Russell Hughes

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

Articles by Russell Hughes:

Sergeant York – I hear you have captured the whole German army “No Sir, only 132”

Sergeant Alvin York was seemingly born to a hardscrabble existence and anonymity in death, but World War One changed that forever. The story of York is…

The Flaming Coffin, The German Heavy Dive Bomber The Luftwaffe Hated

The Heinkel He 177 Greif (Griffin) was an aircraft doomed from the start of its inception. Its design was intrinsically flawed, its engines frequently caught…

The Mysterious Disappearance Of The French WW2 Submarine Surcouf

The mystery of how the record-breaking French submarine Surcouf sunk has been debated since the day it disappeared in the Pacific, near Tahiti. Were she…

Private First Class Harold Agerholm: Medal Of Honor Recipient

Harold C. Agerholm had a quiet start to his life. After qualifying from school in Racine, Wisconsin he worked as a multigraph operator for the…

The Tragedy of Exercise Tiger: A Training Mission That Left More GIs Dead Than Utah Beach

Exercise Tiger is one of Britain’s most harrowing wartime secrets. It involved the slaughter of young American soldiers on the shores of a Devon beach. At…

The Tragedy of Lieutenant General Lesley McNair: The Highest Ranking US Soldier Killed in WWII

Lieutenant General Lesley McNair never had the historical reputation he deserved. He never got to sit down in a comfortable chair, brandy at his elbow,…

Amazing Story: One Of The Toughest, Most Skilled American Snipers In Vietnam

Carlos Hathcock was a genuine Vietnam War hero and an undisputed legend in the U.S. Marine Corps for his exploits in southeast Asia. With a…

RAF: The Tragic Sinking of the SS Cap Arcona, 5,000 Concentration Camp Prisoners Killed

The end of WWII was only days away, yet the RAF carried out the Nazis dirty work for them during the Cap Arcona disaster. Docked…

Outnumbered 10 to 1 – In The Korean War, UN forces Held Off A Chinese Force 10 Times Their Size For Two Days

The Battle of Chipyong-ni has been labeled as ‘the Gettysburg of the Korean War’ and has been singled out as one of the greatest regimental…

Douglas Jacobson: The Iwo Jima Killing Machine Who Took Out 75 Enemy Soldiers And 16 Fortified Positions in the Battle of Hill 382

Iwo Jima was a unique bloodbath in the American Pacific campaign. It was the only time in the entire conflict that Japanese casualties numbered less…

Kenneth Muir Died On A Hill In Korea So His Men Could Live

Kenneth Muir was a 38-year-old major in the 1st Battalion, The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders who gave his life during the Korean War so that…

The Night Fighter Ace Who Shot Down 7 Lancaster Bombers In 19 Minutes

Once you know the story of Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer, it’s pretty hard to forget. Schnaufer was an incredibly skilled pilot. He was arguably the best night…