Major-General Gubbins-The Man who Made Dirty Warfare a Passion.
During the Second World War, Britain’s Special Operations Executive (SOE) reinvented the art of covert warfare. The organization recruited, trained, and equipped both secret agents…
General Orde Wingate: Brilliant Eccentric
The British armed forces in WWII were famous for a number of reasons: innovation, unreal stubbornness in defense, and much else. They were also known…
To Do My Duty. The Scout Master & Hitler’s Nuclear Program
In the early twentieth century, a British man named Baden Powell founded the Boy Scout Movement. From this humble organization, Scouting spread across the globe.…
Tokyo Mose & the Ear Medal – The Irreverent Antidote to Tokyo Rose
Iva Toguri, a Japanese woman born in the US, became well-known during World War II as “Tokyo Rose,” one of the hosts of The Zero…
Hanbury Crater: 4000 Tons of Bombs, Million Rounds & Britain’s biggest WWII Explosion
On November 27, 1944, at 11:11 AM the quiet English countryside was rocked by one of the most deadly explosions to occur to occur during…
Seven Strange Looking German Armored Cars of WW2
During the Second World War, the Germans made extensive use of military vehicles to master a new form of warfare, in which the combustion engine…
Marine & Lone Ranger Actor Wasn’t KIA He Actually Died of Alcohol Poisoning From Drinking Moonshine
For those of us of a certain age, the sound of the William Tell Overture and the sight of a masked rider on a white…
Singing Saw: The Impressive MG 42 With Cool Footage
When US soldiers first saw the MG 42, they made fun of the machine gun’s stamped steel parts. But the MG 42 was fully loaded…
Battle of the Bulge: Patton Ordered The Priest to Pray For Clear Weather, The Weather Subsequently Cleared
The Battle of the Bulge was Hitler’s last desperate gamble to win the war on the Western Front. It was 1944, and Hitler’s armies were…
No, Polish Cavalry Never Charged German Tanks at Krojanty
Ask many armchair historian when the last ever cavalry charge took place and most will tell you it happened during World War II. They’ll likely…
Commando-Style Raid: Stealing Fuhrer’s Radar
In October 1942, Adolf Hitler issued the infamous Kommandobefehl (“Commando Order”) which instructed German officers to immediately execute any Commandos or troops carrying out Commando-style…
‘It was our war’ – Veteran Describes Service With U.S. Navy Seabees in WW2
The summer of 1942 should have been a joyous period and full of prospects for Charles “C.B.” Smith, who had recently graduated from high school.…