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Battlefield Chronicles

The War of 1812 – The Siege of Fort McHenry

The War of 1812 – The Siege of Fort McHenry

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Every American is familiar with the words of Francis Scott Key's epic poem-turned song-turned national anthem.  "Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight, ⁠O'er the ramparts we watch'd, were so gallantly streaming?" As we stand there, listening to the words while waiting for our football or baseball game to start, it likely doesn't occur to us just how miraculous it was for the broad stripes and bright stars to still be gallantly streaming that morning in September 1814. At the outset of the battle, things looked pretty grim for the Americans.  The Siege of Fort McHenry: Inspiration for Our National Anthem When the War of 1812 began, Britain was fighting a defensive war, mainly because it was focused on defeating Napoleon in Europe. When Napoleon was exiled to Elba in May 1814, the Royal Navy was free to take the offensive – and it did, in a big way.  The U.S. saw success in the Great Lakes and against Britain's American Indian allies, but the Royal Navy...

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Civil War – The Battle of Gettysburg

Civil War – The Battle of Gettysburg

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Gen. Robert E. Lee led his Army of North Virginia only two times into the North throughout the American Civil War. The winner of the first battle was inconclusive; the second determined the winner of the war.   The first battle fought on northern soil took place in September 1862, when Gen. Robert E. Lee's army invaded Maryland. It was near Antietam Creek in Sharpsburg, Maryland where his Army of Northern Virginia was confronted by Maj. Gen. George McClellan's Army of the Potomac. Fierce hand-to-hand fighting resulted in halting Lee's invasion, but Lee was able to withdraw his army back to Virginia without obstruction from the cautious McClellan who offered no pursuit. Although the battle was tactically inconclusive, the Confederate troops had withdrawn first from the battlefield, making it, in military terms, a Union victory. Antietam was also the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with a combined total of nearly 23,000 dead, wounded, and missing. Eleven months...

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WW2 – The Battle Of Dutch Harbor

WW2 – The Battle Of Dutch Harbor

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The Aleutian Islands are known for their rugged, treeless tundra and almost perpetually foul weather, but during the early days of World War II, they were considered a valuable piece of real estate. Fresh off their success at Pearl Harbor, the Japanese were looking to consolidate their gains in the Pacific while also stymying any potential U.S. attacks against their home islands. The Aleutians - situated at the center of the shortest route between the United States and Japan - were viewed as a key part of their defensive shield. Moreover, The island of Unalaska, in the heart of the Aleutian Chain, is approximately 80 square miles in size with an elevation as high as 6,680 feet at the top of Makushin Volcano. The Port of Dutch Harbor, which is part of the City of Unalaska, is located on Amaknak Island and is connected to Unalaska by bridge. The Japanese high command scheduled an advance on the islands for June 1942. While the bulk of their navy looked to demolish the American Pacific...

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The War of 1812 – The Battle of Bladensburg

The War of 1812 – The Battle of Bladensburg

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During the War of 1812, the young United States was still asserting its independence from Britain despite its earlier military victories in both the Revolution and the Barbary War. In 1813, Americans captured and burned the capital of Upper Canada, the city of York (modern-day Toronto). It was a tactical victory but did little to win the war - and it would cost them in a big way.  The Battle of Bladensburg and Its Significance The British would finally bring a significant force to bear against the Americans, and a combination of miscalculation and inexperienced command would result in the burning of the nation's capital. The only silver lining was 500 Marines who kept them at bay long enough for the U.S. government to escape.  For two years, the British Army and Royal Navy were focused on defeating Napoleon in Europe. They didn't have the resources to dedicate themselves to fully execute a war in North America. They simply didn't have the manpower or material to avenge defeats like...

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America’s War in Afghanistan

America’s War in Afghanistan

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On Oct. 7, 2001, less than a month after the Sept. 11th terror attacks, U.S. warplanes bombed targets in Afghanistan in what would be the opening offensive of Operation Enduring Freedom, the effort to drive the Taliban and al-Qaida from the country and install a democratic government. United States Toppled the Taliban-Ruled Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan CIA operatives and U.S. Special Forces teamed with the mostly-Tajik Northern Alliance to take Kabul, Mazar-i-Sharif, and other cities under an air umbrella that was provided primarily by the Navy and used Joint Direct Attack Munitions to devastating effect. Then-Marine Brig. Gen. Jim Mattis led Task Force 58, consisting of the 15th and 26th Marine Expeditionary Units, on an air assault that eventually resulted in the taking of Kandahar, the birthplace of the Taliban movement. By Dec. 9, 2001, the Taliban had collapsed, and leader Mullah Omar had fled to Pakistan. Then, the U.S. focus turned to the invasion of Iraq. On Oct. 7, 2018,...

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Civil War – The Battle of Stones River

Civil War – The Battle of Stones River

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It was cold at the turning of the year in Murfreesboro, right in the middle of the state of Tennessee. The little town nestled under a crook in the arm of the Stones River, near where the water rushed and chattered over a long shallow ford. The Civil War had raged across the country for nearly two years. At the end of December in 1862, the Union force called the Army of the Cumberland was maneuvering into position to challenge the Confederacy's Army of Tennessee. Opposing Forces of the Battle of Stones River The Confederate troops were commanded by Gen. Braxton Bragg, a tall, thickly bearded, sad-eyed veteran of the South's campaigns. His army numbered around thirty-five thousand men, cavalry, cannon, infantry, and skirmishers. They had been encamped north of Murfreesboro for a month when the Union forces finally arrived. Maj. Gen. William Rosecrans was in command of the Union Army of the Cumberland, which out-numbered Bragg's force by nearly ten thousand men. They had marched the...

