Category: Odd Facts
Stalin’s Gambit – Did the Soviets Plan for a 1941 Offensive War Against Nazi Germany?
“There is still much that we do not know, beginning with Stalin’s real intentions on the eve of war.” By Sean McMeekin IN 1990, with the Cold War winding down and long-buried secrets of Soviet…
HMS Victorious – Meet the British Aircraft Carrier That Joined the U.S. Navy in WW2
“Without extra carriers, the U.S. Navy would have to stop or postpone offensive operations in the Pacific in 1943. Finding more would be crucial if the Allies hoped to hold on to the initiative in…
USS Devilfish – The Curious Case of the Only U.S. Navy Submarine to be Attacked by a Kamikaze
“A look at the organization and methods of the kamikaze units shows why the Devilfish incident was considered so unusual in the history of kamikaze attacks during World War Two.” By Nathaniel Patch THE IMAGE…
Dutch Weapons and American Independence – How the United Provinces Made a Fortune Supplying Muskets in the Revolutionary War
“Until the Netherlands was drawn into war with Britain on the side of France and Spain, the carefully neutral Dutch Republic was better known for its weapons than its tulips.” By John Danielski PRIOR TO…
The Missing Legion – Rome’s ‘Lego IX Hispana’ Disappears from History in the 2nd Century AD. Was it Wiped Out in Britain?
“This historical conundrum has grabbed the attention of academics and the public for hundreds of years.” Dr. Simon Elliott THE FATE OF the 5,500 men of legio IX Hispana is one of the greatest historical…
The Brown Bess – A New Twist on How Britain’s Famous Musket Got Its Name
“The moniker first appeared in print in 1785, yet it clearly had been in soldierly use for a good many years before. The two explanations usually offered for its origin have proven as anachronistic as…
