Sloppy vs. Elite Military Uniforms

Say what you will about the Nazis (and I do), they sure looked stylish. Hitler and his generals understood the art of intimidation, and dressed the part. Today we call it the Hugo Boss look. Hugo Boss didn't design the uniforms, but his company manufactured them to specifications and made sure they looked sharp, whether they were for the SS, the SA, the Wehrmacht, Hitler Youth, or enlisted brown shirts. Those uniforms couldn't have been comfortable out in the field. 

In contrast, the US military appeared downright frumpy in the films taken during World War II operations. Oh sure, they looked spiffy in dress uniforms on parade, but out in the battlefield, what you accomplish is much more important than how you look. Designed for function over form, Americans were dressed for utility, practicality, and comfort. And when you admire the stylish Nazi uniforms, keep in mind who won that war.     

The Real Red Baron

Most of us know the Red Baron from the Peanuts comic, or maybe the song that was inspired by Snoopy's imaginary adventures as a World War I flying ace. But Manfred von Richthofen was a real German flying ace during World War I. Simon Whistler of Today I Found Out tells us his story. 

The Soviet Night Witches

The Night Witches was a name given to the World War II pilots of the Soviet Union's all-woman 588th Night Bomber Regiment. They flew multiple missions every night to bomb German units on the Eastern Front, in tiny obsolete planes that flew low and almost silently. The pilots were young (as young as 17), fearless, and patriotic, like the kamikazes Japan deployed in the Pacific. The difference is that the Night Witches often survived their dangerous raids, while understanding that the odds against them were serious. 

Their story, as brought to us by Weird History, begins as if the Soviet Union only joined the war in 1941. The part they left out was that the USSR had a pact with Germany to divide the nations of Eastern Europe between them, and the Soviets invaded some of them themselves. Once Germany double-crossed them, the Soviets joined the Allies, and only afterward did women aviators lobby to serve. 

The funniest part of this video is the machine-generated captions. The algorithm has no idea what to do with Russian names, and cannot cope at all with the airplanes called Po-2s. 

US Military Food

Today's US military is an all-volunteer force, and they spend most of their time on military bases. These young, strong people eat a lot of food. To attract and retain them, base food is plentiful and pretty good. There are plenty of options, and experts are always trying to improve both nutrition and quality. 

The story is different for wartime. From the beginning, the nation grappled with the difficulties of procuring, paying for, and delivering food to its troops in the field. There was no refrigeration, and preservation was hit-or-miss. but behind the scenes, there were those trying to solve the problem, because an army travels on its stomach. They developed C-rations, K-rations, and ultimately MREs. All of those work under the idea that hunger makes everything taste better. Weird History Food takes us through the evolution of military food in the United States.  

Memorial Day

Reminder... My late Dad, a veteran, would noticeably cringe when someone told him "Happy Memorial Day". He had fellow soldiers/friends who died in combat. He did not.

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— Strictly 4 My Navigators (@lizzslockeroom.bsky.social) May 24, 2026 at 12:00 PM

The Seven Landlocked Countries That Have Navies

We tend to think of navies as a military force that deploys on the high seas. The US not only uses its navy for ocean battles, but traditionally for troop transport to faraway wars before air travel. But how would a country house and train a navy without seaports? There are seven landlocked countries in the world that maintain navies as a separate branch of their military forces. The "how" behind those forces comes down to the fact that oceans aren't the only bodies of water in the world. But the "why" is way more interesting, and each country has their own story. Some are responding to real threats, and some are legacies of a complicated history. In the case of Laos, we don't know much about it at all, but I'm sure they have their reasons in their own cultural context. 

The Mission

There is an element of truth in the cartoon that makes the situation truly pathetic. Our sons and daughters are the cannon fodder for the sons and daughters of the oligarchs!

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— conifergirl.bsky.social (@conifergirl.bsky.social) March 27, 2026 at 11:42 AM

Private Snafu Goes to Iran

Warner Bro. made this animated instructional film for the US military in 1945. Private Snafu starred in the series, voiced by Mel Blanc. Hot Spot was one of the later cartoons in the series, directed by Fritz Freleng, and written by Phil Eastman and Dr. Seuss. (via Fark) 

Chain of Command

Colonel Sergeant is confusing enough, but someone in the comments also pointed out commander lieutenant general Admiral. (via reddit) 

Operation Paul Bunyan

How many soldiers does it take to cut down a tree? In this case, it was 813, in a convoy of 23 heavily-armed vehicles supported by helicopters, fighter jets and bombers, and even rafts. While that sounds absurd on the surface, it was a response to a horrific murder. This all happened in the DMZ between North Korea and South Korea in 1976 (although the narration says 1973 at one point). Cold War tensions were high. In the Joint Security Area, a tree was blocking the view from the south, which was quite important for keeping an eye on North Korean activity. The first crew of 15 sent to trim the tree was attacked by North Korean soldiers, who killed two Americans with their own axes and injured others. Retaliation could have led to war between the two Koreas, which meant war between the US and China also. But the incident could not be ignored.

