Today in military history: Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria is killed, sparking WWI
On June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife Sophia were shot to death, beginning a chain of events that would lead to both World Wars, the…
Captain von Trapp in The Sound of Music was a hardcore naval combat veteran
In the 1965 film The Sound of Music, Captain von Trapp ran a tight ship at home. He also ran a tight ship at sea, commanding two U-Boats for the Austro-Hungarian Empire during World War I. By the war’s end, he was the most decorated naval …
How the Allies used math to save bomber crews during WWII
When retelling stories of war, our focus tends to fall where the action was. Tales of battlefield bravery have been around for as long as there has been language and battlefields, but securing victory over a powerful foe requires more than the stren…
Germans helped U.S. troops save this Austrian castle during WWII
Called “the strangest battle of World War II” is the Battle of Castle Itter. Staged at a beautiful Middle Ages-era structure in the Austrian Alps came a fight like we’ve…
Austria gave the Ottoman Turks the greatest taunt of all time
Simply put, the 1529 Siege of Vienna did not go the way the Ottoman Empire hoped it would. Sultan Suleiman I, the Magnificent, was coming off a fresh string of victories in Europe and elsewhere when he decided that the road to an Ottoman Europe had …
Arnold Schwarzenegger drives the same tank he trained on in the Army
It’s not bravado, it’s not some Hollywood publicity stunt, and it sure as hell isn’t special effects. Arnold Schwarzenegger not only owns a tank, he knows how to drive it and operate it in every possible way. It wouldn’t have done him much good …
That time the Austrian Army defeated itself
There has been no friendly fire incident in the history of the world like the 1788 Battle of Karansebes. The Austrian Army had been at war with the Ottoman Turks for more than a year when another contingent of Austrian soldiers stumbled upon another…
Retired Austrian officer arrested as alleged Russian spy
Austrian authorities have questioned a recently retired military officer under suspicion of spying for Russia for almost 20 years, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz has said.
Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl has summoned the Russian charge d’affaires o…
Awesome photos of snipers on high-angle shoots
Military snipers from several NATO countries recently practiced high-angle shooting in the Austrian Alps.
Snipers from Belgium, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Slovakia, the United States, and other NATO countries practiced th…
What life is like for 10 countries with mandatory draft
A recent report shows that the US is looking into its draft program, weighing options from mandating service for women to getting rid of…