Category: Odd Facts
Cruel Intentions – Seven Invasions That Were Planned But Never Carried Out
“Today, the East Bloc war plan stands as just one of history’s many hypothetical military campaigns that were mapped out but never brought to fruition. Here are some others.” THE SOVIET UNION’S LARGEST AND MOST IMPORTANT OIL…
Target Berlin – Inside the Forgotten Soviet Bomber Raids on Hitler’s Capital
“The Soviet Union’s burgeoning strategic bomber arm carried out attacks on Berlin too.” AT THE START of the Second World War, Hitler’s air force chief Hermann Göring made a brazen pronouncement: If enemy planes drop a single…
“These Aren’t Men, They’re Demons!” — The French Foreign Legion’s Desperate Defence of Camarón
“As the Mexicans charged, the legionnaires fired volleys into the onrushing horde.” By Frederick J. Chiaventone IN 1861, MEXICO was in a state of turmoil. Newly elected President Benito Juarez had, in defeating the rebels…
The Sinking of the ‘Faa di Bruno’ — Inside Italy’s Submarine War in the North Atlantic
“The deployment of Italian submarines into the North Atlantic bolstered the German presence there. However, the Kriegsmarine soon discovered that the Italian navy was ‘ill-suited in design, equipment, training, doctrine and temperament to the Atlantic…
“Geronimo!” — Why American Paratroopers Shout an Apache Chief’s Name When Jumping
“The origin of this now famous cry remains something of a mystery.” EARLY IN THE development of American airborne forces, the cry of “Geronimo!” became a familiar sound as paratroopers leaped from the doors of transport…
The Attack of the ‘Last Great Pirate’ – Benito De Soto, Wellington’s Treasure and the Raid on the ‘Morning Star’
“After opening fire with cannon and forcing the isolated English vessel to stop, an armed boarding party swarmed over Morning Star’s side.” By Michael Ford NO ONE ABOARD the English vessel Morning Star imagined they’d…
