The best of prophets of the future is the past.
--- Lord Byron
Many animals have memory but no other creature but man can recall the past at will.
--- Aristotle
Read and reread the campaigns of Alexander, Hannibal, Caesar, Gustaphus Adolphus, Turenne and Frederick; take them as your model; that is the only way of becoming a Great Captain, to obtain the secrets of the art of war.
--- Napoleon
Writing, the art of communicating thoughts to the mind through the eye, is the great invention of the world ... enabling us to converse with the dead, the absent, and the unborn, at all distances of time and space.
--- Abe Lincoln, from a lecture before the Springfield Library Association, 22 February 1860.
Military History Basics
- See also history, in general
- Whispers of Warriors - The Importance of History to the Military Professional (local copy), by Congressman Ike Skelton, in Naval War College Review
Instances of Use of United States Armed Forces Abroad, 1798- (Local copy), Congressional Research Service (CRS) report
- A Short History of War (Local copy), online military history of past 5000 years, from Army War College, with some Air War College additions, short enough for colonels to read
- Air War College 12,000 year (almost) timeline
- American Military History, online version of the book covering it all, from pre-Revolution to 1988
- Evolution of Warfare
- course materials (except readings) for Naval Education and Training Command course NETC P1550/7 (3-94)
- good place to get names of leaders, battles, wars, and articles/books
Historiography, the Capturing of History
- See also tools for historians
- Airmen and Air Theory - A Review of the Sources, by Meilinger, AU Press, 2001
- I wrote part two, "The Historiography of Airpower Theory and Doctrine," at the request of the editorial board of The Journal of Military History after it decided to publish a historiographical article in each quarterly issue. My article on airpower historiography appeared in the April 2000 issue of JMH.
- A Visit from Historian Shelby Foote, by Carter, in Humanities, Jan/Feb 2000 - short piece, a nice read
- U.S. Army Heritage & Education Center (USAHEC), formerly know as U.S. Army Military History Institute (USAMHI)
- Military History Methodology & Craft - a Working Bibliography of MHI Sources
- A Guide to the Study and Use of Military History, by Jessup and Coakley, Center of Military History, 1988
Searching the Net
Centennial of Flight
History, in General
- See also military history basics
- Web Sources for Military History, by Richard Jensen -- a good starting point
- American Historical Association
- Organization of American Historians (OAH)
- The History Net, "where history lives on the web"
- Military History on About.com
- History Studies, incl by region/country, WWW Virtual Library
- Military History, WWW Virtual Library
- History Channel Online
- HyperHistory Online, with interactive maps and timelines
- Open Society Archives (OSA) at Central European University, "acquires, preserves, and makes available research resources in areas of human rights, communism, and the Cold War"
- British Imperial War Museum
- The Future Is Not What It Used To Be, by Rear Admiral Bill Rowley, incl past predictions
- Military History: Is It Still Practicable? by Jay Luvaas, Originally published in Army War College's Parameters
- Renegade Woods, (Local copy) a sample of historical documentation created in Vietnam by deployed combat historians, from the US Army Center of Military History (to go to the full report, click on the title on the intro page)
- Books and Documents, covering all U.S. wars since Colonial Era
- Historical Information Resources, My Virtual Reference Desk
- American Military History, online version of the book covering it all, from pre-Revolution to 1988
- The Aviation History On-Line Museum
- History Dept, U. of North Texas
- Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World, from Marathon to Waterloo (local copy), first published in 1851 (with later editions), by Edward Shepherd Creasy (1812-1878)
- A History of Freedom of Thought (local copy), by Bury - philosophy from ancient Greece to the early 20th century
Military and Non-Military Casualties in War
- Deaths in Wars and Conflicts in the 20th Century, by Leitenberg, Occasional Paper #29, Cornell University Peace Studies Program, 2006
- Military Casualty Information, from the Directorate for Information Operations and Reports (DIOR), the "Source of Statistical Information on the Department of Defense"
- Coalition Casualties in Operation Iraqi Freedom
- war costs, percentage dead, etc. for major US wars, from LSU
- Figures and Tables of Historical Lethality, Casualty Rates, Mortality Rates from A Short History of War
Oral History and Interviewing
- See also Interviewing on Comm Skills page
- Oral History: Techniques and Procedures (local copy), by Stephen E. Everett, US Army Center of Military History (CMH). Look at doing oral histories to capture experiences of your assigned personnel and guests, retirees, etc.
