TRENDING NOW MEDIEVAL ARCHERY · MASSACRE IN TABASCO · NAPOLEON IN SPAIN · NAPOLEON AND RUSSIA · NEW GEORGIA CAMPAIGN
CENTURIES OF WAR CALENDAR: PHOTOGRAPH OF THE WEEK
WAR IN THE PACIFIC · Posted 21 August 2022 at 2:53pm EDT
This Moment During Operation Iceberg on Okinawa, April 1945
Eighty years ago this month: Okinawa, April 1945. The official caption for this photograph reads "Hold it Up for the People, Boy.” A Doberman Pinscher Marine Corps War Dog named "Boy," and his handler Corporal Harold N. Flagg, of Fairfield, Me., display a Japanese banner taken from the enemy on Okinawa. Boy spotted an ambush while on patrol and suffered a leg wound in the ensuing action. From the Photograph Collection (COLL/3948), Marine Corps Archives & Special Collections, Quantico, Virginia. ☞ More Okinawa photos: Photo Pack Images, Okinawa · Okinawa Operations 1945 · Okinawa GySgt Claude Canup Collection
DISTINGUISHED LECTURE & ARTICLES SERIES: MEDIEVAL MILITARY HISTORY
MEDIEVAL MILITARY HISTORY: c.500-c.1000 CE · Published 9 April 2025 at 10:02am EDT · COMMENTS
Focus on Arms and Armor: "Medieval Military Crossbow Archery" by Prof. Brian Todd Carey
ABOVE: Miniatures from Romance of All Chivalry, by Eustace or Thomas of Kent. BNF Français 24364 Roman de toute chevalerie, 1309-1312 CE. A goldmine of information concerning early fourth century CE English military archery is found in the earliest surviving Alexander romance in England, Thomas de Kent’s Anglo-Norman Romance of All Chivalry (Roman de toute chevalerie). Click to enlarge.
Ranged warfare in Western Civilization was influenced by a form of mechanical archery using crossbows beginning in the classical era and continuing through the medieval period and into the early modern era. First invented in China and dating back to the Zhou Dynasty’s (1046-256 BCE) Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, the military crossbow saw wide usage in Chinese armies as a potent infantry and chariot-borne missile weapon. Its popularity in China continued through until the Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE) when Central Asian steppe cultures took control, and displaced mechanical archery with traditional archery, although it never fully disappeared from Chinese arsenals in the medieval and early modern eras. ☞ The full article
CENTURIES OF WAR CALENDAR: WORLD WAR I
WORDL WAR I ·Published 26 March 2023 at 10:05am EDT · COMMENT
"21 April 1918: Manfred von Richthofen - The Red Baron Shot Down"
Germany, 23 April 1917. German Federal Archives caption: "The famous Fighter Squadron 11 with Manfred von Richthofen at the controls of his 'Red Airplane'. From this fighter squadron emerged Jagdgeschwader I, which officially bore the name 'von Richhofen'. During its one-year existence in 1917/18, the Richthofen Squadron won no less than 1,000 victories. At the age of 25, Rittmeister von Richthofen, recipient of the Order Pour le Merite, had become commander of the squadron, which, according to a military decree, had the combat value of several divisions on the sector of the front where it was deployed." Source: Wikipedia. In the Public Domain. Click to enlarge
Manfred von Richthofen, widely known as the 'Red Baron', was a figure of valor and tactical prowess during the tumultuous skies of the First World War. Born into an aristocratic Prussian family on 2 May 1892 in Breslau, Germany (present-day Wrocław, Poland), he would rise to become a legendary German flying ace, claiming an unparalleled 80 victories against Allied aircraft. ☞ Read the full article
CENTURIES OF WAR CALENDAR: WORLD WAR I
WORLD WAR I · Published 26 March 2023 at 10:07am EDT · COMMENT
"22 April-25 May 1915: The Second Battle of Ypres, Belgium"
An artist's interpretation of the Second Battle of Ypres from the Allied perspective. Painted by Canadian Richard Jack in 1917; from the Canadian War Museum Collection. In the Public Domain.
The Second Battle of Ypres, fought from April 22 to May 25, 1915, marked a significant turning point in World War I as it was the first time Germany used poison gas on the Western Front. The Second Battle of Ypres was fought for control of the strategically important area east and south of the Flemish town of Ypres in western Belgium. It was the second battle fought in this region, following the previous autumn's First Battle of Ypres.The battle comprised four distinct engagements: the Battle of Gravenstafel Ridge, the Battle of St. Julien, the Battle of Frezenberg, and the Battle of Bellewaarde. ☞ Read the full article
CENTURIES OF WAR CALENDAR: 19TH CENTURY WAR AND CONFLICT
19TH CENTURY WAR AND CONFLICT· Published 28 April 2023 at 1:24pm EDT · COMMENT
27 April - 13 May 1805: To the Shores of Tripoli: The Battle of Derna (North Africa)
ABOVE: First Lieutenant Presley O'Bannon, USMC (with raised rifle) at Derna. Source: Colonel Charles Waterhouse, U.S. Marines (Marine Corps Art Collection). Public Domain; click to enlarge.
