When The US Navy Came Of Age, Showing For The First Time What It Could Do
Sweat poured down the brows of eight American sailors, their white-knuckled fists gripping long oars. The bosun bellowed at them to pull for their lives…
By Sacrificing Himself Coastguard Douglas Munro Saved 500 Marines From Being Slaughtered
The United States Coast Guard was founded on a tradition of taking small boats into dangerous conditions to save lives. This skill made Coast Guard…
How the Cruiser Olympia Led the Asiatic Squadron to Victory in Manila Bay
In the evening of April 30th, 1898, a message was sent out to the Spanish Admiral Patricio Montojo, commander of the Pacific Squadron at Manila.…
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…
Frank H. Newcomb – Hero Of Cardenas – Her Two Six-Pounder Cannons Succeeded In Firing 135 Rounds In 20 Minutes
“I revere that long line of expert seamen who by their devotion to duty and sacrifice of self have made it possible for me to…
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…
Totally Outgunned, This Revenue Cutter Took Down One Of The Largest French Privateers In The Carribean
There are few moments in Naval History which better demonstrate how tenacity and skill can outweigh size and strength than the story of the Pickering…
How A Small Group Of Canadian Paratroopers Saved Denmark From Soviet Occupation
By May 1945 the war in Europe had finally started to wind down. Yet for the men of the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion, there was…
Thaman Gurung, V.C. – A Brave Gurkha Gives His Life To Save His Comrades In WW2
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…
Dawn of the Tank Age: the Battle of Cambrai, 1917
For the German troops near the French town of Cambrai, the world exploded into terror and flame on the morning of November 20th, 1917. 1,003…
An Amazing Story Of Close Combat Over a Small Tennis Court During WW2
Between April 8th and May 13th, 1944 the fate of British troops in Burma was being decided over a small asphalt tennis court. This court…
Wilhelm Frankl and Fritz Beckhardt: Top German Jewish Fighter Aces of WW1
Wilhelm Frankl Standoff Neuberg, home to the 74th Tactical Fighter Squadron, sits just south of the Danube River, nestled deep within a woodland. Since 1973, the base…