Mighty WW2 Warships – KMS Admiral Graf Spee in the Battle of the River Plate
On September 1, 1939, while German troops were rolling across the border into Poland, their Navy was sent to raid Allied shipping lanes, much as…
A Sailor’s Life For Me – A day in the life of a Royal Navy Sailor from 1806
The life of a sailor has never been easy, and during wartime, it is doubly true. It was particularly so in the Royal Navy at the…
Thaman Gurung, V.C. – grabbing a Bren gun, and as much ammunition as he could carry, he charged up the hill alone
Since their first interactions with the British East India Company in 1814, the Gurkhas are renowned for their bravery and skill in combat. These Nepalese…
John D. Bulkeley’s Daring Evacuation of General Douglas MacArthur on a 77′ PT Boat
The US Navy is best known for its Admirals and battleships. Both are often the most prominent assets in the fleet, but in the Philippines,…
Wars Fought For Stupid Reasons: Stray Dog Sparked War Between Greece and Bulgaria in 1925
Wars had started over land, resources, religion, and politics. When people say that “wars have been fought over less,” however, they’re usually right; in 1925,…
Battle of WWI merchant raiders: HMS Alcantara v SMS Greif
On February 27, 1916, the Norwegian cargo ship Rena steamed out of Cuxhaven on Germany’s North Sea coast. In peacetime, this would not have been…
What an incredibly brilliant “stupid” man. How Vietnam War POW Doug Hegdahl Tricked His Captors by Playing The Fool
Imagine that it’s the 1960s. You’re an American POW in a North Vietnamese camp, so you have two options: If you want to live, you…
The First Yale Unit: College Students Form a Flying Squadron in 1916 an amazing group of guys
In the Spring of 1916, as WWI was raging in Europe, the students at Yale University’s class of 1918 were preparing themselves for a summer of…
After The Normandy Invasions Came The Long And Bloody Fight For France
The landings in Normandy were a major shock for the Allies even though Operation Overlord, which was the code name for the invasion, was thoroughly…
A Bridge Too Far: The Americans, And The True Story Of The 101st And 82nd In Operation Market Garden
A Bridge Too Far, the film adaptation of Cornelius Ryan’s book of the same name, tells the epic tale of the men who fought through…
First Underwater Footage Of The USS Ward: The Destroyer that Fired First American Shot in WWII – Just Before the Attack on Pearl Harbor
Paul G. Allen-Led Expedition Reveals First Underwater Footage of the USS Ward in Honor of the 76th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor and the Men who…
Wacko: When An American Submarine Took Out a Japanese Troop Train & Much More in the Pacific in WW2
On the 22nd of January, 1945, 30 Japanese merchant ships sat in Namkwan Harbor, in Southern China. They felt safe in their well-defended home, surrounded…