The Battle of Derna, fought on April 27, 1805, was a significant turning point in the First Barbary War, also referred to as the Tripolitan War or the Barbary Coast War. The conflict marked one of the earliest military engagements in U.S. history and stemmed from trade disputes between the United States and Tripolitania, a state within the Barbary Coast — a region notorious for state-sponsored piracy during the 18th and early 19th centuries. ☞ Read the full article
CENTURIES OF WAR CALENDAR: AMERICAN CIVIL WAR: 1861-1865
AMERICAN CIVIL WAR · Published 26 March 2023 at 10:09am EDT · COMMENT
"30 April - 6 May 1863: A Costly Confederate Victory: Battle of Chancellorsville"
30 April 1863: Lieutenant George B. Winslow commanding 1st New York Light Artillery Regiment. 1st New York Artillery Light Regiment was engaged in the Chancellorsville Campaign, attached to Artillery Brigade, 3rd Army Corps, from April 27-May 6, 1863. Source: Library of Congress, https://bit.ly/42CIPJD. In the Public Domain. Click to enlarge
The Battle of Chancellorsville is often epitomized as a paragon of military leadership and strategy, particularly from the Confederate perspective due to General Robert E. Lee's masterful employment of complex battle tactics in the face of considerable numerical disadvantage. This encounter, which spanned from April 30 to May 6, 1863, unfolded near the village of Spotsylvania, Virginia, and was a pivotal event in the American Civil War, underpinned by the tactical acumen that contributed to its classification as "Lee's Perfect Battle." ☞ Read the full article
CENTURIES OF WAR CALENDAR: THE VIETNAM WAR: 1955-1975
THE VIETNAM WAR: 1955-1975 ·Published 26 March 2023 at 10:11am EDT · COMMENT
"30 April 1975: Fall of Saigon: The Vietnam War Ends"
Saigon, South Vietnam, 29 April 1975. U.S. Marine PFC Forrest M. Turner, Jr. provides security as two Sikorsky CH-53 helicopters land at the Defense Attaché Office compound during Operation Frequent Wind. Military helicopters dropped the ground security component at landing zones. Once on the ground they set up security positions. Source: Wikipedia. In the Public Domain.
The 30th of April, 1975, marked a solemn and significant milestone in world history—the end of one of the most protracted and tragic conflicts, the Vietnam War. Known by several names, including the Second Indochina War, the Vietnam War was emblematic of the Cold War and a brutal testament to the proxy battles fought between the world's two superpowers and their allies. The fall of Saigon was the dramatic conclusion that profoundly altered geopolitical landscapes and human migrations. A quick glance at the historical latticework of policy would reveal a complex entwining of interests. Following the First Indochina War and the 1954 Geneva Conference, the country was partitioned, and the stage was set for the tumultuous years to come. The U.S. saw Vietnam as an inevitable battleground against Communist expansion, and through financial and military support, it threw itself behind the fledgling government of South Vietnam. ☞ Read the full article
CENTURIES OF WAR CALENDAR: WAR IN THE PACIFIC
WAR IN THE PACIFIC · Published 6 May 2022 at 9:45am EDT · COMMENT
"May 1945: Desmond Doss wins the Congressional Medal of Honor"
Corporal Desmond Doss, CMOH Winner, U.S. Army, and his wife Dorothy in 1945. Photograph in the Public Domain (Click to enlarge). Click to enlarge
Desmond Thomas Doss, a United States Army corporal, served as a combat medic in an infantry company during World War II. Guided by his steadfast Seventh-day Adventist beliefs, Doss refused to bear arms despite the dangerous realities of war. His unwavering commitment to his principles and his remarkable courage on the battlefield earned him a place in history as one of the most extraordinary conscientious objectors to serve in the U.S. military. ☞ Read the full article
CENTURIES OF WAR CALENDAR: WORLD WAR II
WAR IN THE PACIFIC · Published 20 January 2024 at 10:04am EDT · COMMENT
"4 May to 8 May 1942: Carrier War: Battle of the Coral Sea"
View on the flight deck of USS Lexington (CV-2), at about 1500 hours on 8 May 1942, during the Battle of the Coral Sea. The ship's air group is spotted aft, with Grumman F4F-3 fighters nearest the camera. SBD scout bombers and TBD-1 torpedo planes are parked further aft. Smoke is rising around the after aircraft elevator from fires burning in the hangar. Note fire hose, wheels, propellers, servicing stands and other gear scattered on the flight deck. Source: Official U.S. Navy Photograph. In the Public Domain. Click to enlarge
The Battle of the Coral Sea--a turning point for the War in the Pacific? Yes, as Japan lost two key aircraft carriers which would later prove costly at the Battle of Midway in June of 1942. This epic sea battle took place from 4 May to 8 May 1942. The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) faced off against the United States and Australian naval and air forces, engaging in a revolutionary shift in tactics. It was the first naval battle in history where opposing fleets never sighted nor fired upon one another. Instead, they attacked over the horizon with aircraft carriers, marking a turning point in how naval warfare was conducted. The incorporation of aircraft carriers in naval battles had revolutionized warfare, and the United States and Australia had mastered it. The Allies' victory in the Battle of Coral Sea was vital in turning the tide of World War II's Pacific conflict. It forced Japan to reassess its military strategy and capabilities and reminded them that they were not invincible. ☞ Read the full article
CENTURIES OF WAR CALENDAR: WORLD WAR II AND THE WAR IN EUROPE
WAR IN EUROPE · Published 28 January 2024 at 5:29pm EDT · COMMENT
"11 May 1941: Destruction from the Skies: Luftwaffe Blitz Over the United Kingdom Ends"
"The ruins of Coventry cathedral two days after the German Luftwaffe air raid on the city on the night of 14 November 1940.Coventry, an important engineering and armaments producing centre, was raided on 14-15 November 1940. German bombers dropped 503 tons of high explosive and 30,000 incendiary bombs on the city. 568 people were killed and 850 seriously injured. The medieval Cathedral was destroyed. Almost one third of the city's houses were made uninhabitable and 35% of its shops destroyed. In a relatively small city with a population of just over 200,000, everyone knew someone killed or injured in the raid. A new verb coventrieren – 'to Coventrate' was used by the Germans to describe the level of destruction." Source: Imperial War Museum, "The Blitz Around Britain"
The Blitz was a time of terror for the people of the United Kingdom during World War II. From 7 September 1940 to 11 May 1941--8 months and 5 days--German bombers conducted mass air attacks against towns, cities, and industrial targets, causing widespread devastation and destruction. Over 40,000 civilians were killed during the Blitz, with almost half of them in London, where more than a million houses were destroyed or damaged. The Blitz was launched by Adolf Hitler and Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring, the commander-in-chief of the Luftwaffe, in an attempt to force the British into submission. The Germans conducted mass air attacks against industrial targets, towns, and cities, beginning with raids on London towards the end of the Battle of Britain in 1940. The Luftwaffe had lost the Battle of Britain and the German air fleets were ordered to attack London, to draw RAF Fighter Command into a battle of annihilation. ☞ Read the full article
CENTURIES OF WAR CALENDAR: WORLD WAR I AND THE INTERWAR YEARS
WORLD WAR I AND THE INTERWAR YEARS · Published 5 July 2022 at 9:31am EDT · COMMENT AND CONVERSATION
"1 June 1918: Belleau Wood: A Turning Point in World War One"
ABOVE: Georges Scott (1873-1943) illustration "American Marines in Belleau Wood (1918)" - originally published in the French Magazine "Illustrations." Source: Wikimedia. In the Public Domain. Click to enlarge.
