“The M.S. Wilhelm Gustloff” – Book Review by Mark Barnes
It’s good to see another volume on the life and death of the MS Wilhelm Gustloff from our friend Edward Petruskevich. This time round he…
The WW2 Battle Of North Cape, And The Utter Destruction Of The German Battleship Scharnhorst
It was wholly dark. In the sea north of Tromsø in Norway, the great German battleship Scharnhorst was on a mission to sink an Allied…
The Bolo Knife – History, Development And Use Of An Iconic Weapon
Imperial forces around the world, whether they came to the battle with muskets and cannons or machine guns and fighter planes, have come to fear…
Invading Okinawa, The Biggest Amphibious Invasion In The Pacific
Codenamed Operation Iceberg, the invasion of Okinawa was the largest amphibious landing in the Pacific theatre of the Second World War which started on April…
Reinhard Heydrich, Head of the Gestapo, Who Hitler Called “The Man with the Iron Heart”
Few men in all of human history have been responsible for such monstrous acts as Reinhard Heydrich. The head of the Gestapo, the Nazi secret police,…
The World War Two Bombing That Flattened The Heart Of Rotterdam
The Battle of Rotterdam began May 10th, 1940, and ended with the bombings on Rotterdam May 14th, 1940. German forces saw the Netherlands as an opportune…
Facts And Pictures: Bloody Battle For The Bridge Over The Rhine At Remagen In WW2, March 1945
On 7 March 1945, Allied troops captured the Ludendorff Bridge at Remagen. This surprise success allowed thousands of troops to cross the River Rhine and…
The Incredible Story Of The Only American To Fight For Both The U.S. And Russia In WWII
For much of the last 70 years, someone who fought for both America and Russia might bring to mind some Cold War espionage, a double…
Fighting The Invaders: Improvised Weapons Used In The 1944 Warsaw Uprising
The invasion of Poland on September 1st, 1939 marked the beginning of the Second World War. Polish people had a long history of occupation and…
The Amazing Story Of James Crotty, Who Single Handedly Won The Coast Guard A Battle Streamer
Battle Streamers are awarded to a military branch, or unit, for their participation in an important battle or campaign. They are usually earned by large…
Battle of the Kasserine Pass 1943: Erwin Rommel, The Desert Fox
In late January and throughout February 1943, American troops had their first major engagements with German forces in World War II in Tunisia. It really…
The Evacuation of Dunkirk, The Evacuation That Kept Britain’s Hopes Of Victory Alive
The events of May and early June 1940 were equal parts disaster and Miracle. For France, it was a complete disaster – a total military defeat by…