Mike Perry

Waves lapped in gentle rolls against the Tunisian shoreline on this night of April 15, 1988. The lookouts on the beaches only heard the engines in the final seconds before they rode the dying breaker to broach the wet sand. There were three of them, powered rubber dinghies being dragged up to the dunes by […]

Three weeks ago, I wrote an article about the brave last stand of a unit of Polish soldiers near the town of Wizna in the opening days of World War II. The story you are about to read is another little known testimony to the toughness and resolve of that country’s fighting men, perhaps the […]

His eyes seemed to light up as he watched the group of young soldiers march in unison on that Yale field in New Haven, Connecticut. It was another one of those long days where he’d abandoned his search for food to arrive at the sidelines and witness the orderly procession. He sat there alone, lost […]

Construction of the fortifications began in June, 1939 around the village of Wizna in northeast Poland. With war clouds gathering just beyond its border with Germany, the government worked its laborers hard to complete the nine kilometers long defensive positions overlooking the swampy Narew River valley. This area was considered vital, as it defended the […]

Lee informed the group that he was assigning men to defensive positions on the different floors and rooftop of the castle. He then placed the Sherman (nicknamed ‘Besotten Jenny’) in front of the main gate to command the road. It was an oddity never seen in the war, as German and Americans seemed united for […]

The SS left the castle early on May 4, 1945. The Schloss Itter, as it was known in German, now belonged to the prisoners. They broke into one of the rooms serving as the armory and retrieved rifles, pistols, and submachine guns. Despite the assurances of the former commandant – a sadistic Captain named Sebastian […]

On May 28, 1919 one of the unique fighting men of the 20th century was born to a family in Viipuri, Finland. Given the birth name Lauri Allan Torni, he grew up as normal as any other citizen, unaware that his generation and tens of millions of others were destined for the carnage of war. […]

Their uniforms became encrusted with layers of powdery concrete blanketing them as they descended the stairs. Across their weary faces, black soot smeared in strange wavy patterns created by the channels of sweat dripping from their chins. They had just completed a sweep of the upper stories of the fortress-like grain elevator and silo. Just […]

After their arrival in Great Britain on September 15th, 1943, the 506th P.I.R began setting up billets in various parts of Southern England. Jake McNiece and his unit set up amongst the Regimental Headquarters and Service companies on the vast acreage of Sir Ernest Wills’ manor place. Wills was the cigarette magnate of Britain, and […]

Looking him over once more, the sergeant was sure Jake McNiece was lying. “You know, if they discover you’re over 28 they’ll take you out of the airborne and put you in the infantry, or wherever else they decide.” “I’m only 23, so I’m not worried about that,” he replied. “I can make it. Just […]

Robert Blair “Paddy” Mayne typified those individuals who seemed to exist on this planet for one thing: to fight wars, and fight them well. To possess a heroism envied by many, yet lack the needed traits in peacetime that so often led to trouble. The following story is about such a man, one who made […]

When exploring the lives of military heroes, one often finds their battlefield achievements bordering on the super-human. No way could mere mortals face such overwhelming odds and live to tell about them with a sense of humility and grace, saying that they merely did their jobs, which further grips us in awe of them. Take […]