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Latest Posts

When the Gods Die: the Battle of Otumba

By Brian Geeslin

In the morning hours of July 8, 1520 Hernando Cortés, with the remnants of his army of Spanish adventurers and Indian allies, neared the crest of mountains overlooking the plain of Otumba (the Spanish corruption of the Nahuatl name of Otompan), an Indian city dominating the valley along Cortés’s line of march. Read more

Captain Clark Gable (fourth from the right) beams after a successful bombing run over Nantes, France. It was Gable’s fifth mission.

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Movie Stars at War

By Richard L. Hayes

In the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, Americans volunteered for the U.S. armed services in unprecedented numbers. After their service, some would go on to become Hollywood and television stars, like Johnny Carson, ensign on the battleship USS Pennsylvania, patrol craft officer Kirk Douglas and Tony Curtis of the submarine Dragonette. Read more

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Cornelius Ryan

Anyone interested in reading military history sooner or later comes around to Cornelius Ryan, known to his friends as Connie. He wrote stunning books on World War II: The Last Battle, about the struggle for Berlin; A Bridge Too Far, about the ill-fated race to cross the Rhine bridge at Arnhem in 1944; and, of course, the book with which his fame will always be linked, The Longest Day. Read more

The carnage of the battle for Iwo Jima is evident in this photograph showing two American soldiers making their way past some of the fatalities. (National Archives)

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Hell in the Pacific

By Mason B. Webb

Ask anyone today to name the three toughest, most important battles of World War II and chances are good that the name “Iwo Jima” will be at, or somewhere near, the top of the list. Read more

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Infamous Camp Beechwood

By Christopher Miskimon

On July 15, 1937, a convoy of trucks slowly drove up the Ettersberg, a wooded hill a few miles north of the German city of Weimar. Read more