Category: Military History

When the King of France Louis XVI betrayed his people by handing them over to foreigners, he had no idea what his fate would be. With the Prussian army at its borders and Austria ready to intervene, the days of revolutionary government seemed numbered. Worried by the imminent collapse, the French Government called all citizens […]

August 16 is National Airborne Day and paratroopers all over the country are remembering their own experiences and sharing some of them via social media.  President George Bush created National Airborne Day in 2002. It was designated by Congress to honor America’s paratroopers.  “Airborne combat continues to be driven by the bravery and daring spirit […]

There was only one foreign customer for the advanced F-14 Tomcat fighter during its heyday: Iran. The Shah chose to buy 80 Tomcats instead of the F-15 Eagle — and they proved a good investment. Even after Imperial Iran gave way to the Islamic Republic of Iran after the 1979 revolution, the Iranian Air Force […]

‘A Warrior’s Warrior’ in MACV-SOG During America’s long war in Vietnam, many of the Green Berets who fought there became legends within the Special Forces Regiment. And among those warriors were the men of MACVSOG (Military Assistance Command Vietnam, Studies and Observations Group); the SOG warriors were among the finest the country has ever produced. […]

The reply to them was“Nuts!” Unaware of American slang, the German officer was confused. “Is that reply negative or affirmative?”

You only live twice: Once when you are born And once when you look death in the face Ian Fleming the intelligence operative of World War II, and accomplished author of the James Bond series died on this day in 1964.   Fleming was nearly as fascinating a character as his James Bond alter ego. He […]

Less than a month after the fall of Sicily, the Allies began their quest to liberate mainland Italy. On September 3, 1943, the British undertook simultaneous landings in the Calabria “toe” region of Italy. About a week later, on September 9, 1943, the Americans launched Operation Avalanche near the port of Salerno. The operation began […]

With the long, bloody Guadalcanal campaign coming to a close in early 1943, the United States had turned the tide of the war in the Pacific. After Japan had brushed aside everything in its path in its heady, unstoppable advance across the Pacific in the war’s first months, everything had now begun to turn.  The […]

You can read part I here and part II here.  The men of Det A were highly trained professionals, ready to carry out what would most likely be a suicide mission in the opening hours of World War Three. With targeting packets completed, covers established, and extraction plans committed to memory, they were prepared to […]

The first months of World War II went very badly for the Americans. The Japanese had caught the Pacific Fleet in Pearl Harbor flatfooted and at anchor and had put a massive blow on American naval power.  After that, the Japanese had made lightning assaults and had easily taken the Philippines, Wake Island, Guam, Thailand, […]

In the closing days of World War II, the United States was facing a difficult decision. In the face of increasingly fanatical Japanese resistance during the island-hopping Pacific campaign, American casualties were increased dramatically.  Fearing that an invasion of Japan would cost hundreds of thousands of U.S. casualties and millions of Japanese, the decision by […]

During World War II, the Nazis tried to systematically eliminate the Jews from Europe with their “Final Solution.” Anne Frank’s family that had been hiding in Amsterdam from the Gestapo for more than two years was betrayed and arrested. Anne Frank and seven other Jews were sent to the Nazi death camps. Seven of them […]