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Mexican Revolution: Departing Veracruz

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 01:00:52 +0000

November 23, 1914 - US forces depart Veracruz after a seven-month occupation. In the wake of the April 1914 Tampico Affair, Pres. Woodrow Wilson demanded that the government of Mexican usurper Gen. Victoriano Huerta offer a salute to the American flag. The latest in several Mexican-American issues, Wilson authorized the US Navy to occupy the port of Veracruz when his demands were not met and to block a shipment of arms. Landing on April 21, Marines and sailors from RAdm. Frank F. Fletcher's squadron seized the waterfront and engaged Mexican forces. Reinforced overnight, Fletcher occupied the entire city the next day. Remaining in place for seven months, American forces departed after mediation by Argentina, Brazil, and Chile. Was the occupation of Veracruz a necessary action or an overreaction by the Wilson Administration?

Photograph Courtesy of the US Naval History & Heritage Command

Mexican Revolution: Departing Veracruz originally appeared on About.com Military History on Monday, November 23rd, 2009 at 01:00:52.

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Civil War: Hood Marches His Army to its Doom

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:00:36 +0000

November 22, 1864 - Confederate General John Bell Hood's (right) Army of Tennessee enters Tennessee en route to its destruction. Born in Kentucky, Hood graduated from West Point in 1853. Immediately joining Confederate forces at the beginning of the Civil War, he established himself a gifted brigade and division leader in Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. An aggressive, rash commander, he specialized in offensive operations. Wounded at Gettysburg, he played a key role in the Battle of Chickamauga and lost a leg in the fighting. A friend of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, he was given a corps command in the Army of Tennessee in early 1864. Critical of Gen. Joseph E. Johnston, he was given command of the army by Davis in July 1864. Conducting a series of bloody attacks, he was forced from Atlanta by Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman. Attacking into Tennessee that fall, he wrecked his army at Franklin before being routed at Nashville in December. Share your thoughts on Hood - offensive star or rash failure - or both?

Photograph Courtesy of the National Archives & Records Administration

Civil War: Hood Marches His Army to its Doom originally appeared on About.com Military History on Saturday, November 21st, 2009 at 01:00:36.

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World War I: Tanks at Cambrai

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:00:45 +0000

November 20, 1917 - British forces open the Battle of Cambrai. With the failure of the offensives against Passchendaele, British Commander-in-Chief Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig approved an attack against Cambrai. Featuring the first large-scale tank assault in history, the attack began on November 20 and saw British forces make swift gains. Increasingly bogged down by arriving German reserves, the offensive ground to a halt on November 28. Two days later, the Germans launched a massive counterattack using new "stormtrooper" tactics which threw back the British. By the end of the campaign on December 6, the front had returned to the pre-battle status-quo. An initial success, how could the British have made this a decisive victory?

Photograph Source: Public Domain

World War I: Tanks at Cambrai originally appeared on About.com Military History on Thursday, November 19th, 2009 at 01:00:45.

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Indian Rebellion of 1857: Lucknow Relieved (Again)

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 01:00:17 +0000

November 16, 1857 - British forces at the Siege of Lucknow are relieved for the second time. With the outbreak of the Indian Rebellion of 1857, British forces at Lucknow soon found themselves under siege by rebel sepoy forces. Having fortified the Residency complex, they held off the rebels for 87 days until a relief column arrived under the leadership of Major Generals James Outram and Henry Havelock. Unable to remove the wounded and non-combatants from the city, they were soon under siege again as rebel numbers increased. Holding out for 61 days, they were relieved by a strong force led by Lieutenant General Sir Colin Campbell on November 16. Evacuating the city, Campbell returned the following March to restore British control.

Indian Rebellion of 1857: Lucknow Relieved (Again) originally appeared on About.com Military History on Tuesday, November 17th, 2009 at 01:00:17.

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World War II: The Desert Fox

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 01:00:00 +0000

November 15, 1891 - Erwin Rommel (right) is born at Heidenheim, Germany. Entering the army in 1910, Rommel saw service on multiple fronts during World War I and earned the Pour le M�rite for his actions at the Battle of Caporetto. Rising through the ranks after the war, he became a personal favorite of Adolf Hitler. Given a panzer division for invasion of the Low Countries and France, he proved a bold and aggressive commander, but one who often overlooked staff work and logistics. Sent to Africa to lead the Afrikakorps, Rommel earned the name "The Desert Fox" for his bold attacks against the British. Ignoring orders to halt, he drove the British back to the Egyptian border. Through 1941 and 1942, Rommel fought a series of battles against the British in the desert sands until finally being driven back to Tunisia after defeat at Second El Alamein. With the collapse of the North African campaign, he was assigned to France where he worked to improve the coastal defenses. Badly wounded in July 1944, he was later revealed to be a conspirator in the July 20 Plot to kill Hitler. Given the choice between suicide or a show trial, he chose the former and took a cyanide pill on October 14. Rommel is often considered one of the great generals of World War II - where does he rank with you?

