N1104

They were Hitler's top commanders, the masterminds behind Germany's most devastating victories. But as the war dragged on, their power crumbled with the Reich. Some fell in disgrace, others defied the Führer, and a few met gruesome fates. These are seven of the greatest German field marshals of World War II. Ewald von Kleist's transition … Read more

World War II was the largest and most devastating conflict in human history. Between 1939 and 1945, it engulfed nations across Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Pacific, mobilizing tens of millions of soldiers and civilians. Before the war, the idea of women fighting on the battlefield was considered unusual in most countries. Women traditionally served … Read more

Lyudmila Pavlichenko was born on July 12, 1916, in Bila Tserkva, Ukraine. She was a student at the University of Kyiv majoring in history when Germany invaded the Soviet Union. The invasion caught the Red Army shocked and unprepared. Its best and brightest military leadership had been killed in Stalin's purges or sent to Siberian … Read more

In October 1944, German officers in the Carpathian Mountains were being killed. Soviet snipers controlled the main roads and high observation points, and more than 20 officers had been killed or wounded. Movement through some sectors had become suicide. German commanders desperately needed answers. They had to locate the hidden Soviet artillery batteries shelling their … Read more

During World War II, the Red Army counted some of its most valuable fighters among its snipers. These sharpshooters could conceal themselves from the enemy and strike targets with deadly force from considerable distances. Many German soldiers met their end at their hands. Perhaps surprisingly, more than 2,000 of the Soviet Union's snipers during the … Read more