What is Bennington Battle Day?

Introduction Bennington Battle Day is a state holiday unique to Vermont, commemorating the American victory over British forces at the Battle of Bennington during the American Revolutionary War in 1777. Background The holiday’s date is fixed, occurring on 16 August every year. In Bennington, there is a battle re-enactment put on by the local history… Read More

A Brief Overview of US Military Nuclear Incident Terminology

Introduction The United States Armed Forces uses a number of terms to define the magnitude and extent of nuclear and radiation accidents and incidents in order to reduce the time taken to report the type of incident, thus streamlining the radio communications in the wake of the event. Origin United States Department of Defence directive… Read More

RAF Lakenheath Nuclear Near-Disasters

Introduction RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk, one of several air bases in the United Kingdom (UK) used by the United States Air Force (USAF) to store nuclear weapons during the Cold War, was the site of two nuclear near-disasters, in 1956 and 1961. Two incidents involving aircraft crashes and subsequent fires causing damage to nuclear weapons… Read More

What was the Swedish Extradition of Baltic Soldiers (1945-1946)?

Introduction The Swedish extradition of Baltic soldiers (Estonian: Balti sõdurite väljaandmine Rootsis) or simply the Extradition of the Balts (Swedish: Baltutlämningen, Latvian: Baltiešu izdošana, Estonian: Baltlaste väljasaatmiseks), is a controversial political event that took place in 1945-1946, when Sweden extradited some 150 Latvian and Estonian Waffen-SS volunteers and conscripts who had been drafted and recruited… Read More

What are Days of Military Honour (Russia)?

Introduction The Days of Military Honour (Russian: Дни воинской славы, dni voinskoy slavy) are special memorable dates in the Russian Armed Forces dedicated to the most outstanding victories won by Russia. Background Some of these dates are state holidays but the majority of them is celebrated purely in the armed forces, while 07 November is… Read More