Kennedy's Military History Blog

August 19, 1942 - Allied efforts to raid Dieppe, France (right) fail completely. The brainchild of the British Chief of Combined Operations, Lord Louis Mountbatten, the Dieppe Raid was intended to seize the French port for a short period to capture prisoners and assess how the Germans would respond to an Allied landing. Operating outside of the normal command structure, Mountbatten moved forward with the raid and centered the landing force on the 2nd Canadian Division. The plan called for commandos to land east and west of Dieppe to neutralize German artillery positions while other infantry landed closer to the city. Once these flank attacks had taken the Germans by surprise, the main assault would be launched against the city's beach. Commencing on the night of August 18/19, 1943, the raid got off to a poor start when landing craft carrying the eastern commando force encountered a German convoy. Scattered after a brief fight, only a few of the commandos made it ashore. To the west, a No. 4 Commando, led by Lord Lovat, landed and quickly achieved its goals - the only group to do so during the raid. Shortly thereafter, Canadian troops landed at Pourville and were able to move inland before being stopped. The other flank attack, at Puys, proved a disaster when Canadian and Scottish troops were decimated on the landing beach. Thirty minutes later, the main assault landed at Dieppe. Coming ashore, Allied troops encountered intense German fire and were quickly pinned down. While a few were able to make it off the beach, they were quickly contained. By 10:50 AM, the order was given to withdraw from the beaches. This proved difficult due to German fire and less than half of the landing force was successfully evacuated.

Photograph Courtesy of Library and Archives Canada / C-014160

August 17, 1943 - American bombers (left) launch the first Schweinfurt-Regensburg raid. In accordance with the Pointblank Directive, which called for the destruction of the Luftwaffe prior to the invasion of Europe, the US Army Air Force planned an ambitious raid on German aircraft and ball bearing production facilities in Regensburg and Schweinfurt. The attack was to be carried out by the 1st and 4th Bombardment Wings in early August 1943. As part of the plan, the 4th BW would strike at Messerschmitt Bf-109 plants in Regensburg before continuing on to Allied bases in North Africa. The 1st BW was to strike ball bearing plants at Schweinfurt and return to its bases in England. It was hoped that the two-prong nature of the attack would overwhelm German air defenses and that the arrival of the 1st BW, shortly after the 4th BW, would catch German fighters on the ground refueling. Inclement weather delayed the attack until August 17, and forced the 1st BW to depart later than intended. As a result, it followed further behind the 4th BW than planned. Led by Colonel Curtis LeMay, the 4th BW encountered stiff German resistance, but succeeded in inflicting significant damage on its targets in Regensburg. Due to the weather delays, the Germans were able to refuel prior to the arrival of the 1st BW. Relentlessly attacking the American formations, the Germans shot down 36 B-17s. Hitting their target, the Schweinfurt force returned to England. While the raid did cause significant damage, 60 B-17s were shot down over enemy territory.

August 15, 1599 - English forces are crushed at the Battle of Curlew Pass. Arriving in Ireland with 17,000 men, the Earl of Essex encouraged those Irish chieftains who remained loyal to Queen Elizabeth to strike at the rebels led by Red Hugh O'Donnell. Among those who answered his call was Sir Donogh O’Connor. Sensing danger, O'Donnell laid siege to O'Connor at Collooney Castle to prevent him from uniting with the English. Unwilling to abandon O'Connor, Essex dispatched 1,700 men under Sir Conyers Clifford to break the siege. Leaving 300 men at Collooney, O'Donnell moved to block Clifford's advance. Taking a position in the Curlew Mountains, O'Donnell laid an ambush for the approaching English. Reaching the mountains on August 15, Clifford pressed on believing that the pass was undefended. As the Irish encountered the English, they slowly retreated, luring them into the trap. Launching their attack, the Irish struck the enemy on three sides, driving them back. In the fighting Clifford was killed and his men routed.

The turning point of the Civil War in the East, the Battle of Gettysburg saw the Union Army of the Potomac defeat the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. Clashing July 1-3, 1863, the armies contained regiments from almost every state. On the Union side, eighteen states were represented in the ranks with Pennsylvania (right) and New York contributing the highest numbers of troops. Other states, such as Minnesota, only contributed a regiment or two but still played a key role in determining the battle's outcome. Today we look at each Northern state's contingent as well as some of the commanders that led them.

Photograph © 2008 Patricia A. Hickman

August 11, 1918 - The British conclude the first phase of the Battle of Amiens. Moving back the attack after defeating the German spring offensives, the Allies planned an assault for the area east of Amiens designed to open the rail lines through the city. Overseen by the commander of the British Expeditionary Force, Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig, the offensive was to be centered on the British Fourth Army. After discussions with Marshal Ferdinand Foch it was decided to include the First French Army to the south. Beginning on August 8, the offensive relied on surprise and the use of armor rather than the typical preliminary bombardment. Catching the enemy off guard, Australian and Canadian forces in the center broke through the Germans lines and advanced 7-8 miles. By the end of the first day, five German divisions had been shattered. Over the next three days, Allied forces continued their advance, but met increased resistance as the Germans rallied. The victory at Amiens permanently put the Germans on the defensive and signaled a return to mobile warfare.

