Category: Odd Facts
The Battle of Carrhae – How Crassus Led Rome’s Legions to Slaughter in Mesopotamia
“It was one man’s quest for glory and riches that doomed the lives of five legions. It would not be the last war Rome would fight against the Parthians but it was one that was…
The Rise of U.S. Navy Codebreaking – America’s Cryptanalysis Coup at Midway Was 20 Years in the Making
“The work required painstaking concentration, faultless attention to minute details, and the ability to recognize nearly invisible patterns.” By Walter S. Topp WHEN THE Japanese Navy’s powerful aircraft carrier strike force approached Midway Atoll…
The 10th Mountain Division – 10 Facts About America’s Elite Alpine Warriors of WW2
“The 10th Mountain Division was an elite unit, trained to fight on skis, climb mountains, and thrive in cold weather.” By Christopher Mars THE NIGHT OF Feb. 18, 1945 promised to be a quiet one…
The Kaiser’s War in the Far East – Inside Imperial Germany’s Asia & Pacific Campaigns of 1914
“Despite the comparatively small scale of the conflict there and the speedy surrender of some outposts, the overseas dimension of World War One has unfairly been overlooked.” By Katja Hoyer ON DEC. 6, 1897, the…
The Loss of HMCS Fraser – The Bizarre Story of the Allied Destroyer That Was Shorn in Two
“Fraser was the first RCN warship lost during operations in the war.” By James Brun HIS MAJESTY’S CANADIAN Ship Fraser began her life as a C-class destroyer in Britain’s Royal Navy. Five years later, she…
The Hatimura Blast – Convoy SC-107 and the Explosion that Shook the Atlantic
“The resulting shockwave rocked every ship in around the convoy.” By Alexander Zakrzewski ON THE AFTERNOON of Oct. 30, 1942, the Liverpool-bound convoy SC-107 was about 50 miles southeast of Newfoundland – barely out of…
