On this day in 1793, Revolutionary France declares war on Great Britain ushering in 22 years of almost continuous conflict between the two powers.

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On this day in 1945, a U.S. Army private named Eddie Slovik is shot at Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines, France for the crime of desertion. As many as 21,000 other GIs face courts martial for similar offences during WW2, but the 24-year-old Detroit native is the only one to be executed.

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Today in 1865, Congress passes the US Constitution's 13th Amendment which abolishes slavery nationwide. Thirty states will ratify it before year's end. Mississippi, one of a handful of states to reject the amendment in the months after the Civil War, won't ratify until 1995.

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On this day in 1865, Robert E. Lee is promoted to General-in-Chief of the collapsing Confederate States Army. Just 68 days later Lee will surrender the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, effectively ending the U.S. Civil War.

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On this day in 1944, 46,000 U.S. troops storm the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. The Japanese offer fierce resistance; of the 3,500 Imperial troops dug in there, only 51 survive after four days of savage fighting.

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Today in 1943, Friedrich Paulus, commander of the doomed German army at Stalingrad, surrenders to the Soviets. Moments earlier, he learns that Hitler has promoted him to field marshal. "One can't help feeling it's an invitation to suicide," he says. "I'll do him no such favour."

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Today in 1943, Stalingrad is back in Soviet hands as the last pockets of German resistance in the city are finally overwhelmed. The Axis suffered more than 800,000 casualties in five-months of fighting; Red Army losses are heavier: an est. 1 million killed, wounded or missing.

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A nurse administers a vaccine to an American serviceman in 1944.

“You got in line, took your shot, and that’s it. It was no big deal,” recalled one vet.

(Image source: U.S. Army Center for Military History)

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On this day in 1942, aircraft from the carriers Yorktown and Enterprise carry out raids on Japanese forces near the Marshall and Gilbert Islands. Taking place just 56 days after Pearl Harbor, the action marks America's first sizeable offensive operation of WW2.

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In February of 1945, soldiers of the 8th Infantry Division pass a tank destroyer on the battle-scarred streets of Düren, Germany as they enter the heart of the city. 🪖

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A lot of big names in this Carentan photo of 101st Airborne paratroopers receiving medals for their heroism in Normandy. 🪂

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On this day in 1509, a Portuguese fleet annihilates the warships of the Mamluk and Gujarat sultanates at the Battle of Diu. The victory, the first of many by Europeans in Asia, helps establish Portugal as a military and commercial power in India.

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On this day in 1933, Hitler announces his plans for the "ruthless Germanisation" of Eastern Europe. His long-standing goal of achieving "Lebensraum" or 'Living Space' will now be the official foreign policy of Nazi Germany.

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Today in 1848, the two-year Mexican-American war ends with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. Under its terms, the U.S. acquires more than 529,000 square miles of new territory. Arguments between pro-slavery interests and abolitionists soon erupt over the future of the region.

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SSgt. Joseph Beyrle of the 101st Airborne Division, the only American soldier who officially fought in the American & Red armies on the eastern & western fronts of WW2.

- Combat jump 🪂
- Bronze Star 🎖️
- 5 Purple Hearts 💜
- POW 🪖
- Croix de Guerre 🇫🇷
- 6 Soviet awards 🇷🇺

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The Dick Winters Leadership monument between Sainte-Marie-du-Mont and Utah beach in Normandy, France. 🇺🇸

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82 years ago today, Pvt. Richard Sorenson threw himself on a Japanese grenade on Namur Island, saving five fellow Marines. 🪖
Gravely wounded, Sorenson survived and would earn the Medal of Honor. 🇺🇸

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Clark Gable addresses the troops on the Flightline at March Field in 1938, during the filming of “Test Pilot” 😎

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81 years ago today, T/5 Wilbert Moran of the 11th Airborne Division leads a small pack mule along the Cavite Road on Luzon. 🪖

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