Photos | War History

24th Infantry Division Bazooka Team Taking On the Enemy During the Battle of Osan

24th Infantry Division soldier manning a Bazooka while another crouches beside him

The Battle of Osan was one of the opening engagements of the Korean War. It was the first time the United States faced the North…

The Hughes H-4 Hercules Was An Absolute Mammoth Of An Aircraft

Aerial view of a Hughes H-4 Hercules

Several experimental aircraft have been designed over the years, but few (if any) were as large and eye-catching as the Hughes H-4 Hercules. A flying…

The USS Utah (BB-31/AG-16) Was Sunk By the Japanese During the Attack on Pearl Harbor

Aerial view of the USS Utah (BB-31) Memorial

The USS Utah (BB-31), the second ship in the Florida-class of dreadnoughts, served with the US Navy in various engagements during the first half of…

US Naval Aircraft Celebrate the Signing of the Japanese Surrender Aboard the USS Missouri (BB-63)

US naval aircraft flying over the USS Missouri (BB-63)

Following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by American forces, Emperor Hirohito announced Japan’s surrender on August 15, 1945. Just over two weeks later,…

HMS Sussex (96): The British Heavy Cruiser That Survived a Kamikaze Strike

Kamikaze strike on the side of the HMS Sussex (96)

The British heavy cruiser HMS Sussex (96) was a London sub-class vessel within the Royal Navy’s County-class. Operated by the service between 1929-50, she participated…

The USS Oriskany Was Purposefully Sunk In the Gulf of Mexico to Form An Artificial Reef

USS Oriskany (CV/CVA-34) sinking into the Gulf of Mexico

Laid down in the middle of World War II, the Essex-class aircraft carrier USS Oriskany (CV/CVA-34) didn’t see action until after the conflict. She was…

RAF Members Preparing to Bomb German Industry Targets During the Battle of the Ruhr

A Royal Air Force (RAF) airman and Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) member standing with a bomb with "ON A VISIT TO THE RUHR" written on it in chalk

Throughout World War II, the Allied forces – in particular, the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the US Army Air Forces (USAAF) – conducted several…

Can You Spot the Finnish Coastal Defense Ship Väinämöinen In This Image?

Väinämöinen anchored while covered in natural camouflage

Camouflage and optical illusions have long been a key part of conflict. Such tactics were heavily used throughout World War II, with examples being the…

Sunken Remains of German U-boat U-166 In the Depths of the Gulf of Mexico

U-166's deck gun covered in algae on the ocean floor

A total of 23 U-boats were stationed in the Gulf of Mexico during World War II. Over the course of the conflict, they took out…

Naval Aviators Graffiti Jet Fighter After Pilot Lands On the Wrong Aircraft Carrier

McDonnell F2H-2 Banshee with Fighter Squadron 62 (VF-62) parked on the flight deck of the USS Wasp (CV-18)

If you look at photographs captured during the mid-20th century, odds are you’ll come across some that feature US Navy aircraft covered in graffiti. The…

Grieving Mother Searches for Son Among Returning Austrian POWs

Grieving mother holding up a photo of her son to a returning prisoner of war (POW)

Following World War II, each nation began the intensive process of returning each other’s prisoners of war (POWs) home to their worried and grieving mothers,…

American Liberator Welcomed with Kisses from Elderly French Couple

American liberator being kissed on the cheek by an elderly couple

During the Second World War, the US involvement in the liberation of France stands as a remarkable chapter in history, serving as a turning point…