Amid the unyielding battlegrounds of World War One, one particular engagement stands out as a testament to valor and strength, etching an indelible mark in the annals of warfare. The Battle of Belleau Wood, fought between the U.S. Marine Corps and the German Army from June 1st to June 26th, 1918, near the Marne River in France, remains not just a military triumph but an emblem of human resilience against overwhelming odds. With the German spring offensive looming large on the Western Front, the Allies faced a critical juncture. Their backs against the wall, the U.S. 2nd and 3rd Divisions, bolstered by relentless infantry and strategic maneuvering, stood firm against the German tide. This article delves into the Battle of Belleau Wood, dissecting its critical moments and unraveling the profound significance that reverberated across the landscape of World War One. ☞ Read the full article
CENTURIES OF WAR CALENDAR: WWII: BATTLE FOR THE SEAS
WWII: BATTLE FOR THE SEAS · Published 25 March 2023 at 11:12am EDT · COMMENT
"4-7 June 1942: The Battle of Midway - Turning Point for the War in the Pacific"
U.S. Navy Torpedo Squadron 6 (VT-6) Douglas TBD-1 Devastator aircraft are prepared for launching aboard the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6) at about 0730-0740 hrs, 4 June 1942. Eleven of the fourteen TBDs launched from Enterprise are visible. Three more TBDs and ten Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat fighters must still be pushed into position before launching can begin. The TBD in the left front is Number Two (BuNo 1512), flown by Ensign Severin L. Rombach and Aviation Radioman 2nd Class W.F. Glenn. Along with eight other VT-6 aircraft, this plane and its crew were lost attacking Japanese aircraft carriers somewhat more than two hours later. The heavy cruiser USS Pensacola (CA-24) is in the right distance and a destroyer is in plane guard position at left. Source: Naval History and Heritage Command under the digital ID 80-G-41686. In the Public Domain.
The Battle of Midway, fought between 4 and 7 June 1942, stands as one of the pivotal battles in the Pacific Theater and turning point from which Japan would not recover. Six months on from Japan's raid on Pearl Harbor and a month after the Battle of the Coral Sea, the United States Navy won a decisive victory over the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN). Two strategic factors contributed to the battle: the Japanese intended to establish a "barrier" to extend their defensive perimeter following the Doolittle air raid on Tokyo and aimed to entice American carriers into a trap to clear for further offensives. Conversely, American cryptographers' remarkable breakthroughs enabled the U.S. Navy to set an ambush of their own, tipping the scales before a single shot was fired. ☞ Read the full article
CENTURIES OF WAR CALENDAR: D-DAY AND THE WAR IN EUROPE
D-DAY AND THE WAR IN EUROPE · Published 24 February 2024 at 4:47pm EDT · COMMENT
""6 June 1944: D-Day Through Different Lenses"
ABOVE: Normandy, France. 6 June 1944. Photograph taken by Chief Photographer's Mate (CPHoM) Robert F. Sargent, U.S. Coast Guard. An LCVP from the U.S. Coast Guard-manned USS Samuel Chase disembarks troops of Company A, 16th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division (the Big Red One) wading onto the Fox Green section of Omaha Beach (Calvados, Basse-Normandie, France). Sources: U.S. Library of Congress, National Archives. In the Public Domain. Click to enlarge. Click to enlarge.
The images of the Normandy landings taken by photographers such as Life Magazine photographer Robert Capa and Coast Guard Chief Photographer’s Mate Robert F. Sargent are ingrained in the collective memory of World War II. These visual testimonies provide an insight into one of history's pivotal moments, laden with raw emotion, perilous endeavors, and unyielding courage. Robert F. Sargent captured "Into the Jaws of Death," an image enveloped with the same raw authenticity as Capa’s, portraying the immediate moments of troops braving the surf under fire. While Sargent remained on his landing craft, Capa dared further, stepping onto the deadly beach and documenting the soldiers' arduous progress amidst chaos and bombardment. ☞ Read the full article
CENTURIES OF WAR CALENDAR: THE VIETNAM WAR
THE VIETNAM WAR ERA: 1955-1975 · Published 20 April 2024 at 5:16am EDT · COMMENT
"13 June 1971: The Pentagon Papers Released: Legacy and Lessons in Transparency and Truth"
Front page of the New York Times on 11 May 1973. The New York Times and The Vietnam Project.
Studying the Pentagon Papers remains relevant today, as there are ongoing concerns about transparency and honesty from the past Biden administration in the U.S. Pundits and analysts have shown Joe Biden and members of that administration of not being forthright and honest with Congress and the American public on critical policy decisions and issues adversely affecting domestic security and public safety, drawing comparisons to the lack of transparency revealed by the Pentagon Papers about the Johnson administration's handling of the Vietnam War. While the contexts differ, the underlying issues of government accountability, truthfulness, and the public's right to know are pertinent in both cases. ☞ Read the full article
CENTURIES OF WAR CALENDAR: WAR IN THE PACIFIC
WAR IN THE PACIFIC · Published 6 April 2023 at 8:53pm EDT · COMMENTS AND CONVERSATION
"15 June 1944: D-Day in the Pacific - The Battle of Saipan Begins"
Marines carry one of their own from battle. Saipan USMC Photo No. 1-15. From the Frederick R. Findtner Collection (COLL/3890), Marine Corps Archives & Special Collections. OFFICIAL USMC PHOTOGRAPH.
