The Myths, Legends, AND Truth of the Stalingrad Shoemaker Boy
The battle of Stalingrad was so pivotal and so epic in its scale that even today, seventy-five years later, people still tell tales of its…
Hadrian’s Wall of Denmark – Dannevirke Defensive Complex
Beginning in the later part of what historians know as the “Nordic Iron Age,” the pagan Danes built massive lines of fortifications along their border…
Eisenhower Came Out of Retirement to Denounce the Movie “Battle of the Bulge”
One of the most beloved war stories ever filmed is that of HBO’s “Band of Brothers” (2001), based on Stephen Ambrose’ 1992 book by the…
Booby Traps of the Vietnam War
If you want to make a movie about the Vietnam War, there are a few stock things you need. Of course, you need the 60’s…
Amazing Bravery – Lt Conner Finally Awarded Medal of Honor
On June 25th, President Trump awarded the Medal of Honor to an almost forgotten American hero. This was Garlin Murl Conner, whose heroism had unfortunately…
Reverse-Engineering the B-29 Into the Soviet Tupolev TU-4
The American relationship with the Soviet Union during WWII (1939-45) was an exceedingly strange one. For some two decades, the United States and the Soviet…
Pavlov’s House – “Fortress” at Stalingrad
In the Russian city of Volgograd today, one of the largest statues in the world stands atop Mamayev Kurgan, a hilltop that changed hands a…
Submarine Spying – Operation Ivy Bells in the Cold War
In March 2018, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a think-tank devoted to the understanding of global geo-political, military and intelligence gathering events around…
Operation Pluto – The Oil/Gasoline Game of WWII
Seventy-four years ago this month, Operation Overlord was launched and the fighting in Normandy began. This operation was so important and so monumental that everyone…
Dragon Wagon – Keeping Armor Moving
I’ve been interested in World War II since listening to my uncle’s tales from his experiences in the European Theater. I couldn’t get enough of…
When “The Best Years” are Past – Aircraft “Boneyards”
In November 1946, a little over one year after the end of World War II, RKO Pictures and Samuel Goldwyn released the movie “The Best…
WWII Espionage: Real Life Cloak & Dagger in Sweden
When I was a teenager in the late 1970’s, my favorite fiction books were those of Robert Ludlum – of “Bourne Identity” fame. Besides the…