Forgotten Battle 7

Welcome back viewers

This month's Forgotten Battle is...

The Battle of Komarów 

Intro

The battle of Komarów occurred on August 31, 1920. It was fought at the Komarów-Osada village in Eastern Poland between the armies of Poland and the Soviet Union. This battle was part of the climax of one of the most dramatic conflicts fought in the aftermath of World War I. It would also be the last major battle to involve traditional cavalrymen.

Part I

The Polish-Soviet War began in the year 1919. It was a theatre of the Russian Civil War that began after the defeat of the Central Powers in World War I. It began with the Soviet Red Army invading the neighboring country of Belarus. From there, they launched further incursions into Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

After successfully overrunning Ukraine and annihilating multiple Polish armies that had attempted to intervene, the Soviets became convinced that they could conquer Poland itself. At the urging Leon Trotsky, the Soviet dictator (Vladimir Lenin) ordered an invasion of Poland. Leading the invasion was, General Mikhail Tukhachevsky. Their main target was the Polish capital of Warsaw.

Part II

At first the Red Army won multiple battles and pushed deep into Poland. In July, they captured the Polish city, Białystok. General Tukhachevsky's army wiped out the Poles that were intervening in Belarus while General Semyon Budyonny's army converged on Warsaw. The climactic battle for Poland's capital began on August 12.

The battle in Warsaw quickly turned into a vicious street-by-street fight that took the lives of thousands on both sides. On August 13, the Soviet 16th Army broke through the first Polish line of defense at the town of Radzymin. The next day, the Polish 5th Army counter-attacked at the Wkra River. Inside Warsaw, the Red Army pushed through to the city's center. For a few days, it seemed like they were going to win. 

But then the Poles got resupplied by airdrops from the Western Allies. Planes from Great Britain and the United States dropped thousands of weapons and ammunition to the Poles that allowed them to successfully stop the Red Army's advance. And when some of the Red Army top generals began quarreling among themselves, the Poles launched a counter-attack and forced the Soviets out of Warsaw.

Part III

On August 25, the Red Army began to retreat eastwards with the Polish Army (under the command of General Józef Piłsudski) in hot pursuit. General Tukhachevsky ordered General Semyon Budyonny to attack the right flank of Piłsudski's army and enable the Soviet Western Army to escape and regroup in Ukraine. He assigned this task to the Soviet 1st Cavalry Army (which had been unable to engage in the battle of Warsaw). Their target was the Polish historical city of, Zamość. 

Facing them, were only a few Polish cavalry regiments under the command of their own officers. Among them were, Major Stanisław Maczek and Captain Tadeusz Bór-Komorowski (both of whom would play major roles in World War II). Their numbers were less than 2,000 horsemen and only a few machine gunners. They gathered near the village of Komarów and awaited the oncoming Bolshevik cavalry. The two forces finally met on August 30.

First, the Polish cavalry rode around the Soviets and attacked their rear. After several hours of fighting, the Poles were forced to fall back when the Soviets threatened to overwhelm them. Early the next morning,  the Polish 2nd Uhlan Cavalry Regiment (with just over 200 men) ambushed and captured a Soviet position at Hill 255 (outside of Komarów). The Soviets attempted retake the hill, but their attacks were all repelled with heavy casualties. At 10 AM, the Polish 8th Uhlan Cavalry Regiment charged the Soviet 4th Cavalry Division occupying the town of, Wolica Śniatycka. After less than 20 minutes of hand-to-hand fighting, the 4th Cavalry was routed and scattered (General Budyonny himself barely managed to escape capture). This coupled with the routing of the Soviet 6th Cavalry Division, forced the Red Army into a disorganized retreat.

Epilogue 

Fierce fighting continued around Komaróv for the next two days. It finally ended on September 2. The casualties for the Poles were at least 500 killed and an unknown number wounded. The casualties for the Soviets are unclear but are believed to have been over 4,000. For the Soviet Union, this battle was a decisive defeat. And it would not be the last. On September 16, the Red Army suffered a final devastating defeat at the battle of the Niemen River. On October 18, 1920, the Soviet Union and Poland signed a ceasefire which brought the war to an end. 

Today, the battle of Komaróv is considered by historians to be the greatest cavalry battle of the 20th Century (due to the number of soldiers involved). It would also be the last to involve traditional sword-fighting cavalrymen in Europe (cavalry would continue to be used as mounted infantry for many years). In Poland, the battle is referred to as the, "Miracle at Zamosć", and is commemorated every year as a brave stand against overwhelming odds.

https://en.topwar.ru/174491-bitva-pri-komarove-porazhenie-1-j-konnoj-armii.html

https://polishhistory.pl/the-polish-bolshevik-war/

https://www.pygmywars.com/rcw/history/czesniki/czesnikiintro.html

https://historicaleye.com/ww1/broken-lances-and-bloody-sabres/index.html

Forgotten Battle 6

Welcome back viewers

This month's Forgotten Battle is...

The Raid on the Medway

Intro

The Raid on the Medway was fought in the harbor of the English town of Chatham, from June 19 to June 24, 1667. It was the climatic battle of a highly destructive conflict between two European powers. It was also one of the few times in history that a raid would be the deciding factor of a war. 

Part I

By the turn of the 17th century, many European countries had set their sights on conquering the Atlantic Ocean. Two of them, were England and the Dutch Republic. Both nations had built formidable armadas and had established far-flung colonies across the ocean. With their desires for sovereignty over the best trade routes, war was inevitable.

The first Anglo-Dutch War took place from 1652 to 1654. The English (who had superior cannons) destroyed much of the Dutch fleet in battle. Through the use of privateers, they were also able to inflict severe damage on Dutch merchant shipping. At the battle of Portland Isle, the English successfully sank 12 Dutch ships while only losing three of their own. The First war concluded with the 1654 Treaty of Westminster. This treaty gave the English sovereignty over the colony of New Netherland. 

