The Maginot Line – Book Review by Mark Barnes
It is ever so easy to ridicule the Maginot Line given its strategic failure, but it would be wrong to denigrate the wonder of it’s…
The Abraham Lincoln Brigade – US Citizens Who Fought Against Fascism in Spain
During the Spanish Civil War (1936 – 1939) a call went out from the Republican forces for communists and socialists around the world to come…
Military Reforms of King Henry The Eighth – He Built Up A Modern Fighting Force In Medieval England
When Henry VIII became King of England in 1509, he inherited a nation that was not strong in war. England’s recent wars had mostly been…
Cornelius H. Charlton and his Medal of Honor
Throughout WWII, young men in their teens watched as those known as the greatest generation fought for victory in the greatest war the world has…
The Jokyu Rebellion: How Japan’s Imperial Family Failed to Retake Control of Their Nation
When a rebellion breaks out in an empire, it is usually against the emperor. During the Jokyu Rebellion of 1221, the Japanese Imperial family rebelled…
MI6 Recognizes Work of Spy who Saved 10,000 Jews in WWII
Frank Foley was as far from James Bond as it is possible to get. Mild-mannered, slightly overweight, and wearing glasses, he looked more like 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…
The Allies’ Secret Mustard Gas Cargo Made the Attack on Bari an Even Worse Disaster
On December 2, 1943, Germany launched an air attack on the Italian town of Bari on the Adriatic coast. The town was important strategically as…
Algerian Jews Finally Eligible for Compensation from Germany
Jews have been persecuted all over the world, including in one of Africa’s lesser-known countries, Algeria. The Germans have recently begun to regard Algerian Jews…
Thirteen Presents the U.S. Broadcast Premiere of “GI Jews: Jewish Americans in World War II” – April 11 on PBS in Honor of Holocaust Remembrance Day
GI Jews: Jewish Americans in World War II is a feature-length documentary spotlighting the little-known story of the more than 550,000 Jewish Americans who served their…
Making History – The Ship’s Cook Who Grabbed A .50 Cal To Shoot Down Enemy Planes At Pearl Harbor
In 1942, when Dorie Miller stood onboard the USS Enterprise at Pearl Harbor to receive the Navy Cross he made history. Miller was the first…
The Battle of Imjin River And The Last Stand Of The Glorious Glosters
When talking about success in war we usually focus on victories. But there are times when a successful retreat can be as great a challenge…