Best Military History Quotes

"Innovation that was contributed to our military during World War II...there was a multitude of benefits that were brought to our military from minority groups, whether they were Black, women, or gay."

"As Brazil, just liberated all of Italy in one fell swoop."

"The horrors of the battle for Okinawa gave military planners great trepidation about Operation Olympic, the planned invasion of the Japanese island of Kyushu."

"It's a costly error: within a matter of just months, 18 of the 21 ships damaged in the attack are salvaged and operational again."

"The Battle of Midway was an intelligence failure for Japan; they did not know their naval codes had been compromised."

"During World War II, more than one and a half million African-Americans served in the United States armed forces, while still encountering unequal treatment and racial segregation."

"The unit inflicted a hundred and thirty thousand casualties on the German Army and captured, destroyed, or aided in the liberation of more than 30 towns, several concentration camps, four airfields, and three supply dumps."

"The Tuskegee Airmen fought two wars internally and externally and still provided a positive experience for the United States military."

"It can be said that the most influential time period for the development of the tank was that of World War II and the years building up to it."

"Overall, while the P26/40 was a promising design for the early stages of the war, the delayed and complicated development process for the vehicle, combined with its overall nature more similar to other nations medium tanks than a heavy tank and its low production numbers proved to make the vehicle an embodiment of the term 'too little, too late'."

"By the end of that day...Kane, according to eyewitnesses, had destroyed three tanks, and no one had ever done that before. He had begun to win his VC."

"Trump has broken a 39-year-old streak of American presidents either starting a war or bringing the United States into an international armed conflict."

"The range of the Churchill Crocodile was about 120 yards, effectively far further than anything the enemy is going to have."

"With the bulk of the South Seas Detachment finally on New Guinean soil, the Japanese now prepared to start their main drive against Port Moresby; an offensive that would be opposed by brave Australian soldiers in what is considered as Australia's Thermopylae."

"The modern history is always thought to begin with 'Kriegsspiel,' the German name for war game."

"The Roman military was one of the largest pre-modern professional armies that ever existed, protecting over 7,000 kilometers of border and consisting of over 400,000 legionaries and auxiliaries."

"These star forts are civil war forts...good luck explaining how they went about building that on soft sand in the early 1800s."

"Ike’s long love affair with military history and his active, sometimes temperamental personality as a young man made him an ideal fit for such an institution."

"The modern Battleship of 1944 and 1945 was now something more akin to a mobile fortress that had to withstand a prolonged siege coming in from all angles."

"And thus ended, in a quiet and undistinguished way, the story of one of the most unique units of the Soviet Air Force: the Air Base 1521 Maryy, the Soviet Top Gun."

"It was during the 1991 Gulf War where the Apache truly shined, providing the critical punch in the opening phase of Operation Desert Storm."

"The B-17 was a Cadillac of the bombers. You could do an awful lot of damage to a B-17 and it'll still take you back."

"When it's all said and done, this B-52 will have performed its mission for almost 80 years. No other bomber in history will be able to say that."

"Ukraine’s victory in Kherson remains the last major territorial advance by either side as of October 2023."

"Yet against all odds, within the space of just 20 months, he completely transformed his army, won a historic victory, and revitalized the war in the east."

"The decision to launch Operation Barbarossa would be a catastrophic mistake."

"The Chilean Civil War of 1891... was actually the first war where modern torpedoes were used and were actually successful."

"This sort of piecemeal breakdown of enemy alliances was one of Caesar's fortes."

"Dark Waters is a factual account of a crewman on board America's most secret submarine project NR1. Dark Waters details the bravery in the face of a catastrophic reactor failure far at sea."

"The introduction of tanks on the frontline battlefields during the First World War completely revolutionized ground warfare."

"The idea behind the Somme is simple: it's about a British offensive aimed at relieving the French at Verdun."

"Military history has a moral purpose. If we know nothing of Shiloh, Belleau Wood, Tarawa, and Chosin, then these sacrifices no longer serve as reminders that thousands endured pain and hardship for our rights and that the departed expected future generations, links in this great chain of obligation, to do the same for those not yet born."

