Shizuya Hayashi: The Japanese-American Soldier Who Showed Astounding Bravery on His First Day of Combat
During the Italian Campaign in World War II, German soldiers faced a sight they’d never expected: Japanese-American soldiers. These men were members of the 100th…
Corsair Fleet: The Brave Civilians Who Took On German U-Boats to Protect the US Coastline
While many know the story of the “Little Ships of Dunkirk,” Great Britain wasn’t the only nation to call upon every day citizens to come…
The Many Types Of Ships Used In The Napoleonic Wars
It is a common misconception that the Navies of the Napoleonic Wars used only massive ships, crewed by hundreds of men, which would slowly close and…
The Heroic US Coast Guard Who Gave His Life To Save His Shipmates During A Desperate Rescue In WW2
US Coast Guard Cutter Comanche left Boston in January 1943. She made contact with her convoy on the 29th and proceeded as scheduled. It was…
When The US Navy Came Of Age, Showing For The First Time What It Could Do
Sweat poured down the brows of eight American sailors, their white-knuckled fists gripping long oars. The bosun bellowed at them to pull for their lives…
The Heroic US Coast Guard Cutter Crew Who Battled U-Boats In WWI – An Amazing Tale of Bravery
The Navy Cross is awarded for valor and heroism while in service with the United States Naval Forces. Since its creation in 1919, there have…
Against All Odds – When United States Revenue Cutter Eagle Defended Itself For Three Days
On October 11, 1814, the town of Riverhead, on Long Island, erupted with the sound of cannon fire. Iron balls whistled over the cliffs on…
The USS Constitution – Leading The Power Of The US Navy For The First Time
Sweat poured down the brows of eight American sailors, their white-knuckled fists gripping long oars. The bosun bellowed at them to pull for their lives…
How A Small Group Of Canadian Paratroopers Saved Denmark From Soviet Occupation
By May 1945 the war in Europe had finally started to wind down. Yet for the men of the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion, there was…
The War Could Not Have Been Won Without This Wonderfully Simple Piece Of Design – The Humble Bailey Bridge
Picture an Allied tank commander in Europe, during Autumn, 1944. Advancing for days, destroying the German resistance. Nothing has been able to stop the invasion;…
A Valiant Fight To The Death – 62 Against 3000
“These are not men; they are demons!” This was Mexican Colonel Francisco De Paulo Milan’s response when presented with the only French survivors of the…
He Crashed his Plane to Save a Friend and Was Awarded the Medal Of Honor
Between November 27th, and December 13th, 1950, 30,000 United Nations troops fought a desperate defense while surrounded by 120,000 Chinese soldiers. The U.N. troops were part…
When A British Destroyer Rammed a German Cruiser In World War Two
April 8, 1940, two ships found each other off the coast of Norway. One a German heavy cruiser the Admiral Hipper, the other, a British…
When One Man Attacked The USA With His Militia at His Back – Pancho Villa
In 1916 WWI was ravaging Europe. Neutral countries were on edge, striving to stay out of the conflict. Then the southern border of the United…
A Desperate Fight to the Death: RMS Carmania Vs. SMS Cap Trafalgar 1914
In September 1914, WWI had only just begun. Europe was plunged headlong into the greatest conflict yet seen, but a victory for either side was…
Capture of the Privateer Jeune Richard, 1807 – When 28 men defeated 92
On October 1, 1807, a lone British packet was sailing 110 miles off the Northeast Coast of Barbados. The crew of 28, both men and…
When An American Submarine Took Out a Japanese Troop Train and Much More in the Pacific in WW2
On the 22nd of January, 1945, 30 Japanese merchant ships sat in Namkwan Harbor, in Southern China. They felt safe in their well-defended home, surrounded…
How HMS Speedy Captured The El Gamo, Which Was 3 Times Her Size & Had 5 Times Her Crew
On March 28th, 1800, a Scottish aristocrat took command of the small Brig-Sloop HMS Speedy, based at Port Mahon. The Scotsman, Thomas Cochrane, was an…
Thomas Hudner, Who Crashed his Plane to Save a Friend he Was Awarded the Medal Of Honor
Between November 27th, and December 13th, 1950, 30,000 United Nations troops fought a desperate defense while surrounded by 120,000 Chinese soldiers. The U.N. troops were part…
Harriet Tubman: Former Slave Who Led Union Troops Into Battle in 1863
The American Civil War was, at its core, fought over the freedom of states to allow their citizens to keep slaves. During the conflict, many…