The response was to return and cut down the entire tree, using all the military might necessary to keep interference from the KPA from happening again. This was Operation Paul Bunyan. Half as Interesting takes us through the entire incident. The video is only 6:35; the rest is an ad. 

A WWII Christmas Story

Christmas can be hard when you're thousands of miles away from your loved ones, and especially when you're facing dangers that could prevent you from ever seeing them again. Anything that makes that ordeal easier is a Christmas miracle. Sean of the South relates one Christmas gift in 1943 that no one involved will ever forget.

The story checks out, but there's a small correction that make it even better. The movie that the sailors received wasn't just still shots, but film footage of wives and children opening the gifts from their husbands and daddies and waving "hi!" to them, all arranged by Macy's. The entire project started out in August, or else it never could have been pulled off.   

Red Baron vs. White Death

Nice Peter and Epic LLOYD of Epic Rap Battles of History only release a new video maybe once or twice a year now, but they put a lot of thought into each one. Not only is this one clever, it's so fast-paced that you'll need to see it more than once to reap all the highly-accurate historical details in the rap, and then again to catch all the visual details. It pits two of the world's most renowned warriors against each other. 

Simo Häyhä was a Finnish farmer and sniper who racked up more than 500 kills in the Winter War of 1938. He became known to the Russians as the White Death. You don't know dread until the snow begins speaking Finnish. Baron Manfred von Richthofen was a German flying ace credited with 80 air battle victories in World War I. And they can both throw flyting words. 

The Red Baron has a lasting reputation that allows them include references to pizza, Snoopy, and Meet the Fokkers. Finnish commenters helpfully explained a few terms used here. "Sisu" is a Finnish term for determination, grit, and courage. "Paskapää" means shithead. This video contains NSFW language. (via Boing Boing) 

Pentagon Press Conference

Colin Jost seems to have a lot of fun playing Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. He was quite combative during the opening skit on Saturday Night Live last night.  

Mark Kelly

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Kelly is responding to the news that the Pentagon is investigating him. 

Brass

You have to hand it to the generals. Unlike so many other people in this country, they know how to conduct themselves in public. They know they are supposed to be apolitical. So they greeted Trump's political speech with silence. And you could have heard a medal drop when Pete Hegseth finished.

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— Mrs. Betty Bowers (@mrsbettybowers.bsky.social) September 30, 2025 at 8:42 PM

Stayin' Alive

North Koreans are marching for Kim Jong-un as if their lives depended on it -and they probably do. (via reddit)

Mines Below

Sailing the world's oceans has always been treacherous, and sailors made songs about the dangers they faced. The modern world offers one particular danger that sailors in the Age of Exploration never had to consider- mines. The United States Navy Band brings us a sea shanty about the risks hiding in the depths, posted to celebrate the 85th anniversary of U.S. Navy Minemen who both lay mines and sweep for them. I would recommend turning on the captions for this, or checking out the lyrics at the YouTube page. 

Los Angeles Speed Check

Legendary former Air Force pilot Major Brian Shul reminisces about the day he flew the world's fastest jet, the SR-71 Blackbird across the western U.S. and listened in on air traffic control in LA. What unfolded was a classic case of male one-upmanship across the airwaves. Is it a true story? Does it really matter? (via Digg) 

Who Has the Most Nukes, 1945-2025

According to the available statistics, there are 13,162 nuclear weapons in the world today. That's a lot, considering that we know from experience that the most you need to defeat an enemy is two. However, that experience comes from 80 years ago, back when no other country had the means to respond in kind. There have been times when the number of nuclear weapons was staggeringly large, peaking at more than 64,000 in 1986. What did we think we were going to do with all that?  

Sasha Medin of Data Is Beautiful put together an animated timeline to show how many nuclear weapons existed in each year since they were developed. For a statistics video, this actually has some dramatic moments, like in the 1950s when the Soviet Union raced to build their nuclear arsenal. In the late '80s, both the US and the USSR began pulling back their numbers. In 1991, the Soviet Union suddenly disappears from the timeline, as Russia became the world's biggest nuclear power, with Ukraine and Kazakhstan just below the US. Ukraine and Kazakhstan gave up their nuclear weapons in 1994. In the 21st century, the US and Russia have achieved parity as they cut back, while other nations are building their arsenals up. (via Laughing Squid) 

A Knock At The Door

On Memorial Day, we remember those who gave their last full measure in service the their country. To their families, the news is the worst thing that ever happened, and it was once relayed in a telegram. Here's the story of how that utterly horrible notification was changed to something more dignified and caring.