Shahan Russell

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

Articles by Shahan Russell:

An Amazing Idea – Making An Aircraft Carrier Out of Ice and Sawdust

In WWII the British were desperate. Metal was in short supply, and German U-boats were sinking Britain’s lifeline – ships. The Allies needed an unsinkable…

Project Acoustic Kitty – The CIA’s Top Secret Spy Cats Project

When Seal Team Six killed Osama Bin Laden in 2011, they did not do it alone. They had help from a Belgian Malinois dog named…

Sir Winston Churchill – The Greatest Briton Ever

In 2002, the BBC launched a nationwide poll asking Britons who they thought the Greatest Briton was. Among those nominated were William Shakespeare and Princess…

They Called Him “Mad Jack” – The Sword-Wielding, Bagpipe-Playing Longbowman Of WWII

Once upon a time in France, a soldier attacked his enemies with a sword and a longbow. When not doing so, he enjoyed playing bagpipes,…

He Saved Lives, Died Twice, and Lived for Over a Century

Many people saved Jews during WWII, but one person was perhaps unique for three reasons. First; he became a citizen of six different countries simultaneously.…

When A Bloody Medieval War Was Fought Because Of A Bucket Full of Treasure

In 1325, two armies clashed near what is today the Italian town of Castello di Serravalle in the region of Emilia-Romagna. It was a huge…

Top 10 Long Range Sniper Kills In Military History

A sniper is a skilled marksman whose job is to shoot someone from afar without hitting anyone (or anything) else. But it’s not just about…

Incredible Story Of Al Chilson, The Real Rambo – “The Most Incredible List Of Citations I Have Ever Seen”

Llewellyn Morris “Al” Chilson was born on April Fools’ Day, 1 April 1920 in Dayton, Ohio to a WWI veteran. The family later moved to the…

In 1956, An Obsolete WW2 Drone Took on Two State-of-the-Art Manned Jet Fighters Over the US – And Won

In August 1956, a drone went rogue over Southern California, threatening cities, including Los Angeles. In its aftermath, over 1,000 acres were destroyed, forests and…

Léo Major, The One-Eyed Liberator of Zwolle – A One-Man Powerhouse In World War Two

Some men are driven by a need to prove themselves to their fathers. One took it to an extreme, however, by single-handedly liberating an entire…

Retreat Does Not Always Mean Defeat – 10 Epic Retreats From Military History

In war, retreats aren’t always about defeat. Sometimes, they’re a deliberate tactic to gain more defensible ground, consolidate forces, encircle an enemy, or lead them…

Le Paradis – The WW2 Massacre Of British Soldiers Which Outraged Even The Nazis

In 1940, members of the British military were slaughtered – after they had surrendered to German forces. Two survived, but no one believed their story.…