The 1905 Mutiny on the Battleship Potemkin
In the abortive revolution of 1905, the Russian Black Sea Fleet was a powder keg of discontent. In the war with Japan, the Russian navy had…
Dawn of the Wolf Pack: October 18, 1940 – Germany Targets Allied Supply Routes in WWII
Thirty-five ships steamed out of Sydney, Nova Scotia on October 5, 1940. A multitude of flags flew from their masts including Greece, Sweden, the Netherlands…
The Coast Guard Commandant Who Fought His Way Through Vietnam In Swift Boats
When Paul A. Yost Jr. assumed the position of Commandant of the United States Coast Guard in 1986 he approached the role with a powerful…
How 500 Canadian Parachutists Helped Secure Victory On D-Day
On the evening of June 5th 1944, just over 540 Canadians boarded planes on the Southern English coast. These men were about to be a…
How the Jewish Brigade Saved Lives, and Helped to Found a Nation’s Army
In the spring of 1945, a new unit arrived on the British lines in northern Italy: His Majesty’s Jewish Brigade Group. Made up Jewish volunteers…
When The Coast Guard Supported The D.E.A. And Flew Resupply And Bombing Missions Against The Shining Path
The U.S. Coast Guard has always been there to help those in distress, but that doesn’t always mean ships in a storm. In the Fall…
Totally Outgunned This Revenue Cutter Took Down one of the Largest French privateers in the Caribbean
There are few moments in Naval History which better demonstrate how tenacity and skill can outweigh size and strength than the story of the Pickering…
Meet Chief Dog Sinbad, The Cheerful and Brave Coast Guard Mascot of WW2
The Coast Guard Cutter Campbell steamed out from New York in the winter of 1937. Like most peacetime cutters, she was patrolling the American coast,…
The Ranger and the Drake: John Paul Jones Brings the American Revolution to Britain
Early in the morning of April 24, 1778, a strange ship lay at anchor just off of Carrickfergus, Ireland. HMS Drake, the nearest English ship…
A 20th-Century Siege in 1809: The Second Siege of Zaragoza
Many consider bitter house to house fighting to be a 20th-century invention, and a 21st-century norm. But in 1809 one Spanish city, Zaragoza, resisted French…
The Bravery Of This Japanese-American Soldier On His First Day Fighting In WW2 Is Astounding
During the Italian Campaign of World War 2, German troops were faced with a sight they had never expected: Japanese-American soldiers. These troops were members…
As The US Navy Does Away With Enlisted Rates, We Look At Their History
The weight of the United States Military has always rested soundly on the back of its non-commissioned officers. In the Navy, these men and women…
How the Royal Navy kept order, Through Caning, Flogging, and Hanging
By the end of the 18th century, the wooden walls of England, as her Navy was so often called, was comprised of one of the…
VC: Despite Being Shot And With His Plane On Fire, This Pilot Refused To Bail Out Without Taking Down A German Fighter
On a bright sunny morning in August 1940, No. 249 Squadron, Royal Air Force, was patrolling near Southampton, in southern England. There was hardly any…
How An Explosion In Northern New Jersey Put 62,000 People Onto The Front Lines Of WW1
By October 1918, the 1st World War was winding down. It was clear to most observers that the Western Allies would be victorious. Life in…
How The Royal Navy Fed Its Sailors Over 200 Years Ago
An army marches on its stomach, and while a Navy sails on the sea, its sailors still need feeding. In the 1790s and early 1800s,…
A Look At The Royal Navy Through Three Sea Songs
Sailors have always been happy singing, whether to make the day go faster or keep the work going steady. The Royal Navy banned the use…
How the Other Side Ate: Meals of Royal Naval Officers During The Napoleonic Wars
Officers of the Royal Navy at the turn of the 19th century were expected to live charmed and genteel lives. This was reflected in almost…
The Man Who Helped Create The US Navy, And Brought About A New Class Of Warship
Looking back through history it is rare to find a single person who was responsible for a major shift in thought. It is rarer to…
Two Amazing Stories From USCGC Escanaba – Heroism And Heartbreak In The North Atlantic, 1943
The Rescue of the Dorchester USCGC Escanaba was steaming along calmly on February 2, 1943. She was part of a six-ship convoy; three escorts, and…
The Pressing of American Seamen And The War of 1812
