World War 1 | War History

USS Recruit (1917): The Wooden Dreadnought In Manhattan’s Union Square

USS Recruit (1917) 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

Crowd gathered around the beached SM U-118

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…

‘Last Post’ Memorial In Ypres Undergoing Two-Year Restoration

Exterior of the Menin Gate

After a century of battling the elements, the Menin Gate in Belgium is about to get some well-earned rest and recuperation. The monument dedicated to…

MI5 Used Girl Guides As Spies During World War I Because Boy Scouts Gossiped Too Much

Four women holding pamphlets outside

World War I was a time of immense upheaval and change. One group that played a surprisingly important role during this time was the British…

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…

Netflix’s Adaptation of ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ Shows the Brutalities of Trench Warfare

Felix Kammerer as Paul Bäumer in 'All Quiet on the Western Front'

One of the most talked about films of 2022 was All Quiet on the Western Front. The adaptation of Erich Maria Remarque’s classic anti-war novel…

Meuse-Argonne Offensive: The Deadliest American-Involved Campaign of World War I

US Marines running through a combat-wrecked forest

The Meuse-Argonne Offensive toward the end of World War I is widely considered to be the campaign that truly stopped any and all fighting along…

The German Flammenwerfer Forever Changed Warfare – And Not for the Better

Australian soldier kneeling with a captured Wechselapparat

For centuries, militaries tried to harness the ability to command fire. There were various methods used, but the flammenwerfer models developed by the German Army…

100 Years After She Sank, The Mystery of USS San Diego’s (ACR-6) Tragic End Was Finally Solved

Painting of the USS San Diego (ACR-6) sinking at sea

Shortly after 11:00 AM on July 19, 1918, the Pennsylvania-class armored cruiser USS San Diego (ACR-6) – formerly known as the USS California – was…

Ahmet Ali Çelikten: Why Have We Forgotten History’s First Black Aviator?

Ahmet Ali Çelikten standing in his pilot's uniform

Exactly two years before World War I came to an end, Ahmet Ali Çelikten became one of the world’s first Black military aviators. Çelikten, who…

The Allies Crafted the Largest Non-Nuclear Explosion to Win the Battle of Messines

Damaged German trench + British soldiers digging into the ground

The origin of mine warfare dates back all the way to the mid-19th century, during the American Civil War. In December 1861, Confederate officer Maj.…

17 Powerful Images That Show the Human Side of War

Soldiers making a human pyramid + Soldiers lifting a woman up to kiss their comrade in the back of a truck

Since the First World War, every conflict has been well-documented. There are millions of photos showing soldiers, aircraft, tanks and battlefields, and behind them are…