"For all their arms and armour, the principal advantage of the Gallic army was their ability to utterly terrify their foe."

"Antietam... still remains the single bloodiest day in American history. But for once, the North came out victorious."

"Little Round Top made heroes of the men who fought there, those who sacrificed their lives leading their men to victory-- Vincent, O'Rourke, Hazlett, and Weed endure as legends."

"The longest war the U.S fought in its history wasn't in Afghanistan or Iraq, but against the Seminole Natives of Florida."

"Their mission: to return historic military aircraft to the skies."

"Without gunpowder, the technologically and economically advanced kingdoms like Carthage and Greece would hold no military advantage over the barbarians."

"Their lives were more than just Warfare and it is important that we remember this Human Side of our ancestors."

"The hero of the New Model Army is Oliver Cromwell... a man totally committed to godly Reformation."

"Many studies over the years have emphasized their likely role in rituals and religion, framing them as a kind of mask that transformed the wearers into human-animal hybrids."

"It's a quirk of military history that whenever humanity enters a new domain or develops a new transforming technology, there's usually at least a small window before it is weaponised."

"The Hetzer went on to be one of the most cost-effective late war German tanks."

"The development of the Merkava tank takes us through multiple wars and a unique period in Israel's history, telling us a lot about how Israel's domestic military industrial complex became the powerhouse it is today."

"The Tiger's biggest weakness was not another tank but two guys, a can of petrol, a blanket, and a lighter."

"The battle of Tsushima... saw Japan marshal practically every ship in the Imperial Japanese Navy, took on a numerically very large Russian fleet, and beat it incredibly soundly."

"Peter the Great was not disheartened, and he famously remarked: 'they have beaten us, they might beat us again, but in time they will teach us how to beat them'."

"This is quite a piece... the patina on the gun of the soldier is indicative of 17th century Romania."

"Gallipoli is remembered because of the ANZACs; it was their first real taste of war on that scale."

"What happened to this 3,000 strong group of soldiers? How could they simply vanish without a trace?"

"The U.S Marine Corps is actually older than the USA itself."

"So neither Hood nor the Iowa class fall into the first generation of battle cruisers by definition."

"Like a rock in the center of a raging stream, Bastogne reduced the momentum of the German assault."

"Monty developed an aura around him that spread throughout the ranks of the British army and made him a symbol of inspiration for the men."

"Montgomery arrived to find an Eighth Army low on confidence and morale, with Rommel’s Afrika Korps less than 60 miles from Alexandria and desperate to strike soon before American resources could tip the material balance in favour of the Allies."

"The defeat of the Spanish at sea had already occurred, the defeat of the Armada was one of the greatest military victories in English history."

"The repulsing of the Allies was considered a major victory," a moment of triumph.

"This is the extraordinary story of Master Sergeant Raul ‘Roy’ Benavidez, the Lazarus soldier, and of his three lives."

"By 1939, after the Nazis have spent vast sums, the Luftwaffe has become the largest, best-equipped air force in the world."

"This operation changed the world's concept of naval operations. This is a new stage in the history of naval battles."

"Determined to never be second to any other power in the world, the US began to nurture what would become one of the most professional fighting forces in earth's history."

"What about the 365,000 total dead Union soldiers?"

"With our backs to the wall and believing in the justice of our cause, each one of us must fight on to the end." - Field Marshal Douglas Haig

"Ultimately, Douglas Haig was not one of the greatest military leaders Britain has produced but neither was he one of the worst."

"America had the 19th largest military on the planet in 1939."

"Missing does not equal imprisoned without evidence." - Narrator

"The truth is, not one missing serviceman was ever confirmed to have remained a POW." - Narrator

"An improbable and total victory, one of the greatest victories in English history."

"The Finnish victories at Ägläjärvi, Kitilä, and Uomaa brought much hope and relief."

"Despite the losses, it was remarkable that the Finns had managed to hold on for so long against the Soviet onslaught."