Imagine yourself as an American sailor; the year is 1804. You are 30 years old, born in 1774, and have spent most of your adult…
Harrowing Stories From Iwo Jima: One Man’s Life Onboard A Landing Ship Tank In 1945
Iwo Jima is a small island in the Southeast Pacific; rocky and dominated by a large volcano on its southern peninsula. Today, there is no…
Surviving A Kamikaze Attack: A Story From USS Callaway During The War In The Pacific
January 7, 1945. USS Callaway (APA-35) was steaming towards Lingayen Gulf, in the Philippines, as one ship in a massive invasion fleet. Onboard she had…
A WW2 US Coast Guard Hero – Securing the Ports Which Were Essential To D-Day’s Success
The northern French coast, from Brittany to Pas-de-Calais has a plethora of ports of all sizes. Today, it is easy to overlook their importance, but…
A Bridge Too Far: The True Story Behind XXX Corps In Operation Market Garden
A Bridge Too Far, directed by Richard Attenborough, is a war film on an epic scale. It follows the men who fought through one of…
In WW2 This Amazing Woman Fought Japanese In The Philippines, Aided The Resistance, And Resisted Interrogation
Everyone has a story about how they came to join the military. Some do it for the opportunity it presents. Others do it for patriotism. Some are…
A plane found 38 feet under the ice: A Daring, High-Risk Rescue Attempt In Greenland In 1942 Has Come To Light Again
In August 2012, a team of explorers and U.S. Coast Guard Personnel found something amazing under Greenland’s ice. 38 feet down, sat a single-engined rescue float…
The Ambitious Scotsman Who Used A Tiny, War-Scarred Brig To Capture A Huge 32-Gun Frigate
On March 28th, 1800, a Scottish aristocrat took command of the small Brig-Sloop HMS Speedy, based at Port Mahon. The Scotsman, Thomas Cochrane, was an…
This WW1 Private Used A Machine Gun To Cover His Comrades’ Retreat – He Was Awarded The Victoria Cross
The British Expeditionary force was awoken on August 23, 1914, by a massive infantry attack. The German army had amassed along the French frontier, having…
The Fateful Last Mission Of Jack Rittichier, Coast Guard Rescue Pilot In Vietnam
The United States Coast Guard is world-renowned for its excellence in helicopter rescue operations. Few people realize how effective this was used during the Vietnam…
The Many Lives Of A US Civil War Revenue Cutter Which Was Present At The Start Of The Civil War
Late in the day on April 11th, 1861, the ship Nashville was sailing past Charleston harbor. The crew could see a fleet of ships at…
Although Steel Ruled The Waves, Wooden Boats Still Found A Place In WWII
The Second World War saw the advent of modern warfare. Navy fleets began using steel and aluminum aircraft to strike at one another. Submarines patrolled…
The Amazing Story Of James Crotty, Who Single Handedly Won The Coast Guard A Battle Streamer
Battle Streamers are awarded to a military branch, or unit, for their participation in an important battle or campaign. They are usually earned by large…
USCGC Heriberto Hernandez, Named For A Coastguard Hero Who Was Killed In Vietnam
On October 16, 2015, the United States Coast Guard gained a new Cutter. The 154 foot Sentinel Class Fast Response Cutter was named after a…
A U-Boat captain and a US Coast Guard Cutter’s captain meet at the end of WWII
War is full of brief encounters. A sudden glimpse of the face of an enemy; the brief sighting of an enemy submarine; or seeing a wounded…
John D. Bulkeley, Commander of the USS Endicott – A daring attack in WWII
On August 17, 1944, the USS Endicott, captained by Lieutenant Commander John D. Bulkeley, blew up two German ships, using only a single 5” gun.…
Battle Of WWI Merchant Raiders: HMS Alcantara v SMS Greif
On February 27, 1916, the Norwegian cargo ship Rena steamed out of Cuxhaven on Germany’s North Sea coast. In peacetime, this would not have been…
The Dawn of the Submarine: U-21 sinks HMS Pathfinder
In 1914 submarines were still a novel idea. Many nations had not utilized them until 1900, Germany not until 1906. Soon their worth would be…
The Unknown History of US Coast Guard Intelligence Operations
History often overlooks the Coast Guard’s role as an intelligence-gathering operation. This small service, with its unique combination of military, law enforcement, and humanitarian missions…
John D. Bulkeley’s Daring Evacuation of General Douglas MacArthur on a 77′ PT Boat
The US Navy is best known for its Admirals and battleships. Both are often the most prominent assets in the fleet, but in the Philippines,…
A Sailor’s Life For Me – A day in the life of a Royal Navy Sailor from 1806