The Battle of Saipan, fought from 15 June to 9 July 1944, was a critical episode in the Pacific campaign of World War II. This clash unfolded on the island of Saipan, located within the Mariana Islands, marking a pivotal moment in Operation Forager. The meticulously orchestrated assault was initiated when the expansive fleet set sail from Pearl Harbor, a strategic movement that occurred concurrently with the operations of Operation Overlord in Europe. ☞ Read the full article
CENTURIES OF WAR CALENDAR: WORLD WAR II - THE EASTERN FRONT
WORLD WAR II - THE EASTERN FRONT · Published 22 April 2023 10:02am · COMMENT
"22 June 1941: An Invasion Begins: The Catastrophic Miscalculation of Operation Barbarossa"
ABOVE: Pz.Kpfw 38(t) Ausf.E/F, from 7. Panzer-Division during the Operation Barbarossa. Source: flickr: Panzertruppen.
Operation Barbarossa stands as one of the most monumental military endeavors and a seminal turning point in the history of World War II. Launched on June 22, 1941, this invasion by Nazi Germany into the heartland of the Soviet Union, was not only the largest land offensive in human history, involving around 10 million combatants, but also a catastrophic error in strategic judgment by Adolf Hitler. Searheaded by German forces and supported by Axis allies, the operation, named after the medieval Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, sought to decimate communism and forcibly seize territory for German repopulation. In its wake, Operation Barbarossa hoped to commandeer economic resources, including the oil reserves of the Caucasus, and the fertile grounds of Ukraine and Byelorussia. ☞ Read the full article
CENTURIES OF WAR CALENDAR: AMERICAN CIVIL WAR AND RECONSTRUCTION
AMERICAN CIVIL WAR AND RECONSTRUCTION · Published 20 April 2024 at 7:27pm EDT · COMMENT
"25 June-26 June 1876: The Battle of Little Bighorn"
ABOVE: "Custer's Last Stand" by artist Edgar Samuel Paxson (1852–1919) oil on canvas painted in 1899. Source: Wikimedia, in the Public Domain. Click to enlarge.
The significance of the Battle of Little Bighorn extends well beyond the immediate outcome of the conflict. This consequential showdown between Native American tribes and United States forces encapsulates the height of struggle for control over the Great Plains. Painted against a backdrop of tension, the resounding Native American victory underscored their fortitude in repelling encroachment upon their lands, while simultaneously foreshadowing a devastating aftermath for the indigenous tribes – an ultimate defeat and relegation to reservations. It stands as a pivotal yet paradoxical chapter in their resistance; a poignant triumph followed by the erosion of freedom and age-old traditions. ☞ Read the full article
CENTURIES OF WAR CALENDAR: MODERN WAR AND ARMED CONFLICT
MODERN WAR AND ARMED CONFLICT· Published 19 March 2023 at 8:18pm EDT · COMMENT
"28 June 2005: Kunar Province, Afghanistan. Operation Red Wings and the History Behind 'Lone Survivor'"
ABOVE: United States Navy file photo of Navy SEALs operating in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. From left to right, Sonar Technician (Surface) 2nd Class Matthew G. Axelson, of Cupertino, Calif; Senior Chief Information Systems Technician Daniel R. Healy, of Exeter, N.H.; Quartermaster 2nd Class James Suh, of Deerfield Beach, Fla.; Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Marcus Luttrell; Machinist’s Mate 2nd Class Shane Patton, of Boulder City, Nev.; and Lt. Michael P. Murphy, of Patchogue, N.Y. With the exception of Luttrell, all were killed June 28, 2005, by enemy forces while supporting Operation Red Wings. Click to enlarge.
Operation Red Wings, also referred to as the Battle of Abbas Ghar, stands as a pivotal and tragic episode within the broader context of the U.S.-led Global War on Terror. Conducted in June 2005, this operation has received significant scholarly and public attention, notably through its depiction in Lone Survivor, both a bestselling book by Marcus Luttrell and a subsequent film adaptation. The engagement is marked by extraordinary heroism, profound sacrifice, and the severe realities encountered by special operations forces in Afghanistan’s formidable terrain. ☞ Read the full article
CENTURIES OF WAR CALENDAR: WAR IN THE PACIFIC
WAR IN THE PACIFIC · Published 18 April 2025 at 1:17pm EDT · COMMENT
"30 June-7 October 1943: The New Georgia Campaign: Strategic Objectives, Operations, and Outcomes"
ABOVE: Marines inspect an unidentifiable Japanese aircraft during the New Georgia campaign, circa 1943. New Georgia USMC Photo No. 1-19. From the Frederick R. Findtner Collection (COLL/3890), Marine Corps Archives & Special Collections. OFFICIAL USMC PHOTOGRAPH. Click to enlarge.
The New Georgia Campaign (June–October 1943) in the Solomon Islands represents a pivotal series of engagements within the broader context of the Pacific Theater of World War II. Undertaken by Allied forces, predominantly United States Army and Marine units, with substantial contributions from New Zealand and Australia, this campaign sought to neutralize Japanese positions in the Central Solomons and hasten the encirclement of the major Japanese bastion at Rabaul. Characterized by convoluted terrain, logistics challenges, and protracted combat against tenacious Japanese resistance, the campaign proved both a strategic and operational learning experience for the Allies. ☞ Read the full article
CENTURIES OF WAR CALENDAR: AMERICAN CIVIL WAR AND RECONSTRUCTION
AMERICAN CIVIL WAR AND RECONSTRUCTION · Published 6 July 2022 at 7:40pm EDT · COMMENT
"1-3 July 1863: Harvest of Death at The Battle of Gettysburg"
ABOVE: Gettysburg, Pa., circa fall 2018. "The Angle," is a designated area on the Gettysburg Battlefield notable for several historical features. It encompasses the 1863 grove of trees, which served as a target landmark during Pickett's Charge, the 1892 monument marking the Confederacy's high-water mark, a rock wall, and various other monuments commemorating the Battle of Gettysburg. Source: War History Network license. Click to enlarge.
