Four Battles Where The Underdogs Won Against All The Odds
Outnumbered and outgunned, the underdogs that defeat their enemies through strategy, cunning or pure luck often give us the most compelling stories. Although numerical strength…
The Tragic Loss of Nathan Bruckenthal, The Only US Coast Guard Casualty of the Iraq War
The Iraq War is most often remembered for its ground combat. The insurgency which gripped the country after the fall of Saddam Hussein focused its…
When The USA And The UK Nearly Went To War Over An Island With A Pig
Though America became independent of the British Empire in 1776, the British didn’t actually leave. Where the United States of America ended and where British-America…
The Origins and History of The Last Post
Chances are, you have heard the notes of the Last Post. The lone notes, played by a military bugler, trumpeting the notes of the song…
The Lion of Africa: Paul von Lettow Vorbeck: Germany’s WW1 Guerilla Commander In East Africa
In March of 1919, while Germany was recovering from its defeat in the First World War, its people starving and its army in ruins, a…
A 20th-Century Siege in 1809: The Second Siege of Zaragoza
Many consider bitter house to house fighting to be a 20th-century invention, and a 21st-century norm. But in 1809 one Spanish city, Zaragoza, resisted French…
When Soldiers, Sailors, And Civilians Celebrated Victory in Europe with a Riot in Halifax
May 8th, 1945, was greeted with elation, parades, and revelry around the world. On this day, Victory in Europe was officially achieved, and the Second…
The Most Terrible, Deadliest Sieges Before the 19th Century
Sieges throughout history were awful affairs. Unlike Field Battles, Sieges involved civilians, as well as numerous ways to die over long periods of time. Starvation…
The Major-General In Command Of British Land Forces In The Falklands War Called It “A Very Close-Run Thing”
The Falklands War is looked back on by many as a foregone conclusion. Lasting only ten weeks, and it resulted in a clear British victory.…
The Ranger and the Drake: John Paul Jones Brings the American Revolution to Britain
Early in the morning of April 24, 1778 a strange ship lay at anchor just off of Carrickfergus, Ireland. HMS Drake, the nearest English ship…
The Bravery Of This Japanese-American Soldier On His First Day Fighting In WW2 Is Astounding
During the Italian Campaign of World War 2, German troops were faced with a sight they had never expected: Japanese-American soldiers. These troops were members…
1898: Spanish at Guam Thought the Attacking USS Charleston Fired Salute Shots & Asked For Gunpowder To Return the Gesture
Manning a remote island fort, seemingly without any imminent danger on the horizon, must have made for a fairly comfortable post. That was the situation on…