For a decade, there was peace between the English and the Dutch. However, tensions rose again in the year 1664. The prior treaty had failed to address two major issues. They were, Dutch opposition to the Navigation Acts of 1651, and English objections to Dutch trading monopolies. These coupled with competition over markets in the East Indies meant that war was once again on the horizon.

Part II

The Second Anglo-Dutch War began in the Caribbean in April of 1664. In the first year of the conflict, the English fared much better against the Dutch. At the battle of Lowestoft, the English won a decisive victory. But following this battle, things began to take a different turn. At the Four Days' Battle, the Royal Navy suffered a major defeat. They lost 20 warships while the Dutch only lost 4. Among the dead were two of their best vice-admirals, Sir Christopher Myngs and Sir William Berkeley.

Inspired by their victory, the Dutch admiral (Michiel de Ruyter) attempted to capitalize by destroying the English fleet while it was being repaired. Their first attempt on July 25, 1666 (known as: the St. James' Day Battle), ended in failure. This was followed by a devastating attack on the Dutch town of, West-Terschelling. In this attack, Sir Robert Holmes took eight fireships to the town's harbor and ignited five of them. He sent them into the Dutch harbor where the latter's merchant fleet was docked. Within minutes, the entire fleet (over 140 ships) and the town itself went up in flames. The event is now referred to as, Holmes's Bonfire.

However, England was then devastated by the Great Plague of 1665 (bubonic plague) that ravaged their countryside. This was followed by an equally devastating fire that destroyed much of London. These two tragedies left the English unable to capitalize on their victories and allowed the Dutch to recover and prepare for a raid of their own in June of 1667. 

Part III

Admiral de Ruyter was determined to make the English pay for the devastation caused by Holmes's Bonfire. On June 4, he departed from the Netherlands with 62 frigates, 15 lighter ships, and 12 fireships. Their first target was an English fortress (Sheerness Fort) on the Isle of Sheppey. The main target was the town of Chatham, where the English fleet was anchored in the River Medway. At 5 PM on June 10, the Dutch launched their attack.

A small party of Dutch marines and sailors stormed ashore Sheppey Isle and attacked Sheerness Fort. The fort's garrison was caught completely off guard. Outnumbered and outgunned, they surrendered after less than an hour of fighting. A lone English frigate (HMS Unity) fired a single broadside at the Dutch ships. The latter retaliated by setting a fireship ablaze and sending towards the former. The Unity then retreated up the Medway leaving the Dutch to plunder Sheerness Fort and free to advance up the Medway.

A day and a half later (the sailors spent the previous day looting Sheerness Fort) on June 12, the Dutch set sail in pursuit of the English. Their next target was the fortress called, Upnor Castle. Leading the Dutch attack was a ship-of-the-line called, Vrede (peace). In command of the ship, was Captain Jan van Braakel. After catching up the Unity, Captain van Braakel boarded the ship and captured it. While that was happening, the Dutch fireship Pro Patria attacked the HMS Matthias and set the latter on fire. The Matthias was soon a raging inferno and eventually blew up when the fire reached the powder magazine. Another Dutch fireship went for the English flagship (HMS Charles V). After the ship caught fire, its crew quickly surrendered. After this, the Dutch stopped their advance and regrouped for the final attack.

The next day on June 13, the Dutch ships resumed their advance up the Medway. They easily knocked out the English garrison at Upnor Castle and closed in on Chatham's harbor. They then lit six fireships and sent them toward the English vessels that were still at the docks. Within minutes, ten English ships-of-the-line were set ablaze. The fire quickly spread and engulfed other ships nearby including three heavy vessels. The Dutch then captured the HMS Royal Charles (the pride of the Royal Navy). After this, Admiral de Ruyter decided that they had done enough. The next day, he and the Dutch fleet sailed down the Medway and back to the ocean.

Epilogue

The Dutch raid on the Medway River had inflicted devastating losses on the Royal Navy. The English had lost a total of 45 ships; either sunk, captured, or scuttled. In addition, they had also lost more than 500 sailors and soldiers. The Dutch by contrast, lost between 50-150 sailors and only eight fireships. Even today, it is still considered to be one of the worst defeats in the history of the Royal Navy. 

With the destruction of most of his fleet, the King Charles II of England decided to sue for peace. On July 31, 1667, England and the Dutch Republic (along with Denmark and France) signed the Treaty of Breda. In accordance with the terms of the treaty, the Dutch willingly ceded their settlement in New Amsterdam (present-day Manhattan) to the English. The English in turn ceded their territory in the Guyanas, Run Island, and Fort Amsterdam (in present-day Ghana) to the Dutch Republic. However, Charles II remained bitter towards the Dutch for the humiliating defeat on the Medway. It was not long before the Third Anglo-Dutch war (1672-1674) ignited and the battle for control of the seas continued.

https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/Raid-On-Medway/

https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2019/february/deepest-insult-norman-invasion

https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/article/twisting-the-lions-tail/

https://threedecks.org/index.php?display_type=show_ship&id=1355

Forgotten Battle 5

Welcome back viewers

This month's Forgotten Battle is...

The Battle of Attu

Intro

The battle of Attu was fought in the Aleutian Islands from May 11 to May 30, 1943. It was fought between the American Army and the Japanese Army. It was the largest and bloodiest land battle to be fought on American soil during World War II.

Part I

Six months after the Attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese Army sent a couple battalions to occupy two of the Aleutian Islands. On June 3, 86 Japanese aircraft launched an attack on Alaska's, Dutch Harbor. The attack severely damaged the American military base and enabled the Japanese to move ships into the area. Later that month, several thousand Japanese soldiers landed unopposed on the islands of Attu and Kiska and built fortifications on them.

