In 1988, the CIA paid $2 MM to Chad in order to extract an advanced Soviet attack helicopter (Mi-25) from an abandoned Libyan air base using two MH-47 Chinook transport helicopters, flying a total of 500 miles under the cover of night.
military
WW2 US Army Captain Moffatt Burriss…
WW2 US Army Captain Moffatt Burriss, along with two other me in a Jeep, accidentally stumbled upon a 15,000 strong German Panzer Corps outside of Berlin toward the end of the war. He approached the enemy commander alone and tricked him into surrendering his army and being taken captive.
Braille began as a military code…
Braille began as a military code called “night writing.” Developed by the French army (1819) – soldiers could communicate at night without speaking / using candles. Louis Braille learned the code & developed the more user-friendly, optimized version of the Braille alphabet we know today.
Elvis Presley was drafted into…
Elvis Presley was drafted into the U.S. Army. At the peak of his career, he received his draft notice for a two-year stint in the army. Fans sent tens of thousands of letters to the army asking for him to be spared, but Elvis refused to decline. He was sworn as an army private on March 24, 1958.
Tibor Rubin, a Hungarian Jew…
Tibor Rubin, a Hungarian Jew, was captured by the Nazis and sent to Mauthausen Concentration Camp in 1944. He vowed to join the US Army upon liberation; he did, and went on to received the Medal of Honor in Korea, being imprisoned again in a Chinese POW camp.
After World War 2 Canada had the…
After World War 2 Canada had the 4th largest air force, 5th largest navy, and the largest volunteer army in the world.
William “Billy” Mitchell was an US army…
William “Billy” Mitchell was an US army general who was an outspoken proponent of air power and its ability to defeat battleships. Due to his unrelenting criticism of high command’s refusal to adapt, he was demoted and court martialed. Today he is regarded as the father of the US Air Force.
Shoichi Yokoi was a sergeant in the Japanese…
Shoichi Yokoi was a sergeant in the Japanese Army during WW2. He went into hiding after the Battle of Guam, living in the jungle with several others for 28 years, though he was alone for the remaining 8 years. He survived by hunting, primarily at night. He also used native plants to make clothes, bedding, and storage implements, which he carefully hid in his cave. After his capture he returned to Japan, married and became a popular TV personality. “It is with much embarrassment that I return,” he said upon his return to Japan. The remark quickly became a popular saying in Japan.
The US Army made a tactical deception…
The US Army made a tactical deception unit known as the “Ghost Army” during World War II. This 1,100-man unit created a “traveling road show,” utilizing inflatable tanks, sound trucks, fake radio transmissions & scripts. It was kept secret for more than 40 years until declassified in 1996.
During the battle of Fort Washington, when her husband…
During the battle of Fort Washington, when her husband fell in action, Margaret Corbin took control of the cannon and fired well aimed shots at the enemy before being seriously wounded. She later became the first woman in U.S. history to receive a pension from Congress for military service.