battlefield Archives

A panther tank and panzer grenadiers of the 5th SS Panzer Division Wiking help to break the encirclement of the Russian town of Kowel in the strategically important area of the Pripet Marshes.

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Waffen SS General Felix Steiner’s WWII Legacy

By Pat McTaggart

“Where is Steiner?” Adolf Hitler demanded as his Thousand Year Reich crumbled around him in April 1945. “Is he attacking yet?” Read more

British “New Army” infantrymen “go over the top” in a film made in 1916 about the Battle of the Somme, which began earlier in the year. The Allies had high hopes for the offensive.

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A Sunlit Picture of Hell: Battle of the Somme

By O’Brien Brown

Early in the morning of July 1, 1916, a mist blanketed the lolling hills of the Somme region of northwestern France. Read more

After fighting all night and clearing over 100 pillboxes in the Siegfried Line, men of the 36th Infantry Division collapse on a sidewalk in Berg Zabern, Germany. The end of the war is a month away.

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Sleep in the Military: Not Dead, Just Dead Tired

By Kevin M. Hymel

One of the most precious resources in war, and the one most often in short supply, is sleep. Read more

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Military Games of Fall 2021

By Joseph Luster

The future of Battlefield is upon us with Battlefield 2042, but the main game itself isn’t the most interesting part of the package. Read more

In their first major battles of World War I, American Expeditionary Force troops helped blunt multiple offensives launched by the German Army in the spring of 1918.

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World War I Doughboys’ Bloody Baptism

As the fateful day drew to a close, the exhausted World War I soldiers of the German 25th and 82nd Reserve Divisions huddled in their trenches. Read more

Seymour entered into the war as a slave owned by the brother of Aaron Burr. By the end of the war, he would earn his freedom.

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African American Revolutionary War Heroes: Seymour Burr

There were several African American Revolutionary War heroes that made major contributions on and off the battlefield, but not all of them fought for the Colonists. Read more

Crispus Attucks has always been thought to be the leader and main instigator of the Boston Massacre, but debate continues regarding his involvement and his portrayal in the history books.

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African American Revolutionary War Heroes: Crispus Attucks

There were many African Americans in the Revolutionary War, and although some of them fought for the Colonists and others for the British, freedom was usually their motivation. Read more

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Before MAS*H: Portable Army Surgical Hospitals in World War II

by Glen Barnett

Mobile Army Surgical Hospitals, or M*A*S*H units, were popularized by Richard Hooker’s novel series, the 1970 film starring Donald Southerland and of course the long-running television show starring Alan Alda. Read more

Although Stonewall Jackson’s death was unpreventable, given the state of medicine at the time, it is more likely that he died from thromboembolism than from the indirect cause of pneumonia.

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Robert E. Lee’s “Right Arm”

Following his greatest victory, at the Battle of Chancellorsville on May 2, 1863, Confederate Lt. Gen. Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson was scouting ahead of the lines with members of his staff when tragedy struck. Read more

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A Murderous Order at Culp’s Hill

By Joshua Sheperd

Although Union Colonel Silas Colgrove had previously led his men through some of the most horrific fighting in the eastern theater of the Civil War, the order he received on the morning of July 3, 1863, in the woods near Culp’s Hill at Gettysburg, was the most unnerving he had ever received. Read more

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U.S. Army Heritage Museum

By Mason B. Webb

In the heart of Pennsylvania, not far from the Civil War battlefields of Gettysburg, stands the U.S. Read more

Against the odds, Detroit defied reality to help win World War II.

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Ford’s Willow Run Factory

By Samantha L. Quigley

They said it couldn’t be done. Doubters chided Henry Ford for declaring that his Willow Run Bomber Plant could turn out a B-24 Liberator heavy bomber every hour. Read more

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Saipan’s Maritime Heritage Trail

By Jennifer F. McKinnon & Della A. Scott-Breton

Saipan’s shallow, tropical lagoons are a veritable waterpark for World War II enthusiasts who do not mind getting wet. Read more

Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest rose from the ranks to become a daring and audacious cavalry commander during the American Civil War.

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Legendary Cavalry Commander Nathan Bedford Forrest

By Mike Haskew

Prior to the American Civil War, Nathan Bedford Forrest amassed a fortune in real estate, agriculture, and the slave trade. Read more

In addition to the Founding Fathers, there were numerous female Revolutionary War heroes who contributed substantially to the fight for independence, like Martha Washington.

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Female Revolutionary War Heroes: the Front Lines and at Home

by Mike Haskew Martha Custis Washington: General’s Wife and First Lady

Martha Custis Washington, wife of General George Washington, came to the winter quarters of her husband’s army each winter of the Revolutionary War. Read more

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Battle of Chickamauga: Death in the Deep Woods

By Cowan Brew

It was nearly 11 on the morning of September 20, 1863, and the woods around slow-moving Chickamauga Creek in northwest Georgia were ominously quiet. Read more

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Game Features: World of Tanks Iron Brotherhood Update

by Joseph Luster

The latest update for World of Tanks recently arrived, deploying a line of Red Army heavy tanks across Xbox 360 consoles. Read more

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Grand views and Stirring Tales Await at the Chattanooga Battlefields

By William E. Welsh

Deep ranks of Federal troops moved steadily across the valley floor toward Missionary Ridge late in the afternoon on November 25, 1863. Read more

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‘Goosebumps’: Flint Whitlock Visits the D-Day Invasion Landings

By Flint Whitlock

I feel deeply honored to have been chosen by the Smithsonian Institution to lead D-Day trips to England and France (one took place in May; the other two were scheduled to take place in September and October). Read more

Lasting nine-and-a-half months, Battle of Petersburg was a major event in the American Civil War. Below are the major battle sites visitors shouldn't miss.

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The Sites That Bring Petersburg National Battlefield to Life

by William E. Welsh

When you mention the Petersburg campaign to someone familiar with Civil War battles, chances are the discussion will turn to the Battle of the Crater. Read more

From Around the Network

Imperator: Rome Has Us Looking to the Past for Answers

Spanish Foreign Legion

Codebreaking at the Battle of the Bulge

Seek…Attack…Destroy