By the year 1943, the tide of the War in the Pacific had turned in favor of the United States. The Japanese Navy had suffered a devastating defeat at the Battle of Midway. And the Guadalcanal Campaign had ended in a hard-fought victory for the Americans. This victory was the first major success of the Allied island hopping strategy across the Pacific. Further attacks on other strategic islands were immediately planned; among them were the Aleutian Islands, Attu and Kiska.

Part II

Although the Japanese garrison did not present a major threat to mainland America, it was seen as a threat to those living in Alaska. Many generals feared that the Japanese could use the islands as airbases to threaten the Americans stationed there and interfere in ship movements from that territory. Also, they were highly irritated that a piece of American territory was under Japanese occupation. After several months of consideration, they decided to launch Operation Landcrab and retake the Aleutian Islands occupied by Japan. The first target was, Attu. 

Attu is an uninhabited volcanic island with only a few trees. It frequently has 100-mile-an-hour gusts and rain storms. The Japanese garrison on the island numbered 2,650 soldiers from the IJA 2nd District under the command of, Colonel Yasuyo Yamasaki. After taking control of Attu, Yamasaki ordered his soldiers dig in on the high ground away from the beaches. Knowing that his army was severely outnumbered and outgunned, Yamasaki was prepared to give the last full measure.

It was decided that the assault of Attu would be carried out by the American 7th Infantry Division. Spearheading the attack would be the 32nd Infantry Regiment (aka: the Buccaneers). Although they had not been trained for winter warfare, this attack was to be their baptism of fire. Very few of them had any idea of what they were about to face.

Part III

The assault began on May 11, just after 7 AM. In just over an hour, the first wave had all landed without encountering any resistance. This was due in part to a heavy fog that covered the beaches and obscured the Americans from the Japanese defenders. Once the Americans began moving off the beaches, the battle began.

The Americans had superior numbers and better equipment. However, their advance was hampered by bad weather and freezing temperatures. As a result, many soldiers suffered trench foot and frostbite. This coupled with highly fortified Japanese positions in the island's tundra, caused them to suffer heavier casualties than they anticipated. As they moved further inland, the fighting only got worse. In the thick of it, was Private Joseph (Joe) Pantillion Martinez.

Originally from Taos, New Mexico, Joe was only 22 years old. He had been assigned to Company K of the 32nd Infantry Regiment. On May 25, Martinez and his regiment were attempting to capture a mountain pass called, Fish Hook Ridge. This position was one of the strongest defenses in the Japanese lines. Behind this pass was Chichagof Harbor, the Japanese last line of defense. With his regiment pinned down by heavy machine-gun fire, Martinez decided to take the initiative. He crawled away from his comrades and began to climb the pass toward the Japanese position. After reaching it, he killed five of the machine-gunners. Unfortunately, Martinez received a lethal wound to his head while charging the last Japanese foxhole on Fish Hook Ridge (he would die the next day). 

After capturing Fish Hook Ridge, the Americans finally began advancing on Chichagof Harbor. On May 28, the Japanese prepared to launch a suicidal counterattack (a banzai charge). Colonel Yamasaki penned a final letter to his wife, Shigeko. It read, "We have been married for more than 30 years and I would like to thank you for all the good time we could spend together. You have been an excellent wife to me and a gentle mother to our children. I will always think back of that time with much pleasure". On May 29, what remained of the Japanese garrison launched its banzai charge. They managed to break through the first American line and vicious hand-to-hand fighting followed. However, the Americans quickly recovered and annihilated the Japanese attack with overwhelming firepower. By the next day, the battle of Attu was finally over.

Epilogue

The Americans had emerged victorious in the battle for Attu. However, the 19-day operation had cost both armies dearly. The American casualties were 548 killed, 1,148 wounded, and more than 1,800 frostbitten and sick. Of the Japanese garrison of 2,600, only 28 survived to be taken prisoner. The rest (including Colonel Yamasaki) all died fighting or committed suicide. As a percentage of the number of soldiers involved, this was the second-deadliest battle fought between the Americans and the Japanese in the Pacific (with only Iwo Jima being worse).

For his valor on Attu, Private Joe Martinez was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. He would be the only American servicemen to receive the medal for this battle. Three months later, the Americans prepared to invade the Aleutian island, Kiska. Upon landing on the beaches however, they found the island completely devoid of enemy troops (the Japanese had evacuated the garrison two weeks earlier). This concluded the Aleutian Islands campaign of World War II.

The battle of Attu was the last major combat action of the Aleutian Islands campaign. All further actions against the Japanese would occur in the South Pacific Ocean. The American victory at Attu was largely overshadowed by their campaigns in the Solomon Islands and New Guinea. When World War II was over, the Americans abandoned Attu as they had little use for it. Today, the island's only residents are its wildlife. And they only hint of the terrible battle that was fought in May of 1943, are a few small monuments to the fallen of both armies.

https://www.army.mil/article/256615/7id_and_the_invasion_of_attu

https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-attu

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/retropolis/wp/2018/05/24/thousands-of-japanese-soldiers-fought-the-only-wwii-battle-on-u-s-soil-just-28-survived/

https://ww2db.com/person_bio.php?person_id=168

https://evergreenpodcasts.com/medal-of-honor/pvt-joe-p-martinez-fighting-an-uphill-battle

https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/battle-of-attu-60-years.htm

Forgotten Battle 4

 Welcome back viewers

This month's forgotten battle is...

The Battle of Lone Pine

Intro

The Battle of Lone Pine occurred in August 1915, in present-day Turkey. It was part of the Gallipoli Campaign of World War I. It was fought between the Anzacs (Australians and New Zealanders) of the British Empire and Turkish soldiers of the Ottoman Empire. It would be one of the very few Allied victories during one most disastrous campaigns of World War I.

Part I

In 1915, the war on the Western Front had reached a bitter stalemate. Both sides had become bogged down in Northern France. Fierce fighting was waged around the Marne River and the city of Ypres in Southern Belgium. The Allies decided to launch an offensive against the Ottoman Empire (Turkey). At the urging of the First Lord of the Admiralty (Winston Churchill), the Allies sought to weaken the Turks by taking control of the Ottoman straits. These are the two waterways that are considered the dividing lines between Europe and Asia. The two straits are called the Dardanelles (which connects to the Aegean Sea) and the Bosporus (which connects to the Black Sea). 

