The Crossword Puzzle Which Nearly Spelled The End For D-Day
To end WWII in Europe, the Allies planned a massive assault on Normandy, France, in 1944. Over 5,000 ships, 1,200 planes, and almost 160,000 men…
9 Feb 1945: Victory at the Colmar Pocket, Germans Eviction From The West Bank of The Rhine
On 9 February 1945, the last German forces on the west bank of the River Rhine were defeated by the French and Americans. The defeat…
The Extraordinary Life of Merian C. Cooper – Forgotten Hero of Two Nations… And Creator of King Kong
Chasing a Dream Merian C. Cooper was born in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. He was the youngest of his siblings and at the age of…
The Amazing Story Of The Company Cleaning Up After The WWII Shipbreaking Boom In Portland
During World War II, Portland was home to several shipyards that built warships for the war. When the war ended, those shipyards were no longer…
From The Tank Museum: Background To The Battle Of Kursk
The Battle of Kursk was one of the most decisive battles of the Second World War. Fought between the 5th July and 23rd August 1943, it began…
Albert Speer, The Ambitious Young Architect Who Rose To Prominence Within The Nazi Party
In 1931, a young, ambitious architect named Albert Speer attended a Nazi rally in Berlin. Perhaps he was truly captivated by the message of the…
Padre Foote Stayed Behind After The Dieppe Fiasco & The Only Canadian Chaplain To Be Awarded The Victoria Cross
It is hard to imagine a soldier retreating from a position of certain safety for the explicit purpose of getting captured, but that is exactly…
Russian World War II General Ivan Konev – Marshal and Hero of the Soviet Union
Ivan Stepanovich Konev was a highly decorated general of Russia’s Red Army. Both highly admired and feared by Stalin, he made huge contributions to the…
The Boat That Won The War – Review by Mark Barnes
I have a good number of books from the publisher of this little gem that tell the story of the great battleships of the Dreadnought…
The Element of Surprise – Totally Effective Surprise Attacks in Military History
Surprise attacks and ambushes can turn the tide of war. More often than not, the side that has the larger base of industry or manpower…
When The French Army Invaded Germany in 1939 To Support Poland, All Did Not Go As Planned
Germany was not the first country to go on the offensive on the western front of World War Two. That first attack came from France,…
Rommel’s Last Battle in North-Africa – Costly Failure At Medenine
The hot Tunisian sun beat down on the steel of tanks and armoured personnel carriers, planes strafed the artillery positions and the tracks of tanks…