“By 1945, more than 50,000 Wehrmacht troops had served in punishment regiments.” CALL THEM THE Fuhrer’s “Dirty Dozens.” The German army’s strafbattalions were infantry units made up largely of convicts, felons, malingerers and…
America’s First ‘Korean War’ — Inside the U.S. Navy’s 1871 Action on Ganghwa Island
“The U.S. claimed victory in the brief campaign. A total of 15 Medals of Honor were awarded to members of the shore party — the first American citations given for an action…
The Unknown Pirates – Meet 13 of History’s Forgotten (But Damn Fascinating) Sea Dogs
“A number of countries have their own pirate heroes (and villains) as well — most of which you’ve probably never even heard of.” BUCKETS OF INK have been spilled immortalizing Britain’s buccaneers,…
The Men Who Saved the World – Meet Two Different Russians Who Prevented WW3
The world came closer to nuclear Armageddon during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis than at any other point during the Cold War – but just how close wasn’t fully recognized until 40…
War of Words — The Amazing History of Trench Newspapers
“The Wipers Times may be the most famous trench newspaper in history, it is certainly not the only one. Consider these:” THE BBC ANNOUNCED last week its plans to produce a television drama about…
Hostile Takeovers – A Brief History of Coups D’état
“Leaders as diverse as Napoleon Bonaparte, Augusto Pinochet, Saddam Hussein, the Shah of Iran, Fidel Castro, the Taliban’s Mullah Mohammed Omar, along with hundreds of others all rode into power via coups…
One Journalist Asks: Do Battle Reenactments Trivialize History?
“One professional historian maintains that the roaring cannon and flashing musketry of these popular recreations reduce major historical events to little more than noisome spectacles.” AFTER LAST week’s 150th anniversary celebrations at Gettysburg,…
How a Shortage of Gunpowder Nearly Ended America’s Bid for Independence
Happy July 4th to all of Military History Now’s American readers (and there sure are a lot of you!). In honour of the United States’ 237th birthday, we thought we’d re-blog an…