Queen Elizabeth II’s military service during World War II made her the first British royal woman in uniform since Queen Boudica
Public perceptions of the British Royal Family have often been shaped by questions about how connected its members are to the lives of ordinary people.…
The German city of Konstanz was able to avoid the worst of the Allies’ bombing campaigns because it disguised itself as a Swiss town
Throughout World War II, the threat of aerial bombardment was a persistent reality, with many European cities facing repeated nighttime attacks intended to catch defenders…
During the Cold War, the US Navy’s nuclear submarines started getting damaged in mysterious ways, but not from enemy attacks
Submarines are engineered to survive some of the harshest conditions imaginable beneath the ocean’s surface, from enemy torpedoes and depth charges to devastating onboard failures.…
Photos captured the terrifying final moments of the B-17G Flying Fortress ‘Wee Willie’ as it was shot down after a bombing run
As the Second World War neared its end, Allied bombers continued launching intense strikes aimed at crippling what remained of Germany’s military and industrial capacity.…
There are a few key differences that set military prisons apart from Federally-run correctional facilities
In 2019, correctional institutions across the United States—including federal, state, and military systems—held approximately 1.38 million people in custody. Over the past century, the purpose…
Wild Weasel crews have handled the US Air Force’s most dangerous missions since the Vietnam War
Sometimes a few words can capture the essence of an entire unit, and the unofficial motto of the U.S. Air Force’s Wild Weasel crews does…
Wilbert “Doug” Pearson has the rare honor of being the only U.S. Air Force officer to ever score an air-to-space kill
On September 13, 1985, the U.S. Air Force achieved a historic breakthrough when a missile fired from a jet aircraft successfully struck and destroyed a…
After he was shot down behind enemy lines, Bruce W. Carr made a daring escape back to Allied territory in a stolen Focke-Wulf Fw 190
During World War II, the title of “flying ace” was typically reserved for pilots credited with downing multiple enemy aircraft in combat. Bruce W. Carr…
Japan trained ‘kamikaze frogmen’ to defend against an Allied invasion, but too many recruits died in training
As World War II neared its conclusion, military planners on both sides began weighing increasingly ambitious strategies in an effort to secure a decisive final victory. For the…
Not wanting to “be a fake in a war studio,” Henry Fonda enlisted in the US Navy as a sailor during World War II
Henry Fonda, a prominent figure of Hollywood’s Golden Age, built a distinguished career across film, theater, and television. He became widely respected for portraying characters…
The true story behind the death of Benito Mussolini at the end of the Second World War
When World War II erupted, Benito Mussolini stood as one of Europe’s most dominant political figures. After taking power in 1922, he pursued an aggressive…
Donald Pleasence and 9 other famous figures and celebrities who were held as POWs during the Second World War
While countless individuals played vital roles in the Allied war effort—across land, sea, and air—less widely known is the fact that several future celebrities also…