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Who won the Vietnam War? The question of who won the Vietnam War has been a subject of debate, and the answer depends on the definition of victory. Those who argue that the United States won the war point to the fact that the U.S. defeated communist forces during most of Vietnam’s major battles. They also assert that the U.S. overall suffered fewer casualties than its opponents. The U.S. military reported 58,220 American casualties. Although North Vietnamese and Viet Cong casualty counts vary wildly, it is generally understood that they suffered several times the number of American casualties. Those who argue that the United States’ opponents won the war cite the United States’ overall objectives and outcomes. The United States entered Vietnam with the principal purpose of preventing a communist takeover of the region. In that respect, it failed: the two Vietnams were united under a communist banner in July 1976. Neighbouring Laos and Cambodia similarly fell to communists. Furthermore,

Jewish prisoners after being liberated from a death train, 1945 Picture was taken by Major Clarence L. Benjamin at the instant a few of the train people saw the tanks and first realized they had been liberated. It’s Friday, the 13th of April, 1945. A few miles northwest of Magdeburg there was a railroad siding in a wooded ravine not far from the Elbe River. Major Clarence L. Benjamin in a jeep was leading a small task force of two light tanks on a routine job of patrolling. The unit came upon some 200 shabby-looking civilians by the side of the road. There was something immediately apparent about each one of these people, men, and women, which arrested the attention. Each one of them was skeleton thin with starvation, a sickness in their faces, and the way in which they stood-and there was something else. At the sight of Americans they began laughing in joy-if it could be called laughing. It was an outpouring of pure, near-hysterical relief. The tankers soon found out why. The reason

The story behind the Female IRA fighter photograph, 1970s A woman IRA volunteer on active service in West Belfast with an AR18 assault rifle. The photo was taken by the Irish photographer Colman Doyle. The original caption: “A woman IRA volunteer on active service in West Belfast with an AR18 assault rifle”. The IRA regularly conducted “show of arms” displays, showing off their modern and numerous weapons. The gun the girl is showing is ArmaLite AR-18. It was obtained by the IRA from the US in the early 1970s and became an emotive symbol of the IRA armed campaign. The IRA fighters nicknamed this gun “ the Widowmaker “. The AR-18 rifle was found to be very well suited to the IRA fighters’ purposes as its small size and folding stock meant that it was easy to conceal. Moreover, it was capable of rapid-fire and fired a high-velocity round which provided great “stopping power”. Originally the AR-18 was designed in 1963 in California, but it was never adopted as the standard service rifle

A German child meets her father, a WW2 soldier, for the first time since she was 1 year old, 1956 A German child meets her father for the first time, 1956. A German World War II prisoner is released by the Soviet Union and reunited with his 12-year-old daughter, who has not seen him since infancy. The child has not seen her father since she was one year old. The event, where this famous photo was taken, was part of what was known as “ Die Heimkehr der Zehntausend ” (The Return of the 10,000), as they were the last German prisoners of war to be released by the Soviet Union since the end of World War II. On a visit to Moscow in the fall of 1955, Konrad Adenauer secured the release of the last approximately 10,000 German POWs from Soviet prisons. In return, the Federal Republic agreed to establish diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union. West German press reports emphasized how well the newly released men had survived their time in prison and how glad they were to reprise their roles

Wounded combat dog during action on the Orote Peninsula, 1944 American troops treat a wounded dog on Orote Pennisula, Guam, 1944. In the late summer of 1942, the Marine Corps decided to experiment with the use of dogs in war, which may have been a new departure for the Corps, but not a new idea in warfare. Since ancient times, dogs have served fighting men in various ways. The Romans, for instance, used heavy mastiffs with armored collars to attack the legs of their enemies, thus forcing them to lower their shields. On Guam, First Lieutenant William R. Putney commanded the 1st Dog Platoon and was the veterinarian for all war dogs on Guam. First Lieutenant William T. Taylor commanded the 2d Platoon. Both landed on the Asan-Adelup beach on Guam, while the 1st Platoon under Gunnery Sergeant L. C. Christmore landed with the 1st Provisional Brigade at Agat. Man and dog searched out the enemy, awaited his coming, and caught him by surprise around the Marine perimeter or while on patrol. In

Captured Italian soldiers are escorted to the rear by German soldiers during the Battle of Caporetto, 1917 Captured Italian soldiers are escorted to the rear by German soldiers during the Battle of Caporetto, 1917. The Battle of Caporetto (also known as the Twelfth Battle of the Isonzo or the Battle of Karfreit as it was known by the Central Powers) took place from 24 October to 19 November 1917, near the town of Kobarid (now in Slovenia), on the Austro-Italian front of World War I. The battle was named after the Italian name of the town of Kobarid (known as Karfreit in German). Austro-Hungarian forces, reinforced by German units, were able to break into the Italian front line and rout the Italian army, which had practically no mobile reserves. The battle was a demonstration of the effectiveness of the use of stormtroopers and the infiltration tactics developed by Hauptmann Willy Rohr. The use of poison gas by the Germans played a key role in the collapse of the Italian Second Army. I

