I was thinking hard on the weekend about whether to pre-order another solo wargame, because the deadline was approaching. The new game is about the attack on the Merville Battery, and it’s designed by the same guy who made the new Guadalcanal game in the “Valiant Defense” series, which I did pre-order. I loved the Lanzerath Ridge game in that series. So I decided to see where Merville Battery fits on the list of most heroic actions by Western nations. In case you want to improve your character with a little humility and gratitude, you can find a good list of stories below. I also included a relevant book, movie or wargame where available.

1. Battle off Samar (Taffy 3)
   Outmatched US Navy escort carriers and destroyer escorts of Taffy 3 aggressively charged and fought a desperate delaying action against Admiral Kurita’s vastly superior Center Force (including battleship Yamato) off Samar Island, Philippines, October 25, 1944.

   Highlight: Commander Ernest E. Evans (USS Johnston), Lieutenant Commander Robert Copeland (USS Samuel B. Roberts) and Admiral Clifton Sprague made the selfless choice to attack rather than flee, buying vital hours for the Leyte landings.

   Book: The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors by James D. Hornfischer (Goodreads: 4.36). Available on Audible.

   Solo wargame: Carrier Battles: Philippine Sea (Compass Games).

2. Defense of Toktong Pass (Fox Company, 7th Marines)
   Captain William Barber’s Fox Company (~240 Marines) held a vital hilltop overlooking Toktong Pass during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, Korea, November 27–December 2, 1950, against thousands of Chinese attackers in extreme cold.

   Highlight: Isolated and outnumbered, they endured five days of assaults with heavy casualties, refusing retreat to keep the escape route open for the 1st Marine Division—ultimate selfless stand that saved thousands; Barber earned the Medal of Honor.

   Book: On Desperate Ground: The Marines at The Reservoir, the Korean War’s Greatest Battle by Hampton Sides (Goodreads: 4.59). Available on Audible.

3. USS Tang’s fifth patrol
   Under Cmdr. Richard O’Kane, Tang sank 10 ships in one patrol (including a daring night surface attack on a convoy), totaling ~93,000 tons—making her the top-scoring U.S. sub by tonnage in a single war patrol.

   Highlight: O’Kane’s aggressive maneuvering and precise torpedo work exemplified selfless risk for maximum damage in hostile waters; he earned the Medal of Honor for his overall command of Tang.

   Book: Clear the Bridge! The War Patrols of the USS Tang by Richard H. O’Kane (Goodreads: 4.43) – raw, firsthand memoir of the Silent Service’s most successful skipper.

   Solo wargame: Silent Victory: U.S. Submarines in the Pacific, 1941-45 (Consim Press, new edition by GMT).

4. Guadalcanal Campaign (Henderson Field Defense)
   US Marines and Army forces landed on Guadalcanal in August 1942, seizing and defending Henderson Field against relentless Japanese assaults in jungle hell (disease, starvation, constant combat) until February 1943.

   Highlight: Isolated troops held critical airfield against overwhelming odds for months—ultimate selfless endurance and resolve; Sgt. John Basilone’s MoH stand on Bloody Ridge (manning guns alone, repulsing regiment-sized attack) exemplified genius under fire and sacrifice that turned the Pacific tide.

   Book: Midnight in the Pacific: Guadalcanal — The World War II Battle That Turned the Tide of War by Joseph Wheelan (Goodreads: 4.45). Available on Audible.

   Solo wargame: Guadalcanal (upcoming DVG solitaire game).

5. Battle of Midway
   US Navy carriers and land-based aircraft decisively defeated the Japanese Combined Fleet off Midway Atoll, June 4–7, 1942, sinking four Japanese fleet carriers.

   Highlight: Outnumbered US forces used genius intelligence/codebreaking and selfless sacrifice by torpedo squadrons (drawing defenders low) to enable devastating dive-bomber attacks—turning the Pacific War from Japanese offensive dominance to Allied initiative.

   Book: The Battle of Midway (Pivotal Moments in American History) by Craig L. Symonds (Goodreads: 4.39). Available on Audible.

   Solo wargame: Pacific Chase (upcoming DVG solitaire game).

