“Deborah and the War of the Tanks 1917” – Review by Mark Barnes
When it comes to tanks this centenary year has been filled with highlights. Back in February, I got to see the original plans of the…
Things Nearly Went Nuclear When the Chinese Stole a Soviet Tank
In 1900, Russia signed the Treaty of Beijing which gave them Outer Manchuria and other Chinese lands. When both countries became communist, their nagging border…
Henry Johnson, Known as the “Black Death” – America’s First World War Hero
Henry Johnson was a World War I soldier who singlehandedly beat back a German assault while critically wounded. He was a great American hero and…
Operation Reservist: When The Allies Were Annihilated By Vichy French Soldiers In WW2
After the fall of France during WWII, a puppet regime was established, with its administrative center in the town of Vichy, declaring itself The Vichy…
Japanese Fire Balloons and the Tragic Tale of the Last WWII Casualties on US Soil
The Revolutionary and the Civil War tore North America apart, but the World Wars and most subsequent conflicts have been largely fought beyond its borders –…
Some of the Most Effective Melee Weapons of WWI, The Bayonet Was Not One of Them
WWI was a terrifying fusion of old and new. An infantryman might have a slower-firing bolt action rifle, or he could find himself behind a…
FUSAG: Patton’s D-Day Army That Didn’t Exist
An army can help win a war without even existing. Strange as that may seem, this is exactly what happened in the case of the First United…
Hobart’s Funnies – The Strange-Looking Tanks That Helped To Win On D-Day
The landings in Normandy demanded new sorts of hybrid tanks that were capable of fulfilling multiple engineering tasks to provide maximum support to the infantry.…
Two Amazing Stories From USCGC Escanaba – Heroism And Heartbreak In The North Atlantic, 1943
The Rescue of the Dorchester USCGC Escanaba was steaming along calmly on February 2, 1943. She was part of a six-ship convoy; three escorts, and…
The Shetland Bus – Escape, Survival, And Adventure To Keep Norwegian Resistance In The Fight
Europe during the Second World War was a bleak place; German forces invaded Norway on the 9th of April, 1940, and as the country was…
The Greatest German General No One Has Heard Of – Lieutenant General Of Armored Troops Herman Balck
Herman Balck might be one of the most effective German Generals, whose actions are largely forgotten today. He came from a military family, his father,…
Le Paradis – The WW2 Massacre Of British Soldiers Which Outraged Even The Nazis
In 1940, members of the British military were slaughtered – after they had surrendered to German forces. Two survived, but no one believed their story.…