Shahan Russell

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

Articles by Shahan Russell:

Iranian Embassy Siege and More – Top 8 SAS Operations (We Know About)

  The Special Air Service (SAS) was founded by Colonel David Stirling in 1941 as a regiment of the British Army. They were originally a…

How Climate Change Helped the Swedes March Across A Frozen Sea And Defeat The Danes

It all started in 1655 during the Second Northern War. Sweden was fighting against the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Russia, Brandenburg-Prussia, the Habsburg Monarchy, Denmark-Norway, and sometimes,…

Two Jet Fighters Sent Up to Shoot Down a WWII Warbird in 1956 – Blasted 208 Rockets at it, it Survived

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…

Awarded the Medal of Honor For Bravery Whilst His Country Locked up His Family in an Interment Camp

George “Joe” Taro Sakato is a second-generation-born American of Japanese descent, which was why his family had to relocate during WWII. Despite this, he joined…

One Man Demolition Squad Who Personally Destroyed, With Grenades, SIX Enemy Posts, And More

Thomas Currie “Diver” Derrick wasn’t among the first to join the Australian military when WWII broke out in 1939. When he finally did join the…

Vietnam Green Beret Had 37 Separate Bullet, Bayonet, & Shrapnel Wounds & Still He Carried On Fighting

Master Sergeant Raul “Roy” Perez Benavidez was shot several times, suffered two grenade blasts, and got bayonetted while saving the lives of eight men. Despite…

Able Seacat Simon – Received Dickin Medal For Heroism On British Ship

Able Seacat Simon was an orphan who grew up on the dockyards of Hong Kong before finding work aboard a British ship. There, he protected…

The Slave Who Stole A Confederate ship, Met President Lincoln & Bought His Master’s House

In 1862, Robert Smalls stole a Confederate ship, gave it to the Union Army, freed slaves, and met President Abraham Lincoln. After the war, he…

Real Heroes of Telemark – When Commandos Stopped the Nazis Nuclear Bomb Project

Nazi Germany invaded and occupied Norway in 1940. Though a relatively poor country (at the time) with only a population of about three million people, Norway had…

Hans Joachim Marseille, anti Nazi & one of the most amazing fighter pilots of WWII

He was among Germany’s most accomplished flying Aces during WWII – though he hated killing. His success was valuable propaganda for the Nazis – yet…

How The Stringbag, an Outdated Biplane Took Out the Bismarck

The German battleship, Bismarck, was one of the biggest vessels ever built in the first half of the 20th century. A marvel of advanced engineering…

The Battle of Long Tan: 1500 Strong VC and NVA Force Ambushed 108 Australians – And 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…