This British war medal is only awarded to animals
Animals are an important part of war efforts. Before vehicles, soldiers rode horses into battle. Today, dogs are used to help with any number of tasks, such as sniffing out…
The British Army is getting a new main battle tank
The British Army was the first to employ the tank on the battlefield during WWI. Although they arguably fell behind the curve during against the German tanks of WWII, British…
Why the safest place to be in combat might be in a British Challenger tank
Anyone who says “they don’t make ‘em like they used to” has clearly never seen a Challenger 2 tank in action. The Challenger was first introduced in 1993 and has…
Everything the US has learned in Afghanistan the Brits learned in the 1800s
In 1839, the forces of Great Britain and the British East India Company invaded Afghanistan in the first major conflict of the “Great Game” – the struggle between Great Britain and Russia for control of Asia. The British quickly defeated the opp…
How 150 British Paratroopers seized a fortified artillery battery on D-Day
As part of Operation Tonga, the British airborne component of Operation Neptune (the official name of the D-Day), the 9th Parachute Battalion was tasked with capturing the Merville Gun Battery, whose guns were trained on…
The longest tank-to-tank kill was fired from three miles away
Britain’s Challenger-1 tank was originally designed to be sold to the Shah of Iran, but with the Iranian Revolution in 1979, that sale was cancelled. Britain developed the tank for…
The United Kingdom had special battalions for short soldiers in World War I
At the outbreak of the 20th century’s first global conflict, when you might think they’d take anyone who wanted to fight, the British Army was actually turning able-bodied men away. …
This British tank crew survived 3 days trapped in No Man’s Land
On July 31, 1917, the British guns in the Ypres salient roared to life, marking the opening of the Battle of Passchendaele. The battle would rage back and forth for over two months. Through the chaos, one amazing story emerged: A tank crew refused t…
Today in military history: Congress authorizes Privateers to attack British vessels
On April 3, 1776, Congress authorized Privateers to attack British vessels. Pop quiz: you’re the Continental Congress, and it’s 1776. There’s a bunch of British ships out there that need…
These quirky tanks helped the British crack Hitler’s Atlantic Wall
The Allied invasion of Normandy was a challenge on a grand scale. Every single aspect of the plan drew new challenges for commanders. Luckily, the greatest military minds of the day were leading the Allied forces. They came up with some ingenious so…