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: 9 Jul 1940 Battle of Calabria [Battle of Punta Stilo, the toe of Italy] fought between the Italian Royal Navy and the British/Australian Royal Navies, 30 miles [48km] east of Punta Stilo.  More ↓
9 Jul 1943 US-British invasion of Sicily begins [night of 9-10 Jul].
9 Jul 1944 British and Canadian forces capture Caen from the Germans, a critical post-D-Day objective in Normandy, France.
9 Jul 1944 US forces reach the northern end of Saipan, finding thousands of Japanese civilian men, women, and children who commit suicide by leaping off the cliffs rather than be captured.
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.