The Battle of Gettysburg represented a pivotal moment in the Civil War. Over the course of three days, the conflict resulted in more than 50,000 estimated casualties, making it the bloodiest single battle of the war. Following a series of defensive successes in Virginia, General Lee aimed to secure a victory north of the Mason-Dixon line, intending to compel a negotiated end to the hostilities. However, his defeat at Gettysburg thwarted this objective. Subsequently, the beleaguered general retreated southward, accompanied by a wagon train of wounded soldiers heading towards the Potomac. Union General Meade did not capitalize on this moment to pursue the retreating Confederates, missing a critical chance to encircle Lee's forces and force a Confederate surrender. Consequently, the deeply divisive war continued for an additional two years. ☞ Read the full article
CENTURIES OF WAR CALENDAR: THE EASTERN FRONT
THE EASTERN FRONT · Published 28 May 2023 at 10:35pm EDT · COMMENT
"17 July 1942: The Battle of Stalingrad - Turning Point for the War in Europe"
ABOVE: “Soviet soldiers attack”. Soviet soldiers on the attack, Stalingrad. Source: Wikipedia. Attribution: Russian International News Agency (RIA) Novosti archive, image #44732 / Zelma / CC-BY-SA 3.0. Click to enlarge.
The Battle of Stalingrad was a turning point in World War II, pitting the armies of Nazi Germany and its allies against the Soviet Union. It has become one of the most studied and remembered battles in history due to its significance in deciding the war in Europe. It began on 17 July 1942 and lasted until 2 February 1943 and caused an estimated 1.8 million casualties on both sides. 80% of all German casualties during World War II occurred on the Eastern Front, marking Soviet victory on the Eastern Front pivotal in defeating Nazi Germany in Europe. ☞ Read the full article
CENTURIES OF WAR CALENDAR: WAR IN THE PACIFIC
WAR IN THE PACIFIC: BATTLE FOR THE SEAS · Published 4 June 2023 at 12:39pm EDT · COMMENT
"30 July 1945: The USS Indianapolis is Torpedoed and Sunk"
ABOVE: Final resting place today. One of the five-inch 25 caliber anti-aircraft gun mounts from the USS Indianapolis. Source: Paul G. Allen and in the Public Domain. Click to enlarge.
The USS Indianapolis, a Portland-class heavy cruiser, was commissioned into the United States Navy in 1932. It bore witness to pivotal moments of World War II, playing a crucial role as a flagship across various operations within the Pacific Theater. Notable among its engagements were the Aleutian Islands campaign and the formidable Battle of Okinawa. Yet, despite its decorated service, the USS Indianapolis met a harrowing fate, culminating in one of the most heartbreaking naval tragedies in American military annals—the devastating sinking in July of 1945 ☞ Read the full article
LEYDEKKERS PHOTOGRAPHY
LEFT: Netherlands, 2025. Monument to Glider Pilot Regiment in Wolfheze, Netherlands. Operation Market Garden, World War II. Click to enlarge.
American Cemetery Normandy · Auschwitz Birkenau · The Bedford Boys · Belgium · Berchtesgaden and The Eagle's Nest · Buchenwald · Dieppe, France · Equipment · Finland · Germany · The Great War · Holland · The Holocaust · Hong Kong · Italy · Juno Beach · La Cambe German War Cemetery · Landsberg Prison · Militracks 2023 · Monte Cassino · Museums · Netherlands · Normandy 2023 · Normandy 2024 · Normandy, France · Omaha Beach · Operation Market Garden · Pointe du Hoc · Resistance Museum (Verzetsmuseum Amsterdam) · The Somme · Spottinger Cemetery · Treblinka · Vimy Ridge · War Museum Medemblik · Waterloo · World War II Veterans
LECTURES & DISCUSSIONS
THE EDGE OF HISTORY
Ancient, Classical and Medieval Military History: Popular History
PROF. BRIAN TODD CAREY'S OPEN SEMINARS & ARTICLES
Ancient Military History: c.3100-c.1000 BCE
Classical Military History: c.1000-BCE-500 CE
Medieval Military History: c.500-c.1500
EARLY MODERN ERA
Early Modern and Napoleonic Wars: 1500-1815
AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY PERIODS
Mexican-American War: 1846-1848
Revolutionary War: 1775-1783
War of 1812
All 18th and 19th Century Conflict
U.S. CIVIL WAR & RECONSTRUCTION
U.S. Civil War: 1861-1865
WORLD WAR I & THE INTERWAR YEARS
World War I: 1914-1918
The Gathering Storm: 1919-1939
WORLD WAR II
North Africa and Italy
Battle of the Seas
China-Burma-India Theatre
D-Day and the European Theatre
Eastern Front
Holocaust, Shoah
Pacific Theatre
KOREA
Korean War: 1950-1953
VIETNAM, LAOS & CAMBODIA
Vietnam War Era: 1955-1975
MODERN WAR & CONFLICT
Modern War and Conflict: 1976-Present
SEE ALSO
Aerial Warfare Throughout History
Book Forum and Reviews
The Home Front
War in Film and Movie Reviews
Writers on the Storm - Writing History
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BOOK REVIEWS
We Band of Angels
by Elizabeth M. Norman, author
Posted by Jim Gallen on 16 February 2025 at 6:01pm
War History Network members are familiar many War II tales but one that is frequently overlooked is told in We Band Of Angels. It contains the story of 99 American nurses trapped on Bataan and Corregidor during the Japanese conquest of 1942. ☞ Read the Full Review · All Book Reviews
NEW TITLES FOR 2025
The Battle of Manila: Poisoned Victory in the Pacific War
by Nicholas Evan Sarantakes (Author)
Publisher: Oxford University Press. Publication date: 3 February 2025. Hardcover, 528 pages. ISBN-10 0199948852
From the publisher: "In 1945 the United States and Japan fought the largest and most devastating land battle of their war in the Pacific, a month-long struggle for the city of Manila. The only urban fighting in the Pacific theater, the Battle of Manila was the third-bloodiest battle of World War II, behind Leningrad and Berlin."
From Trenton to Yorktown: Turning Points of the Revolutionary War
by John R. Maass (Author)
Publisher: Osprey Publishing. Publication date: 11 February 2025. Hardcover, 272 pages. ISBN-10 1472863755
From the publisher: "For eight grueling years, American and British military forces struggled in a bloody war over colonial independence. This conflict also ensnared Native American warriors and the armies and navies of France, Spain, the Dutch Republic, and several German principalities."
