War Victim Goes to Bottom of the Pile January 19, 1915 — As unsung heroes go, Frederick Pile is possibly one of the most unsung. Some would say deservedly so. Very little is known about him, though he is thought to have been a farm labourer. What IS known is that Fred was out for…
Category: Know your History
Know Your Real Civil War History: ‘Bloody Bill’ Anderson
The Gifted Psychopath: Civil War’s “Bloody Bill” Anderson William T. “Bloody Bill” Anderson was quite the gifted psychopath. The deadliest Confederate guerilla leader of the American Civil War, Anderson led his ruthless mob of cutthroats on a reign of terror along the rugged Kansas–Missouri border and killed hundreds along the way. The path Bloody Bill…
The Burning of Alexandria
The Burning of Alexandria The Yankees occupied New Orleans and its surrounding environs from April, 1862 until the end of the Civil War. In 1863, Gen. Nathaniel Banks left New Orleans to start an advance toward Shreveport. He hoped to seize the busy river port. He followed the Red River upstream. Banks joined with forces…
Know Your Spanish Civil War History: How Franco Won the Crusade against Bolshevism (Parts 1 and 2)
How Franco Won the Crusade against Bolshevism, Pt. 1 In this Podcast episode, Will and Karl Dahl discuss the run-up to the Spanish Civil War, with a focus on the political changes that led to a fight between the traditionalists and the communists and how each side organized. They discuss Spanish history, effective organization,…
Know Your Real Military History: Specters in the Snow, the story of Finland’s Skeleton Helmet
H/T WRSA Specters in the Snow, the story of Finland’s Skeleton Helmet A Savage Snow War On a freezing day in January 1940, near the village of Muurila, a Red Army soldier crept through the snow. He placed himself as close to a tent, as he dared; he knew it contained his Finnish…
Know Your Military History: The Black Hawk Down Story as told by CWO4 Mike Durant, 160th SOAR (Night Stalkers)
On This Day in Military History 1992: Operation Restore Hope Begins in Somalia
1992-12-09 US Marines and allied nations launch an amphibious and airborne operation in Mogadishu, Somalia, to restore order to the war-torn nation. Authorized by UN Security Council Resolution 794, passed on December 3. A civil war in Somalia had raged since the late 1980s when dictator Siad Barre began to face significant resistance to…
Know Your Real Texas History: Bowie’s Men Charge Mexican Supply Train at Grass Fight
Bowie’s Men Charge Mexican Supply Train at Grass Fight The brittle winter grass crunched beneath their boots as James Bowie’s cavalry pressed forward through the mesquite thickets. November 26, 1835, dawned cold and crisp near Alazan Creek, five miles southwest of San Antonio de Béxar. The glint of morning sunlight caught rifle barrels as forty…
The Guns of Faction: Part One
The Guns of Faction: Part One My 2019 novel, Faction, was recognized by many readers as having weapons which seemed at first glance exotic, but were, in fact, rather straightforward, off-the-shelf weapons with slight modifications to make them more useful in urban operations. Let’s examine them in this series, one by one. The criteria for…
Know Your REAL WW2 History: Katyn (Full Movie w/English Subtitles)
The Katyn Forest Massacre An examination of the Soviet slaughter of thousands of Polish officers and citizens in the Katyn forest in 1940.