6. Lanzerath Ridge defense
   18-man US I&R Platoon (plus 4 observers) ambushed and delayed a 500-man elite German paratrooper battalion on a key ridge in the Losheim Gap, Belgium, December 16, 1944.

   Highlight: Lt. Lyle Bouck’s genius lay in perfect ambush discipline—holding fire until point-blank range—disrupting the entire German northern thrust timetable.

   Book: The Longest Winter by Alex Kershaw (Goodreads: 4.23) – intense, platoon-focused classic. Available on Audible.

   Solo wargame: Lanzerath Ridge (DVG).

7. MACV-SOG Covert Operations (Vietnam)
   Small MACV-SOG recon teams conducted high-risk cross-border missions into Laos, Cambodia, and North Vietnam throughout the war, 1964–1972.

   Highlight: Operators ran daring insertions and extractions against overwhelming odds, often deep behind enemy lines with minimal support, providing critical intelligence that shaped operations, suffering some of the highest casualty rates in U.S. units.

   Books: Uncommon Valor: The Recon Company That Earned Five Medals of Honor and Included the Most Decorated Green Beret by Stephen L. Moore (Goodreads: 4.42). Available on Audible. and Beyond the Call of Duty: The Life of Colonel Robert Howard, America’s Most Decorated Green Beret by Stephen L. Moore (Goodreads: 4.28). Available on Audible.

   Solo wargame: Warfighter: Vietnam Expansion – MACV-SOG #1 (DVG).

8. St Nazaire Raid
   British Commandos and Royal Navy rammed an explosive-packed destroyer into the gates and destroyed the only large Atlantic dry dock at St Nazaire, France, March 28, 1942.

   Highlight: Commander Robert Ryder masterminded the precise ramming and commando assault, a selfless plan executed with foresight that denied the Tirpitz safe repair for the war’s duration.

   Book: The Greatest Raid of All by C.E. Lucas Phillips (Goodreads: 4.29) – the definitive account. Available on Audible.

   Solo wargame: Raid on St. Nazaire (Avalon Hill).

9. Bruneval Raid (Operation Biting)
   British paratroopers (C Company, 2nd Parachute Battalion) plus radar expert Flt Sgt C.W.H. Cox dropped into occupied France to steal key parts of a German Würzburg radar set near Bruneval, February 27–28, 1942.

   Highlight: Maj. John Frost’s precise planning and split-second execution (parachute drop, ground fight, beach rendezvous) under extreme risk delivered crucial radar intel that shaped Allied air superiority.

   Book: The Bruneval Raid: Operation Biting 1942 by Ken Ford (Goodreads: 3.92) – solid, detailed account.

10. USS Wahoo under Mush Morton (1942–1943 patrols)
    Lt. Cmdr. Dudley “Mush” Morton transformed Wahoo into one of the most aggressive submarines, sinking 20+ ships (60,000+ tons) across patrols, including bold surface gun actions and ramming convoys in confined waters like the Sea of Japan.

    Highlight: Morton’s fearless tactics (“Run silent, run deep” but attack aggressively) set the standard for the Silent Service and crippled Japanese supply lines; Wahoo was lost on her final patrol.

    Book: Wahoo: The Patrols of America’s Most Famous World War II Submarine by Richard H. O’Kane (Goodreads: 4.40) – firsthand account from Morton’s executive officer. Available on Audible.

    Solo wargame: Silent Victory: U.S. Submarines in the Pacific, 1941-45 (Consim Press, new edition by GMT).

11. Merville Gun Battery assault
    150 men of the British 9th Parachute Battalion stormed and silenced a fortified German artillery battery near Merville, France, early hours of D-Day, June 6, 1944.

    Highlight: Lt. Col. Terence Otway, reduced to 25% strength with no heavy weapons, made the courageous call to press the attack, saving thousands on Sword Beach.

    Book: The Day the Devils Dropped In by Neil Barber (Goodreads: 4.43) – definitive 9th Para history.

    Solo wargame: Merville Battery (upcoming DVG solitaire game).

12. Arnhem Bridge Defense (Frost’s Paratroopers)
    Lt. Col. John Frost’s 2nd Parachute Battalion (~750 men) held the north end of Arnhem bridge for 4 days against SS Panzer forces during Operation Market Garden, September 17–20, 1944.