- Oral History Primer: Do-It-Yourself Guide (local copy), History and Museums Division HQ, USMC
- previous Oral History Primer: Do-It-Yourself Guide (local copy), by Benis M. Frank, History and Museums Division HQ, USMC
- Using Oral History, Lesson Overview, short course on using interviews, Library of Congress
- Contact also the Air Force Historical Research Agency (AFHRA), with extensive oral history archives
- Oral History Association
- Oral History, Indiana University Center for the Study of History and Memory (CSHM) - including links to other resources
- Oral History, National Park Service site
- Institute for Oral History, Baylor University
- Regional Oral History Office (ROHO), U. of CA, Berkeley - relating to U.S. and California history
- Veterans History Project, oral and video histories of vets, Library of Congress
- Oral History Project at the Vietnam Project
- WW II Veterans Oral History Program, over 4,000 on hand and growing
- Historical Resources Branch, Army Center of Military History, lots of documents, incl 1,000 oral history tapes about Vietnam
- Folklife and Fieldwork: A Layman's Introduction to Field Techniques, Library of Congress, includes help on taking oral history
Heraldry
Lineage and Honors
- AFI 84-105, Organizational Lineage, Honors and Heraldry
- Check with AF Historical Research Agency (AFHRA), but AF lineage and honors are mostly hard copy only, although an AFHRA project is starting to put them online
- CJCSI, incl award of Joint trophies, devices, streamers, and flags
- Organizational History Branch, US Army Center of Military History, lineage and honors
- Air Force Recognition Programs
US Government History Resources
Joint History Resources
Air Force History Resources
- Air and Space Power Course, from the College of Aerospace Doctrine, Research and Education (CADRE)
- Historical Evidence Database, from the USAF Doctrine Center - includes summaries of specific events, with document sources listed
- AF History pubs, 84 series
- AF Enlisted Heritage Research Institute (AFEHRI)
- USAF Historian Development School
- AF Historical Research Agency, repository of historical AF documents.
- Air Force Historical Foundation
- Air Force Historical Studies Office (AFHSO)
- Online Publications
- AFHSO Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - such as where to find certain type historical items/info
- Golden Legacy, Boundless Future: A Brief History of the United States Air Force, by Lawrence R. Benson, Office of the Air Force Historian
- US Air Force Museum, Wright-Pat AFB
- This Week in Air Force History
- Air Combat Command, History
- Air University Research Database, LOTS of historical related topics
Air Force Association (AFA), independent nonprofit aerospace organization
Army History Resources
- U.S. Army Heritage & Education Center (USAHEC), formerly know as U.S. Army Military History Institute (USAMHI) - U.S. Army's central repository for historical materials
- Historical Photos Online
- U.S. Army Unit History Bibliographies
- American Civil War Unit Bibliographies
- Army Center of Military History (CMH)
- Short History of the National Guard
- Combined Arms Research Library (CARL)
- A Short History of the U.S. Army Noncommissioned Officer (Local copy), from the NCO Museum, Ft Bliss
- Army Nurse Corps Historian
- Center for Army Lessons Learned (CALL)
- White Sands Fact Sheets (incl historical, such as V-2, Bumper Project, Corporal Missile, etc)
- Redstone Arsenal Historical Info Home Page, early space/missile programs
- Army's Aviation History site
- Army Historical Foundation
- Mobilizing for the Storm - the Army National Guard in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm (11 Mb PDF), National Guard Bureau, Office of Public Affairs, Historical Services Division, 2001 (or click here for 2.7 Mb version, with lower resolution photos)
Navy History Resources
Marine History Resources
Space History
Aces
Enlisted Pilots
Operations
- Instances of Use of United States Armed Forces Abroad, 1798- (Local copy), Congressional Research Service report
- Named Military Operations, 1989-1993, including indexes by name, region, or year, and Local Copy of Descriptions and Name/Region/Year breakout
- Joint History Publications, incl Joint Military Operations, Operation Just Cause, Operation Urgent Fury
- Operation Desert Strike, 1996
- Operation Just Cause documents/maps, at Center of Military History
- Special Operations
Global War on Terrorism, 2001-
September 11, 2001
- September 11 & Beyond, from the Librarians' Index to the Internet - includes impacts and changes coming from 9-11
- Witness and Response: September 11 Acquisitions at the Library of Congress
- The September 11 Digital Archive, a joint project of the City University of New York Graduate Center’s American Social History Project and George Mason University’s Center for History and New Media - and it became part of permanent collection of the Library of Congress on 10 Sep 03
- September 11 - Bearing Witness to History, Smithsonian National Museum of American History
- September 11, 2001 - Attack on America, Avalon Project at Yale Law School -- has executive orders, public laws, proclamations, etc. related to 9-11, as well as links to other web sites and later reactions to 9-11
- America's Day of Terror, BBC coverage of 9-11
- One year later: September 11 and the Internet, Pew Research Center 2002 report
Kosovo, 1999
- See Kosovo and Balkans section on Lessons Learned page
- UN - Final Report to the Prosecutor by the Committee Established to Review the NATO Bombing Campaign Against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
- Perspectives on Operation Allied Force (local copy of list), good set of special interest articles featured by AF Magazine, especially concerning the controversy over effectiveness of the air campaign
- True Blue: Behind the Kosovo Numbers Game, by Rebecca Grant, in Air Force Magazine, Aug 2000
- Nine Myths About Kosovo, by Rebecca Grant, in Air Force Magazine, June 2000
- The Balkans, a series of articles, at DNI
- FBI Kosovo War Crimes Investigation
- Operation Allied Force, NATO site on Kosovo crisis, includes press briefings, historical perspective, maps, photos, etc.
