The Battle of the Bulge was a Hail Mary pass by a führer who was quickly running out of options. Hitler desperately needed a decisive victory on either his Western or Eastern front. Remembering his series of victories after sneaking through the Ardennes forest in 1940, he went for a repeat in 1944. On Dec. 16,…
Category: Historical Study
Peering into the Past and Future of Urban Warfare in Israel
I traveled recently to Israel to visit a state-of-the-art military training facility in the southern Negev Desert opened by the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) last year. The facility, at the Tze’elim army base, is meant to simulate urban operations of the kind the Israelis have so often faced in their conflicts with Palestinian and Lebanese…
Military History: History’s Last Left Hook?
Military Envelopments with Strategic Implications “Left hook” is a boxing term for a short, sideways, inside punch which often lands on an opponent’s jaw. Left hooks generally come as a surprise because for most people it is much harder to punch with their left arm. So, while boxers may continuously jab, cross, and uppercut, the…
Quirky Diplomacy: 9 Wars that were technically “Ongoing”
Throughout history, a number of conflicts, due to the quirky nature of international diplomacy, never officially ended. Of course, these “extended wars” have never actually had any bearing on international relations. Instead, the ongoing de facto peace overrode any technicalities on the world stage. However, the patching up of these diplomatic irregularities has been used…
Quick Historical Comparison between Political Correctness and Nazi Philosophy
By Hammerhead I was reading through Antony Beevors outstanding World War Two history Stalingrad: The Fateful Siege 1942-1943 the other day and I came across a passage I wanted to share with you that I feel reflects the current trend of “Political Correctness” that seems to be rampant in our society as of late. This terrible…
Crusader Corner #8: The Global Islamic Insurgency
I wanted to quote the last half of this article (Here is the Full Article: Why We Are Losing the War on Terror) to let you read some of the most important points the author makes. The Global Islamic Insurgency is HERE Folks, Right Now. They are in Phase I: Latent and Incipient Insurgency as…
8 Unbelievable Stories from the Second Battle of Fallujah
Veterans from 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines share their incredible stories from the Second Battle of Fallujah. This time of year marks the anniversary of one of the most storied battles in recent Marine Corps history: the Second Battle of Fallujah. The city became the scene of brutal urban combat when American, Iraqi, and British forces…
Naval Military History: Grog and the Barbary Wars
Editor’s note: For readers seeking more information on grog and the history of naval drinking, be sure to check out our podcast on the subject here, and articles here and here. America’s military actions in the Middle East and North Africa are not isolated to the modern era. In truth, American military forces have been…
Islam, Europe and the Tet Offensive, Take Two
Matthew Bracken is a former Navy SEAL with a BA in Russian Studies from the University of Virginia. In 1983 he led a Naval Special Warfare detachment to Beirut, Lebanon. Links to his short stories and essays can be found at EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com. More than a decade ago I wrote my first novel, Enemies Foreign and…
Giving Thanks to the OSS
As today’s security depends increasingly on intelligence and special operators, Congress should act to honor those who paved their way. What do attorney James Donovan (portrayed by Tom Hanks in “Bridge of Spies”), the “French Chef” Julia Child, Virginia Hall (the only American civilian woman to receive the Distinguished Service Cross during World War II),…