History

8,000 miles South of the UK and 400 miles east of Argentina lie the Falklands Islands. The UK has held possession of the Falklands since 1833, and the islands are liberally populated with British subjects, some three thousand or so by 2006.

Hans-Ulrich Rudel was the most highly decorated German soldier of World War 2. He remained an unrepentant Nazi to his death.

Labalaba spent his childhood on an island and craved adventure. He initially enlisted with the Royal Ulster Rifles and also served with the Royal Irish Rangers. He was a stone-cold warrior.

A HALO parachute jump into a hostile combat zone is a staple of modern spy movies. Because of the resources required and the inherent risk involved such stuff is vanishingly rare in real life. In November of 2001, however, a recon patrol from G Squadron of the British 22 SAS did just that.

When the incoming fire seemed overwhelming and his comrades were falling LCPL Amarjit Pun unlimbered his Sterling submachine gun and won the day. Sometimes big things do indeed come in small packages.

Alfred Naujocks was the guy who started World War 2 with Operation Canned Goods.

WW2 was such a horrible, curious thing. These Germans flew to the English homeland dropping high explosives and ended up in a brief firefight with the Tommies responding to the crash site. When the dust settled the Brits gave the Germans beer in return for souvenirs. War is undeniably strange indeed.

The man survived the Longest Day to advance with the Allied vanguard. A product of the Mississippi backwoods and a survivor of the Great Depression, this tough teenager found that he had a knack for soldiering.

There’s a curious logical order to an execution in Information Age America. We can’t help but be fascinated.