Shahan Russell

Shahan Russell is one of the authors writing for WAR HISTORY ONLINE

Articles by Shahan Russell:

Things Nearly Went Nuclear When the Chinese Stole a Soviet Tank

In 1900, Russia signed the Treaty of Beijing which gave them Outer Manchuria and other Chinese lands. When both countries became communist, their nagging border…

When The USA And The UK Nearly Went To War Over An Island With A Pig

Though America became independent of the British Empire in 1776, the British didn’t actually leave. Where the United States of America ended and where British-America…

World War Two from Beginning to End

Not everyone was happy when the First World War ended, and it was not just the Germans, who were severely punished for their role in…

Marie Marvingt – An Incredible Overachiever in World War One and Beyond

Some people lead such incredible lives; they are almost unbelievable. This lady was definitely one of them. Marie Félicie Elisabeth Marvingt was born on February 20,…

When The British Sank The French Fleet At Mers-el-Kebir To Stop It Falling Into German Hands

Unable to stop the German advance in Europe, British soldiers fled through the Port of Dunkirk with French help. Weeks later, the British thanked their…

When The US Dumped Over $10 Million Worth Of Choppers Into The Sea

One of the most iconic images from the fall of Saigon did not happen in Saigon. It happened at sea where sailors pushed helicopters off their ships.…

Nancy Wake – They Called Her The “White Mouse” – Incredible Allied SOE Agent of World War Two

When the Nazis occupied France in WWII, they faced a serious threat. By 1943 it was so dangerous, they offered 5 million francs for its…

How Churchill’s Relative Survived a Concentration Camp

During WWII, the Germans caught an Allied spy. Fortunately, she had a famous relative – British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Odette Marie Céline Brailly was…

Night Witches – Soviet Female Flying Aces Who Struck Terror Into the Hearts of the German Wehrmacht

In 1941, Germany invaded the Soviet Union. Because of their superior technology and their rapid success in taking territory, the Germans had expected a quick…

Hanns Scharff – Nazi Germany’s POW “Master Interrogator” Who Used Kindness Not Brutality

The Nazis had a “Master Interrogator” who was so good at getting information out of prisoners that he became a legend. His methods were so…

Rudolph Hess: The Nazi Who Flew to Britain in 1941 to try to Make a Peace Deal

Rudolf Walter Richard Hess was born on April 26, 1894, in Alexandria, Egypt to a wealthy family of Bavarian merchants. At 14, he was sent…

The Youngest (Confirmed) British Soldier of World War One

In 1998 Richard van Emden’s book, Veterans: the Last Survivors of the Great War was published. Later it became the basis of a 2009 television documentary.…