General James “Jumpin Jim” Gavin – WWII Airborne Division
James Maurice “Jumpin’ Jim” Gavin was the youngest lieutenant-general in the US Army ever, and the only general to make four combat airborne jumps in…
Christine Granville: One of the Early Leaders of Female Special Ops Agents
Born Krystyna Skarbek in Poland, Christine Granville became one of the most important early female players in the British Special Ops. Working in Nazi-occupied Poland…
The Perfect, Unkillable Soldier – He Fought In Wars For Almost Fifty Years
Some men have no fear of death, while others have no fear of personal injury. One man snubbed his nose at both, which was why…
Heinze And Reinhard Heydrich – A Tale Of Two Brothers Who Went Different Ways In WW2
In 1918 two teenage brothers posed for a photograph. The older brother has his arm protectively around the younger one. They are Heinze and Reinhard…
Violette Szabo: British Female Spy Killed Behind Enemy Lines
A British Special Ops agent in World War II, Violette Szabo was a posthumous recipient of the George Cross for her impressive work in occupied…
The Gray Ranks – The Fighting Boy-Scouts Of The Polish WWII Resistance
When people think of boy scouts, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Setting up a tent? Singing songs around the fire? Wearing…
A German and an American Meet at the end of WWII
War is full of brief encounters. A sudden glimpse of the face of an enemy; the brief sighting of an enemy submarine; or seeing a wounded…
In WW2, The Germans Tried to Copy the de Havilland Mosquito – And Failed
The de Havilland Mosquito was one of Britains most iconic aircraft. The high-velocity airplane made entirely from plywood was landing severe blows on the Reich…
How Tanks Decided The First And Second World Wars
The concept of a military tank was not particularly new in 1916. However, the ability to move troops safely through combat territories with a vehicle…
The Early Days Of Drones – Unmanned Aircraft From World War One And World War Two
Unmanned aerial vehicles, popularly known as drones, are most often associated with airstrikes in modern warfare, but their history goes much further back than that.…
Signals intelligence and code-breaking: The importance of the Zimmerman Telegram
January 17 of this year marked the 100 – year anniversary of the most successful intelligence operation of the First World War that wasn’t surpassed…
The Iowa Class: A Departure from Traditional US Battleship Design
War History Online presents this Guest Article from Chris Knupp The four vessels of the Iowa class were the last battleships put to sea by…