Battle of the Crater: Disastrous Battle for the Union in the American Civil War
Colonel Delavan Bates waited 27 years to receive his Medal of Honor. He was awarded the prestigious accolade in 1891 for “gallantry in action where…
How HMS Speedy Captured The El Gamo, Which Was 3 Times Her Size & Had 5 Times Her Crew
On March 28th, 1800, a Scottish aristocrat took command of the small Brig-Sloop HMS Speedy, based at Port Mahon. The Scotsman, Thomas Cochrane, was an…
The Hero of the Battle of Trafalgar: Lord Nelson Was Pickled in Liquor
A long used euphemism in sailing circles, and in some pubs and bars, refers to slurping liquor from a straw directly from the barrel. The…
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…
Eight Of The Worst Leaders In Military History
There are few figures more inspiring than a great commander and few disasters worse than putting the wrong man in charge. Publius Quintilius Varus A…
The Plane That Flew Itself – After The Pilot Ejected, This F-106A Flew for Miles Before Landing Gently in a Field
In 1970, a plane got fed up with its pilot so it hatched an audacious plan. First, get rid of the pilot. Second: land. Third:…
MOH: Shot In The Face & Wounded by Grenade, Charged Machine Gun Nest But Can’t Remember Doing It
When there is no personal account of the valor it takes to receive a Medal of Honor it is most often because the gallant have…
Bad Designs: Military Uniforms That Got Soldiers Killed
These days, when we think about dangerous military uniforms we mean shoddily made body armor or badly colored camouflage. But far more disastrous uniforms have…
French Legionnaires: A Valiant Fight To The Death – 62 Against 3000
“These are not men; they are demons!” This was Mexican Colonel Francisco De Paulo Milan’s response when presented with the only French survivors of the…
Facts about Seal Team 6 and the Death of Osama Bin Laden
On May 2, 2011, SEAL Team 6 (allegedly) infiltrated the compound of Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan, a raid during which he died. The following…
The Hardest Day: The Battle of Britain, When All Was Almost Lost
The Hardest Day in the Battle of Britain took place on August 18th, 1940 when the German Luftwaffe decided to try and destroy the UK…
The Shortest Wars In Military History
Though many wars throughout human history have dragged on for years, others ended far sooner. In fact, the results of some of the quickest wars…