If the Allies could take control of the Ottoman straits, then the Ottoman capital of Istanbul would be vulnerable to attack. This would also open a supply line between the Western Allies and the Russian Empire. In order to capture the straits, the Allies first needed to capture the Turkish peninsula of Gallipoli. In April, thousands of British, French, and Anzac soldiers landed at two beaches around Gallipoli (Cape Helles and Anzac Cove). They expected to encounter light resistance. 

Instead, the British and Anzacs were confronted by a highly concentrated array of Turkish defenses. To make matters worse, the Royal Navy found the straits to be heavily mined and rigged with coastal defenses. These defenses turned the Gallipoli campaign into a 10 month stalemate with horrific casualties on both sides. And the Allies had found themselves in a situation very similar to what was happening in Western Europe.

Part II

Undeterred by their heavy casualties and minimal progress, the Allied commanders refused to consider the possibility of withdrawal and ordered multiple attacks to be launched against the Turkish lines. The Anzacs were tasked with launching a diversionary attack on a rise known as, "400 Plateau". Its nickname was, Lone Pine (after a solitary Turkish pine that had withstood the bombardment).

Lone Pine was targeted due to its location directly above the Anzac's landing beach (Anzac Cove). It was also meant to lure Turkish soldiers away from British soldiers landing at Suvla Bay. It was also meant to distract the Turks from an Anzac assault on the Sari Bair ranges. If all went according plan, the Allies could finally break through the Turkish lines and advance through Gallipoli. The offensive began on August 6.

Part III

The assault on Lone Pine began just after 3 PM with a massive barrage of artillery from the Royal Navy. After a 90 minute bombardment, the first wave of Anzac infantry (1,800 men) emerged from their trenches and advanced on Lone Pine. To the surprise of many, they encountered relatively light resistance as they approached the Turkish trench. When they reached it however, the Turks opened fire on them. The Anzacs were quickly pinned down under a withering volley of bullets. They then noticed that Turkish fortifications were roofed with pine logs that impeded access (arial reconnoissance had failed to spot these).

The second and third waves of Anzac infantry then also advanced on Lone Pine. While the first wave tried to clear fortifications with grenades, they began flanking the Turks by attacking the communications and support trenches. By doing this, they were able to gain access to the main trenches. From there, the fighting was hand to hand. After less than an hour of fighting, the Anzacs successfully captured the first set of Turkish trenches. Some of the Anzacs then advanced 20m behind Turkish lines to a position called, "the Cup". At nightfall of August 6, they dug in and prepared for an inevitable counter-attack. They didn't have long to wait.

Just hours into the night, the Turks launched their counter-attack. To the surprise of the Anzacs, it did not come from no-man's-land (land between enemy trenches) but from underground. Prior to the invasion, the Turks had dug a maze of tunnels under their trenches. This had enabled them to evade damage from the Allied bombardment and continually reinforce their garrisons around Gallipoli. 

For the next three days and nights, the Turks launched numerous counter-attacks attempting to retake the Anzac position at Lone Pine. Against all odds, the latter was able to hold on. Their own engineers dug a safe passage across no-man's-land which enabled reinforcements and supplies to enter the captured positions without being exposed to enemy fire. In spite of their best efforts, the Turks were unable to drive the Anzacs out from Lone Pine. They ceased their counter-attacks on August 10.

Epilogue

The battle of Lone Pine had ended in an unexpected victory for the Anzacs. They had successfully penetrated the Turkish lines and held their positions against repeated counter-attacks. The casualties for the battle had been quite heavy. The Anzacs had suffered around 2,200 casualties while the Turks had lost between 5,000 to 7,000. Sadly, the Anzac victory at Lone Pine was short-lived.

Although the diversionary assault on the Turkish lines had succeeded in taking its objective, the Allies failed to exploit it. The main Anzac attack at the Turkish position at Chunuk Bair (the real target) initially captured it. But the British commander (Frederick Stopford) who landed at Suvla Bay (and was supposed to reinforce the Anzacs) failed to move his soldiers off the beach. Without aid from British soldiers, the Anzacs at Chunuk Bair were unable to further advance and were left open to a Turkish counter-attack. 

By August 10, the Turks had realized that the Anzac attack on Lone Pine was a diversion and quickly rushed reinforcements to Chunuk Bair. In a massive counter-attack, they drove the Anzacs off Chunuk Bair and regained all of the lost ground there. The British and Anzac assaults on other positions also failed miserably. For the Allies, the failed August offensive was the final straw. The Gallipoli Campaign was declared a failure and they began withdrawing their soldiers. In December 1915, the Anzacs at Lone Pine were among the last to be withdrawn. After 10 months of horrific fighting, the Gallipoli Campaign was finally over.

After the end of World War I, Anzac and Turkish veterans (with permission from the new Turkish government) returned to Gallipoli and constructed monuments for those who died during the campaign. At the original battle site of Lone Pine is a cemetery that was constructed for the Anzac and British soldiers who died there. During the fighting for Lone Pine, its namesake (the lone Turkish pine tree) had been completely destroyed. In the 1920s however, a stone pine tree was planted at the cemetery. It remains there today as a sad reminder of the terrible cost of the battle for Lone Pine.

https://www.dva.gov.au/media/media-backgrounders/first-world-war-battle-lone-pine-1915

lone-pine

https://www.awm.gov.au/wartime/34/article

https://www.awmlondon.gov.au/battles/lone-pine

https://www.battlefieldtourspecialists.com.au/the-attack-at-lone-pine-gallipoli/

https://web.archive.org/web/20080725093918/http://www.diggerhistory2.info/graveyards/pages/anzac/anzac08-lone-pine-m.htm

Forgotten Battle 3

Welcome back viewers

This month's Forgotten Battle is...

