Opening of the Berlin Wall
On November 9th, 1989, the emblem of Cold War division in Europe suddenly became porous.
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Operation Allied Force
As the twentieth century neared its end, the United States and its NATO allies faced a different kind of crisis in the Balkans. Tensions and violence in Kosovo, including the expulsion and abuse of ethnic Albanian civilians, raised alarms across Europe and North America. Diplomatic efforts failed to produce a settlement, and on March 24th, 1999, NATO launched Operation Allied Force, an air campaign aimed at pressurin
Operation Anaconda
Just over a decade after Desert Storm, United States forces found themselves fighting a very different kind of war in Afghanistan. On March 2nd, 2002, Operation Anaconda began in the Shah-i-Kot Valley and surrounding high ground, as United States and allied troops attempted to encircle and destroy concentrations of al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters. The plan called for Afghan and coalition units to block escape routes wh
Operation Chopper
By early 1962, American involvement in Vietnam was still officially described in terms of advisors, but the character of that involvement was already changing. On January 12th, 1962, Operation Chopper saw United States Army helicopters lift South Vietnamese troops into action against insurgent forces near Saigon. The mission may have seemed modest at the time, but it showcased the emerging doctrine of air mobility, u
Operation Cobra
On the far side of the world, the same date saw the United States First Army launch a long-awaited breakout from the Normandy hedgerows. After weeks of slow, attritional fighting among the bocage lanes, Operation Cobra aimed to shatter German defenses west of Saint-Lô with a massive aerial bombardment followed by concentrated armored and infantry thrusts.
Operation Desert Fox strikes Iraq
On December 16th, 1998, American and British forces began a four-day air and missile campaign against Iraqi targets known as Operation Desert Fox.
Operation Desert Shield
By August 7th, 1990, Iraqi forces had already invaded and occupied Kuwait, raising fears that they might drive farther south toward the oil fields of Saudi Arabia and disrupt the broader balance of power in the Persian Gulf. On that date, the United States announced Operation Desert Shield, committing air and ground forces to Saudi Arabia at the request of its government and in coordination with other nations.
Operation Desert Storm ground campaign
On the night of February 23rd into February 24th, 1991, after weeks of intensive air strikes, coalition ground forces launched the main land offensive of Operation Desert Storm. U.S. Marine divisions attacked into Kuwait from the south, while U.S. Army armored corps and allied units executed a broad “left hook” across the desert into western Iraq to outflank Iraqi forces.
Operation Dragoon
On August 15th, 1944, Allied forces, including a substantial American component, stormed ashore along the southern coast of France in Operation Dragoon. While public attention and many soldiers’ memories focused on the earlier landings in Normandy, this Mediterranean assault opened a second front on French soil, aimed at seizing ports and driving north to link up with forces advancing from the Normandy beachhead.
Operation Eagle Claw
During the Iran hostage crisis, the United States attempted a daring special operations mission to rescue embassy personnel held in Tehran. Code-named Operation Eagle Claw, the plan called for long-range transport aircraft and helicopters to rendezvous at a remote desert staging site, then move on toward the capital under cover of darkness. On April 24th, 1980, mechanical problems, dust, and the challenges of coordin
Operation El Dorado Canyon
Decades later, the United States turned to precision airpower to respond to state-sponsored terrorism. On April 15th, 1986, American aircraft from the Air Force and Navy struck targets in Libya associated with military facilities and leadership protection. Long-range bombers flew from distant bases with multiple aerial refuelings, while carrier-based aircraft launched from the Mediterranean Sea, all timed to hit with
Operation Enduring Freedom begins in Afghanistan
Less than a year after USS Cole, the attacks of September 11th, 2001 brought the war on terror fully into view.
Operation Frantic
Two years after Midway, the United States Army Air Forces were striking deep into Axis-held Europe, and June brought another innovation. On June 2nd, 1944, heavy bombers based in Britain launched the first “shuttle bombing” mission of what became known as Operation Frantic. Instead of returning to their original airfields, the bombers hit rail yards and other targets in Eastern Europe and then continued on to land at
Operation Frequent Wind
As North Vietnamese forces closed in on Saigon, American planners launched Operation Frequent Wind, the final phase of evacuations from South Vietnam. United States Marines secured key landing zones while waves of helicopters shuttled American personnel and at-risk South Vietnamese to ships waiting offshore. The images from that day—choppers crowding flight decks, overloaded aircraft, and helicopters pushed into the
Operation Hailstone and Big Week
In mid-February 1944, two linked air operations signaled how the United States was using airpower to reshape two different theaters of war. On February 17th, fast carriers of the U.S. Pacific fleet launched Operation Hailstone against Truk Lagoon, a major Japanese base in the Central Pacific. Waves of aircraft struck ships at anchor, airfields, and support installations, sinking and damaging a large portion of the en
Operation Hump in Vietnam
Another November 8th, separated by two decades, found American paratroopers pushing through thick jungle rather than surf.
Operation Husky Landings
In the early hours of July 10th, 1943, waves of Allied troops, including the United States Seventh Army and the British Eighth Army, began landing along the southern coast of Sicily in Operation Husky. Rough seas scattered many landing craft and airborne units, turning the opening hours into a confused struggle to get ashore and organize.
Operation Infinite Reach
At the close of the twentieth century, another August date saw the United States respond to terrorist attacks with long-range strikes. Following the bombings of American embassies in East Africa, United States forces launched Operation Infinite Reach, firing cruise missiles at suspected terrorist training camps in Afghanistan and a facility in Sudan believed to be tied to chemical weapons.