The USAAF pilot who defected with his plane and joined the SS
During WWII, an American pilot defected to Nazi Germany. Despite this, he was allowed to reenlist in the US military. Martin James Monti was born…
General Hyazinth von Strachwitz, The Panzer Count
General Hyazinth von Strachwitz, known as the Panzer Count, earned a reputation for boldness as a cavalry officer in WWI. Then, during WWII he obtained…
These Four French Commanders Became Liabilities Because of Illness. General Maurice Gamelin Suffered From An Advanced Form Of Syphilis That Affects The Brain
Even the best of commanders are prone to poor performance when ill health strikes. Several of note have affected the French army during its history.…
Two Invasions of Belgium By Germany in Two World Wars: 1914 and 1940
In both World Wars, the fighting in the West began with a German invasion of Belgium. 1914: Why German strategy in the late 19th and…
Tanks and Fighting Vehicles – The Development of Military Technology Between The Wars
Between the World Wars, the most powerful nations turned their attention to improving vehicles for use in wartime. WWI had established the value of the…
Reinhard Heydrich, Head of the Gestapo, Who Hitler Called “The Man with the Iron Heart”
Few men in all of human history have been responsible for such monstrous acts as Reinhard Heydrich. The head of the Gestapo, the Nazi secret police,…
Operation Werewolf: The Nazi Resistance Force
In the Autumn of 1944, the Nazis instigated a plan to establish active forces behind enemy lines as the Allies pushed through Germany. It was called…
SS Battlegroup Commander Otto Weidinger
Background and Training In 1934, the 20-year-old Otto Weidinger joined the Allgemeine branch of the SS. Showing potential as a leader, he was sent for…
Michael Wittmann: German Panzer Ace Of World War Two
Like the Red Baron a generation before him, Michael Wittmann was a master of his machine. A skilled commander and gifted fighter, he destroyed 117…
Eric Liddell, the Record Breaking Olympian Who Kept Hope Alive in a Japanese Prison Camp
The Scotsman Eric Liddell is best remembered for his sporting accomplishments from the 1981 film that dramatized them, Chariots of Fire. However, his record-breaking performance…
The Man Who Escaped 200 Times From A Nazi PoW Camp To Visit His Lover
For some people, escaping a German prisoner of war camp once would be enough. The first time Horace Greasley did it, he was just getting…
Poetic Justice and the Plot to Kill Hitler
Poetic justice is when the good are rewarded and the evil punished. It usually comes about by an ironic twist of fate. It happened to…