Written By: Matthew J. Seelinger During much of World War II, the U.S. Army relied on the M3/M5 Stuart series of light tanks for cavalry reconnaissance missions. While it was a mechanically reliable vehicle, and fairly fast and maneuverable, the Stuart‘s design dated back to the 1930s, and it was all but obsolete by late …
Even before Nazi Germany’s declaration of war on America on 11 December 1941, the U.S. Army was coming to terms with the need to adapt its arsenal and operational doctrines to the evolving European battlefield. Having witnessed the rapid advances of armored and mechanized forces in the German Blitzkrieg across Poland, the Low Countries, and …
Written By: Patrick Feng Throughout World War II, the M1 Garand rifle, which was manufactured in large quantities, served the U.S. Army extremely well. Despite the Garand’s undeniable reliability and effectiveness in combat, the experience of the German Gewehr 43 and the Soviet Tokarev SVT-40 semi-automatic rifles showed that the eight-round, clip-loaded magazine of the …
Written By: Matthew Seelinger During the Cold War, as the U.S. Navy and Air Force maintained America’s strategic nuclear arsenal of long-range bombers and submarine and land-based ballistic missiles, the Army focused on the development and deployment of tactical nuclear weapons for possible use on the battlefield. Beginning in the early 1950s, the Army introduced …
Written By: Nick McGrath Original publication date: Spring 2013 The Springfield Model 1873 was the Army’s standard issue rifle during the Indian Wars of the 1870s and 1880s. The rifle also saw service in the Spanish-American War and the Philippine Insurrection. Today, it is a favorite weapon of gun collectors. The origins of the M1873 …
The Army Historical Foundation is the designated official fundraising organization for the National Museum of the United States Army. We were established in 1983 as a member-based, charitable 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. We seek to educate future Americans to fully appreciate the sacrifices that generations of American Soldiers have made to safeguard the freedoms of this Nation. Our funding helps to acquire and conserve Army historical art and artifacts, support Army history educational programs, research, and publication of historical materials on the American Soldier, and provide support and counsel to private and governmental organizations committed to the same goals.
