Military History

Military History is a vast topic with many specialty niches. This section of Olive-Drab.com includes detailed history of World War II, Vietnam and other conflicts as well as guides to military museums and other military history resources.

joan of arc saved france world war i poster motivating purchases of war bond savings stamps
"Joan of Arc Saved France" World War I poster motivating purchases of war bond savings stamps. Click on the poster image for more information and larger size.

Today in WW II: 25 Aug 1939 Polish-British Common Defence Pact signed in London, a military alliance against Germany. More ↓
25 Aug 1939 Mussolini notifies Adolf Hitler that Italy will not support an attack on Poland because the British were not deterred; Hitler postpones planned invasion for a few days.
25 Aug 1940 RAF Bomber Command mounts a risky but successful reprisal raid on Berlin, a shock to German leadership who had been assured by Göring that such a raid was impossible [25-26 Aug].
25 Aug 1941 British and Russian troops enter Iran [Operation Countenance].
25 Aug 1942 Japanese land on the north shore of Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea [25-26 Aug].
25 Aug 1943 Bairoko Harbor, Japanese strong point on New Georgia, 8 miles north of Munda, falls to US troops.
25 Aug 1944 Paris is liberated by Allied troops.
25 Aug 1944 Operation OLIVE commences Allied attack on Germans in Northern Italy, across a broad front.
Visit the Olive-Drab.com World War II Timeline for day-by-day events 1939-1945! See also WW2 Books.

Military History

Military history is a vast topic since warfare has been a constant aspect of the general flow of history. Military history also has great depth. You can make a lifelong study of just one battle or item of military equipment. Many people find military history to be fascinating with a lot of satisfaction derived from understanding what happened and why.

Olive-Drab.com military history is organized into these sections:

Click on the list item to go there directly.

Within Olive-Drab.com there are many other areas with historical information and there is a lot of overlap with other topics. For an example, check out Origin of the Military Jeep in the Military Vehicles section. So make sure you review the Military Organizations page and the Military Books page along with this page and the other major pages on Olive-Drab.com. Also try Olive-Drab.com Search to look for other references to your topic. Search is available at the top right of every page Olive-Drab.com or on the Directory.

The Society for Military History is devoted to stimulating and advancing the study of military history. Its membership (today about 2000) has included many of the nation's most prominent scholars, soldiers, and citizens interested in military history.

Another Olive-Drab.com resource you should look at is the compilation of sources for military photographs. History comes alive when you can see it and Olive-Drab.com lists the best places on the web to find historical photos as well as recent material. Here is one example:

L-R: Joseph H. Eastman, James A. Meissner, Edward 'Eddie' Vernon Rickenbacker, Reed Chambers, and Thorne C. Taylor stand beside the plane of famed American 'Ace of Aces' and Medal of Honor winner Captain Rickenbacker. The SPAD XIII.C.1 was powered by a 220 hp Hispano-Suiza engine capable of a top speed in level flight of 131 mph. At the 94th Pursuit Squadron ('Hat in the Ring') of the American Expeditionary Force, France 1917-1918
L-R: Joseph H. Eastman, James A. Meissner, Edward "Eddie" Vernon Rickenbacker, Reed Chambers, and Thorne C. Taylor stand beside the plane of famed American "Ace of Aces" and Medal of Honor winner Captain Rickenbacker. The SPAD XIII.C.1 was powered by a 220 hp Hispano-Suiza engine capable of a top speed in level flight of 131 mph. At the 94th Pursuit Squadron ("Hat in the Ring") of the American Expeditionary Force, France 1917-1918.