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Not all early June anniversaries involve declared wars. On June 8th, 1967, during the Six-Day War in the Middle East, the United States signals intelligence ship USS Liberty was operating in international waters in the eastern Mediterranean. In the confusion of fast-moving ground and air fighting ashore, Israeli aircraft and torpedo boats mistook the ship for a hostile vessel and attacked, inflicting severe damage an
In the remote Aleutian Islands off Alaska, American and Japanese forces fought in some of the harshest conditions of the Second World War. On May 30th, 1943, after weeks of bitter combat on steep, fog-shrouded slopes, United States commanders declared the island of Attu secure. Japanese defenders had launched a massive final attack only days earlier, leaving tangled lines of casualties in a brutal close-quarters batt
On a cold day near the village of Holtzwihr in eastern France, a young Texas-born lieutenant named Audie Murphy faced a German attack with his infantry company badly outnumbered. After calling in artillery and ordering most of his men to fall back to prepared positions, Murphy remained forward, climbing onto a burning tank destroyer that could still bring its heavy machine gun to bear.
Only a week after the attacks of September 11th, lawmakers and the president moved to define the legal framework for military response.
By May 13th, 1943, the last major pockets of German and Italian troops in Tunisia have laid down their arms, bringing the North African campaign to an end. For United States forces, the road to this day has run through early setbacks such as the defeat at Kasserine Pass and subsequent reorganization and training under new leadership.
On Saipan in the Mariana Islands, July 7th, 1944 witnessed one of the largest Japanese infantry charges of the Pacific War. In a desperate attempt to break American lines, thousands of Japanese soldiers, along with wounded men and support personnel formed into improvised units, launched a massive banzai attack against positions held by United States Army troops, notably elements of the 27th Infantry Division.
A story of a jungle airstrip, thin lines of Marines and soldiers, and how local air power reshaped the Pacific war.
A story of a blood-soaked cornfield, a shallow creek, and a battle that reshaped the Union’s war.
Early in the Civil War, Union and Confederate forces clashed near Big Bethel Church in southeastern Virginia in one of the first significant land battles of the conflict. On June 10th, 1861, mostly inexperienced Union volunteers attempted a night march and dawn attack against Confederate positions but suffered from confusing orders, difficult terrain, and misidentification of friendly units.
Just outside Manassas, Virginia, the first major land battle of the Civil War tore away any illusion of a quick, clean victory. Union forces under Brigadier General Irvin McDowell marched out from Washington hoping to strike inexperienced Confederate troops and end the rebellion in a single blow. Instead they found determined opposition and a battlefield that quickly grew chaotic, with brigades feeding in piecemeal a
Before sunrise on November 20, 1917, the British attack began without the usual warning. There was no long preliminary bombardment to announce that an offensive was coming. No days of shellfire tearing the battlefield apart in advance. Instead, the opening movement at Cambrai depended on secrecy, timing, and the strange mechanical presence of hundreds of tanks moving toward the German line.
When the United States entered the First World War, many allies wondered how quickly American units could adapt to the brutal demands of the Western Front. On May 28th, 1918, the Army’s 1st Division attacked the German-held village of Cantigny in France, supported by tanks, artillery, and aircraft. The assault seized the shattered village and, more importantly, held it against persistent counterattacks and heavy shel
Hooker’s spring offensive crossed the Rappahannock with an ambitious plan but ended in withdrawal. The main battle, Jackson’s flank march, and Sedgwick’s separate advance formed one campaign whose local actions cannot be reduced to a single surprise attack.
A story of a frozen fighting withdrawal and how it reshaped the war in Korea.
The November 1967 fighting around Dak To involved several hills, formations and successive actions. Hill 875 became its best-known episode, but the wider battle also depended on reinforcement, medical evacuation and support from outside the immediate battlefield.
During the First Barbary War, the United States turned a small expedition into an enduring symbol of Marine Corps identity. An overland force of United States Marines and local allies, led by Marine Lieutenant Presley O’Bannon and naval agent William Eaton, marched across harsh desert terrain to attack the port city of Derna on the North African coast. On April 27th, 1805, they assaulted the defenses and captured the
A story of hard lessons, desert tank duels, and a young armor force learning fast enough to change a campaign.
Fast-forward to the summer of the Civil War, and the terrain shifts to the outskirts of Atlanta. Major General William Tecumseh Sherman had pushed his three Union armies close to the rail lines that kept the Confederate stronghold supplied. Newly appointed Confederate commander John Bell Hood tried to break that grip with a series of aggressive counterattacks. At Ezra Church, west of the city, Union troops under Oliv