Shahan Russell

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

Articles by Shahan Russell:

American Hero of WW2 Wouldn’t be Awarded the Medal of Honor Until 1997

In 1944, several US divisions fought their way through France toward the German border.  Just outside a French village, one unit distinguished itself and received…

He Was The Only Living African-American To Receive The Medal of Honor For His Heroism During WWII

During WWII, the US military reluctantly deployed African-Americans. While most were put in menial roles, a few were sent to the warfront under white officers…

Flying Tigers Veteran Glen Beneda Never Forgot How The Chinese Saved His Life, Nor Did They Forget Him

When the US entered WWII, many believed they’d lose because Japanese victories kept piling up at America’s expense. Historians claim that the Battle of Midway…

How The Dutch Royal Family Was Evacuated To Britain In May 1940 Using The Bank’s Armored Car And a Destroyer

Despite tensions between Britain and the Netherlands over territorial disputes in South Africa, things changed when Germany invaded the latter in 1940. Shortly after, the…

After Pearl Harbor, A Japanese Pilot Crash-Landed On A Hawaiian Island And Tried to Occupy It

In 1941, a lone Japanese pilot tried to capture the Hawaiian island of Ni’ihau. The natives responded by holding a luau for him. Though part…

The Bombing of Pearl Harbor – And The Exiled Queen of Holland, The First Female Billionaire

Wilhelmina Helena Pauline Maria was the longest-serving queen of the Netherlands, having reigned from 1890 to 1948. Her keen business instincts made her the first…

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…

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 –…

That Day The Serbs Did The Impossible And Shot Down An F-117 Nighthawk

The Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk was a stealth fighter that was so advanced for its time that it remained a secret for a long time. What…

Church of Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard’s War Against the Sea… And Mexico

Lafayette Ronald Hubbard (often referred to as “L. Ron Hubbard” or simply as “LRH”) was the controversial founder of an even more controversial religion –…

How A Crossword Puzzle Nearly Spelled The End For D-Day

To end WWII in Europe, the Allies planned a massive assault on Normandy, France, in 1944. Over 5,000 ships, 1,200 planes, and almost 160,000 men…

When a Chinese Submarine Surfaced Next To The USS Kitty Hawk in 2006

Sun Tzu (544-496 BC) was a general who wrote the “Art of War” – a book on military strategy that’s still required reading for all…