A Russian adjustable mobile shield captured by the Germans, 1914 A Russian adjustable mobile shield captured by the Germans, 1914. The immobility of the trench warfare characterizing the First World War led to a need for a device that would protect soldiers from enemy fire and could help them move on the extremely irregular terrain of battlefields. Apart from a few exceptional cases, these mobile personnel shields proved too cumbersome and heavy for the strength of an individual under fire, and would only work on short distances and on favorable ground. The primary killer on the Great War’s battlefields was artillery, not rifles or machine guns. While the men are carrying their shields to protect them against rifle and machine-gun fire, a shell bursts over their heads and shreds their brains with shrapnel. The original caption on the picture reads:  “Captured Russian embrasures, which are mobile and can be moved and change emplacement” . In order to stop high-power rifle rounds, they

ARTIST BYRON TAYLOR CAUSES CONTROVERSY IN CONSERVATIVE ARKANSAS WITH “OFFENSIVE” PAINTING ‘Legacy II’ by Byron Taylor Recently, the work of artist Byron Taylor has caused quite a bit controversy in conservative Little Rock, Arkansas; His piece entitled  Legacy II  was removed from The Arkansas League of Artists’ Spring Show at The Cox Centre due to its graphic nature. The piece, according to Taylor’s website is a statement on the “endless persecution of Planned Parenthood and local efforts to further legislate abortion and women’s health”. Byron Taylor received a call on April 2 nd , after  Legacy II  was selected to be displayed in the Spring Show; Sharon Franke, Secretary of the Arkansas League of Artists and Chairman of the ALA Spring Show, felt the painting was “offensive” and asked that Taylor pick it up later that day.  Instead, Byron Taylor met with Sharon Franke, ALA Board President Ed Rhodes and ALA Board Member Eddie Smith to defend his work and shared details of their meetin

Father stares at the hand and foot of his five-year-old, severed as a punishment for failing to make the daily rubber quota, Belgian Congo, 1904 A Congolese man looking at the severed hand and foot of his five-year-old daughter who was killed, and allegedly cannibalized, by the members of Anglo-Belgian India Rubber Company militia. The photograph is by Alice Seeley Harris, the man’s name is  Nsala . Here is part of her account (from the book “Don’t Call Me Lady: The Journey of Lady Alice Seeley Harris”):  He hadn’t made his rubber quota for the day so the Belgian-appointed overseers had cut off his daughter’s hand and foot. Her name was Boali. She was five years old. Then they killed her. But they weren’t finished. Then they killed his wife too. And because that didn’t seem quite cruel enough, quite strong enough to make their case, they cannibalized both Boali and her mother. And they presented Nsala with the tokens, the leftovers from the once living body of his darling child whom h

Photographs from the First Miss Soviet Union beauty pageant, 1988 “Moscow Beauty” was expected to become an annual event where prizes were free to travel passes for trips abroad, cash, and luxurious (by Russian standards) gifts. Beauty pageants (a mainstay in Western culture, particularly America) were banned in the Soviet Union since 1959 – no scantily clad ladies, no cheeky fashion, no celebration of beauty and poise. However, the landscape changed in 1985 with the appointment of Mikhail Gorbachev who became the youngest General Secretary of the Communist Party. His appointment ushered in a new era of social freedom for the citizens of the USSR – including the removal of the ban on beauty pageants. Three years later the first official USSR beauty contest ‘Moscow Beauty 1988’ was held in the Luzhniki Palace of Sports in Soviet Moscow and became a real sensation for the world community. The contest was sponsored by the up-market German fashion magazine Burda Moden, whose owner and edi

Stunning and Rare Color Photos from the First World War, 1914-1918 The First World War, also known as the Great War, was one of the deadliest conflicts in human history. It lasted from 1914 to 1918 and involved millions of soldiers and civilians from around the world. Despite its importance and the extensive coverage it received at the time, much of the imagery we have of the war is in black and white. However, this article has shed new light on the conflict by showcasing rare color photographs from the era. The article features a series of stunning photographs that capture the essence of the First World War. From soldiers on the front lines to civilians struggling to survive, the images provide a unique and vivid perspective on a conflict that has often been depicted in stark, monochromatic tones. The colors bring to life the mud, blood, and devastation of the war, and offer a glimpse into the everyday lives of those who lived through it. One of the most striking aspects of the photo