Manfred von Richthofen: His Life and Times in Pictures
by Tim Hillier-Graves (Author)
Publisher: Air World. Publication date: 30 January 2025. Hardcover, 272 pages. ISBN-10 1036100316
From the publisher: "It is more than a hundred years since the First World War fighter ace Manfred von Richthofen was killed in combat on the Western Front. By then, due to a strange twist of fate, his name was becoming as well known in Britain, France and the USA as it was in Germany."
Somewhere Toward Freedom: Sherman's March and the Story of America's Largest Emancipation
by Bennett Parten (Author)
Publisher: Simon & Schuster. Publication date: 21 January 2025. Hardcover, 272 pages. ISBN-10 1668034689
From the publisher: "In the fall of 1864, Gen. William T. Sherman led his army through Atlanta, Georgia, burning buildings of military significance—and ultimately most of the city—along the way. From Atlanta, they marched across the state to the most important city at the time: Savannah."
First Blood in Normandy: The Combat History of the 17th SS Panzer Grenadier Division Gotz von Berlichingen
by Hans Stober (Author)
Publisher: Pen and Sword Military. Publication date: 30 May 2025. Hardcover, 520 pages. ISBN-10 1399024043
From the publisher: "This is the first book in a series that describes in detail the establishment and combat history of the 17th SS Panzer-Grenadier-Division “Gotz von Berlichingen”. By order of Adolf Hitler, this division was established in October 1943 in France and trained there until its first actions at the beginning of June 1944."
Annapolis Goes to War
by Craig L. Symonds (Author)
Publisher: Oxford University Press. Publication date: June 2, 2025. Hardcover, 512 pages. ISBN 9780197752678
From the publisher: "Author is acknowledged as among the leading naval historians of his generation, and taught Midshipmen at the Naval Academy -- the subject of this book -- for over thirty years. Offers a deeply affecting and powerful portrait of young men at war, reminiscent of Band of Brothers."
The Skeptic Isle
by Steven Casey (Author)
Publisher: Oxford University Press. Publication date: May 1, 2025. Hardcover, 384 pages. ISBN 9780197781876
From the publisher: "Provides a significant new interpretation of how the British government sold every aspect of the Second World War, from morale to mobilization, rationing to civil defense, the football field to the battlefield. Shows the limits to the wartime consensus, not only inside Westminster and along Fleet Street, but also across the country, as many people questioned the official information they received."
Gettysburg
by Adam I. P. Smith (Author)
Publisher: Oxford University Press. Publication date: August 7, 2025. Hardcover, 332 pages. ISBN 9780199671274
From the publisher: "The Great Battles Series. The story of the world's most important battles -- how they were fought, how they have been commemorated, and the long historical shadows that they have cast."
Life in the Viking Great Army: Raiders, Traders, and Settlers
by Dawn Hadley (Author), Julian Richards (Author)
Publisher: Oxford University Press. Publication date: April 9, 2025. Hardcover, 432 pages. ISBN-10 147286946X
From the publisher: "The Viking Great Army that landed in East Anglia in late 865 had a lasting impact on English society, culture, politics, and economy. The Viking Great Army landed in East Anglia in late 865 and over the following fifteen years it fought numerous battles in all four Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, made and broke peace treaties, and deposed or killed at least three Anglo-Saxon kings, replacing them with its own appointees."
Opening the Gates of Hell: Germany's Invasion of Russia, June-July 1941
by Richard Hargreaves (Author)
Publisher: Osprey Publishing. Publication date: June 3, 2025. Hardcover, 488 pages. ISBN-10 147286946X
From the publisher: "A unique account of the opening weeks of history's largest, most brutal conflict, told through the eyes of those who were there and based on original source material from across Europe. Opening the Gates of Hell is based on over a decade's research in archives and sites across Europe."
Gettysburg: The Tide Turns: An Oral History
by Bruce Chadwick (Author)
Publisher: Pegasus Books. Publication date: May 20, 2025. Hardcover, 272 pages. ISBN-10 1639368256
From the publisher: "The definitive oral history of the battle that turned the tide of the Civil War that combines vivid first-hand accounts with rich historical narrative. In late June of 1863, one month after his victory over Union forces at Chancellorsville, Virginia, General Robert E. Lee, head of the Army of Northern Virginia, invaded the North."
Korea: War Without End
by Richard Dannatt (Author), Robert Lyman (Author)
Publisher: Osprey Publishing. Publication date: May 20, 2025. Hardcover, 352 pages. ISBN-10 1472869753
From the publisher: "Korea: War Without End examines the stand-off between East and West in Korea that ultimately defined the second half of the 20th century. It provides a critical analysis of the lack of preparation by the West for war; the results of the North Korean invasion in June 1950; the counter-stroke by MacArthur in September and then the strategic overreach which led to communist China's involvement on the North Korean side, and the rapid escalation to consideration of the use of nuclear weapons."
Nightmare in the Pacific: The World War II Saga of Artie Shaw and His Navy Band
by Michael Doyle (Author)
Publisher: University of North Texas Press. Publication date: January 15, 2025. Hardcover, 288 pages. ISBN-10 1574419463
From the publisher: "World War II loomed over the twentieth century, transforming every level of American society and international relationships and searing itself onto the psyche of an entire generation, including that of seven American presidents: John F. Kennedy, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, and George H. W. Bush. "
Presidents at War: How World War II Shaped a Generation of Presidents, from Eisenhower and JFK through Reagan and Bush
by Steven M. Gillon (Author)
Publisher: Dutton. Publication date: February 11, 2025. Hardcover, 528 pages. ISBN-10 0593183134
From the publisher: "World War II loomed over the twentieth century, transforming every level of American society and international relationships and searing itself onto the psyche of an entire generation, including that of seven American presidents: John F. Kennedy, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, and George H. W. Bush. "
Every Weapon I Had: A Vietnam Vet's Long Road to the Medal of Honor
by Paris Davis (Author)
Publisher: St. Martin's Press. Publication date: June 17, 2025. Hardcover, 256 pages. ISBN-10 1250387655
From the publisher: "The story of a Green Beret commander's heroism during the Vietnam War, and the long fight to recognize his bravery. Every Weapon I Had is an inspiring tale of valor and sacrifice, set against the backdrop of major escalations in both the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights movement."
