Military History

What follows is an extract from Pericles’ funeral oration for the fallen in the first year of the Peloponnesian War. What I would prefer is that you should fix your eyes every day on the greatness of Athens as she really is, and should fall in love with her. When you realize her greatness, then reflect that […]

It is a notable thing to survive a major war. Veterans of these wars held in the highest esteem among other veterans — they have experienced things most could not imagine. Every once in a while, you will hear of veterans who served in two major conflicts. For example, due to their relatively close proximity […]

For as long as people have told stories, they’ve spun tales of lost treasure. The golden city of El Dorado, the treasure of Plum Island, buried pirate treasure and lost Nazi gold trains have all found their way into our collective imagination, begging us to ask ourselves… are there any treasures left to be discovered? […]

As the United States has unveiled their rigid sanctions with Iran in regards to their denuclearization, the world’s eyes are once again turned to the country to see how it will respond to financial threats. Sanctions coming from a country like the U.S. have historically been seen an alternative to real action to appease public […]

May 21, 1881 — Clara Barton becomes the president of the American Red Cross, holding their first meeting in Barton’s apartment in Washington D.C. Barton had been working to integrate the U.S. into the Red Cross since 1873, and that long road had finally come to and end as the next chapter of her life […]

This January I made a big change: I left sunny (and financially ruined) Greece to live in the U.K., specifically, the city of Cambridge. The city is beautiful and very different to what I’ve been use to. Nature surrounds you here: ten minutes outside of the city center and you see foxes and deer. In the […]

The most devastating war in modern human history was over, but with two of the most prominent militaries now locked in ideological and political differences. Despite this, the U.S. was once again willing to demobilize most of her military besides what was necessary to enforce occupation duties in former axis nations. For example, in 1945, […]

The Star model BM Spanish service pistol was an excellent firearm for its time. The pistol saw service with the Spanish military and police but also was used by the South African Defense Forces and found its way into the Rhodesian bush war. Although it looks strikingly similar to the 1911, the Star BM is […]

May 11, 1812 — British Prime Minister Spencer Perceval strode into the House of Commons through the lobby. It was a Monday evening and the prime minister sought to settle affairs with the Orders in Council. It was around a month before the United States would declare war on the United Kingdom in the War […]

The Polish P-83 pistol is a refined handgun that came into military service after it became clear that the P-64 was incapable of meeting the requirements of a service pistol. The problem with the P-64 was in it being a bit on the small side, held a mere 6 rounds and had the most god awful […]

May 8, 1945 — The Germans have formally surrendered unconditionally to the Allied powers after one of the Europe’s most brutal wars. They have signed documents on their surrender in Prague, Berlin, East Germany and others areas of conflict. The continent has been devastated, and the survivors flood the streets all throughout Russia, the U.K., […]

I received some odd assignments as assistant adjutant of the 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) in the fall of 1962. I supervised the carving of a large pair of parachute wings out of ice for a formal ball. I ordered the names of officers departing from the Group headquarters engraved on boxes of dessert bronzeware […]