Category Archives: War

Spanish Civil War: La Pasionaria’s Farewell Address to the International Brigades

Dolores Ibárruri, La Pasionaria
Barcelona, November 1, 1938:

“From all peoples, from all races, you came to us like brothers, like sons of immortal Spain; and in the hardest days of the war, when the capital of the Spanish Republic was threatened, it was you, gallant comrades of the International Brigades, who helped save the city with your fighting enthusiasm, your heroism and your spirit of sacrifice. – And Jarama and Guadalajara, Brunete and Belchite, Levante and the Ebro, in immortal verses sing of the courage, the sacrifice, the daring, th  discipline of the men of the International Brigades… MORE>>

The Battle of Ap Bac, January 2, 1963.

Downed CH-21s and Huey in a rice paddy

Image via Wikipedia

In a scene reminiscent of General Walton ”Johnny” Walker at the Pusan Perimeter in Korea, Army Lieutenant Colonel John Paul Vann was reportedly shouting and pleading on the radio as he circled in the spotter plane above. He watched helplessly while Captain Ba’s M-113 APCs sat, parked, just short of the edge of the assault radius. But what could Vann really do? He had no real authority over any of the troops that he had staked his entire operation on.  MORE>>

The OSS and Ho Chi Minh, 1945

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum at Ba Dinh Square.

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The French underground in Indochina assisted in rescuing downed Allied pilots. A solid spy network had been constructed in Vietnam that was actively transmitting good intelligence on the Japanese. As time passed the OSS gained increasing access to the output of the underground. Pilots were rescued. Then suddenly in spring 1945 the flow of information ceased without warning. The Japanese had launched their coupe de main in Vietnam. Grasping for a new strategy, OSS colonel Paul Helliwell turned to Major Archimedes Patti… MORE>>

The World War II Years in Vietnam, 1940 – 1945

Hồ Chí Minh (right) with Vo Nguyen Giap (left)...

Image via Wikipedia

Ho Chi Minh walked a distance of well over 100 miles, all while avoiding Japanese patrols. He met with various American intelligence officers upon arrival. Many first hand accounts of Ho in these days emphasize his ephemeral nature. Clearly he had to have been a fascinating character to these men steeped in spy-craft. <MORE>