The life of a sailor has never been easy, and during wartime, it is doubly true. It was particularly so in the Royal Navy at the…
The First Yale Unit: College Students Form A Flying Squadron In 1916 An Amazing Group Of Guys
In the Spring of 1916, as WWI was raging in Europe, the students at Yale University’s class of 1918 were preparing themselves for a summer of…
The Many Types Of Ships Used In The Napoleonic Wars
It is a common misconception that the Navies of the Napoleonic Wars used only massive ships, crewed by hundreds of men, which would slowly close and…
As A Mere Lieutenant, Erwin Rommel Earned Germany’s Highest Honor
Erwin Rommel was undoubtedly one of the finest generals of the Second World War, his strategic mind and patient approach led his men to victory…
The Heroic US Coast Guard Who Gave His Life To Save His Shipmates During A Desperate Rescue In WW2
US Coast Guard Cutter Comanche left Boston in January 1943. She made contact with her convoy on the 29th and proceeded as scheduled. It was…
The Fokker Scourge: Imperial Germany’s Secret Weapon in the First World War
When World War 1 Broke out in 1914, most nations were ill-equipped for a sustained aerial war. The Treaty of Madrid, in 1911, outlined aircraft…
The Lion of Africa: Paul von Lettow Vorbeck: Germany’s WW1 Guerilla Commander In East Africa
In March of 1919, while Germany was recovering from its defeat in the First World War, its people starving and its army in ruins, a…
Napoleon Inflicts The Greatest Defeat in Prussian Military History
The twin battles of Jena-Auerstadt proved a major turning point for not only the Napoleonic wars, but also for 19th century Europe as a whole.…
The Incredible Story of Sgt López, By the end, he had killed nearly 100 Germans, and his actions saved countless lives from K Company
Since June 6th, 1944 the Allied armies had been pushing hard against a determined and well-equipped foe. By December of that year, they had reached…
The Heroic US Coast Guard Cutter Crew Who Battled U-Boats In WWI – An Amazing Tale of Bravery
The Navy Cross is awarded for valor and heroism while in service with the United States Naval Forces. Since its creation in 1919, there have…
The Tragic Loss of Nathan Bruckenthal, The Only US Coast Guard Casualty of the Iraq War
The Iraq War is most often remembered for its ground combat. The insurgency which gripped the country after the fall of Saddam Hussein focused its…
The Many Lives of The US Ship Harriet Lane, Which Fired the First Shot of the American Civil War
Late in the day on April 11th, 1861, the ship Nashville was sailing past Charleston harbor. The crew could see a fleet of ships at…
When The US Navy Came Of Age, Showing For The First Time What It Could Do
Sweat poured down the brows of eight American sailors, their white-knuckled fists gripping long oars. The bosun bellowed at them to pull for their lives…
By Sacrificing Himself Coastguard Douglas Munro Saved 500 Marines From Being Slaughtered
The United States Coast Guard was founded on a tradition of taking small boats into dangerous conditions to save lives. This skill made Coast Guard…
How the Cruiser Olympia Led the Asiatic Squadron to Victory in Manila Bay
In the evening of April 30th, 1898, a message was sent out to the Spanish Admiral Patricio Montojo, commander of the Pacific Squadron at Manila.…
When Soldiers, Sailors, And Civilians Celebrated Victory in Europe with a Riot in Halifax
May 8th, 1945, was greeted with elation, parades, and revelry around the world. On this day, Victory in Europe was officially achieved, and the Second…
Frank H. Newcomb – Hero Of Cardenas – Her Two Six-Pounder Cannons Succeeded In Firing 135 Rounds In 20 Minutes
“I revere that long line of expert seamen who by their devotion to duty and sacrifice of self have made it possible for me to…
Mighty WW2 Warships – KMS Admiral Graf Spee in the Battle of the River Plate
On September 1, 1939, while German troops were rolling across the border into Poland, their Navy was sent to raid Allied shipping lanes, much as…
Totally Outgunned, This Revenue Cutter Took Down One Of The Largest French Privateers In The Carribean
There are few moments in Naval History which better demonstrate how tenacity and skill can outweigh size and strength than the story of the Pickering…
How A Small Group Of Canadian Paratroopers Saved Denmark From Soviet Occupation
By May 1945 the war in Europe had finally started to wind down. Yet for the men of the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion, there was…
