114 Fun Facts About Military

Which unit of an Imperial Roman legion was typically double-strength and carried the eagle standard?

The first cohort of a Roman legion was often organized to be larger than others, typically double-strength, and was given the prestigious role of safeguarding the legion's eagle standard.

In what year was the Battle of Thermopylae fought?

The Battle of Thermopylae was fought in 480 BC during Xerxes I's invasion of Greece; the Persian fleet was beaten at Salamis later that same year.

The earliest known crossbows were invented in which civilization?

China had crossbows by the first millennium BC, and the terracotta army of the first emperor was buried with them; examples date back to the 7th century BC.

What was the code name for Nazi Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II?

Operation Barbarossa, launched on 22 June 1941, was the largest invasion in history and is named for a crusading medieval German emperor, Frederick Barbarossa.

Since the Space Force was added in 2019, how many branches make up the US Armed Forces?

Since the Space Force was created in 2019, the six branches of the United States Armed Forces are the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard.

Which fruit is the word 'grenade' thought to come from, given the shape of early bombs?

Pomegranate is grenade in French, and the round early bombs packed with shot looked like the seed-filled fruit; others trace it to Latin granatus, 'filled with grain'.

Which military discipline covers the movement, supply and maintenance of forces?

Logistics is the unglamorous science of getting fuel, food and ammunition to the front, and the thing armies most often run out of.

What was the German fortified belt across the northern Apennines in Italy during World War II called?

The Gothic Line was Field Marshal Albert Kesselring's last major line of defense in Italy, stretching across the northern Apennine Mountains.

What is the term for one state hacking another's networks and infrastructure to do damage?

Cyber warfare involves strategic cyberattacks by states or organizations aimed at causing significant harm, disruption, or destruction to an adversary's computer systems.

Which gas did Germany first use as a large-scale lethal chemical weapon at Ypres in WWI?

Chlorine Gas was first released on 22 April 1915 at the Second Battle of Ypres; its greenish cloud opened the era of large-scale lethal gas warfare.

Which Roman general defeated Hannibal at the Battle of Zama in 202 BC?

Scipio Africanus defeated Hannibal at Zama in 202 BC, ending the Second Punic War; the victory earned him the honorific 'Africanus', though political attacks later drove him into retirement at Liternum.

Tanks were first introduced during which major global conflict?

Tanks were developed and first deployed on the battlefield during World War I to break the stalemate of trench warfare.

What is the primary role of a destroyer in a modern naval fleet?

Escorting and defending larger vessels is the destroyer's job: fast, long-endurance ships that screen carriers and convoys against submarines, aircraft and missiles.

What was the historical term for an infantry soldier trained to throw hand bombs?

Grenadiers were picked for size and nerve in 17th-century armies, and the tall bearskin caps worn outside Buckingham Palace are a leftover of their prestige.

Which famous military strategist authored 'The Art of War'?

Sun Tzu, an ancient Chinese military strategist, is widely credited as the author of 'The Art of War,' a highly influential treatise on military strategy and tactics.

Which type of military aircraft is built mainly for air-to-air combat?

Fighter aircraft are high-speed, agile military planes primarily designed for engaging and destroying enemy aircraft in aerial combat.

The Maginot Line was a series of fortifications built by which country before World War II?

The Maginot Line was a complex system of concrete fortifications, obstacles, and weapon installations built by France in the 1930s to deter invasion from Germany.

Which conflict is often called a 'proxy war', with major powers backing opposing sides without fighting directly?

The Cold War was characterized by numerous 'proxy wars' around the globe, where the United States and the Soviet Union supported opposing factions without directly fighting each other.

Which technology did Britain's WWII Chain Home coastal stations use to detect aircraft?

Chain Home was Britain's early-warning radar network; its coastal stations could spot enemy formations assembling over France, giving RAF commanders time to put fighters in a raid's path.

Which special operations force is known for its motto 'Who Dares Wins'?

The British Special Air Service (SAS), a renowned special forces unit, is famously known for its motto, 'Who Dares Wins'.

What is the highest military award for valor in the United States Armed Forces?

The Medal of Honor is the highest and most prestigious military decoration awarded by the United States government for valor in combat.