- Lessons Learned from Kosovo (local copy), DoD after action review on Operation Allied Force
- Kosovo After Action Report, Report to Congress (local copy), Jan 2000, 2 Mbyte .pdf file
- Kosovo maps, extensive, Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection, The University of Texas at Austin
- After Kosovo: Implications for U.S. Strategy and Coalition Warfare, Nov 1999 Symposium from NDU
- Kosova Home Page multi-lingual news from Kosovo
- Rapidly Deploying Aerospace Power - Lessons from Allied Force, by Jumper, in Aerospace Power Journal, Winter 1999
- Kosovo and Theater Air Mobility, by Begert, in Aerospace Power Journal, Winter 1999
Balkans, 1995-96
- See Kosovo and Balkans section on Lessons Learned page
- The Balkans, a series of articles, at DNI
- The Balkans Air Campaign Study: Part 1, by Owen, in Airpower Journal, Summer 1997
- The Balkans Air Campaign Study: Part 2, by Owen, in Airpower Journal, Fall 1997
- The Balkan War: What Role for Airpower, by Corsini, in Airpower Journal, Winter 1995
Gulf War
- See Lessons Learned page
- Airpower Advantage: Planning the Gulf War Air Campaign 1989-1991 (local copy), by Putney, published by Air Force History and Museums Program, 2004
- National Gulf War Resource Center, Inc.
- Mobilizing for the Storm - the Army National Guard in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm (11 Mb PDF), National Guard Bureau, Office of Public Affairs, Historical Services Division, 2001 (or click here for 2.7 Mb version, with lower resolution photos)
- Surveying Gulf War Airpower (local copy), by Keaney, in Joint Force Quarterly, Autumn 1993
- Gulf War Documents
- The Battle of Khafji (local copy), a case study by James Titus (110Kb .doc file)
- Desert Storm Target Imagery, posted by FAS
- After Action Report: Gulf War Debriefing Book, including lists of forces and weapons employed
- Heart of the Storm: The Genesis of the Air Campaign against Iraq (local copy), book by Reynolds - 1 Mb
- Thunder and Lightning: Desert Storm and the Airpower Debates (local copy), book by Mann - 8.5 Mb
- The Whirlwind War: the U.S. Army in Desert Shield/Storm, book by Schubert et. al.
