Aces High: Over the Volga with Lydia Litvyak
In all of history, women have played a pivotal role in military campaigns. From the Israelites’ Deborah, to female machine gunners in the 1948-49 War of Independence, to the vicious…
This colorized German war footage shows why Stalingrad was hell on Earth
It was the pivotal battle that most historians believe turned the tide against the Nazis for good in World War II, resulting in a cascade of defeats as the Wehrmacht beat its retreat to Germany from the Soviet Eastern Front.
But it wasn’…
The complete Ramstein Air Force Base guide
Are you one of the fortunate among us who has OCONUS orders to Ramstein, Germany?! Stop everything and go play the lottery because you’ve just hit the jackpot. No, really!…
The bold plan to capture 2 mined bridges on D-Day
There were literally hundreds of small-scale operations on D-Day that added up to the full, Great Crusade that General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower spoke of in his pre-invasion…
This undercover Ukrainian Nazi killer proves Ukraine will always fight against aggression
During the Nazi occupation of Ukraine, the Nazis found an ally in Tatiana Marcousisse, the daughter of a Georgian prince who was murdered by the Bolsheviks. Marcousisse hated the Soviet…
This sub sank because its commander couldn’t flush his toilet
In April 1945, being a German submariner was a dangerous prospect. Allied sub hunters had become much more effective and German u-boats were being sunk faster than they could be built. Technical breakthroughs like radar and new weapons like the homi…
The Holocaust caused German POWs to fight against the Axis
During World War II, more than 425,000 German prisoners of war were held in some 700 camps across the United States. Some of them did their duty to try and escape, but most spent the remainder of their war in these camps, entertaining themselves how…
Today in military history: ‘Mein Kampf’ is published
On July 18, 1925, the first volume of Adolf Hitler’s infamous autobiography, Mein Kampf (“my struggle”), was published. In the book, Hitler laid out his political agenda, a rambling tirade…
Why German vehicles had textured camouflage during WWII
Keen-eyed history enthusiasts may notice a textured, striped camouflage on German WWII vehicles. In fact, the distinctive visual can be used to identify a WWII vehicle as German. But what…
This German U-boat was crewed by American sailors
On June 17, 1943, the Nazi Germany Kriegsmarine launched submarine U-858. The Type IXC/40 U-boat carried out two patrols during the war. For her second patrol, U-858 was sent to…