Which battle is considered Napoleon Bonaparte's final defeat?

The Battle of Waterloo ended Napoleon's Hundred Days; Wellington's army held until the Prussians under Blücher arrived, and the name became a byword for decisive defeat.

Which of these military ranks is typically found in the non-commissioned officer (NCO) corps?

Sergeant is a common rank within the non-commissioned officer (NCO) corps across many military forces, responsible for leading small units and training junior enlisted personnel.

What term describes military members who hold civilian jobs while staying ready for call-up?

Reserve Forces keep civilian jobs and train part-time, ready for call-up; their counterparts in a standing army serve full-time.

Which type of warship serves as a seagoing airbase with a full-length flight deck?

An aircraft carrier is a capital ship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft.

Which collective defense alliance was formed in 1949 against the Soviet threat?

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was established in 1949 by the United States, Canada, and several Western European nations as a collective security alliance.

In military parlance, what does 'reconnaissance' primarily involve?

Reconnaissance is the military's exploration outside an area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about the features of a specific area, or about the enemy.

In which 1982 conflict did HMS Conqueror sink the cruiser General Belgrano?

HMS Conqueror torpedoed the Argentine cruiser General Belgrano on 2 May 1982 during the Falklands War, the first sinking of a warship by a nuclear-powered submarine.

Which ancient Greek city-state was renowned for its disciplined, formidable military?

Sparta's agoge took boys at seven and made hoplites of them; it was the dominant land power of Greece until Thebes beat it at Leuctra in 371 BC.

The Geneva Conventions primarily deal with what aspect of warfare?

The Geneva Conventions are a series of treaties that establish international humanitarian law, setting standards for the humane treatment of war victims, including civilians, prisoners of war, and the sick and wounded.

What is the military term for a minor, relatively indecisive engagement between small forces?

A skirmish is a minor, indecisive clash between small forces; skirmishers were light troops sent ahead of the main body to screen it in loose open order.

Which war first used helicopters for medical evacuation on a large scale?

The Korean War was the first to use helicopter medevac on a large scale, with Bell H-13s flying wounded to MASH units; by Vietnam the helicopter was the war's defining image.

What kind of operation deploys international forces to hold a ceasefire between former combatants?

Peacekeeping operations involve international military, police, and civilian personnel working to maintain peace and security, protect civilians, and facilitate political processes in conflict zones.

What is the primary purpose of military camouflage?

Camouflage is used in military contexts to blend personnel, vehicles, and equipment with their surroundings, making them less visible and harder for the enemy to detect.

What was the secret undertaking that developed the atomic bomb during World War II called?

The Manhattan Project employed some 130,000 people at its peak, most with no idea what they were building, and produced the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Which islands gave their name to the June 1942 battle that turned the Pacific War?

The Battle of Midway, fought near Midway Atoll in June 1942, was a decisive naval battle in the Pacific Theater of World War II, where the U.S. Navy inflicted a crushing defeat on the Imperial Japanese Navy.

Destroying everything the enemy could use as you advance or withdraw: what's the term?

Scorched earth means destroying anything the enemy could use—crops, livestock, wells, bridges—as Russia did while retreating before Napoleon in 1812.

Which ancient Greek military formation was a tightly packed rectangle of spearmen?

The phalanx was a dense block of spearmen with overlapping shields, perfected by the Greeks and Macedonians; Rome used it early but replaced it with the manipular legion.

What is the primary role of a combat engineer unit?

Combat engineers perform a variety of tasks, including building and destroying fortifications, clearing obstacles, laying and breaching minefields, and constructing bridges, all to facilitate friendly movement and hinder enemy movement.

Which winter 1942-1943 battle is considered the turning point on WWII's Eastern Front?

The Battle of Stalingrad, a brutal and prolonged engagement from August 1942 to February 1943, resulted in a decisive Soviet victory and is widely regarded as the turning point of World War II on the Eastern Front.

What type of military aircraft is designed to attack ground targets with heavy air-to-ground ordnance?

A bomber is a combat aircraft designed to attack ground and naval targets by dropping air-to-ground weaponry, such as bombs, torpedoes, or cruise missiles.

The term 'guerrilla warfare' refers to which type of combat?

Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare in which small groups of combatants, such as paramilitary personnel, armed civilians, or irregulars, use military tactics to fight a larger, less-mobile traditional military.

Which Allied amphibious invasion of June 6, 1944 opened a second front in Western Europe?

D-Day, the Allied landings in Normandy on June 6, 1944, was the largest seaborne invasion in history and marked the beginning of the liberation of German-occupied Western Europe.

The Treaty of Versailles, signed after World War I, imposed military restrictions on which country?

Germany was capped at an army of 100,000 men, no air force and a token navy, terms that Hitler later tore up and that fed the grievances he exploited.

What is the term for a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of compelling a surrender?

A siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering it by attrition or assault.

Which Roman general is known for his conquest of Gaul in the 50s BC?

Julius Caesar's Gallic campaigns of 58–50 BC made him enormously wealthy and popular; his refusal to give up his army afterwards triggered the civil war that ended the Republic.

What is the primary mission of the United States Marine Corps?

Expeditionary and amphibious operations are the Marines' job: a force with its own infantry, artillery, aircraft and special operations, built to land from the sea first.

George Washington established the Badge of Military Merit, forerunner of which decoration, in 1782?

The badge was a heart of purple cloth, making it the oldest US military award still given.

Which general confidentially reopened work in 1931 on reviving Washington's heart-shaped award?

Douglas MacArthur, then Army Chief of Staff, quietly reopened work in 1931 on reviving the award; heraldic specialist Elizabeth Will redesigned it as the Purple Heart, issued from 1932.

Queen Victoria introduced the Victoria Cross in 1856 to honour valour in which war?

The Victoria Cross was instituted in January 1856 to reward valour in the Crimean War; tradition holds the medals are cast from Russian cannon captured at Sevastopol.

Which organisation defined the NATO phonetic alphabet in 1955-56?

The International Civil Aviation Organization finalised the alphabet, implemented on 1 March 1956; Alfa and Juliett are spelled that way to avoid mispronunciation by non-English speakers.

In the NATO phonetic alphabet, which code word stands for the letter Z?

Zulu is the code word for Z; it also names 'Zulu time', the military term for UTC, because Z is the zone letter for zero offset from Greenwich.

Ground was broken on the Pentagon on what notable date in 1941?

Ground was broken on the Pentagon on September 11, 1941; exactly 60 years later, on 9/11, Flight 77 struck its western side, killing 184 people besides the hijackers.

Founded in 1802, the oldest of the five US service academies overlooks which river?

The United States Military Academy at West Point overlooks the Hudson River; the Army has occupied the site continuously since January 1778, when Revolutionary forces fortified it.

US men in which age range must be registered with the Selective Service for a general draft?

Men must register with Selective Service within 30 days of turning 18 and stay liable until 26, i.e. ages 18 to 25; the draft ended in 1973 but registration continues for contingency.

Which US president signed the 1969 amendment that turned the draft into a lottery?

Richard Nixon signed the Selective Service amendment in November 1969 that replaced draft-board discretion with a birthday lottery; the first drawing came on 1 December 1969, and seven lotteries were held through 1975.

Hannibal annihilated a larger Roman army at Cannae in 216 BC in which region of Italy?

Cannae lies in Apulia, in Italy's south-eastern heel; there the consuls Paullus and Varro were surrounded in a textbook double envelopment.

Hannibal's siege of which Roman-allied city in 219 BC sparked the Second Punic War?

Hannibal besieged and took Saguntum, a Roman ally in Spain, in 219 BC; Rome declared war in 218 BC and he marched on Italy across the Alps with war elephants.

Which English king was defeated by William of Normandy at Hastings on 14 October 1066?

Harold Godwinson had marched south straight from beating a Norwegian invasion at Stamford Bridge three weeks earlier; Edward the Confessor's childless death had triggered the whole struggle.

Which French admiral commanded the combined fleet defeated at Trafalgar in 1805?

Pierre-Charles Villeneuve commanded the Franco-Spanish fleet at Trafalgar; it left Cádiz on 18 October 1805, three days before Nelson destroyed it, and Villeneuve was taken prisoner.

Nelson's famous Trafalgar signal read 'England expects that every man will' do what?