The Raider: A New England Runaway, the Chinese Communists, and the Birth of U.S. Marine Special Forces in World War II
by Stephen R. Platt (Author)
Publisher: Knopf. Publication date: May 13, 2025. Hardcover, 544 pages. ISBN-10 0525658017
From the publisher: "The extraordinary life of forgotten World War II hero Evans Carlson, commander of America’s first special forces, secret confidant of FDR, and one of the most controversial officers in the history of the Marine Corps, who dedicated his life to bridging the cultural divide between the United States and China"
The Many Lives of Anne Frank
by Ruth Franklin (Author)
Publisher: Yale University Press. Publication date: January 25, 2025. Hardcover, 440 pages. ISBN-10 0300248121
From the publisher: "In this innovative biography, Ruth Franklin explores the transformation of Anne Frank (1929–1945) from ordinary teenager to icon, shedding new light on the young woman whose diary of her years in hiding, now translated into more than seventy languages, is the most widely read work of literature to arise from the Holocaust."
The Traitor of Arnhem: The Untold Story of WWII's Greatest Betrayal and the Moment that Changed History Forever
by Robert Verkaik (Author)
Publisher: Pegasus Books. Publication date: February 4, 2025. Hardcover, 400 pages. ISBN-10 1639368272
From the publisher: "Revealing the hidden role of the Cambridge Spies during this Allied defeat, The Traitor of Arnhem relates for the first time the startling betrayal that changed the course of World War II. The end of World War II is in sight. Following the overwhelming victory on D-Day, Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin all seek to shape the future to their own ends by winning the race to Berlin."
The Killing Season: The Autumn of 1914, Ypres, and the Afternoon That Cost Germany a War
by Robert Cowley (Author)
Publisher: Random House. Publication date: February 18, 2025. Hardcover, 704 pages. ISBN-10 1400068525
From the publisher: "The final months of 1914 were the bloodiest interval in a famously bloody war, a killing season. They ended with the First Battle of Ypres, a struggle in West Flanders, Belgium, whose importance has been too long overlooked—until now."
Scorched Earth: A Global History of World War II
by Paul Thomas Chamberlin (Author)
Publisher: Basic Books. Publication date: May 6, 2025. Hardcover, 672 pages. ISBN-10 1541619269
From the publisher: "In Scorched Earth, historian Paul Thomas Chamberlin dispatches the myth of World War II as a good war. Instead, he depicts the conflict as it truly was: a massive battle beset by vicious racial atrocities, fought between rival empires across huge stretches of Asia and Europe."
Shots Heard Round the World: America, Britain, and Europe in the Revolutionary War
by John Ferling (Author)
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing. Publication date: April 1, 2025. Hardcover, 560 pages. ISBN-10 163973015X
From the publisher: "In April 1775, British troops marched to Lexington, where an armed group of Yankees awaited them. Despite an order to disperse, shots rang out. Militiamen were killed. The British continued marching, only to find even greater trouble in Concord and all the way down the road back to Boston."
Paris Undercover: A Wartime Story of Courage, Friendship, and Betrayal
by Matthew Goodman (Author)
Publisher: Ballantine Books. Publication date: February 4, 2025. Hardcover, 448 pages. ISBN-10 0593358929
From the publisher: "Etta Shiber and Kate Bonnefous are the unlikeliest of heroines: two seemingly ordinary women, an American widow and an English divorcée, living quietly together in Paris. Yet during the Nazi occupation, these two friends find themselves unexpectedly plunged into the whirlwind of history."
The Price of Victory: A Naval History of Britain: 1815–1945
by N. A. M. Rodger (Author)
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company. Publication date: May 13, 2025. Hardcover, 976 pages. ISBN 0393292223
From the publisher: "Across two acclaimed volumes, preeminent naval historian N. A. M. Rodger has traced the progress of naval warfare in Britain from the seventh century through to Trafalgar, combining decades of scholarship with original insights and analysis."
The Ride: Paul Revere and the Night That Saved America
by Kostya Kennedy (Author)
Publisher: St. Martin's press. Publication date: March 25, 2025. Hardcover, 304 pages. ISBN-10 125034137X
From the publisher: "On April 18, 1775, a Boston-based silversmith, engraver, and anti-British political operative named Paul Revere set out on a borrowed horse to fulfill a dangerous but crucial mission: to alert American colonists of advancing British troops, which would seek to crush their nascent revolt."
Summer of Fire and Blood: The German Peasants' War
by Lyndal Roper (Author)
Publisher: Basic Books. Publication date: February 11, 2025. Hardcover, 544 pages. ISBN-10 154164705X
From the publisher: "The German Peasants’ War was the greatest popular uprising in Western Europe before the French Revolution. In 1524 and 1525, it swept across Germany with astonishing speed as well over a hundred thousand people massed in armed bands to demand a new and more egalitarian order. "
Remember Us: American Sacrifice, Dutch Freedom, and A Forever Promise Forged in World War II
by Robert M. Edsel (Author), Bret Witter
Publisher: Harper Horizon. Publication date: April 29, 2025. Hardcover, 496 pages. ISBN-10 140033781X
From the publisher: "Set during the horrors of World War II, Remember Us by Robert Edsel—#1 New York Times bestselling author of The Monuments Men—opens in Limburg, a small, rural province at the southern tip of the Netherlands. In the pre-dawn hours of May 10, 1940, Hitler’s forces rolled through the city, shattering more than 100 years of peace in the Netherlands."
Second Front: Anglo-American Rivalry and the Hidden Story of the Normandy Campaign
by Marc Milner (Author)
Publisher: Yale University Press. Publication date: May 13, 2025. Hardcover, 688 pages. ISBN-10 030027887X
From the publisher: "In June 1944, an Allied army of British, American, and Canadian troops sought to open up a Second Front in Normandy. But they were not only fighting to bring the Second World War to an end. After decades of Anglo-American struggle for dominance, they were also contending with one another—to determine who would ascend to global hegemony once Hitler’s armies fell."
