At the end of February, Ivan, who lives in the settlement of Volchikha in Siberia’s Altai region, got a phone call from his best friend, a mobilized soldier named Andrei who was serving in Ukraine. Although the two had been in regular contact since Andrei was called up, it had …
Read More »War in the Tunnels: When Combat Goes Underground
As the war in Ukraine has brought urban combat into the forefront, U.S. defense officials are addressing what the complex realm of subterranean warfare will mean for American troops in future conflicts. “Our adversaries have adapted their capabilities against our weaknesses by expanding their use of underground facilities,” Army officials …
Read More »President Bush Ordered US Invasion of Iraq 20 Years Ago Today
Sunday, March 19 marks 20 years since US President George W. Bush ordered the invasion of Iraq. Today Soldier of Fortune highlights some of the stories that have emerged from the war. READ MORE about an American soldier at war in Iraq. Now, American forces remain in the country, not …
Read More »These Sky Soldiers Had to Fight Their Way Out of a Bog Before the Mud Ate Them Alive in Iraq
By John Spencer Editor’s note: This is an excerpt of the book “Connected Soldiers: Life, Leadership, and Social Connection in Modern War” published by Potomac Books and available for purchase at Amazon here. The excerpt describes 2LT John Spencer’s experience jumping into Iraq as a platoon leader with the 173rd …
Read More »Pornhub Website Takes Down Wagner Group’s Recruiting Ad for Men to Fight in Ukraine
The Russian mercenary group Wagner was kicked off of Pornhub, the world’s largest pornographic website, as it tries to recruit fighters to join the Kremlin’s war against Ukraine. When the ad was live, those who entered the pornographic site from Russia saw a video asking the viewer to join Wagner instead …
Read More »Hero Dog ‘Shimanski’ Honored for Courage Under Fire, Served Four Combat Tours With Marines
An American multi-purpose canine (MPC) Belgian Malinois has been honored for serving four tours of duty with the U.S. Marine Corps and performing at the highest standard. Shimanski was deployed to Jordan, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Somalia during his seven-year career and received the Animals in War and Peace Medal of Bravery …
Read More »‘Fighting for Every Meter’: Inside the Fiercely Contested Battle for Bakhmut
“Fierce battles” raged in central Bakhmut as Ukrainian forces desperately fought on the west side of the Donetsk region city against relentless breakthrough attempts by Russian mercenary fighters and as many observers said they expect Kyiv’s forces to mount a counteroffensive in the coming weeks. “The Wagner assault groups are attacking from …
Read More »‘Troops of the Hunter Class’: When Britain Created Its Legendary Commando Force
Britain’s Prime Minister Winston Churchill in World War II wanted “specially trained troops of the hunter class, who can develop a reign of terror down these coasts [of occupied Europe], first of all on the butcher and bolt policy… leaving a trail of German corpses behind them.” This translated into …
Read More »We Knew They Weren’t Coming Back: Vietnam’s Brutal ‘Nine Days in May’
by Susan Katz KeatingThe soldiers proceeded cautiously through the jungle highlands west of Pleiku, near the Cambodian border, on the morning of May 18, 1967. The men were part of Operation Francis Marion, aimed at stopping the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) from seizing the Ia Drang Valley. The Americans belonged …
Read More »Hand-to-Hand Fighting Rages in Bakhmut as Russian, Ukrainian Forces Clash Using Shovels and Firearms
Much of Russia’s yearlong invasion in Ukraine has devolved into infantry fighting in the eastern regions of the country, in part because Moscow’s forces are short on artillery munitions, the British Ministry of Defense said Sunday. In its latest assessment, London said, “Recent evidence suggests an increase in close combat …
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