    Highlight: Frost’s decision to dig in and fight despite being cut off tied down German reserves and exemplified selfless airborne resolve.

    Book: A Bridge Too Far by Cornelius Ryan (Goodreads: 4.28) – classic narrative of the operation.

    Solo wargame: The Devil’s Cauldron: The Battles for Arnhem and Nijmegen (Multi-Man Publishing).

13. Norwegian Heavy Water Sabotage (Operation Gunnerside)
    Nine Norwegian commandos (SOE-trained) infiltrated and destroyed the heavy water production facility at Vemork, Norway, February 27–28, 1943, critically delaying the Nazi atomic program.

    Highlight: Joachim Rønneberg led a flawless, bloodless sabotage deep in occupied territory—pure tactical genius and restraint that likely prevented Hitler from acquiring nuclear capability.

    Book: The Winter Fortress by Neal Bascomb (Goodreads: 4.19) – epic, gripping mission narrative. Available on Audible.

    Note: Film: The Heroes of Telemark (1965); highly-rated miniseries The Heavy Water War (2015, IMDb 8.0).

14. Pegasus Bridge capture
    Glider-borne D Company, Ox & Bucks Light Infantry seized intact bridges over the Caen Canal and Orne River near Bénouville, France, minutes after midnight on D-Day, June 6, 1944.

    Highlight: Maj. John Howard’s coup de main prevented immediate German counterattack.

    Book: Pegasus Bridge by Stephen E. Ambrose (Goodreads: 4.15) – concise and dramatic. Available on Audible.

    Note: Featured in The Longest Day (1962, IMDb 7.7).

15. Los Baños Internment Camp Raid
    US 11th Airborne paratroopers, Rangers, and Filipino guerrillas liberated 2,147 civilian and military internees from Los Baños camp, Philippines, February 23, 1945.

    Highlight: Perfect multi-axis timing arrived minutes before a planned Japanese massacre, showcasing selfless risk for non-combatants.

    Book: Rescue at Los Baños by Bruce Henderson (Goodreads: 4.28) – daring prison camp raid account. Available on Audible.

    Note: TV documentary/special: Rescue at Dawn: The Los Baños Raid (2004).

16. Cabanatuan Raid
    US 6th Ranger Battalion and Alamo Scouts rescued 513 Allied POWs near Cabanatuan City, Philippines, January 30, 1945.

    Highlight: Lt. Col. Henry Mucci coordinated the deep infiltration and lightning assault, saving lives just before a potential massacre.

    Book: Ghost Soldiers by Hampton Sides (Goodreads: 4.26) – gripping narrative. Available on Audible.

    Note: Film: The Great Raid (2005, IMDb 6.6).

17. Operation Tidal Wave (Ploesti Raid)
    177 USAAF B-24 Liberators (with B-17 elements) flew ultra-low-level to bomb Romanian oil refineries fueling the German war machine, August 1, 1943.

    Highlight: Crews pressed through hellish flak, fighters, and balloons at treetop height in a genius low-altitude plan; immense selflessness amid 30% losses delayed Nazi fuel supply critically; multiple Medals of Honor awarded.

    Book: Ploesti: The Great Ground-Air Battle of 1 August 1943 by James Dugan & Carroll Stewart (Goodreads: 4.32).

    Solo wargame: B-17 Flying Fortress Leader (DVG).

18. Imjin River stand
    British 1st Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment fought overwhelming Chinese forces on Hill 235 along the Imjin River, South Korea, April 22–25, 1951.

    Highlight: Lt. Col. James Carne’s men held to near annihilation, covering the UN retreat.

    Book: To the Last Round by Andrew Salmon (Goodreads: ~4.3) – moving account.

    Note: Older film A Hill in Korea (1956) loosely inspired.

19. Doolittle Raid
    Sixteen US Army Air Forces B-25 bombers launched from USS Hornet to strike Tokyo and other Japanese cities, April 18, 1942.

    Highlight: Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle led the daring carrier launch and low-level bombing, boosting US morale and forcing Japan to divert resources homeward.