"By now, only a few strongholds remained in Hellenic hands, one of which would be the stage of the most iconic battle of the entire war."

"The Rashidun triumph at Sufetula is frequently touted as the point at which Roman Africa was forever lost to the Empire, and while it was a back-breaking moment for the province, this is far from true."

"Abdullah ibn Sa’d revealed himself to be a veritable sea wolf compared to his feeble reputation on land, crushing Constans II’s navy in the first true Muslim naval triumph and clearing the way for an attack on Constantinople."

"It was not the individual fighting prowess of the soldiers that allowed Sparta to become the dominant military power."

"The Spartan hoplite stood for Millennia as a symbol of unbreakable will and discipline."

"It's basically like a murder mystery detective escape room that you can play at home."

"The Spring Offensive was a failure that weakened Mussolini’s domestic and international position."

"The conflict was truly global, and each of its smaller parts was crucial and decisive."

"Welcome to our documentary on the Battle of Greece and Battle of Crete."

"We now have the opportunity particularly to change the names of our military facilities."

"It's not too often use an original military beaver that's been sitting around for decades in the desert."

"Frederick the Great, perhaps the greatest military tactician of the 18th century."

"Had it not been for those four years, Russia would not be in a position to invade Ukraine."

"Though the concept of 'Seek, Strike, and Destroy' didn't fully succeed as a doctrine, tank destroyers themselves created their own success where it counted most: on the most decisive battlefields of World War 2."

"Jackson was an enigma, an obscure teacher who came out of nowhere to become arguably the most skilled and effective commander of the conflict in the South."

"Comparisons with Verdun are inappropriate because, as I said, Verdun was held, whereas solidar unequivocally has been lost."

"Eighty percent of their marked units reported having executed commissars during Operation Barbarossa."

"The grand duchy of Lithuania held off the Germans until the late 1500s."

"The world’s most technologically advanced reconnaissance aircraft."

"The successes of the RAF against the German bombers will sow the seeds of conflict within the Luftwaffe."

"The ghost Army's Legacy continues to live on highlighting the importance of creativity and Ingenuity in Warfare."

"It was the Western designs that were winning the wars even in situations where they were hopelessly outnumbered against alleged superior opponents, which ultimately explains why the Russians haven't produced a good tank since 1965."

"Lee was everywhere on the battlefield... a masterful tactician."

"The draft ended in 1973, and the military changed to an all-volunteer force."

"The key to the Greek victory in these straits was their ability to maintain a close ordered formation."

"Stalin basically kills off almost every Marshal" - paranoia leading to military incompetence.

"How confident would you be if you were a World War One 1914 soldier?"

"Trafalgar's strategy: 'He fought the battle so as to isolate and eliminate a portion of the enemy's larger fleet...'"

"The British Navy well-manned well-resourced and backed by a powerful economy was able to secure complete Naval dominance during the Napoleonic Wars."

"The USS Ling is a World War II-era submarine that is literally stuck in the mud in New Jersey."

"The USS Oriskany spent a very long time in service before it found its resting place as an artificial reef."

"Against great odds, she led the country to one of the greatest military victories in its history."

"Across the globe, whenever clandestine operations compromised enemy effectiveness, the airplane was as essential as the radio in the waging of unconventional warfare."

"The amazing record of the Enrique Tazoe, otherwise known as the USS Barb, deserves to be remembered."

"The battle was a turning point that eliminated the Japanese Navy's ability to conduct large-scale carrier operations."

"Estimates vary between one and three years, shortening the war considerably."

"The largest armed conflict in human history demanded all an individual soldier could possibly muster and the American glider pilots flying in unarmed and powerless aircraft were among the bravest individual soldiers serving on the allied lines."

"There's a bloody good reason why anytime you fly an American historical battle half the team consists of Corsairs because they're well-armed and they're powerful and durable aircraft."

"Sweden has managed to stay out of wars for the past two centuries by remaining neutral."

