Rick Rescorla: The Vietnam Veteran Who Saved 2,700 Lives on 9/11
The Battle of la Drang Valley was the first major engagement of the Vietnam War. Some 36 years later, the first major battle of the…
Three of the Biggest Military Mistakes in Hollywood Movies
Watching a movie as a military historian means you judge it on a number of levels. In addition to the usual concerns over plot and…
How Reliable Were WWII Pilot Kill Counts?
In the heat of an aerial battle, can you really keep track of how many planes have been shot down? During WWII, intelligence officers believed…
‘Star Trek’ Star James Doohan Survived Six Bullet Wounds During the Allied Landings on D-Day
James Doohan saw action during World War II and in outer space. His exploits inspired many to become an engineer, and one individual even followed…
Virginia Hall The One-Legged Spy Tormented The Nazis & the Most Decorated Female Spy in US History
Virginia Hall was born into a privileged family in Baltimore in 1906. During WWII, she kept the Gestapo at bay and coordinated both Jedburgh teams…
Nerve Gas & Rockets to the Moon: Operation Paperclip & Nazi Scientists in America
Germany surrendered in May 1945. Soon afterward, the western allied powers and the Soviet Union started carving up Europe. Germany was split in two. The…
Leonard A. Funk: U.S. paratrooper who took out 40 Germans in 60 seconds
First Sergeant, Leonard A. Funk, despite his small stature, joined the paratroopers of the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the U.S. Army and went on…
Seventy Year Old Mystery Finally Solved
When U.S. Army Air Forces Flight Officer Judson Baskett, First Lieutenant William Myers, and PFC Donald Jones left Singapore on a Douglas C-47 transport aircraft…
“A Fight For Love And Glory…” How The U.S. And France Came Together In Casablanca
Casablanca became famous due to a certain black and white movie bearing its name. Starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, the film used the Moroccan…
Pedro de Lara: From Powerful To Penniless
A man in the midst of a mid-life crisis is not a pretty sight. His mood can trigger all kinds of ill-advised behavior and foolish…
The Face of Crimean War in over 35 Magnificent 160-year-old Photos
After a longtime peace acquired during the Congress of Vienna in 1815, Europe experienced a relatively peaceful period of history. Foundations of that peace laid…
Kurt Gerstein – SS Officer who Tried to Stop the Holocaust
The policy of the Third Reich towards the Jews was contained in the expression “Final Solution.” This euphemism really meant the mass annihilation of the…