Bagration 1944: The Great Soviet Offensive
by Prit Buttar (Author)
Publisher: Osprey Publishing. Publication date: March 11, 2025. Hardcover, 480 pages. ISBN-10 1472863518
From the publisher: "Throughout the war on the Eastern Front, there were two consistent trends. The Red Army battled to learn how to fight and win, while involved in a struggle for its very survival. But by 1944 it had a leadership that was able to wield it with lethal effect and with far more effective equipment than before. By contrast, the Wehrmacht had commenced a slow process of decline after the invasion of the Soviet Union."
Ring of Fire: A New History of the World at War: 1914
by Alexandra Churchill (Author), Nicolai Eberholst (Author)
Publisher: Pegasus Books. Publication date: August 12, 2025. Hardcover, 528 pages. ISBN-10 1639369279
From the publisher: "The dramatic story of 1914—the start of World War I—presenting an expansive, dynamic history of the start of this truly global conflict. Most countries did not know what they were getting into during the precarious days of 1914."
Crescent Dawn: The Rise of the Ottoman Empire and the Making of the Modern Age
by Si Sheppard (Author)
Publisher: Osprey Publishing. Publication date: February 25, 2025. Hardcover, 528 pages. ISBN-10 1472851463
From the publisher: "A groundbreaking new history of the wars of the Ottoman Expansion, a truly global conflagration that crisscrossed three continents and ultimately defined the borders and future of a modern Europe. The determined attempt to thwart Ottoman dominance was fought across five theaters from the Balkans to the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean, from Persia to Russia."
Lincoln's Peace: The Struggle to End the American Civil War
by Michael Vorenberg (Author)
Publisher: Knopf. Publication date: March 18, 2025. Hardcover, 480 pages. ISBN-10 1524733172
From the publisher: "We set out on the James River, March 25, 1865, aboard the paddle steamboat River Queen. President Lincoln is on his way to General Grant’s headquarters at City Point, Virginia, and he’s decided he won’t return to Washington until he’s witnessed, or perhaps even orchestrated, the end of the Civil War."
Devil’s Fire, Southern Cross: The Conclusion of the Guadalcanal-Solomons Campaign, October 1943-February 1944
by Jeffrey Cox (Author)
Publisher: Osprey Publishing. Publication date: June 3, 2025. Hardcover, 488 pages. ISBN-10 1472864484
From the publisher: "This page-turning history examines the closing months of the vital campaign which ultimately determined the successful conclusion of the Pacific War for the Allies. But it had not been a smooth process. The campaign continued in fits and starts with both the US Navy and the Imperial Japanese Navy making crucial errors."
Midnight on the Potomac: The Last Year of the Civil War, the Lincoln Assassination, and the Rebirth of America
by Scott Ellsworth (Author)
Publisher: Dutton. Publication date: July 15, 2025. Hardcover, 336 pages. ISBN-10 0593475615
From the publisher: "Told with a page-turning pace, New York Times bestselling author and historian Scott Ellsworth has written the most compelling new book about the Civil War in years. Focusing on the last, desperate months of the war, when the outcome was far from certain, Midnight on the Potomac is a story of titanic battles, political upheaval, and the long-forgotten Confederate terror war against the loyal citizens of the North."
The Old Breed... The Complete Story Revealed: A Father, A Son, and How WWII in the Pacific Shaped Their Lives
by W. Henry Sledge (Author)
Publisher: Knox Press. Publication date: June 3, 2025. Hardcover, 432 pages. ISBN -13 979-8888458488
From the publisher: "Forty years after the publication of Eugene Sledge’s memoir With the Old Breed at Peleliu and Okinawa comes The Old Breed… The Complete Story Revealed by Eugene’s son, Henry, adding new material and immeasurable depth to his father’s story."
No More Napoleons: How Britain Managed Europe from Waterloo to World War One
by Andrew Lambert (Author)
Publisher: Yale University Press. Publication date: June 24, 2025. Hardcover, 512 pages. ISBN-10 0300275552
From the publisher: "At the conclusion of the Napoleonic Wars, a fragile peace emerged in Europe. The continent’s borders were redrawn, and the French Empire, once a significant threat to British security, was for now cut down to size. But after decades of ceaseless conflict, Britain’s economy was beset by a crippling debt. How could this small, insular seapower state secure order across the Channel?"
The Fate of the Day: The War for America, Fort Ticonderoga to Charleston, 1777-1780
by Rick Atkinson (Author)
Publisher: Crown. Publication date: April 29, 2025. Hardcover, 880 pages. ISBN-10 0593799186
From the publisher: "The first twenty-one months of the American Revolution—which began at Lexington and ended at Princeton—was the story of a ragged group of militiamen and soldiers fighting to forge a new nation. By the winter of 1777, the exhausted Continental Army could claim only that it had escaped annihilation by the world’s most formidable fighting force."
The Knights Templar: History & Mystery
by Tony McMahon
Publisher: Pen and Sword Military. Publication date: January 30, 2025. Hardcover, 232 pages. ISBN-10 1036113485
From the publisher: "The Knights Templar have fascinated us for centuries. They were holy warriors who fought with incredible bravery in the Crusades but were then destroyed by their own side. In battle they were the bravest knights – first on the battlefield and the last to quit. Charging towards the enemy with their white cloaks emblazoned with the red cross of martyrdom. Every young man in medieval Europe yearned to be a Knight Templar."
Martin Bormann: Hitler’s Executioner
by Volker Koop (Author)
Publisher: Frontline Books. Publication date: January 31, 2025. Softcover, 248 pages. ISBN-10 1526797518
From the publisher: "Born on 17 June 1900, Martin Ludwig Bormann became one of the most powerful and most feared men in the Third Reich. An obsessive bureaucrat, it was Bormann who helped steer Hitler’s apparatus of terror so effectively that he became the clandestine ruler of Nazi Germany."
Hitler's Deserters: Breaking Ranks with the Wehrmacht
by Douglas Carl Peifer (Author)
Publisher: Oxford University Press. Publication date: January 7, 2025. Hardcover, 336 pages. ISBN-10 0197539661
From the publisher: "The German military executed between 18,000 and 22,000 of its personnel in World War II on the charges of desertion and "undermining the military spirt." This book examines who these Wehrmacht deserters were, why they deserted, what punishment they could expect, and how German military justice operated. The German army was not apolitical, but rather a pillar of the Nazi state."