French troops once entered a castle through a latrine’s waste channel (and other weird medieval siege strategies)
Across the ages, warfare has been shaped by the ongoing contest between building stronger defenses and discovering ways to break through them. In today’s world,…
Three Italian POWs escaped captivity with the sole purpose of climbing Mount Kenya, Africa’s second-tallest peak
Typically, prisoners of war who plot an escape worry most about being captured and forced back into captivity. The idea of breaking free only to…
A U.S. Navy radioman secretly evaded Japanese forces on Guam for over two years with the help of locals
During wartime, people often find themselves pushed past ordinary boundaries, achieving acts of bravery and heroism that are remembered and celebrated. Yet alongside such moments…
After missing for decades, researchers discovered a German U-boat in the Gulf of Mexico containing the remains of her crew and classified the site as a war grave
In World War II, German U-boats prowled the Gulf of Mexico, with 23 of them launching deadly attacks that claimed many Allied ships. However, just…
The USS Ticonderoga: The aircraft carrier that served in two wars and assisted NASA with the Apollo missions
Launched during the height of World War II, the USS Ticonderoga (CV/CVA/CVS-14) was an American aircraft carrier christened in honor of the American Revolutionary War…
The Northrop YF-23, known as the ‘Black Widow’, was a milestone in the evolution of modern fighter jets but the Air Force couldn’t overlook its lack of maneuverability
Northrop, later merging into Northrop Grumman, stood as one of North America’s premier military aircraft manufacturers. With its established reputation, the company was a natural…
Sgt. Christopher Celiz’s sacrifice allowed a fellow soldier and medical evacuation team to escape as they came under enemy fire
Sergeant Christopher Celiz represented the very essence of duty and selflessness. During a mission in Afghanistan, he was fatally wounded while protecting a fellow soldier…
Lee Van Cleef was known for his villain roles on-screen, but he also was involved in active duty in both the Pacific and European theaters of WWII
Long before Lee Van Cleef became immortalized on screen as the cold-eyed outlaw of countless Westerns, he had already served his country with distinction in…
The USS Grayback vanished during WWII and remained hidden from sight under the ocean’s surface for decades
The USS Grayback (SS-208), a submarine that vanished during World War II, remained hidden from sight for nearly three-quarters of a century. After decades of…
Grenades are often featured in war movies, but filmmakers keep making these technical mistakes over and over again
Grenades often steal the spotlight in action films, but their real-world use is far less flashy than Hollywood portrays. Movies favor spectacle—slow-motion throws, massive explosions,…
President Abraham Lincoln’s assassination left the nation in shock and mourning, but amid the tragedy, attention turned to the items in his pocket on that fateful night
In the early hours of April 14, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln was fatally shot by actor and Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Booth while attending a…
The HK433 from Heckler & Koch likely won’t be used as a standard-issue U.S. service rifle despite its versatility and modern features but could find success on the international market
Heckler & Koch shook up the firearms world in the 1990s with the introduction of the G36, a sleek successor to the aging G3. Built…