World War 2 | War History

Lee Marvin: The Hollywood ‘Tough Guy’ Who Earned His Stripes In the Pacific Theater

Lee Marvin as the Sergeant in 'The Big Red One'

Lee Marvin was a mainstay of cinema and television throughout the 1950s and ’60s. Known for his portrayal of villains and tough guys, he was…

‘U-571’ Is So Inaccurate That It Sparked An Official Debate In British Parliament

Damian Lucjan
Still from 'U-571'

Imagine: it’s 2000 and you’re sitting on your couch, popcorn in hand, waiting for the newest American war production to appear on your screen. The…

Northrop XP-79: The Flying Wing Designed to Ram Into Enemy Aircraft in Mid-Air

Northrop XP-79 parked on the tarmac

The Northrop XP-79 Flying Ram was a rocket- and jet-powered flying-wing fighter designed during the Second World War for the US Army Air Forces. The…

Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Museum Embarking on Project to Reconstruct WWII-Era Fairey Barracuda

Fairey Barracuda flying over the HMS Vulnerable (R63) and an Italian destroyer

The Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Museum has launched a project to carry out a live rebuild over a period of 10 years of an…

The Real-Life US Marines Behind the Characters of ‘The Pacific’

June Steele
Still from 'The Pacific'

The Pacific (2010) is one of the most realistic depictions of the fighting that occurred in the Pacific Theater during the Second World War. It…

With the Type 93 Torpedo, the Allies Didn’t Know What Hit Them… Literally

Type 93 torpedo on display

The Type 93 torpedo was developed by the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during the interwar period and became the most advanced and superior torpedo of…

Behind-the-Scenes Facts About the Popular WWII Film, ‘The Longest Day’

Still from 'The Longest Day'

If asked to name a film about the D-Day landings, The Longest Day is likely the first to come to mind. The 1962 feature, directed…

Expedition Produces New Images of Shipwrecks from the Battle of Midway

Wreck of the USS Yorktown (CV-5) on the seafloor

The Battle of Midway in June 1942 was a turning point of the War in the Pacific. While the United States lost a handful of…

Hiroshima Survivor Kiyoshi Tanimoto and the Co-Pilot of the Enola Gay Met on an American TV Show

Mushroom cloud rising over Hiroshima + Kiyoshi Tanimoto sitting at a table + Military portrait of Robert A. Lewis

Rev. Kiyoshi Tanimoto was one of the lucky ones to survive the atomic bombing of Hiroshima by the United States on August 6, 1945. Following…

The True Story Behind the Spaghetti Run in ‘Band of Brothers’

David Schwimmer as Herbert Sobel in 'Band of Brothers'

Band of Brothers (2001) is often considered a realistic retelling of the bravery of the men of Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment,…

The True Story Behind the USS Indianapolis Monologue in ‘Jaws’

Robert Shaw as Quint in 'Jaws'

Jaws (1975) is a thriller and summertime classic directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss and Robert Shaw. The film is based…

Three-Part Docuseries to Highlight Heroics of Women During World War II

Barbara Jane Erickson sitting in the cockpit of an aircraft while Evelyn Sharp stands beside her

The United Kingdom’s Channel 4 and Australia’s SBS have purchased an upcoming three-part docuseries about the Second World War. Titled World War II: Women on…