    Book: Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo by Capt. Ted W. Lawson (Goodreads: 4.20) – iconic firsthand account. Available on Audible.

    Note: Highly-rated classic film: Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944, IMDb 7.2).

    Solo wargame: Enemy Coast Ahead: The Doolittle Raid (GMT).

20. USS Laffey Stand (Okinawa)
    The destroyer USS Laffey endured 22 kamikaze attacks in 80 minutes off Okinawa, April 16, 1945, taking 6 plane hits and bombs while fighting back.

    Highlight: Crew’s selfless damage control and gunnery kept the ship afloat and fighting—immense resolve under fire saved the vessel (“The Ship That Would Not Die”) and demonstrated US Navy tenacity in the final Pacific push.

    Book: Hell from the Heavens: The Epic Story of the USS Laffey and World War II’s Greatest Kamikaze Attack by John Wukovits (Goodreads: 4.41). Available on Audible.

    Solo wargame: Picket Duty: Kamikaze Attacks against U.S. Destroyers – Okinawa, 1945 (Legion Wargames LLC).

Many of the books are already done and dusted in my reading list, which might give you even more ideas!

Some of my favorite YouTube channels have excellent documentaries for these events, for example:

• Yarnhub: Battle off Samar
• The Operations Room: Battle off Samar Part 1
• The Operations Room: Battle off Samar Part 2
• The Operations Room: The Battle of Midway
• Yarnhub: Raid on St. Nazaire
• Yarnhub: Pegasus Bridge
• Yarnhub: Doolittle Raid
• The Operations Room: Operation Tidal Wave
• Yarnhub: The USS Laffey

I also just discovered House of History, which has very good videos as well, like this one, which reminded me of the book “Air Apaches” by Jay Stout:

• Bismarck Sea, 1943: How Allied Pilots won the “most decisive aerial victory of World War 2”

And I just watched this one from The Operations Room, which reminded me of the book “The Convoy: HG-76” by Angus Kostam:

• Battle of the Atlantic – Convoy HG76 Fights the Wolfpacks – Animated

Let me know if I missed anything important in the comments!

I recently found out about a new academic book published by T. C. Schmidt who is an associate professor of religious studies at Fairfield University, although he’s currently a visiting fellow at Princeton University. He has a PhD in Religious Studies from Yale University. The new book is called “Josephus and Jesus: New Evidence for the One Called Christ” and the publisher is Oxford University Press. The book is available for free thanks to a generous donor. Let’s find out what it’s about.

Well, the first report of this book that I found was on Dr. Mike Licona’s YouTube channel, where he has a 1 hour interview with the author, and he’s quite impressed with what the author found.

Here’s the video:

And the description says:

Josephus is often cited as one of the strongest non Christian sources for the historical Jesus. But is that really the case?

He mentions Jesus in two controversial passages… or does he? Scholars have debated this for decades, questioning what Josephus actually wrote, what may have been added later, and what it all means for the case of Jesus outside the Bible.

In this fascinating interview, Dr. Tom Schmidt helps us dive deep into the facts behind one of the most discussed ancient references to Jesus.

Most Christian apologists know about the two passages about the historical Jesus found in the writings of Josephus. These passages are important because they are written by a Jewish historian with good credentials, and they confirm the gospels description of the historical Jesus. But there’s always been some suspicion about one of them in particular. Anyway, let’s start with  who Josephus is.

His full name is “Flavius Josephus” and he was born in 37 AD just a few years after Jesus died. Josephus was a Jewish priest, historian, and military leader whose writings provide some of the earliest references to Jesus from outside the New Testament.

Here are the passages:

This is the uncontroversial one:

when, therefore, Ananus was of this disposition, he thought he had now a proper opportunity [to exercise his authority]. Festus was now dead, and Albinus was but upon the road; so he assembled the sanhedrim of judges, and brought before them the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was James, and some others, [or, some of his companions]; and when he had formed an accusation against them as breakers of the law, he delivered them to be stoned

That’s from Antiquities of the Jews, Book 20, Chapter 9, Section 1.

And this is the controversial one:

Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man; for he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews and many of the Gentiles. He was [the] Christ. And when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, [ 9 ] those that loved him at the first did not forsake him; for he appeared to them alive again the third day; [ 10 ] as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him. And the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct at this day.

