There’s a comforting lie that clings to elite units: that skill, courage, and reputation bend reality. Cisterna shattered that lie. Not gently, catastrophically. On 30 January 1944, two U.S. Army’s Ranger Battalions walked into an ambush so complete it erased the unit as a combat formation. This wasn’t a tragedy …
By the time the 82nd Airborne Division hit Sicily in July 1943, they were already being sold to the public as something close to myth. America’s first airborne division. Volunteers. Paratroopers. The best of the best. That’s the version everyone remembers. The truth is less clean, and far more useful …
Most histories of the U.S. Army’s early armored forces soften the truth. They use words like “growing pains,” “inexperience,” or “early challenges,” as if North Africa were a learning retreat instead of a battlefield that exposed every flaw in America’s pre-war doctrine. The 1st Armored Division didn’t simply “adapt” in …
When the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion lifted off from English airfields on the night of November 7–8, 1942, they were about to make history, and nearly disaster. It was the first American airborne combat operation of World War II, part of Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of French North Africa. …
Date & place: January 30, 1945, Pangatian POW camp near Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija, Philippines. Why this raid had to happen In late 1944, as U.S. forces returned to Luzon, intelligence and survivor reports warned that the Japanese were killing prisoners rather than letting them be liberated, the Palawan massacre on …
In the jungles of Vietnam, there were missions so absurdly lopsided, so suicidal on paper, they sound like war movie scripts. But for Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol (LRRP) teams, small units of 4 to 6 men dropped deep into enemy territory, this was just Tuesday. These were the men who …
Explore the powerful stories of Italians who fought in WWII, some for America, others for Mussolini, and many caught in between.
The 106th Infantry Division, nicknamed the “Golden Lions” was one of the last U.S. divisions formed during World War II. Its brief but harrowing combat history is defined by one of the most brutal engagements of the European theater: the Battle of the Bulge. For many of its soldiers, the …
Discover the key differences and surprising similarities between the British SAS and U.S. Army Rangers in World War II. Explore their origins, training, missions, and enduring legacy in special operations history.
If you’ve read any of my books, you’ve probably noticed the Thompson submachine gun shows up more than a few times. Whether it’s in the hands of a World War II paratrooper, a gritty resistance fighter, or a hardened Ranger, the “Tommy Gun” has become a recurring presence in my …
