Category Archives: Military

The Battlefield of Waterloo, Looking for the Bones, and a Surprising Supper

Zur deutschen Fassung. “Little Napoleon wants to be picked up on platform 2, please. And hurry, or he’ll lay waste to the whole town!” Only when I hear this announcement and look out of the train window, I realize what … Continue reading

Posted in Belgium, Food, History, Military, Photography, Travel | Tagged , , | 24 Comments

The Secret Space Program of Yugoslavia

Zur deutschen Fassung. After my brother and I unexpectedly and rather accidentally discovered a secret Yugoslav submarine port in Montenegro (please read that story first, otherwise this one won’t make any sense), we were still completely excited and out of … Continue reading

Posted in Bosnia–Herzegovina, Cinema, Croatia, History, Military, Montenegro, Technology, USA | Tagged , | 8 Comments

Mobilization in Russia

After the Russian government’s call for mobilization, many Russians, especially young men, spontaneously discovered their patriotic urge to become very mobile indeed. Considering that mobilization kicked off World War I, this is a bit disconcerting, though.

Posted in Military, Politics, Russia | Tagged | 5 Comments

I am not a spy, I am just curious

Zur deutschen Fassung. Recently in Albania, three people were arrested as they tried to enter a former arms factory. The intruders from Russia and Ukraine said that they were bloggers and liked to photograph old buildings. People who have seen … Continue reading

Posted in Albania, Military, Montenegro, Photography, Travel | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Film Review: “Top Gun Maverick”

I can keep this short: A boring macho-kitschy movie, where half-dead actors are put on stage in a vain attempt to reanimate plots that have been dead for a long time. The only good thing is that the flying seems … Continue reading

Posted in Cinema, Military, USA | Tagged , | 8 Comments

Battlefield Tourism – Then and Now

Zur deutschen Fassung. The following is the English translation of a presentation I gave during a field trip with my university to Ypres. Because it’s a German university, there is a focus on German (language) sources and on the German … Continue reading

Posted in Belgium, History, Military, Travel, World War I | Tagged | 8 Comments

A Walk around Odessa

Zur deutschen Fassung. Usually I write about cities to motivate you to visit them yourself. In the case of Odessa, the Ukrainian port city on the Black Sea, which, as you will see, is so much more than a port … Continue reading

Posted in Military, Photography, Politics, Travel, Ukraine | Tagged | 8 Comments

One Hundred Years Ago, Germany and Russia laid the Foundation for World War II – April 1922: Rapallo

Zur deutschen Fassung. Did you ever notice that the term “discovery” is only used when a white guy first steps onto some territory, where non-white folks have been living for a long time? And that fake explorer fame is even … Continue reading

Posted in Germany, History, Italy, Military, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, World War I, World War II | Tagged , , | 12 Comments

Attack on Odessa

I am currently working on an article about the Ukrainian port city of Odessa, where I was staying in January 2020, until the Corona pandemic called me back home. Because the article will be as comprehensive as you already fear, … Continue reading

Posted in Military, Photography, Travel, Ukraine, World War II | Tagged | 6 Comments

Living in a Bunker

Zur deutschsprachigen Fassung. Italy has seen a lot of wars. Illyrian wars. Eritrean War. World War I. War of Independence. Samnite Wars. World War II. Italian-Turkish War. First Battle of the Isonzo. Alexandrian War. Second Battle of the Isonzo. Italian-Libyan … Continue reading

Posted in Italy, Military, Photography, South Tyrol, Travel, World War II | Tagged | 4 Comments