Military History

In a few days is the 76th anniversary of D-Day. There were so many compelling stories that happened on that first “day of days” that one could have gone in literally hundreds of directions to pick one to commemorate the landings: Major John Howard’s airborne assault of “Pegasus Bridge” over the Orne River in the […]

Operation Dynamo, the evacuation of Dunkirk, began nearly 80 years ago today. In May of 1940, British, French, and Belgian troops were trapped by the German army in western France. Blitzkrieg, or “lightning war” had proven terribly effective. With the Allied armies nearing total collapse as the Germans neared the French coastline, the British launched […]

In the spring of 1991, in the aftermath of the defeat of the Iraqi military forces in the Gulf War (Desert Storm), a humanitarian crisis of immense proportions took place. Once the truce was signed by the Iraqi military representatives and the Coalition nations led by the United States, the allies quickly looked to exit […]

Spies, espionage, resistance, and double-crossing were standard practices during the days of WWII. The Allied and Axis powers went to great lengths to spy on the opposing force. So in 1941, when a young ambitious Spaniard, Juan Pujol Garcia, approached the British’s Intelligent Service, MI6, offering to spy on the Germans, you would think they […]

We’ve been focusing on Memorial Day in the past week, writing about some of the heroes of past conflicts who despite all odds persevered and made it through the horrors of war and were awarded the Nation’s highest award. Today on Memorial Day, we remember a hero who was awarded the Medal of Honor for […]

The deeper B Company Green Berets and their Montagnards headed into Laos, the more they diverted the NVA forces attacking the CIA’s Operation Catapult.

The events of D-Day on June 6, 1944, were the result of years of careful planning, deception, good luck, and setbacks. As we near another D-Day anniversary, it is important to understand what transpired before the massive invasion of Normandy. Here are a few highlights that you may have never heard about: The Tragedy and […]

Thus the stage was set for the launching of Operation Tailwind on Sept. 11, 1970, after several weather delays and rocket attacks at the Dak To launch site.

If you aspire to become a member of the Special Operations Forces community, then the name T.E. Lawrence should be one you become intimately familiar with. Commonly known as Lawrence of Arabia, he was one of the most fascinating characters of the 20th century. Lawrence was an accomplished archaeologist, British military officer, a foreign diplomat […]

After the U.S. troops had been driven out of Burma by the Japanese in 1943 during World War II, the Americans decided that they needed a “Long Range Penetration” mission behind Japanese lines. The plan was to disrupt and destroy the enemy’s supply lines and communications while attacking the enemy behind their forces while also […]

Few U.S. Air Force aircraft are as popular among the ground troops of the military as the A-10 Thunderbolt, aka “The Warthog.” And it is as unpopular with our foes in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan as it is popular with our troops. The distinctive sound of the jet’s high-bypass turbofan engines is enough to make […]

On May 8, 1945, while Britan, the United States, and the rest of Europe were celebrating the end of World War II in Europe, the British military lost one of its icons, Lieutenant Colonel Frank Bourne. Bourne had been the last surviving British member of the Battle of Rorke’s Drift; he died just shy of […]