An Island Country Goes to War – The Irish at the Somme
The outbreak of the First World War in 1914 had an unusual effect in Ireland. In a place where there had already been conflict and…
By Sacrificing Himself Coastguard Douglas Munro Saved 500 Marines From Being Slaughtered
The United States Coast Guard was founded on a tradition of taking small boats into dangerous conditions to save lives. This skill made Coast Guard…
Things Nearly Went Nuclear When the Chinese Stole a Soviet Tank
In 1900, Russia signed the Treaty of Beijing which gave them Outer Manchuria and other Chinese lands. When both countries became communist, their nagging border…
Sinking the Tirpitz, Sister to the Bismarck and the Heaviest European Battleship Ever
The story of the World War II German battleship Bismarck is legendary. The massive warship was destroyed by British ships and planes and then scuttled…
Bringing Home The 8 Million Boys After WWII; Operation Magic Carpet
Victory in Europe – what happens next? After victory had been declared in Europe and the Second World War had come to an end with…
Heinz Guderian, The Father Of The Blitzkrieg – The Officer Who Defied Hitler
The military genius of Heinz Guderian remains admirable even today, for it was his tactics that brought Germany its swift victory over Europe in the…
“Lucky” Yamaguchi: The Man Who Survived Both the Hiroshima and Nagasaki Atomic Bombs
Atomic bombs exploded into chaotic destruction just two times in history: first on August 6, 1945, in Hiroshima and again on August 9 of that…
When Allies Fight: Operation Torch and the Taking of North Africa
North Africa was one of the great battlegrounds of the Second World War. From early on, British and Commonwealth forces faced German and Italian troops…
Why the Allies did not see Hitler’s Ardennes Offensive Coming
On December 16, 1944, Allied troops were caught by surprise. A massive offensive by German forces struck west out of the Ardennes region, smashing into…
Shooting Down 7 Aircraft In One Day, This Marine Was Awarded The Medal Of Honor On His First Mission
Lieutenant James Swett wasn’t the only man to become an Ace in one day during the war and nor was he the only Ace to…
A Soviet Spy Who saved The “Big Three” at the Tehran Conference was 19 years old at the time
During the spy games of WWII, the result of the war was hanging by a thread. Gevorg Vartanian, a young Armenian who joined the Soviet…
In WW2, General Eisenhower Lost a Bet and Had to Give General Montgomery His Own B-17
When you think of Dwight D. Eisenhower, there’s much that comes to mind: a military leader, President of the United States, Supreme Allied Commander, Chief…