Mike Perry

The pre-war German Army rejected Captain Theodore von Hippel’s idea of using small units of highly trained men to penetrate enemy defenses before main actions began. They felt it was beneath the dignity of true soldiers to engage in such renegade conduct and so sent the young Captain packing. Down but not out, he ended […]

January 12, 1968: High above the Laotian jungle, the 2 Antonov An-2 Colt biplanes banked to begin another run over the target. 120mm mortar shells fell from their bellies as rockets fired from wings, hoping to hit the small collection of buildings perched on the rocky ledge of a large mountain. The structures looked as […]

Dawn rousted them from their sleep, the forest encampment providing a peaceful respite from the constant movement of the past days. They were close to their objective and readying themselves for the moment to depart and strike fear into the conscious of a nation. The group was small. 32 members attired in the green leafy […]

The Asymmetric Warfare Group (AWG) is one of the newest organizations created during the War on Terror. Its principal mission is to advise commanders on the best methods to use in defeating a foe using asymmetric methods such as terrorism and guerilla tactics to offset troop and equipment advantages the U.S and its Allies hold […]

Though history remembers him as one of the bad guys, there is little doubt that a German named Otto Skorzeny played an influential role in demonstrating the power small specialized units could play on the battlefield. Once called ‘The Most Dangerous Man In Europe’, his participation in planning and executing risky, even outlandish, operations earned […]

Captain William Orlando Darby had a keen interest in the organization and fighting style of the British commando. The 31 year old Aide-de Camp of the 34th Infantry Division was selected to create and organize a light infantry fighting unit specializing in reconnaissance, raids and ambushes. For it, he chose a name that had echoed […]

North Korea has been rattling its sabers against the South since hostilities ended nearly 60 years ago. In recent times, they torpedoed a Navy destroyer and shelled islands off the coast in their ongoing attempts to agitate and test the waters of resolve in the Seoul government. Behind this show of strength, though, everyone knows […]

Along with the initials KGB, the word Spetsnaz ranks as one of the best-known Soviet terms to come out of the Cold War. Movies and novels portrayed Spetsnaz as highly trained, bloodthirsty killers who knew no bounds and ended up getting wiped out before the screen faded to black or the final page turned. Truth […]

Apart from Hitler, perhaps no one typified the evil of Nazism more so than Reinhard Heydrich. Cold, calculating, arrogant and brutal, he is a figure whose hands-on approach to dealing with perceived enemies of Germany made him author of some of the worst crimes ever perpetrated by man. Tall, slender with smooth blond hair and […]

Great Britain’s Royal Marine Commandos or, officially, The Corps of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines, have long held an illustrious and storied place in the history of the Islands Armed Forces. From its creation in 1755, the Marines served a dual purpose of providing ship security and maintaining discipline among the sailors. When battles occurred, they […]

As the Japanese war machine rolled over the Philippines Islands, American forces put up a spirited though futile effort to stave off defeat. Hopes of reinforcement were dashed and the passing weeks found them being drawn into defending ever smaller parcels of territory with fewer and fewer men. Ammunition and food reached critical levels, with […]

What was supposed to be a routine flight for the 248 passengers on their way to Paris, France spiraled into a nightmare 7 minutes after the jet rose into the sky from Athens, Greece. At that moment, Flight 139, an Air France Airbus A300, found itself the latest target in the Palestine Liberation organization’s endless […]