MSN Slideshow | War History

Saab J35 Draken: ‘The Cobra Maneuver’ Started With This Nordic Jet

Saab J35F Draken in flight

In the post-World War II world, the need for advanced jet fighter technology loomed large. In the soaring 1960s, the Saab J35 Draken was nothing…

Alan Alda and Jamie Farr – The ‘M*A*S*H’ Stars Who Earned Their Stripes In Korea

Samantha Franco
Cast of 'M*A*S*H'

M*A*S*H (1972-83) centers around the Mobile Army Surgical Hospitals during the Korean War. Although the television show is based on fictional characters, a lot of…

D-Day In Color: A Look at the Largest Amphibious Invasion In History

Ships, aircraft and landing craft positioned near the shore of a beach

On June 6, 1944, the Allies conducted the largest amphibious invasion in history. Landing on five beaches, as well as at various landing zones behind…

Orde Wingate: The Onion-Eating Major General Who Led Deep Penetration Missions In Burma

Orde Wingate standing with his men and a large map

Maj. Gen. Orde Wingate was one of many well-regarded British officers of the Second World War. By the time the conflict began, he’d already made…

de Havilland Mosquito: The Versatile Aircraft That Struck Fear Into the Germans

de Havilland Mosquito in flight

The de Havilland Mosquito was a British twin-engine, multirole combat aircraft that served with the Royal Air Force (RAF) and other Allied air forces during…

The WWI Assault That Inspired A Movie About Sgt Alvin York

Gary Cooper, Joe Sawyer and George Tobias as Alvin York, Sergeant Early and "Pusher" Ross in 'Sergeant York'

Many men went up against German machine guns during the First World War and didn’t live to tell the tale. Even fewer did so directly…

Battle of Fort Driant – World War II’s Strangest Engagement?

Landscape torn apart by war + German soldier armed with a panzerschreck

The Battle of Fort Driant was a World War II-era engagement fought between the US Third Army and Germany’s 1st Army from September 27 to…

Before Playing a POW In ‘The Great Escape,’ Donald Pleasence Was One In Real Life

Still from 'The Great Escape'

British actor Donald Pleasence became one of the most popular antagonists in television and film, and is probably best known for portraying a prisoner of…

These ‘Night Witches’ Weren’t Burned at the Stake – They Bombed German Soldiers

Six members of the Night Witches looking toward the sky

One bomber regiment during the Second World War was so feared by the Germans that a soldier was immediately awarded the Iron Cross for shooting…

Edgar ‘Cobber’ Kain Single-Handedly Decimated 17 Enemy Aircraft During the Battle of France

Edgar "Cobber" Cain leaning against a Hawker Hurricane Mk I

It might seem strange, but the Royal Air Force’s (RAF) first Flying Ace of the Second World War wasn’t from Britain – he was from…

The Best War-Themed Historical Fiction Films Ever Released

Samantha Franco
Tom Hanks as Capt. John H. Miller in 'Saving Private Ryan' + Felix Kammerer as Paul Bäumer in 'All Quiet on the Wester Front' + Brad Pitt as Achilles in 'Troy'

History is full of incredible war stories that Hollywood has beautifully reimagined for the silver screen. However, directors will sometimes tweak facts here and there,…

USS Harder (SS-257): The WWII-Era Submarine That Took Out Five Enemy Destroyers In Four Days

USS Harder (SS-257) sailing close to shore + USS Harder (SS-257) at sea

The USS Harder (SS-257), a Gato-class submarine, served in the Pacific Theater during the Second World War. She was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation and…