Walter Holden Accidentally Took Off In a Fighter Jet – Despite Not Knowing How to Fly It
Not everyone who serves with the Royal Air Force (RAF) is a pilot, as it’s equally important for crewmen to maintain the aircraft. This, however,…
Mk 47 Striker: The US Military’s Modern Automatic Grenade Launcher
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
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
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
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…
USS Recruit (1917): The Wooden Dreadnought In Manhattan’s Union Square
Amid the bustling streets of Manhattan’s Union Square in World War I, an extraordinary sight met passersby. The USS Recruit (1917), a wooden landship constructed…
The Dramatic Arrival of the German U-boat SM U-118 On a British Beach
In the aftermath of the First World War, a remarkable event unfolded in Britain, causing a stir among military and civilian circles: the unexpected arrival…
Cargo from German Ship Sunk During WWII Washing Up On American Beaches
Several tons of cargo went down with German ships that were sunk by enemy action or intentionally scuttled during the Second World War. Rarely, however,…
Bell X-1: America’s Experimental Rocket-Powered Aircraft That First Broke the Sound Barrier
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…
Henschel Hs 129 :The Luftwaffe’s Soaring Tank Buster Armed With a 75 mm Cannon
As tank warfare evolved and became a key strategy during the interwar period, the German Wehrmacht envisioned a new kind of blitzkrieg – one that…
National Emergency Command Post Afloat: The ‘Floating White Houses’ for Times of Nuclear War
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…
Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star: The Only US Jet Fighter to See Action In WWII – During Secret Operations In Italy
The Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star, also known as the F-80, was the first jet fighter used operationally by the US Army Air Forces (USAAF). While…