Photo credit:Mariupol City Council- Reuters

Mariupol steelworks siege echoes 1942 fighting at Stalingrad tractor plant

STORY BY STEPHEN J. THORNE

A desperate band of Ukrainian fighters and more than 1,000 terrified civilians have been holed up beneath a sprawling factory complex for more than seven weeks—the last defenders of the besieged city of Mariupol.

Facing an unrelenting barrage of bunker-busting bombs from the air and missile strikes from the sea, the holdouts were surrounded by Russian troops and in dire need of food, ammunition and medical supplies.

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Photo credit: Wikimedia.org

The last of the Allied convoys to the Soviet Union

STORY BY SHARON ADAMS

In the summer of 1941, Nazi Germany launched an invasion on the Soviet Union, despite a non-aggression pact signed by the two countries in 1939.

The Soviets were unprepared when some 3.5 million German troops attacked along a front stretching nearly 3,000 kilometres. The USSR turned to the Allies for help.

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Photo credit:Wikimedia

Russians resort to antiquated but deadly weapon in Ukraine

STORY BY STEPHEN J. THORNE

Russian forces invading Ukraine have resorted to a rarely used First World War-era weapon known for its indiscriminate nature, adding to a controversial arsenal that has included cluster munitions, chemical weapons and oxygen-sucking bombs.

At three centimetres long, fléchettes are among the smallest weapons on the battlefield—a kind of miniature dart or arrow with fins.

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Photo credit: Collection Nationale De Monnaies, Musée De La Banque Du Canada

The military connection to Canada’s currency

STORY BY SHARON ADAMS

There was a time in Canadian history when soldiers were paid with playing cards.

In the 17th century, the French government sent silver coins to its colony in Quebec, intending them to become common currency.

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