That’s from Antiquities of the Jews, Book 18, Chapter 3, Section 3.

So people wonder, is Josephus just reporting what he’s hearing from other people, or is he getting this from eyewitnesses, or what?

Well, the new news is that there is reason from Schmidt’s book to believe that he had personal connections to the events surrounding Jesus’ trial and execution. The book uses textual analysis to argue for the authenticity of the passages above, because the language itself indicates personal knowledge. But there’s more.

Josephus repeatedly refers to knowing the “protoi” (the first or leading men) of Jerusalem. In his autobiography, he mentions that he started meeting with these elite figures—the chief priests and leaders—around 51 or 52 AD and these meetings were ongoing. Logically, many of these individuals would have been active two decades earlier during Jesus’ trial in 30-33 AD. Josephus uses the phrase “first men among us” about 50 times across his writings, often to denote groups he personally knew or interacted with. This suggests that when he attributes Jesus’ accusation to these “first men,” he’s drawing from firsthand accounts, not mere hearsay. But there’s even more!

I mentioned earlier how Josephus was in the military. Well, he describes his commanding officer during the Jewish-Roman war as “oldest of the high priests” in 68-69 AD, which implies that he would have been an adult around the time of Jesus. Schmidt makes the case that this commander is the son of the high priest mentioned in the Gospel of John who is the first to interrogate Jesus after his arrest. And that the commander would have been a potential witness or participant in the events surrounding the arrest. But there’s still more!

Schmidt says that Josephus’ own father, Matthias, who was born around 5-10 AD was a prominent priest in Jerusalem, and about 25 years old at the time of the crucifixion.  Because the crucifixion happens at the festival of Passover, he would certainly have been nearby . It’s a required pilgrimage for Jews, especially for priests. So Josephus would have had access to someone who was there at the time of these rather important events. And it’s reasonable that he would have heard about them from his father or extended family.

So, this is pretty big stuff. Normally, I wouldn’t be overly excited about this, because I liked to see these things debated by scholars, like Mike Licona does with Bart Ehrman. So the real test would be to see if Mike thinks it’s good enough to raise in a debate, and how would someone like Ehrman respond to it. But because this was published by Oxford University Press by a professor with a PhD from Yale, I’m impressed. This is big news, and something for you to investigate, so you can make use of it yourself in your conversations. I think when you put discoveries like this together with ground-breaking research like Richard Bauckham’s Jesus and the Eyewitnesses, you can see that there is a trend of increasing support for the Bible’s reliability.

I called in to the Duane Lester Show on KNIM Talk 95.9 Live to talk about my recent post analyzing the rise in left-wing advocacy among white women aged 18-44. I tried to explain what I think the root cause is, and what I think we can do as a society to address it. I was able to make all 6 of my points, but for people listening who are here to check out my blog, I thought I would just go ahead and post the notes I made, along with the sources.

Point 1: Radical Views on Violence

Data: Recent Cygnal polling shows ~24% of Americans overall accept criminal action (including violence) to obstruct federal immigration enforcement (e.g., against ICE). But among white leftist women ages 18-44, it jumps to 61%.

Source: https://pjmedia.com/matt-margolis/2026/01/10/white-leftist-women-really-are-bat-poop-crazy-and-this-proves-it-n4948130

Point: ICE targets criminal aliens (murderers, rapists, etc.), so this majority view means these women are willing to use lawbreaking/violence to protect those criminals over enforcing laws that protect citizens.

To me, it feels like an application of the “don’t judge” slogan, a slogan that is used by people who are underperforming to stop others from judging them.

Point 2: Global Leftward Shift

Data: A recent Financial Times analysis shows that in the 1990s, young men and women (18-29) were similarly mildly leftist. By 2024, men stayed roughly the same, but women shifted sharply further left. And this trend applies across multiple countries (US, France, Germany, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea).

Source: https://spectator.com/article/the-rise-of-toxic-femininity/?edition=us

Point: The women clashing with ICE or supporting obstruction fit this larger, international trend of younger women radicalizing leftward, while men hold steady. Many people think that what’s happening to women is the result of Trump being elected, but that doesn’t explain the hard slide to the left of young women in more leftist countries.