Thaman Gurung, V.C. – A Brave Gurkha Gives His Life To Save His Comrades In WW2
Since their first interactions with the British East India Company in 1814, the Gurkhas are renowned for their bravery and skill in combat. These Nepalese…
Dawn of the Tank Age: the Battle of Cambrai, 1917
For the German troops near the French town of Cambrai, the world exploded into terror and flame on the morning of November 20th, 1917. 1,003…
An Amazing Story Of Close Combat Over a Small Tennis Court During WW2
Between April 8th and May 13th, 1944 the fate of British troops in Burma was being decided over a small asphalt tennis court. This court…
Wilhelm Frankl and Fritz Beckhardt: Top German Jewish Fighter Aces of WW1
Wilhelm Frankl Standoff Neuberg, home to the 74th Tactical Fighter Squadron, sits just south of the Danube River, nestled deep within a woodland. Since 1973, the base…
How HMS Speedy Captured The El Gamo, Which Was 3 Times Her Size & Had 5 Times Her Crew
On March 28th, 1800, a Scottish aristocrat took command of the small Brig-Sloop HMS Speedy, based at Port Mahon. The Scotsman, Thomas Cochrane, was an…
The War Could Not Have Been Won Without This Wonderfully Simple Piece Of Design – The Humble Bailey Bridge
Picture an Allied tank commander in Europe, during Autumn, 1944. Advancing for days, destroying the German resistance. Nothing has been able to stop the invasion;…
When An American Submarine Took Out a Japanese Troop Train and Much More in the Pacific in WW2
On the 22nd of January, 1945, 30 Japanese merchant ships sat in Namkwan Harbor, in Southern China. They felt safe in their well-defended home, surrounded…
When One Man Attacked The USA With His Militia at His Back – Pancho Villa
In 1916 WWI was ravaging Europe. Neutral countries were on edge, striving to stay out of the conflict. Then the southern border of the United…
60 US Coast Guard Cutters Saved Over 400 Allied Men On D-Day
On the D-Day landings of June 6, 1944, a group of US Coast Guard cutters were tasked with assisting any Allied ships in distress. While,…
A Valiant Fight To The Death – 62 Against 3000
“These are not men; they are demons!” This was Mexican Colonel Francisco De Paulo Milan’s response when presented with the only French survivors of the…
Thomas Hudner, Who Crashed his Plane to Save a Friend and Was Awarded the Medal Of Honor
Between November 27th, and December 13th, 1950, 30,000 United Nations troops fought a desperate defense while surrounded by 120,000 Chinese soldiers. The U.N. troops were part…
How The Royal Navy Fed Its Sailors Over 200 Years Ago
An army marches on its stomach, and while a Navy sails on the sea, its sailors still need feeding. In the 1790s and early 1800s,…
How 50 German Sailors Sailed, Marched And Rowed Home From A Tiny Island Halfway Around The World
The Keeling Islands are little more than overgrown coral reefs, but in 1914 they saw the beginning of one the most epic adventure stories of…
‘Corsair Fleet’ – The Brave American Civilian Crews Who Took On WW2 Submarines To Protect The Coast
While many people know the story of the “Little Ships of Dunkirk,” Great Britain was not the only nation to call upon its civilian sailors…
How a band of German Pirates Captured 15 Ships During World War 1
On Christmas day, 1916 a Norwegian clipper ship, the Irma, was boarded by the British cruiser, Avenger. There was nothing particularly unusual, the captain spoke…
How the Jewish Brigade Saved Lives, and Helped to Found a Nation’s Army
In the spring of 1945, a new unit arrived on the British lines in northern Italy: His Majesty’s Jewish Brigade Group. Made up Jewish volunteers…
The Man Who Helped Create The US Navy, And Brought About A New Class Of Warship
Looking back through history it is rare to find a single person who was responsible for a major shift in thought. It is rarer to…
As The US Navy Does Away With Enlisted Rates, We Look At Their History
The weight of the United States Military has always rested soundly on the back of its non-commissioned officers. In the Navy, these men and women…
The War Could Not Have Been Won Without This Wonderfully Simple Piece Of Design – The Humble Bailey Bridge
Picture an Allied tank commander in Europe, during Autumn, 1944. Advancing for days, destroying the German resistance. Nothing has been able to stop the invasion;…
Why the US Coast Guard Goes To (Mock) War With American Citizens Every Year
The United States Coast Guard is, as the name implies, tasked with protecting and guarding Americans. Every year, however, this small branch of the military…