Vladimir Putin has sacked every single commander in Russia’s Baltic fleet in what has been described as a ‘Stalin-style’ purge. Up to 50 officers of the fleet were fired alongside Vice Admiral Viktor Kravchuk and his chief of staff Rear Admiral Sergei Popov after they reportedly refused to follow orders to confront Western ships. Reports…
Category: Military History
Holocaust History: A Journey Into Pol Pot’s Madness
If not for Cambodia’s dark past, there would be no reason for anyone to visit the quiet fields south of Phnom Penh. A short tuk-tuk ride through the city’s dusty streets takes curious travelers to the kind of place that can only be found in a country that has experienced the worst kind of cruelty….
Ancient History: 10 Forgotten Conquerors
In Shelley’s famous poem Ozymandias, a broken statue lies in the empty desert, its pedestal hollowly boasting, “My name is Ozymandias, king of Kings; Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!” The conquerors on this list boasted that they had “all the lands at [my] feet” or promised to make “Egypt taste the taste…
Military History: The Tank Turns 100 Years Old
Last Friday, July 1, marked the 100th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme in WWI. The Battle of the Somme, also known as the Somme Offensive, was several months long. It began with 18 (!) French and British divisions going “over the top” and was the largest battle of the First World War. Over a million casualties…
World War II History: 20 Most Important Battles of WWII
World War II was the greatest conflict in history, carried out on a scale almost impossible to grasp. In many ways it was the first modern war, in which airpower played a vital role both on land and at sea, but many actions were ultimately won by the determination and grit of the foot…
World War I Era Weapons: Japanese Arisaka Type 30
Read the Original Article at Forgotten Weapons Follow C&R Arsenal on YouTube for some Really Cool History Lessons on Military Weapons From the Past.
Military History: Was The Russian Military A SteamRoller From WW2 Until Today?
Joseph Stalin supposedly claimed that “quantity has a quality all its own,” justifying a cannon-fodder mentality and immense casualties. The problem is, Stalin never actually said that, but it fits our stereotype about the Russian military so neatly that everyone believes he did. When it comes to war, Russia is commonly perceived as favoring quantity…
History of Terrorism: The Lessons From the Entebbe Raid Still Relevant 40 years Later
July 4, 1976, was a special day for America, Israel and international terrorism. In America, it was the bicentennial, the two hundredth anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. For Israel, it was a day of redemption, after its commandos had rescued 102 hostages from pro-Palestinian hijackers at Entebbe airport, Uganda. Alas for terrorists, July 4…
The Warrior Ethos
Zachary Mierva July 1, 2016 This essay was written in 2012 en route to my second deployment to Afghanistan with a reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition squadron. A family friend and Vietnam veteran recommended I keep a journal to remember my deployments. I used this journal to create “dispatches” that I sent to my family…
World War II History: Hitler’s Poison Propaganda Dwarf
The last eyewitness to the inner circle of the Nazis has described the party’s propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels as a ‘ranting dwarf’ and a ‘big pig’. Brunhilde Pomsel, now 105, was Goebbels’ secretary and got closer to the Nazi centre of power than anyone alive. From 1942 on, she worked closely with Hitler’s agitator and…