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The Illustrated Diary of French Lieutenant de Verger From the American Revolution

American Forces at Yorktown, 1781 The illustrated diary of Lieutenant Jean Baptiste Antoine de Verger is considered one of the most valuable artifacts in the Anne S.K. Brown Military Collection at Brown University. de Verger came to America in the summer of 1780 with Rochambeau during the American Revolution. Mrs. Brown acquired de Verger’s diary in the early 1960s through a fascinating New York book dealer, Hans Peter Kraus. Kraus was twice imprisoned in Nazi concentrat

Andrew Woelflein

Apr 8

What President Trump Didn’t Know About the Dec 7, 1941 Pearl Harbor Attack When He Met with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at the White House

A Japanese reporter asked President Trump at the White House on March 19, 2026 why he didn’t notify allies of the US plan to attack Iran ahead of time. The President noted the US need to keep the attack a surprise so the Iranians wouldn’t take defensive countermeasures. President Trump then asked the reporter why the US wasn’t notified of the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor on Dec 7, 1941. The Prime Minister raised her eyebrows and her smile dropped. It was an awkward moment

Andrew Woelflein

Mar 24

World War II Lessons For Russia

In September 1939 the German war machine rolled over Poland in a few short weeks. Blitzkrieg, the original version of “shock and awe”, overwhelmed Poland, which quickly succumbed to the might of the Luftwaffe and Wehrmacht. The Russians adopted this German WWII strategy during its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine but failed miserably. Why? Russia never gained air superiority over Ukraine, a necessary precursor to land invasion. Russian paratroopers initially seized the Gos

Andrew Woelflein

Feb 1