In a painting by Richard Eurich, British commandos drop from the night sky and scramble onto the beach during the daring raid on the Bruneval radio location station in coastal France, February 27-28, 1942.

special operations

Operation Biting: the Bruneval Raid to Capture German Radar

By Robert Barr Smith

Through the long, lovely days of the summer of 1940, almost two years before Operation Biting or the “Bruneval Raid,” Royal Air Force Spitfire and Hurricane fighter planes turned back the might of the Luftwaffe over southern and southeastern Britain. Read more

U.S. troops hit the beach in North Africa on November 8, 1942. Operation Torch was the first major offensive action by American troops during the war against Nazi Germany.

special operations

Operation Torch and The Assassination of Admiral Jean Darlan

By Peter Kross

Less than a year after the sudden and devastating Japanese attack against the United States at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the American military was about to embark on a large-scale offensive operation against German and Italian forces in North Africa. Read more

Smoke billows from the German freighter Drachenfels after sustaining damage during a raid by the British.

special operations

The Daring Calcutta Light Horse Raid

By Robert Barr Smith

Freighter Ehrenfels’ siren shrieked through the muggy night across the harbor. As the captain pulled down hard on the alarm cord, the alarm howled out over the steaming darkness, screaming that British raiders were in the harbor, alerting Ehrenfels’ crew and calling for help from ashore. Read more

special operations

Joshua in Canaan

By Richard A. Gabriel

Contrary to popular belief, the Israelite army that assembled in Jordan in 1400 bc under Joshua’s command for the invasion of Canaan was not a rag-tag rabble of poorly armed fugitive ex-slaves without military experience. Read more

Female Spies like Virginia Hall, Amy Thorpe and Barbara Lauwers were large supporters of the Allied war efforts, and some of the most important women in World War 2.

special operations

‪Important Women in World War 2: Female Spies

By Patricia McBride

Mention spies and most people will think of James Bond or Ethan Hunt from Mission Impossible, but most people would struggle to name some notable female spies—apart perhaps from Mata Hari—yet they have always existed. Read more

From Around the Network

  • WWII

    Perilous Rescue of the SS Cape San Juan
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  • Although she cared deeply for Adolf Hitler, Eva Braun became a kept woman and never received the attention she wanted from the Nazi Führer.

    WWII

    Eva Braun: Adolf Hitler’s Bauble
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  • Civil War

    The Battle of Brice’s Cross Roads
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  • WWII

    Einsatzgruppen in Germany: The Nazi Killing Squad
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