SpecForce
Operation Enduring Freedom
Northern Alliance fighters, some in and atop armored vehicles, entered the Afghan capital, Kabul, just after dawn on November 13, 2001. Eleven Men at the Gates of Kandahar – Special Operations Forces and Operation Enduring Freedom. Enduring Freedom was the code name given to the U. S.-led invasion of Afghanistan that began on October 7, 2001. The purpose of the…
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German Paras at Cassino
Fallschirmtruppen were issued a variety of uniform components of different colors. These were commonly worn mixed with little consistency. This Jager (private) wears the paratrooper’s blouse (Fallschirmjagerbluse), a waterproof protective jacket known to paratroopers as the Knochensack (bone-sack). These jackets were commonly issued in gray-green, tan (for tropical areas), and…
Darby’s Rangers – North Africa
Rangers train on the terrain of the 8 November assault at Arzew (U.S. Anny photograph). Dieppe proved to be the only operation undertaken by Darby’s Rangers in accordance with Marshall’s original concept. In late July the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, under pressure from a president anxious for action against…
Trojan Horse of the Ardennes
Otto Skorzeny and the 150th Panzer Brigade From the start of the planning for the their Ardennes offensive, the Germans gave great importance to seizing intact the Meuse River bridges. To accomplish that, Hitler ordered a special unit, its English-speaking men wearing American uniforms and using captured US Army weapons…
CORINTH CANAL OPERATION
A view of the Corinth Canal taken by a Fallschirmjager in 1941. The parachutists rushing onto bridge. However the bridge blew up into the sky. Operation Hannibal 1941 At the Corinth Canal on April 25 German paratroopers were tasked with seizing the bridge that spanned the deep ship canal dividing…
Mayaguez Operation
Koh Tang Rescue The United States had been officially out of Cambodia and Vietnam for only a few days when the radical Khmer Rouge seized the container ship Mayaguez. An all‑out effort was launched to effect its rescue, and that of its crew, which amounted to the last military act…
THE WILLEMSBRUG. ROTTERDAM. MAY 10THÂ 1940.
The capture of the Willems Bridge at Rotterdam was an important first day objective for German air landing and Paratroops taking part in the invasion of Holland. These comprised a Railway Bridge and a road bridge known as Willemsbrug. The former was of limited use to the invasion forces because…