• HMS Belfast arrives at the pool of London
    © The rightsholder (IWM CT 381)
    HMS Belfast

    HMS Belfast at 80

    Explore the history of this famous warship and discover new stories from some of her veterans as we mark 80 years of HMS Belfast.

  • HMS Belfast in Korea thumbnail
    Cold War

    Korean War and HMS Belfast: The hottest point of the Cold War?

    The Korean War broke out on the 25th June 1950 when communist North Korea invaded South Korea. HMS Belfast was soon in action. In her two years of service in Korea, she saw more action than at any point during the Second World War. The Korean War was primarily fought on land, so why did HMS Belfast see such intense action during this period?

  • Liam Shaw standing in front of an English Electric Lightning at IWM Duxford
    Cold War

    The English Electric Lighting and its accidental flight

    Developed to bring the RAF into the supersonic age, the aircraft was able to fly at twice the speed of sound.  In fact, it had such a power to weight ratio that it could stand on its tail and exceed the speed of sound in a vertical climb. In this episode of Duxford in Depth, Liam Shaw takes a detailed look at the Lightning's design, development, armament and service history as well as 'Taffy' Holden's accidental flight.

  • A man chips away at a part of the Berlin Wall. Grafffiti above him reads 'Build Doors Not Walls.' Still from the NATO film collection.
    © IWM (NAT 3544)
    Cold War

    The Rise and Fall of the Berlin Wall on Film

    The Berlin Wall fell on 9 November 1989. By the end of 1990, much of the Wall had been demolished. 

    Explore our timeline of key events in the Berlin Wall’s history using IWM’s film collection.

  • Still from Triptych, a film by Katia Lom. The still features a childlike figure sat among brightly coloured building blocks of yellow, red and orange.
    © Courtesy Katia Lom
    Cold War

    In Focus: Triptych

    InTriptych, filmmaker Katia Lom combines live action, poetry and animation to bring to life the recollections of her mother who fled Czechoslovakia as a child due to the anti-Semitic Slansky trials of 1952.

    Here she discusses the inspiration behind her film and the importance of surfacing the personal experience.

  • The opening of the Berlin Wall. The West German flag flies over the Brandenburg Gate, with a graffiti covered section of the Berlin Wall in the foreground in early 1990. The marks on the wall left by hundreds of Berliners chipping away at the concrete are clearly visible. By the end of 1990, much of the Wall had been demolished.
    Cold War

    8 Photos Of The Fall Of The Berlin Wall

    On 9 November 1989, government spokesman Gunter Schabowski announced at a press conference that every citizen of East Germany would be allowed to travel to the West, effective immediately.

  • HMS Revenge at Port Canaveral in Florida during Polaris missile firing tests, May 1970.
    © IWM (A 35277)
    Cold War

    Radio Revenge: Entertainment on Cold War submarines

    Submarines played a key role in operations throughout the Cold War. Commodore Frederic Thompson, kept himself and his crewmates entertained, by creating ‘radio’ programmes, which were then broadcast over the submarine’s internal speakers. 

  • Wall installed at IWM London
    © IWM (Andrew Tunnard)
    Cold War

    The Berlin Wall

    Explore the story of the Berlin Wall, one of the most iconic and defining moments of the 20th century.

  • Sea Harriers flying low over the South Atlantic
    Cold War

    Falklands Conflict in the Air | Episode 3

    When the Falklands Conflict began Argentina seemingly had a massive advantage in the skies. They had over 100 aircraft of varying types. Some could operate from the Argentinian mainland and others could operate from airstrips on the Falklands themselves. Meanwhile, the British Task Force initially had only 20 Sea Harriers. It was up to them to protect the Task Force at sea as well as the troops on the ground, but to many that seemed like an impossible task.

  • What was the Berlin Wall? Thumbnail
    Cold War

    Berlin Wall 30: What Was The Berlin Wall?

    Patrolled by guards and dogs, illuminated by floodlights and fortified by barbed wire and watchtowers, the Wall divided Berlin for 28 years.

  • Live in Divided Berlin Thumbnail Image
    Cold War

    Berlin Wall 30: Life in Divided Berlin

    Construction on Berlin Wall began in 1961, but it would divide the city until 1989. But what was life like in divided Berlin?

  • Art and the Berlin Wall
    Cold War

    Berlin Wall 30: Art and the Berlin Wall

    The Berlin Wall divided the city for nearly 30 years, but it inspired some iconic artwork.

  • Why did the Berlin Wall fall - Thumbnail
    Cold War

    Why did the Berlin Wall fall?

    The fall of the Berlin Wall was the first step towards German reunification. The political, economic and social impact of the fall of the Berlin Wall further weakened the already unstable East German government. Germany reunited on 3 October 1990, 11 months after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

    But why did the Berlin Wall fall?

  • Two soldiers from the King's Own Scottish Borderers, pass British crosses in the UN Cemetery in Pusan, where a memorial service was held for fallen comrades.
    © IWM (MH 31493)
    Cold War

    Voices of the Korean War

    The Korean War lasted from 1950 - 1953. Korea was split into two zones after the end of the Second World War. The country had been occupied by Japan since 1910, and the victorious Allied powers agreed at The Potsdam Conference that Korea should be divided along a circle of latitude - the 38th Parallel.

    IWM holds a collection of oral history recordings of those who fought –  hear veterans of the Korean War tell their stories of the conflict. 

  • A standard male shaving brush with black, plastic handle and wooden base. One reel of miniature film can be contained within the 'hollowed-out' handle of the brush.
    © IWM (EPH 10068)
    Second World War

    Secret War: What you need to know

    Find out more about the agencies, military units and individuals who have fought the ‘Secret War’ – and how they address the threats of today.