The idea of having a force designed for a special purpose dates far back into history and has been used in many wars. However, it is rare, if ever, that these forces meet in combat. Their targets are usually those too difficult to tackle by conventi…
A paratrooper invented the Gammon Bomb to fit a very specific use case. Paratroopers needed to kill Nazis of all types with just one kind of bomb. So they made…
The War of 1812 isn’t remembered very much nowadays. Often considered America’s second war of independence, not much really changed on the map as a result of the war. But what’s more incredible than the story of the War of 1812 itself is the incr…
An often-overlooked aspect of the American Revolution is the fact that there were colonists who wished to remain British subjects. Historians estimate that between 15-20% of white colonists in 1775…
Mishaps and malfunctions happen during military training exercises. Sometimes, these events lead to military aircraft making emergency landings at civilian airports and giving travelers something to look at. However, in…
The first head of Britain’s secret service — which would one day be called MI6 — carried a swordstick, drove a personal tank, and would sometimes stab his wooden leg with a pen just to see how people reacted.
If that wasn’t enough t…
On June 30, 1812, President James Madison called for emergency commissions of Naval Officers to help fight the British. Often called America’s “Second War of Independence,” the War of 1812…
In 1943, a Spanish fisherman near Huelva on the country’s southern coast came across the body of a man who appeared to have drowned after a shipwreck or airplane crash….
The War of 1812 is probably the least-known war the United States fought in its early days. There might be a number of reasons for this. The war was fought…
On May 27, 1941, the German battleship Bismarck was sunk by the Royal Navy after a three-day chase. Three days earlier, Germany destroyed the HMS Hood, the pride of the…