Retreat Does Not Always Mean Defeat – 10 Epic Retreats From Military History
In war, retreats aren’t always about defeat. Sometimes, they’re a deliberate tactic to gain more defensible ground, consolidate forces, encircle an enemy, or lead them…
When a Toilet Break Led to War Between China and Japan in 1937
Wars have been waged over the stupidest things, but in 1937, Japan took it a step further. That was the year that a minor incident…
The French “Red Zone” Is So Dangerous, It Still Is A No-Go Area 100 Years After WWI
The Zone Rouge (Red Zone) is a region near Verdun, France spanning some 460 square miles of mostly virgin forest – at least on the…
The Battle of Ortona – When 2,600 Canadian Men Were Sacrificed for a General’s Pride
In December 1943, a group of largely untested Canadians went up against German forces in the Italian town of Ortona. The result was a bloodbath…
After The USS Indianapolis Was Sunk, The Sailors Had To Survive The Worst Shark Attack in History
On July 30th, 1945, a Japanese submarine sank a Portland-class cruiser of the US Navy, resulting in the single greatest casualty rate in American naval…
This Gigantic Submarine Factory Couldn’t Even Be Destroyed By The 22,000 lb Grand Slam Bomb
Erich Friedrich Michael Lackner is considered to be one of the most influential engineers of the last century. He developed a revolutionary type of concrete…
A Kiwi Victory: Minesweepers Moa and Kiwi Bag a Japanese Sub By Repeatedly Ramming It
During WWII the Japanese Navy changed its communication codes on a regular basis, this was a mammoth task as new codebooks had to be transferred…
The One Man Demolition Squad Who Destroyed Six Enemy Positions Single-Handed
Thomas Currie “Diver” Derrick wasn’t among the first to join the Australian military when WWII broke out in 1939. When he finally did join the…
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…
The Russian Who Refused To Launch Nuclear Missiles During The Cuban Missile Crisis – He Saved The World
The fact that you can read this is because of a man who said “no” due to an accident. In doing so, he literally saved the world.…
Douglas Brent Hegdahl III – “The Incredibly Stupid One”
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…
How the Soviets Stole an American F-86 Sabre Jet in 1951
During the Korean War (1950 to 1953) America and her allies sided with South Korea, while Russia and China sided with North Korea. Among their…