Military History
10 stunning photos show dramatic evacuation of Dunkirk in colour
By , Metro.co.uk assistant editor<p>Incredible colour pictures showing the dramatic evacuation of Dunkirk during World War II have emerged on the …
20th CenturyWas the First Battle of Bull Run Really ‘The Picnic Battle’?
Nobody realized that the battle fought at Bull Run on July 21, 1861, was going to be remembered as the first gory conflict in a long and bloody …
20th CenturyDunkirk’s “mole” isn’t a spy. But if you missed that detail, you’re not alone.
A key detail in Christopher Nolan’s film might slip past many American viewers.<p>Christopher Nolan’s film <i>Dunkirk</i> runs along three parallel time tracks, and early in the film, those tracks are indicated by supertitles on the screen. One of those supertitles refers to “the mole.”<p>If you’re American but …
Christopher NolanWWII: US Submarine Deck Guns Attacked Japan
Sebastien Roblin [2]<p>In the closing months of World War II, heavy losses and depleted fuel stocks kept many of Japan’s remaining combat aircraft …
20th Century'I had to photograph this shocking event.' What one journalist remembers 50 years after the Detroit riots
In 1967, a young photographer working for a suburban Michigan newspaper lived just blocks from the flash point of what would become one of the most destructive riots in U.S. history. James Hubbard was one of the first journalists on the scene, and for five days he chronicled violence that left 43 …
PolicingSee Harrowing Footage of the Real Evacuation of Dunkirk in 1940
Members of Royal Ulster Rifles waiting on improvised pier of lorries to evacuate Dunkirk during low tide.<br>H.E.N. Bredin/The LIFE Picture …
20th CenturyLight everything on fire: What would have happened had the Nazis invaded Britain
Print<p>The movie <i>Dunkirk</i>, opening today, is a big budget Christopher Nolan epic about Operation Dynamo, the miraculous 1940 evacuation of 300,000 troops …
20th CenturyThe Battle of Dunkirk: 'Who lives if England dies?'
From the archives in 1940: As Allied troops flee Dunkirk, former British MP and Canadian-born journalist Beverly Baxter describes a nation facing the …
20th CenturyDunkirk: the Little Ships that bought our soldiers home and inspired a film
<b>This piece was first published in 2015 to mark the 75th anniversary of the Dunkirk evacuation and is being republished to coincide with the opening of the new Christopher Nolan film, Dunkirk.</b><p>All week, the pleasure cruiser Marsayru has puttered down the River Thames towards the English Channel.<p>She …
20th CenturyThe Dunkirk evacuation, and why it was a near-miracle for England and Churchill
<i>Best Defense is on summer hiatus. During this restful spell we offer re-runs from the past 12 months. This item originally ran on May 24, 2017.</i><p><i>Tom</i> …
20th CenturyWorld War II-Era Secret Road Found in Papua New Guinea
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA—According to a report in <i>The Herald Sun</i>, a team of Australian researchers is exploring an obscure road built by the Japanese army …
ArchaeologyA World War II history of the soul
“I am a historian of the soul,” the journalist Svetlana Alexievich wrote in her journal at some point between 1978 and 1985.<p>From any other writer, …
BostonChristopher Nolan's 'Dunkirk' Is a WWII Movie That'll Scare the Hell Out of You
Note: This article contains some mild spoilers for <i>Dunkirk</i>.<p><i>Dunkirk</i> is an epic film set during wartime, but it is not an "epic war film." A movie needs …
Christopher NolanDunkirk is unlike any war movie ever seen, a stirring portrait of courage from Christopher Nolan
Ever since Christopher Nolan’s latest movie was announced, it was a bit of a mystery. Nolan has become the A-list director who will attract an …
Christopher Nolan5 Surprising Facts About the Battle of Dunkirk | Mental Floss
With the release of Christopher Nolan’s critically acclaimed <i>Dunkirk</i>, the world’s attention is once again focused on the historic events recounted in …
HistoryThe Unwomanly Face of War
By <b>Elaine Margolin</b><p>(Penguin Random House)<p>To see long excerpts from “The Unwomanly Face of War” at Google Books, click here.<p><b>“The Unwomanly Face of War:</b> …
Liberal POVThe History Behind The Movie 'Dunkirk'
This week, theaters across the world will show <i>Dunkirk,</i> a motion picture about one of the most unlikely and incredible series of events in the history …
20th CenturyOn the Beach
Deep space was where Christopher Nolan boldly chose to go for his last feature, “Interstellar” (2014). Now he has aimed for shallow waters. Most of “Dunkirk” is set on and off the beaches of northern France, close to the Belgian border—a perilous place to be, in late May and early June of 1940. The …
Tom Hardy'Dunkirk' Review: An Arthouse Masterpiece Delivered By Way of Summer Blockbuster
The "providential fog" that allowed General George Washington to save his army with a miraculous nighttime crossing over the East River while …
Conservative POVOne of the world’s largest Nazi bunkers has been transformed into a museum — take a look inside
During World War II, about 200 concrete bunkers for Nazi soldiers were built along the Danish coast.<p>Denmark's largest was the Tirpitz Bunker, which measured 7,500 square feet and was located in Blåvand. Named after a German battleship, the bunker never saw military action. Nazi soldiers abandoned …
HistoryWhat happened to the French army after Dunkirk
The evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in May 1940 from Dunkirk by a flotilla of small ships has entered British folklore. Dunkirk, …
20th CenturyWhat to Know About the Miraculous True Story Behind 'Dunkirk'
The story of the World War II evacuation at Dunkirk — the subject of Christopher Nolan's well-reviewed new film — starts well before the men who were …
20th CenturyThe USSR’s Air-Dropped Fighting Vehicles Tore Through Cold War Conflicts
Since the 1970s, the Russian military has possessed a diverse fleet of armored vehicles it can drop out of airplanes … with parachutes, of course.<p>The …
WarDonald Trump Again Shows That He Knows Nothing About U.S. or World History
It is far from the first time Trump has displayed a greater appetite to talk about world history than learn about it.
Donald TrumpWake Island-US Marines Sank Japan Destroyers
DoD News, Defense Media Activity / Published June 7, 2017<p>The story of the Wake Island defenders in December 1941 has inspired generations of …
20th Century'Dunkirk' Reminds Leaders That Words Can Inspire A Nation
<i>Rolling Stone</i> calls “Dunkirk” the greatest war movie ever. Director Christopher Nolan has made a film that’s “stunning and stirring,” according to the review. Nolan was captivated by the “Dunkirk spirit” that marked the massive and heroic World War II rescue that took place from May 26 to June 4, …
20th CenturyBattle of Peach Tree Creek
During the night of July 19-20, Gen. John Bell Hood met with his corps commanders to discuss his battle plan: Lt. William J. Hardee and Gen. …
20th CenturyDunkirk's forgotten heroes: The brave men who saved more than 300,000 troops
In 1940, the soldiers from this battalion fought to the last to save more than 300,000 troops during the evacuation of Dunkirk. Most of them did not make it home.<p>The word ‘Dunkirk’ evokes an enduring romantic myth: that the triumphant rescue of the British Army from the Dunkirk beaches and jetty, …
20th CenturyWW II Carrier in Midway Under Attack
James Holmes [2]<p>If Midway deserves a place mainly for technical reasons, the Essex-class carrier Franklin earns laurels for the resiliency of her …
MilitaryDunkirk was a victory for morale but ultimately a humiliating military defeat
For Britons, Dunkirk is one of the proudest moments of World War II. The evacuation of 338,226 troops and other personnel from the beaches of …
20th Century