Battles, campaigns, military decisions, wars, and the soldiers who fought them.
Rear Admiral William Sims openly defied attempts by Navy Secretary Daniels to silence his criticism of naval conduct during World War I. Speaking before 600 diners at the Waldorf, Sims declared his refusal to accept any gag order.
The fortress city of Metz fell to Prussian forces as Marshal Bazaine surrendered with 180,000 French troops. The capitulation dealt a devastating blow to France’s war effort against Prussia.
In September 1943, the Soviet Red Army demonstrated its peak wartime strength, forcing German forces into retreat toward the Dnieper River. This offensive marked a decisive shift in the Eastern Front campaign.
Russian military officers crossed the frontier into Bulgaria in September 1883 as the Czar’s agents worked to overthrow Prince Alexander. The incident raised fears of a revival of the Eastern Question.
Three Allied armies prepared for a coordinated triple assault on Germany’s formidable Hindenburg Line in early September 1918. Rapid gains in Picardy suggested the German defense was beginning to collapse after years of stalemate.
In February 1901, Piet De Wet, chairman of a Boer peace commission, wrote to his brother Christian De Wet appealing for surrender. The letter highlighted growing divisions within Boer leadership as the Second Boer War entered its second year.
New York City mobilized unprecedented resources to welcome home Admiral George Dewey from his Spanish-American War victory. The elaborate preparations included massive public viewing stands and coordinated entertainment.
Emperor Nicholas II assumed personal command of Russian armies as German forces threatened the strategic Baltic port of Riga. The dramatic decision marked a critical turning point in Russia’s World War I campaign.
