The “Winter War” between little Finland and the mighty Soviet Union began on this date eighty-one years ago. With Britain and France preoccupied with preparing themselves for war against Nazi Germany, and with the German-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact in place to protect their flank, the Soviets thought that they could safely and swiftly conquer Finland […]
September 23, 1944: Douglas C-47 Skytrains of the 315th Troop Carrier Group, dropping the 1st (Polish) Independent Parachute Brigade into DZ “O” near Grave, southwest of Nijmegen in Holland, on D+6 of Operation Market Garden. By this date however; Operation Market Garden had already stalled and although a tactical gain was not to be made, […]
“Take cover! Bring up the PIAT!” – Anthony Hopkins as Colonel John Frost of the British Parachute Regiment in the movie “A Bridge Too Far”. The issuing of that command on-screen was my first introduction to the rather odd looking, and oddly named, “Projector, Infantry, Anti-Tank”, or PIAT for short. The first light anti-tank […]