The Battle of Graignes

Intro

The battle of Graignes was fought from June 10 to June 12, 1944. The battle was fought in Northern France during Operation Overlord between American paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne Division and the German 17th SS Panzer-Grenadier Division. It was a small yet very important battle during the last great invasion of the last great war.

Part I

When the Invasion of Normandy (Operation Overlord) began on June 6, it was spearheaded by thousands of Allied paratroopers. Their mission during Overlord was to seize and hold the bridges and causeways connecting the beaches to mainland France. This would cut off the German garrisons there and enable the Allies to advance further inland.

For the most part, Operation Overlord went surprisingly well. However, during the dropping of the paratroopers, many of them were blown off course and found themselves scattered across the French countryside. Among them, were twelve planeloads of paratroopers from the 3rd Battalion, 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division. These men mostly ended up in the marshes south of the city of Carentan. This was the worst mis-drop of paratroopers during Operation Overlord. With few options, most of them made their way to the nearest French village. It was a small commune called, Graignes. 

Upon their arrival, the local residents of Graignes welcomed the Americans with open arms. By nightfall of June 6, 182 paratroopers had gathered at the village (12 officers and 170 enlisted men). In command of this small force was, Major Charles Johnston. Instead of trying to get to Carentan (which was 20 miles away) Major Johnston ordered his men to begin setting up a perimeter around Graignes. He had hoped to wait there for American reinforcements from Utah and Omaha Beaches. With aid from the locals, they began digging trenches and foxholes. They positioned five machine-guns and two mortars in and around the town and made the local church (the tallest structure) their command center. 

Part II

For the next four days, the paratroopers waited for signs of the enemy or friendly reinforcements. On June 8, lookouts on the church's steeple noticed a small horse-drawn convoy of German soldiers crossing a wooden bridge towards the town. American scouts successfully ambushed the Germans and forced them to retreat. Major Johnston then had them destroy the bridge and pulled back to the perimeter.

The next day, paratroopers from the American 501st Paratrooper Regiment (who had also arrived at Graignes) ambushed a German side-car and killed the two men in it. After searching them, the paratroopers discovered they from the German 17th SS Panzer-Grenadier Division, and that the latter was preparing for an attack on the city of Carentan. To get there, the Germans needed to pass through Graignes. On June 10, they began their advance on the village.

At 10 AM on June 11, many of the Americans and locals were attending Sunday Mass at the church. 10 minutes into the mass, they began to hear gunfire. A German recon unit had probed the village's defensive perimeter causing a gunfight. The paratroopers quickly left the church and returned fire. The recon unit was forced to fall back. The Germans responded with a light artillery bombardment on the village. They then launched a direct infantry attack. From that point, the battle was on.

Part III

At 2 PM, the German infantry slammed into the flanks of the American perimeter. Using their mortars and machine-guns (with observers in the church's steeple), the paratroopers successfully began hitting the attackers with deadly accuracy. After suffering heavy casualties, the Germans temporarily withdrew. After bombarding the town a second time, the Germans attacked again. And once again, the paratroopers successfully stopped the attack and inflicted heavy losses. 

Unfortunately, the Americans were also taking casualties. They were also expending ammunition at a rapid rate. To make matters worse, they began hearing the unmistakable sound of tanks rolling towards their positions. The German tanks quickly turned their guns on the church and fired. The shots killed many of the Americans and French inside the building (among them was Major Johnston). The blast also took out the two American mortars.

With Major Johnston dead, command then fell to Captain Leroy Brummitt. He made the decision for the remaining paratroopers to begin pulling out of Graignes. They would retreat through the swamps (where the tanks couldn't follow) back to Carentan and regroup with the rest of the American paratroopers stationed there. When the Germans began entering the town, the Americans began their withdrawal. By 6 PM, nearly all of them (along with some of the villagers) had evacuated. The next morning, they reached the safety of Carentan and the battle of Graignes was over. 

Epilogue

The battle of Graignes had ended in a German victory. However, it had come at a bitter cost. It is believed that between 400 to 500 German soldiers had been killed or wounded while trying to capture the town. By contrast, 150 of the 182 American paratroopers had successfully withdrawn back to Carentan (only 15 had been KIA inside Graignes). Incensed by their heavy casualties, the SS soldiers took their anger out on the 17 American wounded who were unable to retreat. After being discovered in the church, they were all murdered. When the two priests inside the church attempted to intervene, they were also murdered along with 26 other villagers.

However, their victory at Graignes had cost the Germans more than just casualties. More importantly, they had also lost precious time. When they began their assault on Carentan, the American paratroopers were heavily entrenched and reinforced by the 2nd Armored Division. The Germans were defeated and forced to retreat. 

The American stand at the battle of Graignes was credited with playing a major role in defeating the Germans at Carentan. The 507th Regiment went on to see heavy combat during Operation Varsity and the Battle of the Bulge. After the war, the village of Graignes was rebuilt and a monument was established for those who were killed in the battle and the ensuing massacre. 

On June 6, 1986, Secretary of the Army John Marsh visited Graignes and presented 11 of the villagers with the Distinguished Civilian Service Award for their aid to American soldiers. Since the end of World War II every year on June 6, the townspeople commemorate the battle and remember the brave Americans and Frenchmen who stood together against overwhelming odds. Although it is not as widely remembered as the beach landings, the battle of Graignes encompassed the great heroism and sacrifice made by American soldiers and the civilians who aided them during World War II. It was a small battle that made a big difference in the eventual victory of Operation Overlord.

https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/article/battle-of-graignes-an-hq-companys-heroic-last-stand-in-normandy/

https://www.military.com/army-birthday/army-history-spotlight-battle-graignes.html

https://www.normandyamericanheroes.com/blog/graignes-bloody-sunday

idUSKCN1ST0KK 

https://www.d-daytoursnormandy.com/the-battle-of-graignes-10th-12th-june-1944/

Forgotten Battle 2

Welcome back viewers 

This month's Forgotten Battle is...

