planes | War History

Shooting Down 7 Aircraft In One Day, This Marine Was Awarded The Medal Of Honor On His First Mission

Jeff Edwards

Lieutenant James Swett wasn’t the only man to become an Ace in one day during the war and nor was he the only Ace to…

Half Blind Japanese Pilot Flies His Damaged Zero For 5 Hours, Then Refused Medical Attention Before Making His Report

During WWII, Sub-Lieutenant Saburō Sakai served as a naval aviator with the Imperial Japanese Navy. He claimed 64 victories, one of which was made after…

Allied Victory In The Hard-Fought Battle of Britain

The most famous aerial battle in history, the Battle of Britain was a hard fought and desperate struggle to hold back Nazi Germany. Having launched…

When a WW2 German Ace Stumbled Across a Crippled B-17 and Escorted It Home

Truly touching moments of humanity, ethics and morals are rather rare in warfare. The Christmas Truce of WWI was an excellent example of such humanity,…

The Human Bomb – The American Airman Who Jumped From Stricken B-17 Without A Parachute… And Survived

In 1943, an American airman participated in the bombing spree of a French town, resulting in incredible devastation. The man wasn’t satisfied, however, so he…

Three Ways Germany Weaponized Rockets in World War Two

Hitler and the Nazis were fans of new weapons technology. Germany had been at the forefront of aerial warfare and other important technologies in WWI.…

Echo of Infamy – The Little Known Second Attack on Pearl Harbor, March 4, 1942

War History Online presents this Guest Article by Thomas D. Pilsch With great solemnity and reverence, America observed the 75th anniversary of the devastating December…

The Awesome B-54 Ultrafortress, Boeing’s Best Piston Prop Bomber That Failed To Ever Fly

War History Online proudly presents this Guest Piece from Hans Wiesman In this DAKOTA HUNTER Blog, you can read about the ultimate, most stretched version…

James H. Howard: The Only Fighter Pilot over Europe Awarded The Medal of Honor

In WWII the battle in the skies over Europe could be described as a brutal conflict of attrition, luck, and in some cases inexplicable gallantry. Allied…

“I did my bit” – Veteran served as pilot with Army Air Corps during World War II

War History online proudly presents this Guest Piece from Jeremy P. Ämick, who is a military historian and writes on behalf of the Silver Star…

A Cameraman’s last picture – Tragedy as an Undetonated Bomb Explodes on the USS Oriskany (Watch)

The USS Oriskany was on its first Korean mission when disaster struck its deck. It was caught on film, as seen in this video. How and…

Learning the Luftwaffe’s Secrets: How Intelligence Gathering Shaped the Battle of Britain

In WWII the Battle of Britain was fought in the air. A victory was achieved through the skill and courage of the rightly revered fighter…