"Favorite" Conflict

[PhilK]

Many of us study military history, and usually we find one or two major conflicts that we end up studying in depth.

I was wondering which ones you guys study.

Possible options are:

French-Indian War
American Revolution
War of 1812
US-Mexico War
American Civil War
Spanish-American War
World War I
World War II
Korean War
Vietnam War
Cold War
Persian Gulf War

Of course there are many other conflicts as well, but a short list to stimulate.

For me, I study the US-Mexico War (along with the Texas Revolution) and I dable in the Civil War and World War II.

If this thread catches on, I'll come back and give my reasons for picking a rather obscure war.

[PhoenixCadet]

I'm interested in learning about anything and everything - however, I'm heavily interested in conflicts of "my era" (e.g. Desert Storm, the Battle of Mogadishu & our current wars). Out of those, I probably study and read up on Mogadishu the most. The idea and usage of special operations forces of any type facinates me.

-PC

[FeelinFroggy]

Originally Posted by PhoenixCadet

I'm interested in learning about anything and everything - however, I'm heavily interested in conflicts of "my era" (e.g. Desert Storm, the Battle of Mogadishu & our current wars). Out of those, I probably study and read up on Mogadishu the most. The idea and usage of special operations forces of any type facinates me.

-PC

Special Operations are nothing new. You could date the use of guerilla tactics to periods prior to the Ninja of ancient Japan.

As far as the study of the listed wars, I've learned about each one starting from elementary school until now, some more in depth than others. But, I've never studied these wars on my own free time as a hobby. I'm curious as to why you chose the U.S.-Mexico War, PhilK.

[HairyEyeball]

Used to be somewhat of a WW Deuce enthusiast, and read everything I could get my hands on - then I got to play in the Great Southeast Asia War Games (with much of the same equipment, so some of that came in handy). Eventually pursued that with the same vigor, until I branched off into the political aspects. Still appreciate a good historically accurate read on 1939-1970, particularly (obviously) Marine actions.

[PhilK]

Originally Posted by FeelinFroggy

I'm curious as to why you chose the U.S.-Mexico War, PhilK.

First, drop the "K". I'm just Phil.

As for why I decided to study the US-Mexico War, there are numerous reasons.

It all started many years ago with a book called "Gone for Soldiers" by Jeff Shaara. Jeff is the son of Mike Shaara who wrote "Killer Angels". The book really sparked my interest in this short lived conflict (1846-1848) and it also introduced many future "big names" to combat for the first time. Lee, Jackson, Grant, Pickett, and Longstreet all saw combat in Mexico and fought next to each other before they fought against each other 13 years later.

Since I am a Texan, studying a conflct so close to where I lived was of great interest also and since the war started over a Texas border dispute that helped the interest as well.

Once I started digging deeper into the war, it was interesting to see that we were the young, inexperienced military taking on the big, bad Army of Mexico. We took the fight into the heart of Mexico, creating new strategy and tactics as we went along. It was the first time that the US Army took a foerign country's capital (obviously we gave it back). This is also the war that we gained New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, California, part of Colorado and the rest of Texas.

It was also a very political war with President Polk and General Scott butting heads at every turn.

I could go on and on, but I won't bore you.

Phil

[Lee Ragan]

Like Phil above, I'm a Texan which influences some of my choices. They are:
Texas Revolution
Mexican War
War Between the States
Indian Wars
WW II
I had relatives who fought in the first three listed, plus WWII so that lends a personal touch to it. I also read some on all the other conflicts in American history.
In years past I read heavily on military aviation in all wars. In recent years I've branched out to include more military subjects.

[Murray B]

Originally Posted by PhilK

I was wondering which ones you guys study.

The one that I have read the most on is World War II but I think that it is Vietnam that most needs impartial study.

Communists and Nazis expand by overthrowing governments. The Nazis went underground after WWII but the Communists expanded. U.N. forces stopped the expansion in Korea but Vietnam became another story.

Undeclared wars create a problem for the U.S. because their constitutional definition of treason is only clear after the Congress declares war. During the Vietnam conflict this loophole allowed fifth columnists to operate inside the country with impunity and use propaganda to redefine the enemy. By the time most servicemen returned from the war they were treated as if they were the enemies of democracy and the totalitarian Communists were the good guys. Maybe the war could not be won, but it was certainly lost stateside and not in South East Asia.

For more than forty years the fifth columnist "traitors" have managed to camouflage the facts. This makes the Vietnam conflict the 'war' that merits the most serious study and yet, because of the internal conflicts, one of the most difficult to investigate.

[Collo]

Like my learned brethren here WWII is a big feature in my areas of avid interest. For an Australian it was the first time our home soil came under attack from a foreign power. There is so much depth in this subject it is hard to come up for air. And to think it all began when I was 12 watching Hogans Heroes .

The other areas that I am interested in are:

The Troubles. For us of the realm and more so those in the homeland; this played a big role in how the British Armed Forces operated for at least a half a century. Like all conflicts the history behind the political, Intelligence, and Military sides to the struggle is one that consistently draws me in.

War on Terror. Naturally this is the war we are fighting now; but her story as you all know goes way beyond the tragic events of September 11. I get reading about one group which leads me to another and another. To study these radicals is quite intriguing. Then to learn about ones opponent is always a desired endeavor.

These are just a few topics I am interested in. I tend to read more auto/biographies on persons in the above mentioned areas.

Hey all, I'm a new join - I actually got onto this forum because of my interest in military uniforms and how they have changed over time.

Brief intro, I suppose, is in order - Marine reservist, received OTH (so I'll be accepting your jokes now :P) after requesting administrative discharge while an undergraduate at Northwestern University (Evanston, IL; I have since graduated with a B.S. in biomedical engineering, and I am now a member of Mensa and earning my masters degree in public health). Up until the OTH in 2005, I had 3 and a half years of a spotless service record (not hard to do in the reserves though).

Anyway, on to the military confrontations of interest. Personally, I would have to say the Civil War (I understand that those from the South will refer to it as the "War Between the States") and probably the Korean War (I am a Korean-American, born in Pusan, naturalized in Chicago) are the ones that garner my greatest interest. I leave out the 800-pound gorilla in the room, WWII, because that is an obvious choice in my opinion (there's so much material, so much documentation, and, also in my opinion, it was the last gigantic "classic-form" war, by which I mean a conflict in which the application of classic tactics and strategies, despite being augmented by developing technologies that would later change the nature of war itself, were still more relevant than the small-unit and prevention/peacekeeping focus of militaries today; not that Korea and Vietnam weren't gigantic, but by then the technologies I mention were already beginning to overshadow the classical tactics and strategies, e.g. the ones you read about in Sun Tzu's Art of War).

[PhilK]

Originally Posted by ecthelion83

Anyway, on to the military confrontations of interest. Personally, I would have to say the Civil War (I understand that those from the South will refer to it as the "War Between the States").

First, welcome.

Funny story, being from Texas the Civil War is usually just refered to as the "Civil War". I went to Ft. Knox, KY and for the first time heard someone refer to the Civil War as the "War of Northern Aggression", then I went to Indiana and saw a monument dedicated to the regiments that fought in the "War of Rebellion". Needless to say it was an educational experience that I don't get here.