The Battle of Tebbs Bend

Intro

The battle of Tebbs Bend was fought on July 4, 1863, in Taylor County, Kentucky. It was a heavy skirmish that helped shape the future of the state of Kentucky in the War between the States. One that would turn a small group of boys from Michigan into heroes during what would be the longest raid in American history.

Part I 

In the year 1863, the tide of the Civil War was beginning to turn. The year had begun very badly for the Union Army. On the Eastern Front, the Union Army of the Potomac suffered a humiliating defeat at the battle of Chancellorsville, Virginia. But by the month of May things began to change. On the Western Front, the Army of the Tennessee laid siege to the city of Vicksburg. On May 16 and 17, they won two victories at the battles of Champion Hill and Big Black River Bridge. With the situation on the Western Front deteriorating for the Confederacy, one man decided to try and turn the tables. He was, Brigadier General John Hunt Morgan.

General Morgan had already seen heavy combat in the Civil War. On December 7, 1862, Morgan successfully ambushed and scattered a Union army at the battle of Hartsville. His success there and the worsening situation for the Confederacy at Vicksburg convinced Morgan that the time was right to launch a raid into the Northern states. He hoped that his raid would divert Union soldiers from Vicksburg, disrupt communications between Union armies, and seize critical weapons and ammunition for the Confederacy. 

It was a bold and risky plan, but Morgan was certain his raid would be a major success. He could not have been more mistaken.

Part II

On June 11, General Morgan departed from Alexandria, Tennessee, with 2,400 handpicked cavalrymen and four artillery pieces. They headed for the Tennessee-Kentucky border and waited. Upon learning of the Union Army of the Cumberland's advance on the city of Knoxville, Morgan took the opportunity to cross the Cumberland River on June 30. By July 2, all of Morgan's raiders had successfully crossed into Kentucky without incident. They then began advancing to the Green River while being guided by pro-Confederate citizens of Kentucky. 

After a few skirmishes with small groups of Union cavalry, Morgan and 1,000 of his raiders (he had divided his force to attack other enemy positions) finally reached the Green River on July 3. After rounding one of the river's bends (Tebbs Bend), the raiders found their advance blocked by a small outpost of Union infantry guarding a bridge over the river. The outpost was defended by just over 200 men from five companies of the 25th Michigan Infantry. In command of this small force was Colonel Orlando Hurley Moore.

Just over six months prior, Morgan and his raiders had attacked and burnt the bridge and the outpost at Tebbs Bend. By now, Union engineers had rebuilt both and bolstered the stockade guarding the bridge. Upon receiving intelligence of Morgan's incursion into Kentucky, Colonel Moore moved his men from a prior position to a narrow neck of the Green River. They then began building a new fortification on a knoll near Tebbs Bend. Moore had his men dig a rifle pit 100 yards in front of the main defense line. They then constructed an abatis (a barricade of sharpened tree branches) around the outpost. Finally, they placed wooden spikes in two zigzag rows in front of the abatis. When Morgan's raiders arrived at Tebbs Bend, Moore and his 260 Michigan boys were in a strong defensive position.

Part III

On the night of July 3, Morgan began placing his four artillery pieces. Due to his superiority in numbers, he expected a quick and easy victory. On the morning of July 4, Morgan ordered several scouts to probe the Union position. As Confederates approached on horseback, the Yankees opened fire on them, inflicting casualties. Morgan responded by bombarding them with his four cannons. However, Moore's soldiers simply ducked into their rifle pits and trenches. When the bombardment ceased, they had only suffered two wounded and little damage to the outpost. 

Morgan then sent a demand of surrender to Colonel Moore. Moore replied, "Present my compliments to General Morgan, and say to him that, this being the fourth of July, I cannot entertain his proposition." Angered by this, Morgan ordered his cavalry to prepare to charge and for the artillery to resume bombardment. At this moment, Moore ordered his sharpshooters (made up of squirrel hunters) to take aim and snipe at the rebel gunners. With their brand new Enfield rifles, the sharpshooters easily picked them off and silenced Morgan's artillery. 

Undaunted, Morgan ordered his cavalry to charge. The Confederate horseman charged at full gallop towards the Union trench and were met with a wall of lead. Although they managed to capture the forward rifle pit, the Confederates found themselves unable to get past the abatis. This made them easy targets for the Yankees who had successfully retreated to the main trench. The Confederate cavalry found themselves stuck in a well-laid trap as they were practically dropped from their saddles. Still determined, Morgan ordered his raiders to launch second charge (dismounted). This attack was also met with disaster. 

Epilogue

After four hours of combat, Morgan called off further attacks. He then sent forward a white flag of truce asking Moore for permission to collect his wounded and bury his dead. Permission was granted. After completing that task Morgan and his mauled raiders withdrew southward to look for a different bend to cross the Green River. His casualties were: 36 killed, 45 wounded, and 30 captured. By contrast, Moore's casualties were only 6 killed and 24 wounded. For Morgan, this battle was a humiliating defeat and foreshadowed how his raid would ultimately end. He would suffer more defeats and he and most of his army were eventually surrounded and captured at Salineville, Ohio, on July 26, 1863. This concluded the longest military raid in American history.

For their part, Orlando Moore and the 25th Michigan had won an impressive victory. A reporter from the Louisville Times called the battle, "...one of the finest planned and best fought battles of the war". For Colonel Moore and the 25th Michigan, the battle was their baptism of fire (first real combat action). They would go on to see further combat at the battles of Atlanta, Jonesboro, Resaca, Franklin, and Nashville. After the war, they returned home to a hero's welcome. 

