Ever see the movie 300? or it’s not so great sequel 300: Rise of an Empire? Yeah the enemy the Greeks are fighting in those movies are the Persians…the ancestors of the modern day Quds Revolutionary Guards and Hezbollah. -SF Iran preparing to dispatch snipers, commandos to Syria As Russia announces pullout, Tehran says it…
Category: Military History
Brush-Up on Your History: Failed Constitutional Amendments That Would Have Changed How America Wages War
The U.S. has mulled a few constitutional amendments, including some radical ideas about the government and warfare. What if war were unconstitutional? Yes, it sounds like something John Lennon would say, but it was actually an attempted amendment to the Constitution in 1927. Alternatively, what if the U.S. was unable to supply equipment, aid, or…
The Long History of “Little Green Men” Tactics and How They Were Defeated
In both Crimea and the subsequent fighting in the Donbas region of Ukraine, Russia’s signature tactic has been the use of so-called “Green Men,” soldiers without identifying insignia whose identity as Russian soldiers the Kremlin denied. Ukraine, Georgia, and even NATO members like Estonia now fear that they could be the next target for Russia’s…
Brush-Up on Your History: How the Assassination of Julius Caesar Changed The World
Caesar’s death paved the way for the Roman empire after a bloody cycle of civil wars, and secured him the hallowed immortality he always craved Spurinna was a haruspex. His calling was vital, if a little unusual, requiring him to see the future in the warm entrails of sacrificial animals. At the great festival…
World War Two History: Meet the U.S. Army’s EOD Pioneers
“More than 2,000 men served in the U.S. Army’s elite bomb disposal teams during the war. Yet American UXB squads received very little media coverage owing to their secrecy and small numbers.” WHEN PEOPLE THINK about Explosive Ordnance Disposal technicians, many envision soldiers in blast suits with remote-controlled robots, tracking down IEDs like something out…
World War Two History: This ‘Addams Family’ Star was a True American Warrior!
Waif to Warrior: Going From Child Star To “Chindit” In WWII America John was a child of Vaudeville; he became a professional entertainer at the age of four. He was an immediate hit on stage and when silent films came out, John was cast to co-star with the likes of Charlie Chaplin then later as…
Military Weapons From The Past: A Side-Loading M1 Garand? It Was Never Meant To Be
In 1951 and ’52, the U.S. military’s official Springfield Armory began experimenting with re-chambering the M1 Garand with the new T65E3 light rifle cartridge. As part of these experiments, the armory tested several alternate feed and magazine systems. In order to re-chamber a standard M1 in the new cartridge, the armorers replaced the barrel and…
Military Weapons from the Past: The French MAS-49
France’s stalwart postwar weapon still shows up in Syria In 1957, the French army was hurting. Still reeling from the painful defeat in Indochina and the debacle of the Suez Crisis, France found itself embroiled in counterinsurgency operations in Algeria, battling the Algerian National Liberation Front for control of the country. The French armed forces’…
The Bad-Ass Files: Simo Hayha
In the winter of 1939, the Soviet Union was dicks. Russian Premier Josef Stalin thought it would be really fucking hilarious if he all of a sudden sent like two million of his dudes over to nearby Finland to start kicking everyone’s asses and seizing whatever land he could get his borsch-covered hands on, while…
Military Weapons From the Past: This Gun Was Colt’s Attempt to Replace the Iconic M1911
The M1971 lost out to Beretta’s Model 92 In 1971 Colt unveiled a new modern service pistol, one that the company believed was the natural successor to the venerable Colt M1911/A1. At first glance, the Model 1971 looks very similar to the 1911. However, the new pistol incorporates some major changes. Developed by the Research…