'His duty' finished the signal; Nelson's flag lieutenant swapped 'confides' for 'expects' because the latter was in the signal book and saved hoisting extra flags.

Nelson lost his right arm in a failed attack on which island in 1797?

Nelson lost his right arm to grapeshot in the failed July 1797 assault on Santa Cruz de Tenerife; he had earlier lost the sight of his right eye at Calvi, Corsica, in 1794.

Who was Nelson's flag captain aboard his flagship at Trafalgar in 1805?

Thomas Hardy was Nelson's flag captain at Trafalgar; the dying admiral's 'Kiss me, Hardy' was addressed to him, and Hardy later served as First Naval Lord.

Agincourt was fought on 25 October 1415, a date marked as which feast day?

Saint Crispin's Day, 25 October, is the feast of the martyrs Crispin and Crispinian; Shakespeare's Henry V turned the date into the 'band of brothers' speech.

Which 1346 Hundred Years' War battle saw Edward III's longbowmen rout the French?

At Crécy on 26 August 1346, Edward III's longbowmen shattered repeated charges by French knights and Genoese crossbowmen; his son the Black Prince, aged sixteen, fought there.

Which forward-curving knife is the traditional weapon of the Gurkhas?

The khukuri, a heavy forward-curving Nepalese knife, is carried by every Gurkha soldier; Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw said a man unafraid of dying 'is either lying or he is a Gurkha'.

Which French king created the Foreign Legion on 10 March 1831?

Louis Philippe, the 'citizen king', founded the Foreign Legion by ordinance on 10 March 1831 to fight in Algeria; legionnaires may seek citizenship after three years, or at once if wounded, 'French by spilled blood'.

Which 1863 Mexican battle does the Foreign Legion commemorate each year on 30 April?

At Camerone on 30 April 1863, Captain Danjou's 65 legionnaires held a hacienda against some 2,000 Mexicans; his wooden hand is paraded on Camerone Day every year.

Which pope established the Swiss Guard in 1506?

Pope Julius II founded the Swiss Guard on 22 January 1506, when 150 Swiss mercenaries marched into Rome; it is sometimes called 'the world's smallest army'.

What cartridge is the AK-47 chambered for?

The AK-47 fires the 7.62x39mm M43 intermediate cartridge, designed in 1943; the lighter stamped-steel AKM of 1959 is the most ubiquitous variant of the series.

Which German engineer invented the Enigma machine at the end of World War I?

Arthur Scherbius patented his rotor cipher machine in 1918 and marketed it commercially as Enigma from 1923; the German military adopted it in the late 1920s.

Which Polish mathematician first reconstructed the Enigma's internal wiring in December 1932?

Marian Rejewski reconstructed the military Enigma's rotor wiring in December 1932 using permutation theory and French-supplied documents; Różycki and Zygalski then joined him at the Polish Cipher Bureau.

Which machine, used at Bletchley Park from 1944, was the first programmable digital electronic computer?

Colossus, designed by Post Office engineer Tommy Flowers and working from early 1944, was the first programmable electronic digital computer; Bletchley used it against the Lorenz cipher, not Enigma.

The Battle of Britain takes its name from a Churchill speech to the Commons on which date in 1940?

On 18 June 1940 Churchill told the Commons 'what General Weygand called the Battle of France is over; I expect that the Battle of Britain is about to begin', in the 'finest hour' speech.

Which aircraft, alongside the Hurricane, was the RAF's main fighter in the Battle of Britain?

The Supermarine Spitfire, designed by R. J. Mitchell, fought the Battle of Britain alongside the more numerous Hawker Hurricane, which actually shot down more German aircraft in 1940.

Which unit was the first black US flying unit and the first to deploy overseas in 1943?

The 99th Pursuit Squadron, activated in 1941 and renamed the 99th Fighter Squadron in 1942, was the first Tuskegee Airmen unit; it deployed overseas in April 1943 and first saw combat that June.

Lacking a word for submarine, Navajo code talkers called it what?

The Marine Corps coined the term 'code talker' for those who completed the special training.

Which Treasury secretary requested the creation of the Revenue-Marine, forerunner of the Coast Guard, in 1790?