August 9, 378 - Eastern Roman forces are beaten at the Battle of Adrianople. After two years of skirmishing, Emperor Valens of the Eastern Roman Empire elected to assemble an army to deal with the Goths who had been causing trouble within the empire. Learning that a force of Goths was moving towards Adrianople, he moved north and established a base in the city. After declining peace overtures from the Goths, Valens departed the city on the morning of August 9 to strike at the enemy. Marching for around seven hours, the Romans finally located the Goth's camp. Misled into believing he had numerical superiority due to the absence of the Gothic cavalry, Valens formed his men for battle and attacked their wagon circle. Despite some success early in the fighting, the tide turned when the Gothic cavalry arrived on the field. Sweeping away their Roman counterparts, the Gothic horsemen attacked the Romans flanks. Under pressure from three sides, the Roman army crumbled and fled the field. Approximately two-thirds of the Roman army, including the emperor, was killed in the fighting.

August 7, 1742 - American General Nathanael Greene (right) is born at Potowomut, RI. Active in Rhode Island politics, Greene aided in organizing the state's militia in 1774, though due to a limp his participation in its activities was limited. A student of war, he was appointed a brigadier general in the Continental Army in 1775, and served during the siege of Boston. Given command of the city by General George Washington after its capture in March 1776, he later served in the ill-fated New York Campaign that summer. After commanding one of the attack columns at the Battle of Trenton, Greene saw action at Brandywine and Germantown. In March 1778, he was named quartermaster general of the Continental Army, but continued to command troops in battle. After fighting at the Battle of Monmouth, Greene saw service in Rhode Island. In mid-1780, he was appointed to command Continental troops in the South. Rallying battered American forces in the region, he fought a campaign designed to wear down the British army of General Lord Charles Cornwallis. Clashing at Guilford Court House in March 1781, Greene inflicted heavy casualties on the British before being forced to retreat. Following Cornwallis' march to Yorktown, Greene proceeded to retake most of South Carolina before the war's end. After the war, Greene retired to lands in Georgia which he received for his wartime service. He died of sun stroke in 1786.

Photograph Source: Public Domain

August 5 (or 19), 1388 - James Douglas, 2nd Earl of Douglas, is killed at the Battle of Otterburn. Advancing south in 1388, Douglas raided into England and launched an attack against Newcastle in early August. After skirmishing along the city's western defenses, Douglas elected to retire north as he lacked siege equipment. Commanding Newcastle's defenses, Sir Henry "Hotspur" Percy was surprised on the morning of August 8 to find that Douglas' army had vanished. Assembling around 8,000 men, Percy departed the city to pursue the Scots. Moving northwest, Douglas elected to make camp near Otterburn Tower that evening. Unaware that they were being followed, Douglas' men prepared for the evening in a relaxed manner and did not post sentries. With the sun setting, Percy arrived at Otterburn forcing the Scots to quickly prepare for battle. Rather than waiting until morning, Percy elected to attack immediately. Surging uphill towards Douglas' position, his men were met by a fierce countercharge by the Scots. Fighting by moonlight, both sides clashed in a confused battle. After several hours of combat, Percy was captured and the English began retreating back towards Newcastle. Though a victory for the Scots, Douglas was killed at some point during the battle.

August 3-5, 1916 - Turkish troops open the Battle of Romani by attacking British Commonwealth forces in the Sinai. In the summer of 1916, Friedrich Freiherr Kress von Kressenstein began leading Turkish forces across the Sinai with the goal of reaching the Suez Canal. Aware of the Turkish plans, Sir Archibald Murray (left) reinforced his defenses in the region with an emphasis on his right flank which was located near Romani. Constructing fortifications, he positioned the 42nd and 52nd Divisions in the area, as well as the bulk of the ANZAC Mounted Division. Reaching a position approximately ten miles east of Romani on July 24, Kressenstein paused for a week and a half to wait for his heavy artillery to arrive. This time was used by the British to reinforce their position. On the night of August 3, Kressenstein advanced as 2nd Australian Light Horse Brigade was returning from a routine patrol. Attacking, they achieved some success and pushed back the 1st Australian Light Horse. By morning they had captured Wellington Ridge to the southwest of Romani, however their attack was halted by the arrival of British reinforcements. Counterattacking after dawn, British forces succeeded in capturing a sizable number of Turks. After resting on the night of the 4th, the assault was renewed and another 1,000 Turks taken. With his offensive defeated and his men short on water, Kressenstein ordered a withdrawal back across the Sinai. The victory at Romani passed the initiative in the Middle East to the British and they would launch their own offensive later that year.

Photograph Source: Public Domain

August 1/2, 1798 - Rear Admiral Horatio Nelson wins a decisive victory at the Battle of the Nile (right). Having searched for the French fleet across the Mediterranean, Nelson finally located the ships of Vice Admiral François-Paul Brueys east of Alexandria, Egypt in Aboukir Bay. Though it was late in the day, Nelson immediately ordered his fleet to form for battle. In the bay, Brueys had anchored his ships in a defensive formation to discourage a British attack. With night falling, Nelson's fleet entered the bay. Approaching the French line, Captain Thomas Foley of HMS Goliath saw that enough room existed between the enemy and the shore for his ship to pass. Turning inshore, he led several British ships to attack the French from the land side, while Nelson, aboard HMS Vanguard, and the rest of the fleet assaulted the French from seaward. Caught in a crossfire, the French ships were battered by the British guns. As the battle raged, Brueys' 120-gun flagship L'Orient exploded killing the admiral. When the fighting ended, Nelson had sunk or captured all but two of the thirteen French ships of the line.

Photograph Source: Public Domain