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The Amazing History of the USS Barb (SS 220)

The Amazing History of the USS Barb (SS 220)

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When it comes to submarine action during World War II, there are a number of standouts, and among them is the submarine USS Barb (SS 220). But what makes USS Barb unique? No other submarine can boast a train on its battle flag. One of the Submarine's Main Characters There can't be a story about USS Barb without mentioning one of the submarine's main characters: commanding officer Lt. Cmdr. Eugene B. Fluckey. The Washington, D.C.-native was to Barb as chocolate is to peanut butter. While there are many fascinating tales about Barb during World War II, this one, in particular, is during the sub's 12th and final war patrol that began in June 1945. The sub, crew and her skipper were still basking in the glow of Barb's 11th war patrol that earned Fluckey the Medal of Honor and the Presidential Unit Citation for the crew of the submarine.  He had previously earned four Navy Crosses. But Fluckey wasn't about to rest on his or the sub's laurels after bargaining a fifth war patrol from Adm....

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WW2 – The Allied Invasion of Sicily (Operation Husky)

WW2 – The Allied Invasion of Sicily (Operation Husky)

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The July 1943 invasion of Sicily (Operation Husky) was a masterstroke of military planning and execution. It freed much of the Mediterranean Sea for Allied shipping, inflicted more than 175,000 casualties on the Axis forces, took down Benito Mussolini’s government, and knocked Italy out of the war. It’s stunning, in retrospect, to consider that it almost didn’t happen.  The Planning and Execution of Operation Husky American planners believed invading anything but the Italian mainland would be an irrelevant venture. At the Casablanca Conference in January 1943, the British convinced the U.S. that clearing Sicily would mean clearing the Mediterranean of Axis aircraft and ships.   Before the invasion, code-named Operation Husky, could begin, the Allies needed to reduce the island’s defenses. The Allied bomber force began hitting targets in Sardinia, Sicily, southern Italy, and Greece to keep the Axis guessing where the next attack would be. Allied forces also bombed and...

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Vietnam War – Operation Union II

Vietnam War – Operation Union II

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Operation Union II was a military operation that took place in the Vietnam War. It was a search and destroy mission in the Que Son Valley carried out by the 5th Marine Regiment. Launched on May 26, 1967, the operation ended June 5. It was a bloody 10-day battle that resulted in 594 NVA killed and 23 captured, while U.S. casualties were 110 killed and 241 wounded. The Importance of the Que Son Valley in the Vietnam War The Que Son Valley is located along the border of Quang Nam and Quang Tin Provinces in South Vietnam's I Corps. Populous and rice-rich, the valley was viewed as one of the keys to controlling South Vietnam's five Northern provinces by the communists and by early 1967 at least two regiments of the 2nd Division of the People's Army of Vietnam had been infiltrated into the area. The 1st Battalion, 5th Marines (1/5) and 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines (3/5), experienced units that had fought in Vietnam since their arrival in the summer of 1966, were assigned to the valley in...

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Vietnam War – Operation Frequent Wind and the Fall of Saigon

Vietnam War – Operation Frequent Wind and the Fall of Saigon

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The Vietnam War ended for the United States in January 1973, but not entirely. South Vietnam would fight in vain for its existence for another two years. As North Vietnamese troops closed in on the South Vietnamese capital of Saigon, U.S military assets scrambled to evacuate American personnel and South Vietnamese refugees. Ultimately, the U.S. military and the CIA’s Air America evacuated 1,373 Americans, nearly 6,000 third-country nationals, and more than 138,000 South Vietnamese refugees. Called Operation Frequent Wind, the evacuation was among the last combat actions between North Vietnam and the United States.  The Success of Operation Frequent Wind The end of American involvement in Vietnam is often punctuated by the imagery of U.S. military personnel pushing helicopters into the sea from the decks of aircraft carriers. Out of context, these images seem to punctuate the failure of the American mission in Vietnam. Looks can be deceiving.  A closer look at the UH-1 Hueys that went...

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Civil War – The Battle of Memphis

Civil War – The Battle of Memphis

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By June of 1862, the Civil War was not going well for the Union cause. A string of Union defeats in 1861 dampened the enthusiasm for the Union cause, but a victory at the Battle of Shiloh and the Federal capture of New Orleans was enough to restore hope for the preservation of the Union. The First Battle of Memphis: The Battle of the Rams On June 6, 1862, the Union and Confederate Navies would fight a pitched battle on the Mississippi River that would have a resounding significance, not just for the war, but for the future of the U.S. Navy itself. The First Battle of Memphis, also known as "The Battle of the Rams," would mark the end of privateering in the United States and lead to a purely professional U.S. Navy.  The Mississippi River was a key component of the Union's plan to cripple the Confederacy and end the rebellion. Called the "Anaconda Plan," the Union strategy required a blockade of the southern coast and control of the Mississippi River to strangle the South's ability to...

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Civil War – The Overland Campaign

Civil War – The Overland Campaign

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The first few years of the Civil War did not go well for the Union. At best, the war until 1863 performance could be considered a stalemate. At worst, the Confederates were establishing themselves as a force to be reckoned with. President Abraham Lincoln was looking down the barrel at a re-election campaign he never thought he would win and a country that might permanently be split in two. Lincoln had chosen a number of generals to command the Union Army, but none of them could make any headway against the rebellion. Gen. George McClellan was an organized leader but overly cautious and allowed the Confederates to escape destruction on a few occasions. He was replaced by Gen. Henry Halleck, who was even more ineffective.  Ulysses S. Grant's Overland Campaign One of the few bright spots was a commander in the West, a general who had defeated the Confederates at Shiloh, Chattanooga, and gave the Union control of the Mississippi River when he captured Vicksburg, Mississippi....

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