Alexander Hamilton, the first Treasury secretary, asked Congress for ten revenue cutters; the Revenue-Marine was created on 4 August 1790, making the Coast Guard the oldest continuous seagoing service.

Which industrial designer's office created the Coast Guard's 'Racing Stripe' in 1964?

Raymond Loewy's firm Loewy/Snaith designed the slanted red-and-blue 'Racing Stripe' in 1964; officially the Service Mark, it was adopted fleet-wide in 1967 to give the Coast Guard a modern image.

Which Union general arranged the bugle call 'Taps' in July 1862?

It replaced the customary three rifle volleys at wartime burials, and is also known as 'Butterfield's Lullaby'.

Richard Jordan Gatling of North Carolina invented his rapid-fire gun in which year?

Gatling designed his hand-cranked gun in 1861 and patented it in November 1862; Russian-built copies were known as the Gorloff after the officer who oversaw them.

Which philosopher tutored Alexander the Great until he was 16?

Aristotle taught Alexander at Mieza from 343 BC, when the prince was thirteen, until about 340 BC; Alexander, born in Pella, never lost a battle.

In which city did Alexander the Great die in 323 BC?

Alexander died in Babylon in June 323 BC, aged 32, in the palace of Nebuchadnezzar II; he had planned to make the city his empire's capital.

What was Genghis Khan's birth name?

Born Temüjin around 1162, he took the title Genghis Khan at a kurultai in 1206 and founded the largest contiguous empire in history.

George S. Patton competed in which event at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics?

Patton competed in the modern pentathlon at Stockholm in 1912 and finished fifth, hurt by a disputed shooting score; he later designed the M1913 'Patton Saber'.

Which formation did Patton command in France and Germany after the Normandy invasion?

Patton took command of the Third Army, activated in France on 1 August 1944, driving across France and relieving Bastogne; he had led the Seventh Army in Sicily.

Where did MacArthur first make his 'I shall return' declaration in March 1942?

MacArthur first said 'I shall return' to reporters at Terowie railway station in South Australia on 20 March 1942; Washington asked him to change it to 'We shall return' and he refused.

Joan of Arc was about how old when she was burned at the stake in 1431?

Born around 1412, Joan of Arc was about nineteen when she was burned at Rouen on 30 May 1431; the English held Rouen as their main headquarters in France.

Joan of Arc is honoured for her role in lifting the siege of which city?

Joan of Arc lifted the siege of Orléans in May 1429, within days of her arrival; she then pressed Charles VII to be crowned at Reims that July.

In what year were the first two US Navy SEAL teams formed?

SEAL Team One at Coronado, California, and SEAL Team Two at Little Creek, Virginia, were both commissioned in January 1962, after President Kennedy pushed for unconventional-warfare forces.

USS Constitution earned the nickname 'Old Ironsides' after capturing which British warship?

Constitution took HMS Guerriere on 19 August 1812, when British shot seemed to bounce off her thick live-oak hull, earning the nickname 'Old Ironsides'.

Which is the world's oldest naval vessel still in commission?

HMS Victory, ordered in 1758 and launched in 1765, has been in commission since 1778; she became the First Sea Lord's flagship in 2012 and sits in dry dock at Portsmouth.

HMS Dreadnought of 1906 was the first capital ship powered by what?

Dreadnought's Parsons steam turbines made her the fastest battleship afloat at 21 knots; her only significant action was ramming and sinking U-29 in March 1915.

What was the codename of the Bismarck's only offensive operation, in May 1941?

Operation Rheinübung, the Bismarck's sole sortie, began on 18 May 1941 and ended with her sinking on 27 May; she had been commissioned only the previous August.

Which British battlecruiser was destroyed by Bismarck at the Battle of the Denmark Strait?

HMS Hood blew up and sank on 24 May 1941 after a shell from Bismarck reached a magazine; only three of her 1,418 crew survived, and she had first engaged Prinz Eugen, probably by mistake.

Which US submarine made the first submerged transit of the North Pole in 1958?

USS Nautilus, the world's first nuclear-powered submarine, passed beneath the North Pole on 3 August 1958 during Operation Sunshine; she became a museum ship at Groton, Connecticut, in 1986.

