The place to learn about the past and present,
Click for part 3 Battle of Bataan, 1942 With many parallels to Britain's own catastrophic Fall of Malaya & Singapore, the USA lost its final foothold in the western Pacific after US forces fought for and lost the Bataan Peninsula on Luzon island in early April. US Commonwealth forces under the command of General Douglas... Continue Reading →
Click for part 2 Apia Cyclone, 1889 It was during the peak years of Western-state nationalism when countries like the USA, Britain, Germany and Italy strutted around the world with their chests puffed out that a small US Naval squadron was wrecked in rueful circumstances. A storm had been brewing in the Samoan Islands since... Continue Reading →
Click for part 1 USS Hornet Sunk, 1829 A large US Navy sloop-of-war was lost in 1829, albeit in a maritime disaster rather than a military one. The USS Hornet was a 440-ton ship armed with 20 cannon and had a distinguished record as the first U.S. Navy ship to capture a British privateer in... Continue Reading →
"Modern American war is as easy to script as a B-movie" quipped one US Army officer, referring to the predictability of US victories against its enemies in the late 20th Century. Yet, it wasn't always smooth sailing for the Yanks. Presented, the worst US military disaster of every decade spanning the Declaration of Independence til... Continue Reading →
The revealing story of Switzerland's military operations to defend its airspace from Axis and Allied aircraft during World War Two Blotted with deathly-black balkenkreuz wing insignia denoting them as war machines of the German Luftwaffe, droves of bulky Bf-110 twin-engined Messerschmitt fighters droned menacingly in circles. A flock of more nimble Messerschmitts whizzed in towards... Continue Reading →
History and Things 