The Coast Guard Commandant Who Fought His Way Through Vietnam In Swift Boats
When Paul A. Yost Jr. assumed the position of Commandant of the United States Coast Guard in 1986 he approached the role with a powerful…
U-Boat 96, and the film Das Boot
In 1981, a film was released which is still cited as one of Germany’s greatest cinematic triumphs. It followed the exploits of U-96, a German…
Remembering the Reporter Who Dared Confront Emperor Hirohito
Koji Nakamura is the reporter who deserves a place in history simply for asking Emperor Hirohito one question. Instead, he has been all but forgotten.…
Mighty WW2 Warships – KMS Admiral Graf Spee in the Battle of the River Plate
On September 1, 1939, while German troops were rolling across the border into Poland, their Navy was sent to raid Allied shipping lanes, much as…
Thaman Gurung, V.C. – grabbing a Bren gun, and as much ammunition as he could carry, he charged up the hill alone
Since their first interactions with the British East India Company in 1814, the Gurkhas are renowned for their bravery and skill in combat. These Nepalese…
John D. Bulkeley’s Daring Evacuation of General Douglas MacArthur on a 77′ PT Boat
The US Navy is best known for its Admirals and battleships. Both are often the most prominent assets in the fleet, but in the Philippines,…
Battle of WWI merchant raiders: HMS Alcantara v SMS Greif
On February 27, 1916, the Norwegian cargo ship Rena steamed out of Cuxhaven on Germany’s North Sea coast. In peacetime, this would not have been…
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…
The First Yale Unit: College Students Form a Flying Squadron in 1916 an amazing group of guys
In the Spring of 1916, as WWI was raging in Europe, the students at Yale University’s class of 1918 were preparing themselves for a summer of…
After The Normandy Invasions Came The Long And Bloody Fight For France
The landings in Normandy were a major shock for the Allies even though Operation Overlord, which was the code name for the invasion, was thoroughly…
A Bridge Too Far: The Americans, And The True Story Of The 101st And 82nd In Operation Market Garden
A Bridge Too Far, the film adaptation of Cornelius Ryan’s book of the same name, tells the epic tale of the men who fought through…
Wacko: When An American Submarine Took Out a Japanese Troop Train & Much More in the Pacific in WW2
On the 22nd of January, 1945, 30 Japanese merchant ships sat in Namkwan Harbor, in Southern China. They felt safe in their well-defended home, surrounded…