Since it happened on the heels of the much larger Union victories at Gettysburg and Vicksburg, the Battle of Tebbs Bend did not receive major recognition in Northern newspapers. Today, the battle has been largely forgotten by the general American public. But for many historians and local Kentuckians, it is remembered as a great symbol of courage and valor against overwhelming odds. It was a small battle that made a big difference in the longest raid of the American Civil War. 

http://www.tebbsbend.org/history.html

https://dutchamericans.files.wordpress.com/2017/03/1997_07_elenbaas.pdf

https://explorekyhistory.ky.gov/items/show/97

https://www.calhoun.migenweb.org/military/25th_infantry.htm

https://www.kpl.gov/local-history/kalamazoo-history/civil-war/col-orlando-hurley-moore/

Forgotten Battle 1

Welcome viewers, to the first article for Forgotten Battles.

This month's forgotten battle is...

The Battle of Hanging Rock

Intro

The Battle of Hanging Rock was fought on August 6, 1780, in Lancaster County, South Carolina. It was fought during the American Revolutionary War between American patriots and British soldiers with American loyalists. It was a small battle that would make a difference in the American Revolution.

Part I

The year of 1780 had begun very badly for the Americans fighting in the Revolution. The city of Charleston had fallen after a month long siege. And an American army under the command of Abraham Buford had been completely annihilated (and allegedly massacred) at the Battle of Waxhaws in Lancaster County, South Carolina. By July, the British were in complete control of both South Carolina and Georgia, or so they thought.

Scattered through the Carolinas were dozens of groups of American militia and regulars who began to engage the British in guerrilla warfare. One of the leaders of these guerrilla units was a man named, Thomas Sumter. Sumter was an ardent patriot who believed in American independence. Despite the recent military setbacks for the patriot cause, he was determined to continue the fight using guerrilla warfare. Sumter learned that the British had erected a small fortification at a place called, Hanging Rock.

Part II

The fortification at Hanging Rock was held by a garrison of 900 British regulars and American Loyalists under the command of Major John Carden. Colonel Sumter had just over 500 militia under his command. Although Sumter had suffered a defeat at Rocky Mount just five days earlier, he was still determined to make a difference in the War for American Independence. 

As Sumter's army approached the British camp they met up with another patriot army led by William R. Davie. Colonel Davie told Sumter that the fortification actually contained 1,400 regulars and loyalists. With this new information and his army now at 800 strong (among them was future President Andrew Jackson), Sumter decided to launch a pincer movement against the British using three mounted detachments of patriot militiamen. It was a bold plan that relied on the element of surprise and complete coordination. Early on the morning of August 6, they launched their attack.

The British and Loyalists were caught completely off guard. The patriot cavalry under Colonel Davie and Major Richard Winn immediately rode into the camp and overwhelmed the first line of defense. The loyalists broke and ran within minutes. However, the second line of defense was held by British regulars (the British Legion) who stood their ground. The patriot cavalry was temporarily forced back from the camp by a volume of heavy fire from the Legion. But then, Colonel Sumter's infantry attacked and overran the British Legion's position. By now the British camp was in complete chaos and what remained of the force quickly scattered. After three hours of fighting, the battle was over.

Epilogue

The casualties for the battle were light yet very lopsided. The patriots suffered only 12 killed and 41 wounded. By contrast, the British casualties are believed to be at 192 killed or wounded. Colonel Sumter claimed to have captured at least 70 British regulars and American loyalists. He and Colonel Davie had scored a sorely needed victory for the patriot cause. 

Unfortunately, their victory was short-lived. Instead of pursuing the retreating British and loyalists, the patriots decided to loot the camp before withdrawing from the battlefield. While they did scatter the loyalist camp, and gained a significant number of weapons, ammunition, and horses, the patriots failed to attack the nearby British camp. This would would allow the British to successfully regroup and retain control of the area. Ten days later, the patriots suffered a crushing defeat at the Battle of Camden. For the next three months, the patriots (including Sumter and Davie's armies) were forced to fight a guerrilla war.

Today however, the battle of Hanging Rock is still considered a major American victory in the Revolutionary War. The South Carolina patriots proved that they could defeat the British in battle and inspired many more to enlist and join the revolution. It also paved the way for how the patriots would effectively wage war on the British (through guerrilla tactics) and eventually emerge victorious.

https://www.battlefields.org/learn/revolutionary-war/battles/hanging-rock

https://www.carolana.com/SC/Revolution/revolution_battle_of_hanging_rock.html

https://www.myrevolutionarywar.com/battles/800806-hanging-rock/

https://northcarolinagenealogy.org/mecklenburg/battle_of_hanging_rock.htm

Iconic Image 30

Welcome back viewers

This month's Iconic Image is...

Dewey Defeats Truman

Intro

This photograph was taken on November 4, 1948. It depicts President Harry S Truman holding up a newspaper from the Chicago Daily Tribune while heartily laughing. The paper reads, "Dewey Defeats Truman". This photograph would become a lasting symbol of inaccurate reporting and one of the biggest upsets in the history of the American Presidential election.

Part I

In the year 1948, President Harry Truman was running for reelection. A decorated veteran of World War I, Truman had previously served as a Senator from Missouri from 1934 to 1945. He then served as the third Vice President to Franklin Delano Roosevelt. After Roosevelt's unexpected death in 1945, Truman was sworn in as President of the United States. Despite lacking a college degree and facing major doubts from his fellow cabinet members, Truman immediately proved to be a very productive president.

He successfully led the US through the final year of World War II. It was he who made the decision to use the atomic bombs to end the war with Japan. Truman also made a significant contribution to the Civil Rights Movement. On July 26, 1948, Truman signed Executive Order 9981. This order stated that, "There shall be equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed forces without regard to race, color, religion, or national origin". Although the executive order faced major resistance from racist generals in the military, all segregation in the US Armed Forces officially ceased by the year 1954.

