Death Decree
When Adolf Hitler became chancellor of Germany in 1933, he attained the power to turn his anti-Semitic “Jewish Question” (Judenfrage) …
Military History
Somervell’s Folly: The Construction of the Pentagon
In the summer of 1941, War Department affairs were being conducted in 23 buildings in and around the city. To …
Churchill’s Deal With the Devil: The Anglo-Soviet Agreement of 1941
When John Colville, Churchill’s private secretary, told the prime minister on the morning of Sunday, June 22,1941, that Germany had …
The Flash Bang Grenade
“Flash-bangs” are a key weapon in the modern special operations forces (SOF) and Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team armory. …
B-17 Crash Highlights the Debate Over Flying Warbirds
A World War II B-17G Flying Fortress bomber named Liberty Belle was destroyed by fire on June 13 after an …
Intrepid Project Seeks to Bring American Barbary War Remains Home
“From the Halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli” go the words to the hymn of the U.S. Marine …
Oops! Kicking a Complaint Upstairs – And Getting Kicked Back
“We are going to take care of the troops first, last, and all the time.”
—Gen. George C. Marshall
Of …
Lost Opportunity: Operation Barbarossa and the Decision Not to Kill Josef Stalin
“Everything which Lenin created we have lost forever!”
– Josef Stalin after receiving news of Operation Barbarossa
At 3 o’clock …
A Matter of Priorities: American Production in World War II, Part 1
“It would be unwise to assume we can defeat Germany simply by outproducing her. . . . Wars are won …
Coup d’État in Iraq
“This stroke would be more deadly to the British Empire than the capture of London!”
—Grand Adm. Erich Raeder to …