Condemned Men – Inside Nazi Germany’s Penal Battalions
“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 thugs. Inmates in…
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 on foreign soil.”…
How the Civil War’s Most Brilliant Generals First Learned to Fight in the Mexican War
One of the more bitter ironies of the American Civil War is that so many of the senior commanders that led the opposing armies in the bloody four-year conflict were years earlier both West Point…
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, privateers and sea…
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 years after the…
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 the celebrated First…
