Daring and Elusive – SMS Emden and Her Crew have Inspired 100 Years of Film and Stories
“She wanted to disturb the British supply lines like a wolf breaking into the sheepfold; doing as much damage as she could while avoiding superior…
“Flying Artillery” – New Tactics at Palo-Alto in the Mexican-American War
In 1846, The United States of America went to war with Mexico, eager to annex Texas and California to expand the Union from sea to…
Forbidden Love: Auschwitz Prisoner and SS Guard Developed Relationship
In 1933, the Nazi regime took control of Germany. Almost immediately, they began drafting the Nuremberg Laws. These laws banned relationships between “Aryans” and Jews.…
Soviet “Atomic Annie” – The 2B1 “Oka” Nuclear Mortar
The Cold War pushed the Soviet defense industry to create unique weapons. In the spring of 1953, at the military training ground in Nevada, the…
Eisenhower Came Out of Retirement to Denounce the Movie “Battle of the Bulge”
One of the most beloved war stories ever filmed is that of HBO’s “Band of Brothers” (2001), based on Stephen Ambrose’ 1992 book by the…
Isolated and Outnumbered: The Desperate Battle for Hill 3234 in Afghanistan
In late 1987, the government of the Soviet Union, led by Mikhail Gorbachev, was determined to complete the Afghan war. Active fighting was over and…
New Book – “How Easy Company Became a Band of Brothers”
Easy Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne was one of many cohesive units which served with distinction during World War II. First…
Rainbows and Unicorns – The Planning Flaws of Operation Market Garden
In the summer of 1944, after weeks of slogging it out with the Germans in the Bocage country of Normandy, the Allies finally broke out…
War in California – The Battle of San Pasqual
In the days of the Mexican-American war, U.S. forces marched 2000 miles, from New Mexico to California—the longest march in the history of the U.S.…
Sohei: The Warrior Monks of Medieval Japan
The modern view of Buddhism is one of a peaceful, highly spiritual faith, where the devotee sets out upon the path to enlightenment through meditation…
Birth of the Black Plague: The Mongol Siege on Caffa
In 1345, the city of Caffa was razed by a vicious pandemic, in what would, centuries later, be recognized as the first use of biological…
10 Heroes of the Horrifying Fighting for the Hurtgen Forest
Over the winter of 1944-5, the American army fought against German forces holding a defensive line in the Hurtgen Forest. It was one of the…