Jordan intercepts bird carrying messages between terror operatives as group attempts to bypass Western intel gathering its channels of communication are increasingly monitored by coalition forces, the Islamic State is reportedly turning to low-tech solutions in its efforts to avoid detection. The Telegraph reported that homing pigeons bearing messages between IS operatives were recently captured…
Author: The Tactical Hermit
Armed Texan and Part-Time Bard.
World War I History: The Battles That Remade Europe
From the Balkans to Britain, these battles 100 years ago transformed a continent The centenary commemorations of World War I will undoubtedly concentrate on a trio of well-known battles; Verdun, the Somme and Jutland. All three ended inconclusively, and all witnessed tremendous bloodshed. Verdun and the Somme etched themselves into the national consciousness of France…
Happy Mothers Day
To all the Mothers out there I wanted to Wish You a Very Happy Mothers Day! Where would we men be without that Strong Women who birthed us, Raised us, Guided Us and Stood With us through the Good Times and the Bad? Thanks Mom For Everything!
Holocaust History: Mapping the Holocaust
JERUSALEM — Nini Ungar clearly recalled that Friday in February 1942 when the Nazis loaded her, her husband and her parents on a cattle cart and transferred them, standing upright, to the railway station in Vienna. She was in her mid-20s and did not yet know that she was pregnant. The family had already spent…
Espionage Files: The Life of the Modern Spy
The days of spy vs. spy of the Cold War are over. The enemies changed and technology revolutionized the world … and not always for the better. But spies remained an important part of the modern battlefield. This week on the War College Podcast, Jamillah Knowles chats with Reuters reporter and author Stephen Grey about his…
Holocaust History: 1940’s Political Cartoons Warned U.S. of Holocaust
Proof of America’s awareness of genocide against European Jews lay in the funny papers, where cartoonists used pens to eviscerate US politicians’ apathy NEW YORK — Long before becoming a beloved children’s author, Dr. Theodor Seuss Geisel wielded his pen for more sober reasons: He wanted to alert the American public to the horrors of…
Military History: 10 Shameful Civil Wars
Since 2011, one topic has consistently dominated headlines in the news: The war in Syria has now been going for over half a decade and is widely recognized as one of the most shameful and bloody civil conflicts in recent history. Yet, as horrible as it is, Syria is not unique. Since humans first devised…
Middle Ages History: The Battle of Bouvines
Although not as famous as Hastings, Crécy or Agincourt, the 1214 Battle of Bouvines would have far-reaching consequences. In fact, the little-known clash indirectly contributed to the rise of modern-day constitutional democracy. A fighting bishop unhorses and captures a royal bastard in an obscure medieval battle and in one swift blow changes European history for centuries. The event leads…
Espionage Files: Did The Pakistani ISI Poison the CIA Station Chief in 2011?
A leading article in The Washington Post suggests that the United States Central Intelligence Agency suspected that its most senior officer in Pakistan was poisoned by the host country’s intelligence services, in an attempt to kill him. The CIA pulled its station chief from Islamabad in the summer of 2011, two months after Operation…
Profiles in Courage: “Apache Down”, The One Iraq War Story You Most Likely Never Heard About
When an AH-64 went down near the Iraqi city of Najaf, 12 Army paratroopers unleashed hell on an enormous enemy force. On Jan. 28, 2007, a 12-man Military Transition Team, or MiTT, composed of paratroopers from the 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division was called upon to assist an Iraqi army unit that…