Valor | War History

The Bravery and Sacrifice of Sophie Scholl: The 21-Year-Old Who Gave Her Life for the Resistance

Monument dedicated to Hans and Sophie Scholl and the White Rose + Portrait of Sophie Scholl

When you think of famous World War II-era Resistance fighters, odds are Sophie Scholl doesn’t immediately come to mind – but she should. The 21-year-old…

‘Fat Man’ Decimated Nagasaki and Became the Last Nuclear Weapon Deployed in Warfare

Takashi Nagai standing amid the ruins of Nagasaki

Fat Man was the codename given to the plutonium core nuclear weapon that was developed as part of the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos National…

A World War II-Era German Defensive Line Has Become Europe’s Largest Man-Made Bat Reserve

View down a dark tunnel + A lit tunnel at the Ostwall Fortifications

In the quiet, unassuming Polish countryside are the World War II-era Ostwall Fortifications. Once a formidable underground stronghold constructed and used by the German forces…

Tuskegee Airmen: The African-American Pilots Who Broke Barriers in World War II

Five Tuskegee Airmen kneeling next to an aircraft

In the early 20th century, the notion of African Americans serving as pilots in the US military was unthinkable to many in power. However, as…

The US Military Once Built a Japanese Warship in the Middle of the California Desert

North American B-25 Mitchell flying over the Muroc Maru

Did you know the US Army Air Forces (USAAF) constructed a Japanese warship in the middle of the California desert during the Second World War?…

Upcoming Film ‘Never Alone’ Looks at Finland’s Deportation of Jewish Refugees in World War II

Ville Virtanen and Klaus Härö on the set of 'Never Alone'

Few movies are made about Finland’s role in World War II, especially when it comes to the country’s part in the Holocaust. While many are…

Highly-Anticipated Korean Historical Thriller ‘Harbin’ Slated for Christmas Theatrical Release

Clare Fitzgerald
Movie poster for 'Harbin' along a street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada + Portrait of Hyun Bin

A few months after making its worldwide premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), it has been announced the Korean historical thriller Harbin (2024)…

The Tank Museum’s M47 Patton Restoration Fundraiser Hits Halfway Point

Clare Fitzgerald
M47 Patton being loaded onto the back of a flatbed truck

The Tank Museum has provided an update on its efforts to raise money to restore its Cold War-era M47 Patton. The fundraiser, which was launched…

Boeing E-4: The Cold War-Era ‘Doomsday Plane’ the US Air Force is Looking to Replace

Ground crewmen walking toward a Boeing E-4 that's parked on the tarmac

Everyone has heard of the US Air Force’s “Doomsday Planes,” but do you actually know what they are? Stationed out of Offutt Air Force Base,…

British Man Builds World War II-Era Anderson Shelter in His Back Garden

Trad Casey sitting in an Anderson Shelter

A World War II enthusiast has created a historical man cave by building a sunken Anderson Shelter in his back garden in Dorset, United Kingdom.…

Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport is Named for the US Navy’s First Air Ace of World War II

Two Grumman F4F Wildcats in flight + Edward "Butch" O'Hare dressed in his pilot's attire + Medal of Honor

Few pilots have the innate skill in the cockpit that Edward “Butch” O’Hare did. The US naval aviator was a natural, and over the course…

The Last Soldier to Lose His Life in World War I Died One Minute Before the Armistice Went Into Effect

Aerial view of fighting happening at Varennes-an-Argonne, Meuse, France + Henry Gunther's image etched into a plaque

World War I bore witness to the deaths of some 15 million soldiers and civilians over the four and a half years it raged. Few…