How the Soviet NKVD smuggled Doolittle Raiders to safety during WWII
On April 18, 1942, 60 officers and crewmen aboard 16 B-25 Mitchell bombers did the improbable. They took off from the flight deck of the USS Hornet and flew a…
The KGB double agent who prevented a nuclear World War III
Oleg Gordievsky started his KGB career fully indoctrinated in the Soviet system. His father was an operative of the NKVD, a state security predecessor to the KGB. He learned quickly…
The reason Soviet troops used to boil their bullets
Unless you were part of the elite ruling class (ironically), life in the Soviet Union was drab and difficult. This went double for citizens serving in the Soviet military. While…
Why the SR-71 Blackbird is the only aircraft with the SR designation
There are an unending number of interesting facts about the SR-71 Blackbird, probably the coolest aircraft ever produced by any Air Force, anywhere in the world. It’s the only airframe…
One naval aviator took on seven Soviet MiGs in Korea and won
It’s one thing to be outnumbered, it’s another thing to be outnumbered seven to one. That’s the situation naval aviator Lt. Elmer Royce Williams found himself in the skies over…
How the Soviet Space Program pranked NASA with a first moon landing
In 1957, the Soviet Space Program stunned the world when it launched the first artificial satellite into orbit. Observers in the United States and around the world would gather to…
Why German veterans of Stalingrad broke their infantry assault badges
There are very few battles in the history of warfare that have the enduring legacy of the Battle of Stalingrad. When the German Army reached Stalingrad, it had failed to…
Khalkhin Gol: The battle that caused Pearl Harbor
America was famously dragged into World War II by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. It became the industrial powerhouse of the allies. It sent supplies to Great Britain, Free…
21 Indian soldiers made a glorious last stand against Afghan rebels
In all of recorded history, very few global powers fared well against Afghan rebels. Before the United States, the Soviet Union tried. Before the Soviets, the British Empire tried. None…
A former Soviet military officer describes how bad the Russian military actually is
As of this writing, Russia’s disastrous invasion of Ukraine has cost the lives of some 75,930 Russians, at least 2,700 tanks, 277 aircraft, and untold numbers of artillery, ships, and…