Point 3: Antidepressant Use and Mental Health Decline

Data: A 2024 study published in the journal Pediatrics looked at national prescription data from 2016–2022. And it found that post-March 2020, rates of antidepressant dispensing accelerated sharply:

• 129.6% faster monthly increase for female adolescents (12–17)

• 56.5% faster for young women (18–25)

• No similar surge for young males

Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38404197/

Point: We’re seeing a real, documented crisis in young women’s mental health—exploding use of antidepressants (SSRIs are the most common class here) and higher depression rates. This lines up with the leftward shift we just discussed in point 2. Something is fueling distress in this group.

Point 4: Link Between Leftist Ideology and Mental Health Decline

Data:  Multiple studies find that female leftists show the largest increases in depressive symptoms over the past decade, diverging from conservatives. Young leftist women report higher depression, anxiety, and lower life satisfaction (e.g., only 12% “completely satisfied” vs. 37% for conservative women in recent surveys).

Source:

• SSM Mental Health study: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8713953

• Institute for Family Studies study:
  https://ifstudies.org/blog/why-so-blue-liberal-women-are-less-happy-more-lonely-but-why

Point: Left-leaning views often lead to emotion-driven decision-making. These decisions lead to bad outcomes. And leftists deflect responsibility and place blame on others. For example, taking out huge student loans for a degree that does not lead to a good-paying job, or choosing a boyfriend based on appearance who then demonstrates poor character. If the leftist is always the victim of external forces, then the leftist has no reason to develop accurate beliefs to make better decisions. Leftists are not reading books about personal finance or Christian apologetics so that they can choose a major or choose a mate. The pattern of making bad decisions causes anxiety, stress, and anger.

The victimhood that young leftist women experience as they slide further to the left has caused a sharp increase in “Cluster B” disorders, which involve lack of respect, impulsiveness, attention-seeking and narcissism.

Point 5: Young women are choosing non-traditional men

Data: Modern dating shows imbalances: Dating app usage shows that the vast majority of women are targeting the minority of most physically attractive men. This means that this minority of most-attractive men don’t have to treat women well or commit to get sex, since there is always a long line of women interested in them. Addiction to social media makes this focus on the most attractive men even stronger.

Source: https://www.aporiamagazine.com/p/sterile-polygamy

Point: Young leftist women are being indoctrinated in feminist ideology. They see the traditional male roles of moral leader and spiritual leader as “sexist” and “oppressive”. So, they tend to pick men by appearance. They look for permissive men who don’t judge or lead. This minority of permissive, attractive men are not trying to shape the women for marriage roles like wife and mother. They are just there for the temporary sex.

In addition to the missing boyfriend problem, there is just a general lack of male leadership in women’s lives. Fathers are ejected from homes by no-fault divorce. Male teachers are ejected from classrooms. And so on.

Point 6: Men are facing major deterrents to dating and marriage

In addition to women choosing the most attractive men who match their leftist politics and moral relativism, there is also the problem of traditional men dealing with disincentives to marriage and fatherhood.

•  feminist laws and policies deter men from marrying, e.g. – no-fault divorce, false accusations for custody, transing kids

• women get preferential treatment for degrees and jobs, making it harder for men to have leadership from provider role

• young women are being trained to reject accountability for bad choices, e.g. – abortion, single mother welfare, student loan bailouts, lighter sentences for crimes, etc.

• soulmate view of relationships: popular movies and books train women to have unrealistic views of relationships

• leftist political views, (e.g. – abortion, same-sex marriage), are unattractive to traditional men

• possibility of a workplace complaint getting a man fired and potentially blacklisted – can’t support a family

• the male roles of protector and provider are seen as “entitlements” for which men get no respect, so women have no obligations to fuel their men with care

The disincentives faced by traditional men to pursue marriage are typically ignored by social conservatives, who just insist that men embrace husband and father roles regardless of these disincentives. But this isn’t working.

A better way forward is the changes to laws and policies, such as the Kentucky 50-50 custody law: https://dailycaller.com/2025/09/08/mr-right-kentucky-divorce-rates-50-50-child-custody/