Browsing: Military

A Brief History On June 7, 1942, the Battle of Midway ended, changing the balance of power in the Pacific.  Afterwards, the Japanese were on the defensive and the allies (mostly Americans) were on the offensive for the rest of the war.  The US Navy has won many great victories, and here we list 10 that we think are among the greatest.  (Note: Army-Navy football games do not count!) Digging Deeper 10. Navy 24- Army 0, 1890. Okay, we lied.  The first Army-Navy football game does count, at least it does to the US Navy!  Winning the first game in…

A Brief History Presumptive Republican nominee for President, Donald Trump, has made a campaign out of tough talk, telling us how he would bully foreign countries into doing his bidding and how foreign leaders would cower before him, as opposed to his opponents and the current President whom he considers a “wimp.” Digging Deeper Trump trumpets (what else would he do?) his intention of making the US military stronger and the best in the world, apparently oblivious to the fact that the US military is already by far the strongest and best in the world, with a budget that eclipses…

A Brief History On June 6, 1944, American, British, and Canadian forces stormed the heavily defended beaches of Normandy, France, signaling the doom of the Third Reich. This amphibious landing would not have happened, at least not successfully, without the following piece of allied equipment and weapons. Here we list 10 of those items we think are most important to the success of the operation. Digging Deeper 10. Bangalore Torpedo.  This simple item is a metal pipe filled with explosives that can be attached in multiple sections to clear barbed wire obstacles and minefields. Invented by the British Army in 1912,…

A Brief History On June 3, 1839, Chinese agents under Lin Zexu (various spellings) seized an incredible 1210 ton cache of opium (2.66 million pounds, or 1.2 million kilos), later destroying the drug. Digging Deeper Incredibly, the opium was being forcibly imported into China by British drug merchants with the complicity of the British government.  China at the time had no need for Western goods, but was producing silk and other products bought in large amounts by the West, resulting in a gross trade imbalance.  (Sound familiar?)  British opium (poppy) farmers in India sent their drug to China where opium…

A Brief History On June 2, 1763, as part of a general Indian (as in Native American) uprising known as Pontiac’s Rebellion, Chippewa warriors captured Fort Michiimackinac what is now present day Mackinaw City, by storming the fort.  How did they get in?  By playing lacrosse and pretending to chase the ball into the fort and taking the defenders by surprise. Digging Deeper Throughout history, military minds have used trickery to fool their enemies, sometimes with great success.  An ancient example would be the Greeks using a giant wooden horse secretly filled with Greek warriors left at the gates of…