The Battle of Mogadishu is a story about men in extreme combat, fighting for one another. It began when Task Force Ranger went into the city in October 1993 to capture key members of warlord Mohamed Farah Aidid’s organization. The mission became an intense 15-hour battle to reach American forces …
Read More »Operation Jaque: The Great Jungle Con That Fooled the FARC
by Jose Campos A fake TV crew, two secretaries and a white helicopter fooled Colombia’s most feared guerrillas into handing over 15 hostages without a shot fired. The white helicopter was running out of time, and Maj. José Luís Russi knew it. As the Soviet-built Mi-17 swept low over the …
Read More »How the Jeep Went to War
The U.S. Army wanted a small reconnaissance vehicle. The troops overloaded it, armed it, and drove it into battle. by Robert Fallon Eighteen Jeeps rolled across the Egyptian desert without headlights on the night of July 26, 1942. The British and Free French crews carried extra fuel, water and ammunition, …
Read More »The Spies in Plain Sight
I spent years talking with legendary spy hunters about the clues that expose secret agents. Then I went looking for answers from a spy himself. by Susan Katz Keating Journalists love anniversaries, and this was a good one, the perfect day to highlight history and talk to a spy. Fourteen …
Read More »Snipers: Masters of Disguise
Snipers are masters of disguise, sometimes changing their camouflage several times before reaching a target. British army snipers show us how it’s done in the snow, at a military base in Estonia. Thanks to the folks at NATO for making the vid.
Read More »Inside Chasiv Yar: Mortars, Drones and Tanks at War
A mortar crew lived beneath a ruined Ukrainian city as Russian tanks, drones and gas attacks closed in. by Jonathan Stumpf The train jerks once and comes to a stop. I watch the flood of soldiers boarding, including a red-haired beauty in her early twenties struggling under a heavy rucksack …
Read More »Eight Paratroopers, One Stripper, and a Lesson in ‘All the Way!’
A routine pre-deployment paperwork check at Fort Bragg uncovered a situation nobody expected. by Heath Hansen “Listen up, Charlie Company. You all know we’re deploying to Iraq in a few weeks. On top of all the equipment, weapons, supplies, and gear we need to prepare, there’s a lot of paperwork …
Read More »Shotguns vs. Drones: A Clay Shooter’s Guide to Defeating Enemy Swarms
by Austin Lee In the escalating drone wars, where fiber optic and First-Person View (FPV) drones threaten soldiers and civilians alike, one man is turning the art of clay shooting into a battlefield advantage. Lieutenant Marco Angelelli, an Italian Air Force reserve officer and Italian Clay Pigeon Shooting Federation (FITAV) …
Read More »Battlefield Loot and the Things They Smuggle
Arms smugglers raid the residue of combat while black-market traders work Chernobyl for contaminated metal and timber. Soldier of Fortune follows three trails out of Ukraine. Ukraine’s front lines have produced more than casualties and headlines. They’ve produced inventory. Soldier of Fortune has spent months following the trail of what gets pulled out …
Read More »Jolly Green Rescue Helicopter Goes to Work in Alaska
The HH-60W Jolly Green II is carrying a legendary mission into the mountains, timber, and backcountry of Alaska. The HH-60W Jolly Green II was built to go after people in places that are difficult to reach and bring them home. Its primary mission is combat search and rescue, where distance, …
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