"Historically, the Challenger 2 has a strong record, undefeated on the battlefields of Kosovo or Iraq."

"The German Army cut through weak defenses, pouring into northern France and surrounding the bulk of the Allied armies."

"Warspite emerged, not just as a survivor but as a veteran with battle scars to show for it."

"Unable to replace her losses in carriers and aircrew, the Japanese Empire would never again be capable of taking the initiative."

"If you insult them you're insulting the British on the Somme and you're insulting the French in 1914 you're insulting basically armies that don't know what's going to happen to them they haven't had a chance to learn."

"It's not a learning curve, what it is is two big dippers side by side."

"In mid-spring of the year 1092... along the old military trail."

"The Lee Enfield rifle... was only replaced as a basic infantry weapon in the 1950s."

"Dazzle ships were surprisingly effective... so much so that during World War II, dazzle camouflage was utilized again by the US and even used on the decks of ships to confuse enemy aircrafts."

"It changed warfare. You don't have to build your boat out of wood."

"The war nearly 200,000 troops 10% of the Union Army would be black the valor and bravery they showed throughout silencing critics."

"A general of the Hussites, who led for five years, about half of which he spent entirely blind."

"Despite always being outnumbered and outgunned, he had never lost a single battle in his entire life."

"Whoever holds Alaska will hold the world." - General Billy Mitchell

"The historical consensus I read a lot of different sources on this seems to be towards the Russian end that actually I'm fired from the sea on the flattest trajectory things were just pinging off the armor."

"Cholera broke out and the French actually ended up losing far more soldiers to cholera than they ever did in action."

"Frederick's victories: Turning the tide of war through strategic brilliance and military innovation."

"The tank gave the Soviets an advantage in armor and firepower."

"The military resistance to England was crushed, though the lands of Wales were not incorporated into England at this point."

"Employees and customers have reported seeing the ghost of a man in a World War II-era military uniform inside of this location."

"Damocles was a great, no, revered leader in a vast army!"

"In reality, Market Garden was a high risk but high reward operation."

"D-Day is the great victory in the war that the British had been fighting since the first ship rolled off the docks."

"Britain fought a profoundly industrial war, a war of factories, technology, and science."

"The Lancasters get one last chance to strike at Hitler just five days before the Nazi Fuhrer takes his own life."

"The real story of how the world wars were fought and won lies in the competition in production."

"Erwin Rommel climbed into a staff-car on the 14th of October 1944 and committed suicide minutes later."

"One aspect of Rommel’s character that can never be denied is his military genius."

"The results of the second Mongol invasion of Hungary are an important reminder."

"By 1944, air power in World War II was definitely a British and American monopoly."

"Barbarossa was to become the largest ground invasion in human history."

"The fighting on Iwo Jima quickly descends to new levels of barbarity."

"Marines win 22 of the 27 awarded on Iwo Jima, the most in any single battle."

"The revered M2 has been produced longer than any other machine gun in history."

"This latest evolution of the very first machine gun has seemingly come to represent what Dr. Gatling desired more than 150 years ago: a weapon so fearsome that it provides a last line of defense for the troops that it serves."

"The M1 Garand was referred to as the rifle that won World War II."

"There was a Republican Navy, and they were active and they did what they could do."

"Hannibal never really had a proper professional army under his command and he gave Rome a beating in their own backyard for 16 years without having a proper army."

"But in today’s Biographics we will attempt to clear at least some of the mist shrouding the life of Master Sun."

"The horse archer, when used properly, could be the master of the medieval battlefield."

"The victory at Las Navas de Tolosa proved decisive. The Almohad menace to the Christian kingdoms was ended."

"A real public appetite to get some sense of what life was like for our soldiers."

"The tide began to turn in the Americans' favor."

"The reputation of the Wildcat as a sturdy fighter as well as a lethal one made a huge psychological difference."

"The avenger was the best torpedo bomber of World War II, and not by a small margin."

"I think it's pretty easy to conclude that the avenger was the best torpedo bomber of World War II, and not by a small margin."

