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On January 26, 1945, Audie Murphy and some 40 U.S. troops sat shivering in a frigid, snow-covered clearing near the Alsatian town of Holtzwihr. The battle-weary soldiers had been ordered to hold a vital roadway until reinforcements arrived, but the operation was delayed and the promised relief was nowhere to be seen. Just after 2 p.m., the winter stillness was suddenly broken by the thunderclap of an enemy artillery barrage. In the distance, some 250 German troops and six tanks emerged from the woods. As he watched the Germans line up for an attack, Murphy felt a wave of panic...

White House staffers have blamed President Joe Biden's dog Commander's biting problems on the unfriendly expressions of Secret Service agents. The 2-year-old German Shepherd reportedly had his 11th bite of one of the president's key protectors just last week - but is said to be pleasant around West Wing staff. Secret Service emails obtained by Judicial Watch in July revealed the dog had bitten or threatened at least 10 people, making this the 11th incident involving it. According to those on Biden's staff, Commander's behavior around the Secret Service doesn't make any sense to them. Some have suggested that while...

'They killed with apparent impunity, effortlessly dodging capture by the world’s deadliest special forces. Nothing, it seemed, could stop Al Qaeda’s two top Iraqi terrorists as they orchestrated a campaign of high-profile kidnappings, car bombings and executions in Baghdad and beyond. At the height of their reign, one of them, Maher Ahmed Mahmoud az-Zubeidi, better known by his alias Abu Rami, was believed to have been responsible for the murders of 200 people each month. Yet perhaps even more ferocious was his charismatic co-leader, Abu Uthman, whose exploits in two battles in Fallujah earned him the nickname Abu Nimr –...

Sitz! British bobbies learn German to bark orders at Alsatian police dogsLast updated at 11:02am on 11th January 2008  Auf wiedersehen pet: Police dog handlers are learning to speak German so the foreign animals can understand them Dogs from Germany have been brought to the UK to work with police because they are more obedient than British breeds.  A shortage of highly-trained dogs in Britain has forced police forces to look elsewhere, and Alsatians from Germany seem to be the pick of the bunch. Handlers believe they are more obedient and responsive to orders such as "bissen" for bite...