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On a drab London night in June 1952, a 37-year-old woman crossed the lobby of a cheap hotel and walked into the last moments of her life. Within minutes she was dead, stabbed in an attack that was no ordinary murder. The victim was Christine Granville, widely regarded as Britain's finest female spy of the … Read more

Nancy Wake was a rebel who laughed often and remained fiercely feminine, according to author Russell Braddon. She was exuberant and gregarious, swore like a sailor, and could drink nearly all her male counterparts under the table. Her story is an inspiring journey through the darkest days of World War II and of triumph in … Read more

On 13 October 1943, the Gestapo in Paris finally caught up with a British wireless operator code named Madeline. For four months she had been the only Allied radio link left in the city. Every other operator was locked up or dead. She changed her appearance and safe houses constantly, vanishing whenever German direction-finding vans … Read more

The night of July 9, 1943, marked a turning point in Italy. Allied forces landed in Sicily, opening a new front in Europe and bringing the war directly to Italian soil. Within weeks, the fascist regime began to collapse. Benito Mussolini, who had ruled Italy for more than 20 years, was removed from power by … Read more

On October 30, 1922, Benito Mussolini came to power in Italy after the March on Rome, when fascist pressure forced the government to hand him control. He quickly established a dictatorship, suppressed political opposition, and took control of the press. His regime demanded absolute loyalty to the state and glorified aggressive nationalism, paving the way … Read more

On September 29, 1938, the cameras of Munich captured the arrival of Europe's leaders for a conference that would decide the fate of Czechoslovakia under pressure from Nazi Germany. The atmosphere was thick with tension, calculation, and the illusion of peace. Among the Italian delegation stood Galeazzo Ciano, the playboy son-in-law of dictator Benito Mussolini … Read more

In the early hours of September 30, 1938, the leaders of Germany, the United Kingdom, France, and Italy sat together at a conference table in Munich. They decided the fate of Czechoslovakia without its participation. Adolf Hitler, Neville Chamberlain, Édouard Daladier, and Benito Mussolini negotiated under intense pressure. They were driven by fear of another … Read more

In November 1945, the world gathered in Nuremberg, Germany, for the first time in history to put war criminals on trial. Inside a courtroom guarded by soldiers and watched by lawyers and journalists, judges from the United States, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, and France took their seats. Together they formed the International Military … Read more

High in the Bavarian Alps, Adolf Hitler's mountain retreat became the informal center of power in Nazi Germany. Party leaders, ministers, generals, and foreign visitors passed through its doors. Among the men with constant access to Hitler was Martin Bormann, the ambitious party official who steadily became one of the most powerful figures in the … Read more