Shahan Russell

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

Articles by Shahan Russell:

How Extraterrestrials Got Japanese-Americans Interned in 1942

Many believe that the internment of Japanese-Americans during WWII was the direct result of Pearl Harbor. While true, there were two other factors involved –…

William Hitler, Nephew of Adolf, Joined the US Navy to Fight The Nazis in WW2

Conspiracy theorists claim that a certain Hitler survived WWII, fled to Argentina or Brazil, and lived to a ripe old age. What utter nonsense. He…

The Battle of Stoney Creek – A Minor Fight That Changed History

In the early 1800s, two US generals tried to invade Canada. They might have succeeded, too, except for a peculiar handicap – their inability to…

The Strange And Cold Day The French Cavalry Captured a Dutch Fleet at Sea

The Hussars were a type of light cavalry that originated in medieval Hungary and were adopted by other European countries. Their bravery, cunning, and daredevil…

The Curious Tale of an Extremely Jinxed Ship – The USS William D. Porter (DD-579)

During WWII, the Allies had a ship so jinxed, it destroyed itself by nearly destroying something else. And yes, you read that correctly. The USS William…

On His First Mission, This American Air Force Misfit Saved His Plane And Was Awarded The 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…

This Fighter Pilot Saved a Bomber Squadron From German Fighter Attacks For over Half an Hour – Alone

During WWII, he single-handedly protected a bomber squadron against German planes… even when he ran out of ammo. They called him the “One Man Airforce”…

Marcus Luttrell – Lone Survivor of One of the Bloodiest Days in the History of the SEALs

It was the single deadliest mission in Afghanistan for US Navy SEALs. Only one would live to tell the tale, and he survived only because a…

This Member Of The Nazi Party Became Known as a Modern Buddha

A “Buddha” is an enlightened being – one who breathes wisdom, goodness, compassion, and mercy. A saint, to put it in Christian terms. In one…

Disease, Starvation, and the Brutal Russian Winter – Why Napoleon’s Invasion of Russia Did Not Succeed

In 1812, Napoleon’s Grande Armée (Great Army) invaded Russia. Though made up of about 680,000 soldiers, they lost. Historians have given many reasons as to…

Why German Luftwaffe Aces Were So Successful During WWII (Watch)

During WWII, Allied fighter pilots felt a grudging respect and admiration for their German counterparts because of the latter’s high kill rates. But did German…

The First Man to Sink a Japanese Warship – The Battle Of Wake Island

Most people believe that although the Japanese succeeded in bombing Pearl Harbor during WWII, they never managed to occupy so much as an inch of American soil,…