The Ranger and the Drake: John Paul Jones Brings the American Revolution to Britain
Early in the morning of April 24, 1778, a strange ship lay at anchor just off of Carrickfergus, Ireland. HMS Drake, the nearest English ship…
The Abraham Lincoln Brigade – US Citizens Who Fought Against Fascism in Spain
During the Spanish Civil War (1936 – 1939) a call went out from the Republican forces for communists and socialists around the world to come…
Military Reforms of King Henry The Eighth – He Built Up A Modern Fighting Force In Medieval England
When Henry VIII became King of England in 1509, he inherited a nation that was not strong in war. England’s recent wars had mostly been…
The Jokyu Rebellion: How Japan’s Imperial Family Failed to Retake Control of Their Nation
When a rebellion breaks out in an empire, it is usually against the emperor. During the Jokyu Rebellion of 1221, the Japanese Imperial family rebelled…
A 20th-Century Siege in 1809: The Second Siege of Zaragoza
Many consider bitter house to house fighting to be a 20th-century invention, and a 21st-century norm. But in 1809 one Spanish city, Zaragoza, resisted French…
The Allies’ Secret Mustard Gas Cargo Made the Attack on Bari an Even Worse Disaster
On December 2, 1943, Germany launched an air attack on the Italian town of Bari on the Adriatic coast. The town was important strategically as…
Saint Nazaire The Best Raid of WW2: Massive Intel, Courage, Sacrifice and Big Explosions
A little after 1:20 AM on March 28, 1942, searchlights on both sides of the Loire Estuary flooded the waterway to reveal a convoy. Twelve…
The Bravery Of This Japanese-American Soldier On His First Day Fighting In WW2 Is Astounding
During the Italian Campaign of World War 2, German troops were faced with a sight they had never expected: Japanese-American soldiers. These troops were members…
As The US Navy Does Away With Enlisted Rates, We Look At Their History
The weight of the United States Military has always rested soundly on the back of its non-commissioned officers. In the Navy, these men and women…
Woodrow Wilson, America’s 28th president – A Man Of Many Contradictions
Thomas Woodrow Wilson, America’s 28th president, was a man of many contradictions. He wanted to keep America neutral during WWI, yet he also declared war…
How the Royal Navy kept order, Through Caning, Flogging, and Hanging
By the end of the 18th century, the wooden walls of England, as her Navy was so often called, was comprised of one of the…
How An Explosion In Northern New Jersey Put 62,000 People Onto The Front Lines Of WW1
By October 1918, the 1st World War was winding down. It was clear to most observers that the Western Allies would be victorious. Life in…