Tolkien’s War: Mordor Was Born in WW1
After getting married in 1916, Tolkien was then sent to the Western front in France a few months later, just in time for the Battle…
Hail Mary: NFL Players and Coaches Sacrificed During WWII
In 1992 the movie A League of Their Own about the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League opened in theaters around the United States. The film…
The Only VC Recipient of Battle of Britain His Plane in Flames Continued to Chase The Bf 110
His first experience of battle in the skies almost turned out to be his last. Britain’s Royal Air Force Fighter Command (the RAF Fighter Command),…
Gas Gas Gas! Its First Ever Use – Ypres 1915
On April 22, 1915, the Germans released 6,000 canisters – around 168 tons – of chlorine gas. Of all the weapons developed and deployed by…
Filtering War: Kleenex Fights the Horrors of Gas Warfare
Early British Hypo helmets offered limited but vital protection once the mask was dipped in chemicals to filter the gas. Kleenex is one of those…
Yes But Did British Spies REALLY use Semen as Invisible Ink?
It was said that the agents even gave the project the motto of “Every man his own stylo.” The art of spying includes trying to…
A Slippery Road: Mussolini’s Disastrous Invasion of Greece
Mussolini remained confident that the Greek army was “already exhausted or in the process of being exhausted.” The Italian invasion of Greece beginning on October…
Spy Once, Live Twice – A Legendary Double-Agent Faked His Death For 36 Years
He served in a Spanish Republican cavalry unit – an experience he couldn’t wait to get past. Juan Pujol Garcia’s remarkable life story reads like…
Hell From Above : The Messerschmitt Bf 110 Night Fighter
Its only drawback was that early night fighter versions were barely faster than the bombers they were trying to intercept. In the mid-1930s, there was…
Loose Lips Do Sink Ships
To engage a US submarine that was running deep at 360 feet, it would take the older depth charge nearly a minute to get down…
Lions Led by Donkeys: British Soldiers of WW1
“An army of sheep led by a lion can defeat an army of lions led by sheep.” “Lions led by donkeys” is a famous phrase…
Crossword Alarm: The Puzzle That Nearly Stopped D-Day
The third crossword that appeared on May 27, 1944 included the word “Overlord,” the codename for the entire D-Day operation. There are moments in history…