Shahan Russell

Shahan Russell is one of the authors writing for WAR HISTORY ONLINE

Articles by Shahan Russell:

Get Out of Jail Free – How Monopoly Helped Allied POWs Escape

Imagine the following scenario: you’re with the Allies during WWII. Fortunately, your side eventually won. Unfortunately, you’ve ended up in a Nazi POW camp before…

Canadian Pilot Alan McLeod Took Down Enemy Planes Even as He Crashed

Bored with life in his small town, Alan Arnett McLeod wanted to fight and fly. So they let him, and fight he did in the most…

Going Nuclear – Germany and Japan Fail to Build the Bomb in WWII

Japan’s war machine was designed for offense, not defense. During the war years, planes had a very limited range, which made the Japanese islands almost…

The Incredible Defence of Westerplatte – Gdańsk, Poland, 1939

It happened in the city of Gdańsk, Poland – formerly the Free City of Danzig. It was not always Polish. It was part of the…

Warren G. H. Crecy: the Baddest Man in the 761st

Warren Gamaliel Harding Crecy was born on January 4, 1923, in Corpus Christi, Texas. Those who knew him called him “Harding.” His wife, Margaret, and…

When Italy Destroyed More American Planes Than the German Luftwaffe

Italy was invaded in 1943 because it was an Axis power and Nazi Germany’s chief ally. The following year, the Allies faced a different and…

Richard the Lionheart’s Secret Weapon During the Third Crusade

During the Third Crusade, the city of Acre (today in Israel) was surrounded. Occupying the city was a Muslim garrison, besieged by a Christian army,…

The Reluctant Hero Who was awarded a Victoria Cross… Twice

The Victoria Cross is Britain’s highest award for military valor, and only three people have received it twice. One was so incredible, in fact, he…

Tony Stein – The Inventive Warrior – An amazing American Marine in WW2

Brawn is nothing without brains. When the two are put together, amazing things can happen, but when they come together in a Marine, the results…

That Day The Serbs Did The Impossible And Shot Down An F-117 Nighthawk

The Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk was a stealth fighter that was so advanced for its time that it remained a secret for a long time. What…

This German Flying Ace Saved an American Pilot; Years Later They Found Each Other Again

Humanity can sometimes manifest itself in the most amazing ways and the unlikeliest of places. Take the case of the pilot who shot down another,…

The Daring Bruneval Raid To Capture German Radar Technology

One of the most important raids in the Second World War was the British raid on Bruneval in occupied France. Its aim was to steal…