Nearly 80 years later, a Canadian soldier’s family is reunited with his Second World War treasures The post Brinkman’s box appeared first on Legion Magazine ..read more

It was either May 28 or June 8, 1708. Sources can’t seem to agree. But one thing is certain in a sea of legend and lost treasure: the Spanish galleon San José was the real deal—the “holy grail of shipwrecks.” The flagship in a fleet of 17 cargo vessels and naval escorts, the Spaniard was […] The post Colombia to recover $23-billion cargo from “holy grail of shipwrecks” appeared first on Legion Magazine ..read more

“Kill the American pigs,” the Chinese officer yelled to his troops during the night of April 24-25, 1951. For most Canadian defenders holding a desolate Korean hill at Kapyong, the communist soldier’s words, spoken in an unfamiliar language, would have meant little—even beyond the intense heat of battle. Everyone, that is, except Lieutenant Mike Levy, […] The post A Canadian gamble at Kapyong appeared first on Legion Magazine ..read more

JOHN STUBBS On Aug. 6, 1942, Acting Lieutenant-Commander John Stubbs was aboard HMCS Assiniboine, which was escorting a North Atlantic convoy, when the ship engaged a U-boat at close range. After an exchange of fire seriously damaged both boats, Stubbs’ vessel rammed and sunk U-210. Naval historical officer Gilbert Tucker described first-hand how Stubbs “never took […] The post Heroes and Villians: STUBBS vs KOHLAUF appeared first on Legion Magazine ..read more

The dim lights of Halifax—no longer in total blackout since the war’s tide had turned in the Allies’ favour—were visible from HMCS Esquimalt in the early hours of April 16, 1945. Situated around 32 kilometres offshore, the minesweeper had joined HMCS Sarnia in searching for U-boats that were, according to Allied intelligence, operating off the […] The post The U-Boat Menace Returns: HMCS Esquimalt Sunk in Canadian Waters appeared first on Legion Magazine ..read more

“Canada does not propose to be dragged into a war in which she has no interest,” said Prime Minister Mackenzie King in a speech before the ill-fated League of Nations on Sept. 26, 1936. Perhaps that was true for most in the country, as it was for most western democracies that had, since July watched […] The post Canada and the Spanish Civil War appeared first on Legion Magazine ..read more

It is a blight on the hypocritical, arguably corrupt and highly politicized International Olympic Committee (IOC) that the 1936 Olympic Games were ever allowed to take place in Nazi Germany. But the controversial call gave one Black athlete a grand platform on which to upstage Adolf Hitler and the racist policies of his fascist regime. […] The post Hitler’s Showcase: The 1936 Olympic Games appeared first on Legion Magazine ..read more

Aaron Kylie says No In the councils of government, we must guard against…the military-industrial complex,” said U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower in his farewell address in January 1961. Yes, the famed general, Second World War supreme allied commander in Europe and supreme commander of NATO himself warned of the perils of the relationship between a country’s […] The post Face to Face: Should Canada meet NATO’s funding minimum? appeared first on Legion Magazine ..read more

While everyday Canadians are otherwise preoccupied, the country’s navy is sinking. The post Naval gazing appeared first on Legion Magazine ..read more

When Wally Floody was commissioned as a pilot officer in the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1940, he didn’t realize he was going to earn the moniker “The Tunnel King.” Formerly working in the northern Ontario gold mines, Floody’s mining skills were tested when he was taken prisoner and sent to the infamous German Stalag […] The post A Canadian connection to WW II’s Great Escape appeared first on Legion Magazine ..read more