- The Gulf War, a PBS report
- A Chronology of Defense Intelligence in the Gulf War: A Research Aid for Analysts, by DIA History Office, July 1997
- Vietnam and Desert Storm: Learning the Right Lessons from Vietnam for the Post-Cold War Era, by Col. Joseph P. Martino, USAF (Ret), incl table comparing the two wars
Cold War
Vietnam War
- See Lessons Learned page
- See Giap on Military Theory page
- Airpower in Three Wars, by Momyer - deals with Vietnam, Korea, and World War II
- US Marines Combined Action Platoons (CAC/CAP) Web Site, 1965-1971
- Modern Flight Aircraft Gallery, incl Vietnam, AF Museum
- Renegade Woods, (local copy) a sample of historical documentation created in Vietnam by deployed combat historians, from the US Army Center of Military History (to go to the full report, click on the title on the intro page)
- Rolling Thunder 1965: Anatomy of a Failure (local copy), by Drew, Airpower Research Institute
- The Role of Airpower in Viet-Nam (local copy) Air Force Policy Letters for Commander, Supplement, October 1965, Gen John P. McConnell
- Decisions Concerning the Air Campaign Against North Vietnam (local copy), Air Force Policy Letters for Commander, Supplement, November 1967, Gen John P. McConnell
- Full-text Listings of Medal of Honor Citations
- Air America Association
- Vietnam Studies, Center of Military History
- Historical Resources Branch, Army Center of Military History, lots of documents, incl 1,000 oral history tapes about Vietnam
- Former POWs Discuss Experience (local copy)
- Maps of Vietnam (War)
- Vietnam Project, Texas Tech University
Cuban Missile Crisis
Korean War
- See Lessons Learned page
- Airpower in Three Wars, by Momyer - deals with Vietnam, Korea, and World War II
- Korean Conflict Gallery of Aircraft, AF Museum
- Korean War Publications, Center of Military History
- Korean War Project
- Full-text Listings of Medal of Honor Citations
- Korean War Bibliographies, by Topic, AU Library
- Korean War lessons learned in medicine
- Tactical Employment of Strategic Air Power in Korea, by Futrell
- the US Air Force in Korea: Problems that Hindered the Effectiveness of Air Power, by Kropf
- China's Decision to Enter the Korean War, by Sheng, Southwest Missouri State University
World War II
- See Lessons Learned page
- Airpower in Three Wars, by Momyer - deals with Vietnam, Korea, and World War II
- FM 100-20, Command and Employment of Air Power (local copy), War Department Field Manual, 21 July 1943
- General Arnold's Fundamental Principles of Air Power (local copy)
- Lord Tedder's Principles of Air Warfare (local copy)
- World War II Resources, very good source of primary documents
- Command Decisions, Center of Military History (CMH) collection of essays on the key decisions by both sides in both theaters of WW II -- including plans and decisions between the wars
- Combined Bomber Offensive (local copy), 1968 discussion by Frankland, Eaker, Slessor, Galland, and other historians and primary players
- WW II U.S. Strategic Bombing Survey, Summary Report, Europe
- WW II U.S. Strategic Bombing Survey, Summary Report, Pacific
- The United States Strategic Bombing Survey and Air Force Doctrine, by McMullen, SAAS paper, 2001 - "analyzes the impact of the United States Strategic Bombing Survey (USSBS) on the post World War II doctrine of strategic bombing"
- Nazis Blame Defeat on Air Power (local copy), from debriefs at end of war
- The Battle of Britain: a German Perspective (local copy, PDF, 383 kb), Campaign Analysis Study for Joint Doctrine Air Campaign Course
- Merrill's Marauders: Combined Operations in Northern Burma in 1944, by Bjorge, U.S. Army Center of Military History
- Full-text Listings of Medal of Honor Citations
- World War II maps, Europe, at West Point
- World War II maps, Pacific/Asia, at West Point
- The U.S. Army Air Force in WW II
- Air Power Aircraft Gallery, incl WW II, AF Museum
- 463rd Bomb Group, Historical Society, B-17G
- US Army Air Forces, combat chronology 1941-1945
- WW II Veterans Oral History Program, over 4,000 on hand and growing
- World War II Theaters, pictures and maps, Indiana State University
- WWII: Uboat.Net, The U-boat War 1939-1945
- Pearl Harbor Archives
- Kogun: The Japanese Army in the Pacific War, by Saburo Hayashi, published by Marine Corps Association - about Japanese decision making during the war
- Disobedience and Conspiracy in the German Army, 1918-1945, by Kane. Psychological history of the German officer corps from 1918 to 1945, examining why most German officers obeyed Hitler "unto death," yet a handful conspired against him.
