Shahan Russell

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

Articles by Shahan Russell:

Joseph Rochefort, American Code-Breaker, Predicted The Second Japanese Attack On The US In WWII

On June 4, 1942, Japan again attacked the Hawaii Archipelago; this time the Midway Atoll. However, due to a code-breaker who deciphered the Japanese plans,…

Living A Quiet, Reclusive Life After Her Service, A Forgotten Heroine Of World War Two

On September 2, 2010, an 89-year-old woman’s body was discovered in a modest apartment in the British town of Torquay, Devon. She had died several…

How The Dutch Royal Family Was Evacuated To Britain In May 1940 Using The Bank’s Armored Car And a Destroyer

Despite tensions between Britain and the Netherlands over territorial disputes in South Africa, things changed when Germany invaded the latter in 1940. Shortly after, the…

Le Paradis – Where the SS Murdered 97 British Prisoners on May 27th 1940

In 1940, members of the British military were slaughtered – after they had surrendered to German forces. Two survived, but no one believed their story.…

The American WWII Ace Who Shot Down 7 German, 1 Italian, 1 Japanese, And 1 American Plane

During WWII, an American fighter pilot saw combat over all three Axis territories. By war’s end, he had destroyed Italian, German, and Japanese planes… oh,…

Flying Tigers Veteran Glen Beneda Never Forgot How The Chinese Saved His Life, Nor Did They Forget Him

When the US entered WWII, many believed they’d lose because Japanese victories kept piling up at America’s expense. Historians claim that the Battle of Midway…

After Pearl Harbor, A Japanese Pilot Crash-Landed On A Hawaiian Island And Tried to Occupy It

In 1941, a lone Japanese pilot tried to capture the Hawaiian island of Ni’ihau. The natives responded by holding a luau for him. Though part…

An Unexpected Threat to the Success of D-Day: The Clues to a Crossword Puzzle

To end WWII in Europe, the Allies planned a massive assault on Normandy, France, in 1944. Over 5,000 ships, 1,200 planes, and almost 160,000 men…

Half Blind Japanese Pilot Flies His Damaged Zero For 5 Hours, Then Refused Medical Attention Before Making His Report

During WWII, Sub-Lieutenant Saburō Sakai served as a naval aviator with the Imperial Japanese Navy. He claimed 64 victories, one of which was made after…

Edward A. Carter, Jr. Received the Medal of Honor for Killing Six Soldiers and Using the Surviving Two as a Bodyshield

Edward Allen Carter Junior was born on May 26th, 1916 in Los Angeles, California. Carter had a unique upbringing. His father was an African-American missionary,…

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,…

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…