Holland Archives

Weaker in many ways, but passionate for their independence, the Dutch pounce on a Spanish fleet even under the protective British guns at Dover.

Holland

The Battle of the Downs & the Eighty Years’ War

By Keith Milton

Vice-Admiral Sir John Pennington’s jolly-boat nudged against the accommodation ladder that had been rigged aboard the Santiago, flagship of Admiral Don Rafael d’Oquendo’s Spanish fleet. Read more

A painting by Jean Watteau (1684-1721) shows French infantry on the march, complete with donkeys and camp followers.

Holland

The Duke of Marlborough Unleashed at the Battle of Ramillies

By Vince Hawkins

The War of Spanish Succession, fought between 1701 and 1711, witnessed the emergence of some of Europe’s greatest military commanders. Read more

Holland

Hell in a Small Place: the Canadian Paratroopers of Operation Varsity

By Bernd Horn

In the hut no one spoke, no one joked. The assembled British and Canadian paratroop commanders awaited the briefing from their brigade commander on their next major operation. Read more

The 809th Tank Destroyer Battalion prepares to move out from the French port of Le Havre on January 22, 1945. The equipment consists of M20 command and reconnaissance cars belonging to the 809th’s A Company. The M20 was a variant of the M8 Greyhound, with the turret and 37mm cannon removed.

Holland

Tank Destroyers in Action! Photos of the 809th on the Front

By Neal Fausset

The 809th Tank Destroyer Battalion was an independently attached unit of the U.S. Army. The battalion was activated on March 18, 1942, at Camp Forrest, Tennessee, and remained in the United States through most of the war. Read more

Holland

Dutch Debacle

By John W. Osborn, Jr.

When world war engulfed Europe for the second time in a generation, the Netherlands placed its faith in the diplomatic delusion that it could remain neutral like it had during World War I. Read more

Holland

Brutal Battle for a Dutch Island

By Jon Diamond

Look at a map of Holland. At the extreme southwest corner, connected to the mainland by a narrow causeway, is a peninsula known as Walcheren Island jutting into the North Sea. Read more

Holland

Blitzkrieg 1940: From the Invasion of Holland to the Fall of France

By John Brown

The ancient Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu wrote, “Go forth to the enemy’s positions to which he must race. Read more

Holland

The Port Chicago Disaster: The Largest Mutiny Trial in U.S. History

After sundown on July 17, something happened at a small port town 40 miles northeast of San Francisco that has never been fully explained…

The 7,500-ton Liberty ship SS E.A. Read more

Holland

“My Sister and I”: An Elaborate Literary Hoax

By Sheldon Winkler

During World War II, Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, from her exile in London, urged her staff to find a 12-year-old Dutch boy, Dirk van der Heide. Read more

Holland

Fire: A Photo Essay for the World War II GI

By Kevin M. Hymel

Next to sleep, warmth was the most sought after commodity of the frontline soldiers who froze in their foxholes, stomping their feet or puffing on cigarettes to keep warm. Read more

Taking advantage of the minimal cover afforded by their foxhole, a pair of American soldiers provides suppressing fire in an effort to dislodge a German sniper

Holland

Major Dick Winters: The Island In His Own Words

By Dick Winters

Now that Uden was secured, Easy Company and the remainder of the 101st Airborne Division received orders to move to the “Island,” a long narrow area north of Nijmegen between the Lower Rhine and the Waal Rivers. Read more

From Around the Network

Was Hitler’s Ardennes Offensive Brilliant or Delusional?

Muhammad Ali’s Draft Controversy

American Isolation Advocates

The Battle of Lepanto: “The Best Day’s Work in Centuries”