"Looking back over 100 years ago with the birth of combined arms Warfare it seems puzzling that the Germans initially dismissed the tank."

"Battles and even entire campaigns have been lost on the basis of an underfed army."

"Passchendaele is finally captured on the 6th of November by then British and Commonwealth casualties totaled 275,000."

"But beyond these career Centurions, most legions were commanded by non-professional Legates selected from the Senatorial class."

"From out of the sunlight, a new poor appeared and dove straight into the German formation. It was Chapman."

"The black regiment the U.S. Army didn't want was the most decorated unit of the war."

"Nobody cheered when the Hell Fighters departed New York in 1917, but it was a completely different story when they returned home in February 1919."

"They fought for France's survival and helped heal her soul all at the same time."

"The Empire of Japan had a relatively short history, but it made itself infamous during those decades."

"A civilization previously unknown to historians... a great military victory over the kingdom of Phrygia."

"It's still the deadliest, unsolved mystery in the history of the Navy."

"Strength of Morata's forces was not more than fifteen thousand men."

"Dowding orchestrated the air defence of Great Britain."

"The British integrated air defense system was a wonder of applied technology... It laid the foundation for modern command and control."

"Just as total defeat, ruin, and partition were upon them, the Prussians were saved by one of the most incredible pieces of luck ever to end a major conflict."

"By war's end, Hugo Schmeiser claimed that 424,000 rifles had been produced."

"Shields are really, really super important for a huge amount of history all over the world."

"Ultimately, the soldiers that fought in the battle of Athens are not only inspirational figures for the way they exemplified the expression 'give me liberty or give me death.'"

"Battles won and lost determined possession of territory, of resources, and of the strength to go on fighting."

"Operation Barbarossa initially lived up to its promise."

"Without it, we would not have had the pilots with the skills necessary to prosecute the war against Japan."

"Given these factors, it's no surprise to learn that desertion was a huge problem for the Afghan National Army."

"Dogs have been employed during times of war for hundreds of years to deliver messages, take part in patrols and even carry slippers - sorry, supplies - to the wounded."

"The reality of air combat was the swooping ambush, the bounce, hitting sudden, hard, and fast."

"The P40's combat debut marked a significant moment in its service history."

"Lieutenant Dick Bong had become a fighter ace."

"P-38s would fly more than 130,000 missions and shoot down more Japanese fighters than any other aircraft."

"The He 111s proved more effective during combat operations than the Do 17 and Ju 86 aircraft."

"The DC-3: a key factor in winning the Second World War."

"Germans seriously underestimated the Spitfire because of their experiences flying against it in the Battle of France."

"The Supermarine Spitfire was undoubtedly the only truly immortal warplane to emerge from the Second World War."

"The Corsair was universally acknowledged to be the finest naval fighter of the Second World War."

"Richard Bong, America's first triple jet ace, was awarded the Medal of Honor."

"It's a battle and a part of history that's easily overlooked, but something that definitely deserves to be remembered."

"If you were to force me to pick one person that was the greatest general of all time, I think it's gotta be Napoleon."

"This is the first time ever that a military cemetery has been excavated on Hadrian's Wall and it'll give us a rare insight into the lives and beliefs of the people who lived here 1700 years ago."

"More than just a mascot, he carried ammo, drank beer, and even had a rank."

"If Cornwallis's army had lost a full colonel captured to the enemy, Cornwallis himself would be fully and painfully aware of that fact."

"Only in July did Saladin reconquer Jaffa, but lost it again to the Lionheart in August."

"The Wrangler's DNA goes all the way back to the original Willys Jeeps sold during the World War Two era."

"Armour has evolved through the centuries from basic coverings to protect an army's infantry, to astounding feats of design made to win wars of combat and politics."

"The most professional army in the world was forced to flee back to Boston."

"The psychological effect of the Battle of Hamel was electric and startling."

"It's amazing to see that link between an arm a unit 240 years ago and serving members of today's Army."

"Never again would massed battle fleets confront each other on the high seas."