Shahan Russell

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

Articles by Shahan Russell:

Massive Black Tom Explosion: Imperial Germany’s Secret Sabotage & Terrorist Attacks on America

When Al Qaeda destroyed New York City’s World Trade Center in 2001, many thought it was the first terrorist attack on US soil. They were…

The Battle of Long Tan: 1500 Strong VC and NVA Force Ambushed 108 Aussies, They Lost

During the Vietnam War, 108 Australian soldiers stood against some 1,500 to 2,500 Vietnamese forces near the village of Long Tan. When the battle was…

How a South Vietnamese Pilot Stole A Chinook, Rescued His family Out Of Saigon And Crashed It Next To A Carrier

In April 1975, Saigon fell to the North Vietnamese Army, taking everyone by surprise. Panic ensued as Americans and South Vietnamese fled. For those who…

How the Soviets Stole an American F-86 Sabre Jet in 1951

During the Korean War (1950 to 1953) America and her allies sided with South Korea, while Russia and China sided with North Korea. Among their…

Top 11 Battles of the Vietnam War

The Vietnam War lasted from 1 November 1955 to 30 April 1975, officially between North Vietnam (North Vietnam) and South Vietnam (South Vietnam). In reality, it…

Mysterious Death Of Rasputin, The Siberian Monk Who Brought Down The Tsar Of Russia

Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin was born in 1869 in a remote Siberian village but died in a Russian palace on 30 December 1916. Despite his alleged…

Otto Rahn, secretly anti-Nazi, Joined The SS In Search For The Holy Grail and Became The Inspiration For Indiana Jones

Otto Wilhelm Rahn was a German writer and medievalist who was obsessed with finding the Holy Grail. This was the cup that Jesus supposedly drank…

John Capes, In WWII When His Submarine Sank He Swam 170 feet To The Surface and Swam 5 miles To Shore

During WWII, John Hawtrey Capes said he have saved three crew members of a sunken submarine. He was given a British Empire Medal for Meritorious…

The Misfit Who, On His First Mission, Became the First Enlisted Airman To Receive a Medal of Honor

Maynard Harrison “Snuffy” Smith was such a screw-up, he joined the US Army to avoid jail. He earned the nickname, “Snuffy Smith,” because no one…

10 Surprising Facts About the American Civil War

The American Civil War was fought from April 12th, 1861 to May 9th, 1865 between the Confederate States and the Union. Most believe it was…

Irena Sendlerowa Saved over 2,500 Jewish Kids From the Warsaw Ghetto, Smuggling Them Out in Suitcases or Medical Bags

During WWII, Irena Sendlerowa, a Catholic Polish social worker, saved 2,500 Jewish children from death. That’s more than Oscar Schindler managed with 1,200. Though recognized…

The US Navy Destroyer That Sank A Japanese Sub With The Aid of Potatoes

In 1943, a US Navy destroyer engaged a Japanese submarine during the Solomon Islands Campaign. What should have been a skirmish between equals turned out…