and the Cold War. Some were only used for a short…

Operation Long Jump: The Alleged German Plan to Assassinate the ‘Big Three’

Joseph Stalin, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill sitting amongst military officials

A number of plans never came to fruition during the Second World War; one involved the use of bombs guided by pigeons, while another called…

Michael Alexander: The British Commando Who Escaped Death By Faking His Family Tree

Two British Commandos ducking in tall grass with their weapons

Not all those who were captured in combat were taken as prisoners of war (POWs) during the Second World War. Some were shot on-site, particularly…

MoH Recipient Richard O’Kane Was the US Navy’s Most Successful Submarine Commander

USS Tang (SS-306) leaving port + Military portrait of Richard O'Kane

Richard O’Kane is the most successful submarine commander in the history of the US Navy. He served during the Second World War, and sank a…

Battlefield Cross: A Powerful Symbol to Memorialize the Sacrifices of Fallen Soldiers

Samantha Franco
Battlefield Cross in a room + Battlefield Cross in the middle of a debris-strewn field

The Battlefield Cross has gone from having a functional purpose to providing symbolic meaning for those mourning the loss of their comrades. Its imagery is…

The Devastating Fire That Caused $700 Million In Damages to the USS Miami (SSN-755) and Forced Her Decommissioning

Sailors standing atop the USS Miami (SSN-755) while at port + Flames

The submarine USS Miami (SSN-755) was decommissioned as a result of a planned fire that caused significant damage. Although there appeared to be no malicious…

Charles Brown Never Received His MoH Because He Deserted Before It Was Presented

Samantha Franco
Charles Brown, Hugh Purvis and McLane Tilton standing in front of a captured Korean flag

During the 19th century, Korea was extremely isolationist. Before agreeing to the Japan-Korea Treaty of 1876, it didn’t have an interest in developing trade agreements…

US Military Video Shows Russian Su-27 Fighter Jet Colliding with Reaper Drone

Clare Fitzgerald
Sukhoi Su-27 in flight

US European Command (EUCOM) has declassified footage of a recent encounter between a Russian Sukhoi Su-27 and an MQ-9 Reaper operated by the United States.…

Mysterious US Navy Vessel Washes Ashore In North Carolina, Disappears Overnight

Clare Fitzgerald
Aircraft carriers docked as Naval Station Norfolk

It’s not uncommon for strange things to wash ashore along North Carolina’s Outer Banks, but rarely are the objects related to the military. That’s exactly…

Puckle Gun: The Early Machine Gun That Fired Both Round and Square Bullets

Puckle Gun replica on display

Many consider the Maxim to be the world’s first machine gun – and they’re technically not wrong. Developed in 1884, it was the first automatic…

Facts About the Award-Winning and Controversial Vietnam Epic, ‘The Deer Hunter’

Still from 'The Deer Hunter'

The Academy Award-winning film The Deer Hunter (1978) is the most controversial Vietnam-era film – that’s not an opinion, it’s a fact. Starring Robert De…

Henry T Elrod: The Marine Corps Aviator Who Single-Handedly Took Out a Japanese Destroyer

Wrecked Grumman F4F-3 Wildcat in the sand + Military portrait of Henry T Elrod

Maj. Henry T Elrod was better known by his nickname, “Hammerin’ Hank.” The US Marine Corps aviator had always dreamed of taking to the skies,…