Between the Wars
- Command Decisions, collection of essays on the key decisions by both sides in both theaters of WW II -- including plans and decisions between the wars
- The Development of US Strategic Bombing Doctrine in the Interwar Years: Moral and Legal? (local copy), by Faber, in the 1996-1997 Journal of Legal Studies
- TR 440-15, Fundamental Principles for the Employment of the Air Service (local copy), Training Regulation 440-15, January 26, 1926
- Air Force Doctrine Problems 1926-Present, by Mowbray, hosted by Airpower Journal
- Air Warfare, by William Sherman, 1926
- AWPD-1, the Process (local copy), case study for Joint Doctrine Air Campaign Course, includes discussion of the Air Corps Tactical School (ACTS)
- AWPD - 1, Targeting for Victory, by Parker, for Air Chronicles "the rationale behind strategic bombing objectives in America's first air war plan"
- The Controversy Behind the Air Corps Tactical School's Strategic Bombardment Theory: An Analysis of the Bombardment Versus Pursuit Aviation Data Between 1930-1939
- The Development of Royal Air Force Strategic Bombing Doctrine Between the Wars: a Revolution in Military Affairs?, by Robertson, in Airpower Journal
- The Hague Rules of Air Warfare (local copy), The Hague, December, 1922-February, 1923, never adopted -- copy of document from the Online full-text WW I Document Archive
- Comparative Approaches to Interwar Innovation (local copy), by Murray, in Joint Force Quarterly, Summer 2000
- Interwar Years, AFROTC Briefing (local copy)
World War I
- See Lessons Learned page
- The Great War (local copy) by James Mowbray, with annotated timelines for each major front, as well as mini-bios of key figures
- Lessons Learned from the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) (local copy), in WW I
- U.S. Bombing Survey, World War I (summary) (local copy)
- The Air Battle of St. Mihiel (local copy), from Airpower Research Institute
- Examples of Airmindedness from America's First Operational Air Campaign: the St. Mihiel Offensive, 1918, ACSC paper
- The Origin of Centralized Control and Decentralized Execution (local copy), by Romero, 2003 CGSC paper - examines Army Air Service at St. Mihiel and what it meant to later doctrine
- Full-text Listings of Medal of Honor Citations
- The First Rules of Air Warfare, by Wyman, in Air University Review
- Naval Aviation Chronology 1917-1919
- World War I maps, at West Point
- The Great War - and the Shaping of the 20th Century, a PBS project
- The Great War, 1914-1918
- Early Years Aircraft Gallery, incl WW I, AF Museum
- Online full-text WW I Document Archive
- World War I: Trenches on the Web, general source
- Recollections of War, oral history interviews of WW I vets, by Imperial War Museum
Civil War
- The Military Leadership of the North and the South (local copy), by Williams, USAFA Harmon Memorial Lecture #2 (DOC file)
- Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, posted at the Cornell University Making of America (MoA) Collection
- War of the Rebellion, official records of the Union and Confederate armies, posted at the Cornell University Making of America (MoA) Collection
- Civil War Photographs, Library of Congress
- Civil War Maps, Library of Congress, includes diagrams of fortifications and troop movements
- U.S. Army Heritage & Education Center (USAHEC), formerly know as U.S. Army Military History Institute (USAMHI)
- American Civil War Homepage (award-winning comprehensive site)
- CivilWar.COM (another award-winning comprehensive site)
- Civil War Links on the World Wide Web, Michigan Historical Center
- The U.S. Civil War Center, Louisiana State U.
- The Valley of the Shadow: Living the Civil War in Pennsylvania and Virginia
Pre - Civil War
Medieval and Early Modern Europe
Ancient World and Ancient Wars
- The Battle of Marathon
or What’s a 2500-year-old battle got to do with me?, by MajGen I.B. Holley, in AU Review
- Ancient World Web, main menu
- Ancient History Sourcebook
- Diotima - materials for the study of women and gender in the ancient world
- The Greeks: Crucible of Civilization, PBS
- UCLA Cultural Virtual Reality Lab, including project to virtually rebuild ancient Rome
- The History of the Peloponnesian War, by Thucydides, 431 B.C. (local copy), courtesy Project Gutenberg
- Thucydides and the Teaching of Strategy (local copy), a Joint Force Quarterly review essay by Bernstein, regarding The Landmark Thucydides: A Comprehensive Guide to the Peloponnesian War, by Strassler
- The History of Herodotus, by Herodotus, 440 B.C. (local copy), Volume I, courtesy Project Gutenberg
- The History of Herodotus, by Herodotus, 440 B.C. (local copy), Volume II, courtesy Project Gutenberg
- The Cavalry General, by Xenophon, 431-354 B.C. (local copy), courtesy Project Gutenberg
- Other works by Xenophon, found at Project Gutenberg
- The Histories of Tacitus, 109 A.D., found at Project Gutenberg
- Pharsalia (aka "The Civil War"), by Lucan, 65 A.D., about Roman Civil War
- Perseus Project about ancient Greece, at Tufts University
- Works of Classical Literature, from MIT Classics Archive, including works by Confucius, other Chinese writers, and Greek and Persian classics
- Alexander the Great Project
- Ancient Europe, courses online at Boise State University
- Egyptology.com, gateway to ancient Egypt
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