Photograph Courtesy of the National Archives & Records Administration

World War II: The Desert Fox originally appeared on About.com Military History on Sunday, November 15th, 2009 at 01:00:00.

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World War I: A Global Struggle

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 01:00:29 +0000

While the armies clashed in Europe, fighting also raged across the belligerents' colonial empires. In Africa, British, French, and Belgian forces captured the German colonies of Togoland, Kamerun, and South-West Africa. Only in German East Africa was a successful defense mounted, where Colonel Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck's men held out for the duration of the conflict. In the Middle East (right), British forces clashed with the Ottoman Empire. After the failed campaign at Gallipoli, the primary British efforts came through Egypt and Mesopotamia. After victories at Romani and Gaza, British troops pushed into Palestine and won the key Battle of Megiddo. Other campaigns in the region included fighting in the Caucasus and the Arab Revolt.

Photograph Source: Public Domain

World War I: A Global Struggle originally appeared on About.com Military History on Friday, November 13th, 2009 at 01:00:29.

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World War II: Patton Born

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:00:06 +0000

November 11, 1885 - General George S. Patton, Jr. (right) is born at San Gabriel, CA. The descendent of Brig. Gen. Hugh Mercer and several Confederate officers, Patton graduated from West Point in 1909. An early proponent of armored warfare, he oversaw the US Tank School during World War I and led an armored brigade in the conflict's final months. With the outbreak of World War II, Patton led American forces during Operations Torch and Husky. A flamboyant leader, he frequently retarded his career with outspoken comments and nearly ended it when he slapped a soldier in Sicily. Held back from D-Day, he later led the US Third Army during its rapid advance across France and played a key role in the Battle of the Bulge. Relieved in November 1945 for comments against occupation policy and the Soviets, he suddenly died the following month from injuries sustained in a car accident. Share your thoughts on this charismatic leader - was he one of America's best or all bluff and bluster?

Happy Veterans Day to All Those Who have Served

Photograph Courtesy of the National Archives & Records Administration

World War II: Patton Born originally appeared on About.com Military History on Wednesday, November 11th, 2009 at 01:00:06.

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World War II: The Torch is Lit

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:00:51 +0000

November 8-10, 1942 - Allied troops land in North Africa as part of Operation Torch (right). Having been having been persuaded of the impracticality of launching an invasion of France, American commanders agreed to conduct landings in northwest Africa with the goal of clearing the continent of Axis troops and preparing the way for a future attack on southern Europe. Believing the Vichy French forces in the the area would offer little to no resistance, American and British forces began landing at Casablanca, Oran, and Algiers on November 8, 1942. While some French forces offered battled, they were quickly overcome as the Allies secured their objectives. Consolidating their position, the Allies began advancing east into Tunisia with the goal of trapping Axis forces against Gen. Bernard Montgomery's advancing Eighth Army. Share your thoughts on Operation Torch - was it the right move or should an invasion of France been attempted in 1943?

Photograph Courtesy of the National Archives & Records Administration

World War II: The Torch is Lit originally appeared on About.com Military History on Monday, November 9th, 2009 at 01:00:51.

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Tecumseh's War: Harrison Stands at Tippecanoe

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 01:00:40 +0000

November 7, 1811 - Gen. William Henry Harrison (right) wins the Battle of Tippecanoe. In the wake of his failures to overturn the Treaty of Fort Wayne, the Shawnee leader Tecumseh and his brother Tenskwatawa began organizing a confederacy against the United States. Gathering forces at Prophetstown, Tenskwatawa was soon confronted by an army led by Harrison. Attacking Harrison's camp near the Tippecanoe River, his men were repeatedly repelled. Though having sustained greater losses, Harrison's victory inflicted a serious blow to Tecumseh's efforts to unite the tribes. Despite this, Tecumseh remained a threat on the frontier until his death at the 1813 Battle of the Thames. Was Harrison's win a foregone conclusion or should Tenskwatawa approached the battle differently?

Photograph Source: Public Domain

Tecumseh's War: Harrison Stands at Tippecanoe originally appeared on About.com Military History on Saturday, November 7th, 2009 at 01:00:40.

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Crimean War: Defensive Effort at Inkerman

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 01:00:41 +0000

November 5, 1854 - Allied forces win the Battle of Inkerman. Having been defeated at Alma and thwarted at Balaclava, Russian commander Prince Alexander Menshikov devised a plan to crush the British 2nd Division on the heights near Inkerman. Striking with overwhelming numbers from two directions, the Russians met intense resistance from Brig. Gen. John L. Pennefather's men. Defeating attacks from the west, the British next repelled assaults from the north as reinforcements reached the field. Counterattacking, British and French troops succeeded in driving off the Russians. The battle effectively broke the back of the Russian army and reduced the war to the siege of Sevastopol. Though the Russians possessed a massive numerical advantage, they failed in their objectives - what should they have done differently?

Crimean War: Defensive Effort at Inkerman originally appeared on About.com Military History on Thursday, November 5th, 2009 at 01:00:41.

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