Shahan Russell

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

Articles by Shahan Russell:

Crazy French Count Blew Up German Factory With Baguettes Filled With Explosives

In 1938, 15-year-old Count Robert Jean-Marie de La Rochefoucauld went to pay Hitler a visit in Bavaria. The German Chancellor gave Rochefoucauld a friendly pat…

Ira Hayes – Iwo Jima Flag Raiser & Very Reluctant Hero

Ira Hamilton Hayes was one of five men who helped raise the American flag over Mt. Suribachi on the Japanese island of Iwo Jima on…

The German Officer Who Rescued the ‘Pianist’

Sometimes, things aren’t always so black and white. Take the Nazi officer who ran a concentration camp in Poland. Who would ever have thought that he’d…

The Storm That Saved Washington From The British In 1814

In 1814, several European armies invaded France to put an end to Napoleon – the very year that the British attacked the American capital, Washington,…

Oi Give it Back: 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…

Britain’s Plan to Kill Hitler By Having a Sniper Shoot Him During His Daily Walk To The Tea House

In 1944, the British hatched a plan to assassinate Hitler – a project known as Operation Foxley. It could have shortened the war, saved millions…

The Battle of Ortona – When 2,600 Canadian Men Were Sacrificed for a General’s Pride

In December 1943, a group of largely untested Canadians went up against German forces in the Italian town of Ortona. The result was a bloodbath…

Japanese Schindler Helped 5,580 Jews Escape The Holocaust Ended Up Selling Lightbulbs To Survive

Although Japan was one of the Axis Powers during WWII, one Japanese diplomat did his best to mitigate the horrors of his country’s ally, Nazi…

When Pirates Kidnapped Julius Caesar He Laughed at Their Ransom Demands & Told Them To Ask for More

Long ago a 25-year-old Roman author, poet, priest, and aristocrat was kidnapped by pirates. Rather than plead for his release, however, he ordered them to…

The 1941 Siege of Tobruk, Birth Of The Rats of Tobruk

From the moment Germany invaded Poland and started WWII on 1 September 1939, they were unstoppable. Their blitzkrieg tactics (concentrating their tanks, planes, and mechanized…

Jack Hinson: A Civil War Sniper Hell Bent on Revenge

John W. “Jack” Hinson, better known as “Old Jack” to his family, was a prosperous farmer in Stewart County, Tennessee. A non-political man, he opposed…

British Army’s Greatest Humiliation – The Fall of Singapore

During WWII, the Japanese took a calculated risk by invading Singapore with far fewer numbers than the defenders. They adopted devious tactics to secure the city. Singapore…