After being released from a Siberian labor camp during the Nazi invasion of Russia in 1942, the 22nd Polish Supply Brigade began a long trek south toward Persia. Along the way, they bought an orphaned bear. In the spring of 1942 following the release of Polish prisoners and deportees in the labour camps in Siberia,…
Category: Military History
Military Naval History: The Last Battle of CPO 1st Class George Palmer Saunders
Offshore where sea and skyline blend In rain, the daylight dies; The sullen, shouldering swells attend Night and our sacrifice — The Destroyers, by Rudyard Kipling In 1988 I was invited to give a lecture on AIDS and surgery in the city of Örebro, Sweden. I knew that my grandfather, Chief Petty Officer 1st…
World War Two History: The Nazi’s Plan To Grab Gibraltar
“Even before France had fallen, Hitler’s generals lobbied the German leader for permission to roll on into Spain and wrest control of Gibraltar from the British.” SHORTLY AFTER THE defeat of France in 1940, Adolf Hitler directed his generals to begin preparations for Nazi Germany’s next bold plan — the seizure of Gibraltar. Few in…
Military Weapons From The Past: The Thompson SMG T2
Introducing the “Cheap and Ugly as Hell” Version of one of the Baddest Ass SMG’s in History The U.S. Army had initially been uninterested in submachine guns, and it was only in the late 1930s that the Ordnance Department placed Auto-Ordnance’s Thompson SMG on its “limited procurement list.” In September 1938, officials green-lit procurement of…
World War II History: The Hunt for Poland’s Buried Nazi Gold Trains
Last summer, explorers in Poland claimed to have discovered tunnels built for trains carrying plundered Nazi gold, only to be debunked a few months later. But for the true believers who’ve been hunting for this treasure for decades, this merely proved what they’ve thought all along: Inside these mountains are secrets and stories that some…
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…
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…
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…
America’s Lost History of Border Violence
What happened 100 years ago was terrible, there is no doubt. But I think we all, Politicians included, need to heed the example this bloody period of border history teaches us. The lesson here is not that we all need to just “to acknowledge the bloodshed.” Just Acknowledging something terrible happened is pointless if you…