How did an RAF engineer with no flight experience end up taking off in an English Electric Lightning?
Acts of heroism within the Royal Air Force are not limited to pilots in the air. Ground engineer Walter Holden was responsible for the upkeep…
Lee Van Cleef got famous for playing villains in classic Western movies, but he was actually a WWII hero
Before Lee Van Cleef became an iconic presence in Hollywood Westerns, recognized for his piercing stare and commanding demeanor, he had already experienced the realities…
Germany planned to invade Switzerland during World War II, but never went through with it because of this
During World War II, Switzerland maintained a strict policy of neutrality, avoiding direct involvement even as much of Europe was engulfed in war. Swiss leaders,…
During World War II, the British tried to build an aircraft carrier out of ice
The Battle of the Atlantic was the longest continuous military campaign of World War II, spanning years of intense naval warfare across the Atlantic Ocean. Throughout…
Stage actress Pauline Cushman became a valuable spy for the Union during the American Civil War
While Pauline Cushman did not attain significant success as an actress, she became known for her work as a Union spy during the Civil War.…
The M50 Ontos, nicknamed the “Thing,” was used by the US Marine Corps in Vietnam, but ultimately failed because its armor was too thin
In the early 1950s, the United States military began exploring the idea of a lightweight tank destroyer that could be delivered by air to the…
Nobody knew that Bea Arthur served with the US Marine Corps during World War II until after her death
Years before establishing herself as a television star, Bea Arthur followed a path far removed from the entertainment industry. One lesser-known chapter of her life…
Even after the Armistice was signed, the soldiers on the front lines of World War I continued to fight
The conclusion of World War I was considerably more complicated than it is often presented in simplified historical accounts. For the Allied powers, victory over…
The Ghost Army of World War II was made up of over 1,000 artists who worked hard to confuse and trick the enemy
Compared with many other Allied units of World War II, the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops remains relatively little known despite its important contribution to the…
Dwight D. Eisenhower lost a bet to Bernard Montgomery during World War II and had to hand over a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress
Wartime leadership is not usually remembered for friendly bets, but one such story reportedly emerged in 1943 involving Dwight D. Eisenhower and Bernard Montgomery. According…
During the Cold War era, these double agents were some of the best and most dangerous
While James Bond exists only in the fictional world created by Ian Fleming, history has produced intelligence operatives whose activities were every bit as complex.…
Elvis Presley helped support fundraising efforts for the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor
During the 1950s, military conscription brought many young Americans into uniform, including a number of prominent athletes and entertainers. Among them was Elvis Presley, who…