Many thanks to ETP0802 for passing this along! In the early morning hours of March 9, 1863, Lt. John Singleton Mosby led 29 Confederate partisans east along the Little River Turnpike in northern Virginia, quietly passing through a gap in the Union lines and soon arriving at Fairfax Courthouse. Mosby already had a fierce reputation for leading his “rangers” on stunning strikes behind enemy lines; most notably, he had helped plan J.E.B. Stuart’s famous 1862 ride around Gen. George B. McClellan’s army parked near Richmond, Va. Mosby’s Rangers would become so effective that the area of northern Virginia stretching east [...]
Don’t “Tread” on Me
MDL sent this in. Pretty neat. “Now Dave Uhrig, a Chillicothe, Ohio, tank broker…” Only in America. I love it.
Operation Gunnerside: 70 Years Ago
Great post on SurvivalBlog, obviously written by an unsung genius historian. :-) Seriously, tonight commemorates the 70th anniversary of one of the greatest raids in WWII. Read all you can about it. The story never gets dull, the men involved never diminish in stature. Real heroes, every one of them.
Thunder Chickens, Part II
About six and a half years ago– we’ve been at it that long??– we sang the praises of the V-22 Osprey, and heralded its long-awaited entry into the fleet. We quoted a newspaper article that mentioned the odd squadron nickname. Well, a correspondent wrote in yesterday to correct the record on the name’s origins: I was just reading “Thunder Chickens Prepare for Lift Off” and in the post I noted the author wrote, “According to squadron lore, the unit was originally called the Thunder Eagles, but the name got mistranslated in Vietnam, and the new moniker stuck.” Well, that’s not [...]
UK Opens Falklands Archives
Maj W sent this in: “Falkland War Files Released.” Falklands Invasion ‘Surprised’ Thatcher — BBC The 1982 invasion of the Falkland Islands by Argentina caught Margaret Thatcher by surprise, newly released government papers have shown. The then-prime minister only saw it was likely after getting “raw intelligence” two days before the Argentines landed. Papers released under the 30-year rule show Mrs Thatcher was acutely worried about retaking the islands. One historian said the documents were among the “most powerful material” declassified in the last three decades. I look forward to sifting through pages, Thanks, Maj W!
World War II, After the War
A fascinating set of photos from after the war. The first is very striking. Look at it– tell me what’s missing from his uniform? A gent at work said about it, “He doesn’t look happy but he does look resolute.”
RIP, Senator Inouye
We are slightly tardy honoring the late Senator Inouye (D, Hawaii), but let not our praise go unheard. The man was a warrior king in WWII. (His MoH citation.)
Simo Hayha
Born this day, 1905. 542 kills, and a good number of them with an iron-sighted M1928 Mosin-Nagant. When asked in 1998 how he had become such a good shooter, he answered “Practice.” That’s excellent advice.
From the WWII Files: A Norwegian Hero and an STG-44
RIP, Birger Stromsheim: There was no Google Earth, no Gore-Tex and only a modest measure of hope on the February night in 1943 when six Norwegians parachuted into the remote and frigid Telemark region of their home country for an outdoor challenge like few others. Birger Stromsheim They had skis and explosives and a destination: the German-controlled Norsk Hydro facility, high on an isolated and snowy ridge. The Norwegians intended to destroy equipment inside that the Germans were using to produce what is known as heavy water, a crucial ingredient in making a nuclear weapon and one they feared the [...]