Which Lockheed division developed the SR-71 Blackbird as a black project in the 1960s?

Lockheed's Skunk Works, under Kelly Johnson, built the SR-71 in secret; in September 1974 a Blackbird flew New York to London in 1 hour 54 minutes 56 seconds.

Which Mach 2.8 Soviet interceptor was regularly scrambled against the SR-71 but never downed one?

The MiG-25 Foxbat, rated at Mach 2.83, was the Soviets' fastest interceptor, yet the SR-71 at Mach 3.2 and 85,000 feet stayed beyond its reach; the Blackbird's 1976 speed record stood for decades.

What name was given to the exposed ground between opposing trench lines in World War I?

No man's land was the cratered, wire-strewn strip between opposing trenches, sometimes under a hundred metres wide; patrols crossed it at night and attacks died in it by day.

Roughly how many Confederate troops took part in Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg?

About 12,000 Confederate infantry under Pickett, Pettigrew and Trimble crossed nearly a mile of open ground toward Cemetery Ridge on 3 July 1863 and lost roughly half their number.

Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, delivered on 19 November 1863, ran to about how many words?

The Gettysburg Address ran to about 271 words and took some two minutes; it followed a two-hour oration by Edward Everett at the dedication of the national cemetery.

Which Union general's Army of the Potomac won at Gettysburg?

George Meade had commanded the Army of the Potomac for only three days when Gettysburg began on 1 July 1863; the battle's roughly 51,000 combined casualties made it the war's bloodiest.

Napoleon escaped from which island in 1815 with about a thousand men and marched on Paris?

Napoleon slipped away from Elba on 26 February 1815 with about a thousand men and reached Paris in twenty days; after Waterloo he was exiled to Saint Helena, where he died in 1821.

On which island was Napoleon born in 1769?

Napoleon was born in Ajaccio, Corsica, on 15 August 1769, a year after France acquired the island from Genoa; he left for school on the mainland in 1779.

Which Latin epic is the main surviving ancient source for the Trojan Horse story?

Book II of Virgil's Aeneid gives the fullest surviving account: Aeneas tells Dido how the Greeks built the horse after ten years of siege, and how Laocoön's warning went unheeded.

Two battalions of Continental Marines were formed on 10 November 1775 in which city?

Captain Samuel Nicholas raised the two battalions in Philadelphia under a resolution of the Second Continental Congress; tradition places the first recruiting at Tun Tavern.

Marine lore says Germans nicknamed them 'Devil Dogs' during which 1918 battle?

Marine legend holds that German troops called them Teufelshunde, 'Devil Dogs', after the June 1918 fighting at Belleau Wood, where the 4th Marine Brigade cleared the wood over three weeks.

Which act established the US Air Force as a separate branch in 1947?

The National Security Act, signed by Truman on 26 July 1947, made the Air Force a separate service on 18 September 1947; its lineage runs back to the Signal Corps' Aeronautical Division of 1907.

Of 25,000 applicants to the WWII Women Airforce Service Pilots, how many completed training?

Thirty-eight died in service; the WASPs were only granted veteran status in 1977.

Which aviator, winner of the 1938 Bendix race, directed the WASP program in WWII?

Jacqueline Cochran, who won the 1938 Bendix Trophy race, became Director of Women Pilots in 1943 when the WASP was formed from her training detachment and Nancy Love's ferrying squadron.

The Charge of the Light Brigade took place during which 1854 battle?

The Light Brigade charged at Balaclava on 25 October 1854 after a garbled order; Lord Cardigan led roughly 670 men straight at the Russian guns at the end of the valley.

Which poet published 'The Charge of the Light Brigade' six weeks after the event?

Alfred, Lord Tennyson, then Poet Laureate, wrote the poem within minutes of reading a Times report and published it on 9 December 1854, calling the ground 'the valley of Death'.

In what year did the US Army first authorise identification tags for soldiers?

Army General Order 204 of December 1906 authorised a single aluminium identification tag; a July 1916 change required two tags, one to stay with the body.

Which US field ration did the MRE replace in 1981?

The Meal, Combat, Individual (MCI), which troops went on calling the C-ration, was issued from 1958 until the MRE was adopted in 1981 and fielded from 1983.