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…
The 5 bloodiest battles of the 20th century
The 20th Century wasn’t a bloody, violent century because there were more wars or more people around to fight them. One of the first wars of the century ushered in…
The 5 worst modern battles to fight as a foot soldier
Let’s be clear — all battles suck for a foot soldier, even the smaller ones. But there were some in recent times that sucked more than others for the lowly grunt, with body counts piling up, bad commanders and leadership with a total lack of resp…
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…
How German troops at Stalingrad behaved when they were on leave from the battle
The Battle of Stalingrad was the first turning point for the Eastern Front of World War II. Coming on the heels of Operation Barbarossa, the five-month battle allowed the Soviet…
This building in Stalingrad became the Russian version of The Alamo in World War II
In the Battle of Stalingrad a group of 25 men in a nearly abandoned apartment held off thousands of German soldiers during nearly two months of fighting. Time and time again, the assaulting Nazi forces attacked the building occupied by Junior Sgt. Y…
Today in military history: Bloody Battle of Stalingrad
On Feb. 2, 1943, the Germans surrendered to the Soviets in the city of Stalingrad, marking a turning point on the Western Front in favor of the Allies. One of…
This is how the Russian Army stayed warm defending Stalingrad
Considering that temperatures in certain parts of the upper Midwest are nearly -70 degrees Fahrenheit, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn about historical events in a unique way. The Nazi…
Today in military history: Operation Winter Storm fights Hitler in Stalingrad
On Dec. 12, 1942, Operation Winter Storm commenced in an attempt to relieve encircled Axis forces during the Battle of Stalingrad. In the fall of 1942, the German Sixth Army…
A Soviet soldier took on 50 Germans with grenades and an ax
Everyone knows the fighting on World War II’s eastern front was bitter and brutal but just how bitter and brutal can really only be seen in individual interactions between the…