Truman's Republican opponent for the Presidential race of 1948, was the incumbent Governor of New York, Thomas Edmund Dewey. In spite of all his accomplishments, President Truman was projected to lose reelection. Problems with the US economy had severely affected his popularity. And his support for Civil Rights made him highly unpopular within his own party (particularly with southern Democrats). Even though his own party doubted his success, Truman remained confident that he would win reelection.

Part II

Governor Dewey was already a very distinguished politician by the year 1948. He was born on March 24, 1902, in Owosso, Michigan. Growing up, he was known for his ability to win arguments. One of his biographers wrote, "the bent of his mind, from his earliest days, was towards debate". He graduated with a Bachelor of Laws degree from Columbia Law School in 1925. Dewey then moved to New York City and started a private practice as a prosecutor. 

Almost immediately he began to aggressively prosecute bootleggers and racketeers in the city. His successful prosecutions caused him to be appointed as a special prosecutor for the County of New York. One of Dewey's most successful takedowns was his prosecution of the mobster Charles "Lucky" Luciano (who was convicted on forced prostitution charges). 

From 1935 to 1937, Dewey won 72 convictions out of 73 prosecutions. In 1942, Dewey was elected Governor of New York (a position he would successfully hold until 1954). For the Republican Party, Governor Dewey seemed to be the perfect choice to defeat President Truman in the Election of 1948. 

Part III

The Chicago Daily Tribune was one of the most widely read newspapers in the 20th century. At the time, the newspaper was heavily conservative and believed that Governor Dewey would win the election on a landslide. It had even referred to President Truman as a "nincompoop". A few months prior the election, the printers who operated the newspaper's Linotype machines had been on strike in protest of the Labor Management Relations Act of 1948 (Taft-Hartley Act). Almost simultaneously, the Tribune had switched its main copying method to where the paper was first composed on typewriters, photographed, and then engraved onto printing plates. This meant that the paper was required to the press and publish their articles several hours earlier than usual.

When the election came around the Tribune was relying on its Washington correspondent (Arthur Sears Henning) to predict who the winner of the 1948 Election would be. The early returns seemed to show Dewey leading Truman in many of the Western states. On November 3, Henning wrote to the Tribune that Governor Dewey was going to win by a landslide. Less than an hour later, the newspaper published the banner headline, "DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN". But that afternoon, everything began to change. 

As more votes were counted, it became clear that Governor Dewey was not the winner. Truman had won the electoral vote with a 303-189-39 over Dewey and the Dixiecrat candidate, Strom Thurmond. Instead of a Republican landslide victory, the Democratic Party not only retained control of the White House, but they also took control of the Senate and the House of Representatives. By then, the Chicago Daily Tribune had already printed more than 150,000 copies of their headline, "Dewey Defeats Truman". 

On November 5, while passing through St. Louis, President Truman stepped to the rear of his train car and was handed a copy of the Tribune's headline. He then gleefully showed it to the crowd and shouted the words, "That ain't the way I heard it". The image was then snapped by photojournalist, W. Eugene Smith.

Epilogue

Although he had lost the election, Governor Thomas Dewey returned to New York with his head held high. He continued to serve as Governor of New York (winning reelection in 1950) until the year 1954. In 1968, the former governor was offered a spot on the US Supreme Court by President Richard Nixon. However, Dewey declined the offer due to failing health. He died only three years later in 1971. Today, he is remembered as a pioneer in American law and a celebrated figure in the fight against organized crime.

President Truman would serve another very productive term as President until the year 1952. During this term he would help conduct the famous Berlin Airlift. In 1950, he personally oversaw the formation of the United Nations' "Task Force Smith" for the American led Intervention in the Korean War. However, by 1951, the War in Korea had become highly unpopular in the US and many began demanding a ceasefire. The two year long peace talks while thousands of soldiers were being killed in battle caused the public's view of President Truman to significantly drop. The latter's volatile relationship with General Douglas MacArthur (a Republican) did not help matters. 

Due to these circumstances, President Truman opted not to run for a second term in 1952. Instead, Governor Adlai Stevenson II (of Illinois) won the nomination for the Democratic Party. However, Governor Stevenson lost on a landslide to the Republican nominee, General Dwight David Eisenhower. President Truman and his wife (Elizabeth) returned to their home in Independence, Missouri. They lived there for the rest of their lives. Today, Truman is remembered as one of America's most influential and effective presidents. And the photograph of Truman holding the newspaper of his fictional loss to Governor Dewey is still fondly remembered as one of the greatest political upsets and bad reporting in American history. It remains a memorable moment in the life and legacy of President Harry Truman.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2020/10/31/dewey-defeats-truman-the-most-famous-wrong-call-in-electoral-history/

https://www.life.com/history/dewey-defeats-truman-the-story-behind-a-classic-political-photo/

https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/executive-order-9981

https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/education/presidential-inquiries/election-1948

https://www.cairn.info/revue-francaise-d-etudes-americaines-2001-1-page-38.htm

https://themobmuseum.org/notable_names/thomas-dewey/

Iconic Image 29

Welcome back viewers

This month's Iconic Image is...

Migrant Mother

This article is dedicated to my own Migrant Mother (Amy Louise Haseltine). The very best I could ever have.

Intro

This iconic photograph was taken in the year 1936, in Nipomo, California. It depicts a young mother looking off into the distance. Two of her children are at her side and an infant is on her lap. The mother's face is heavily lined and her eyes are full of weariness and despair. This photograph would become an everlasting image of one of the most difficult periods in American history. A period that is now called, the Great Depression.

Part I

On October 29, 1929, Black Tuesday occurred in New York City. On that day, American investors traded some 16 million shares on the New York Stock Exchange. This caused more than $14 billion of stock value to be lost. This in turn, wiped out thousands of investors across the United States. Multiple jobs were lost and the unemployment rate skyrocketed around the world. This was the beginning of the Great Depression.

At its height more than 12 million American citizens (24.9 % of the nation's workforce) were unemployed. The wages for income workers fell more than 42% from 1929 to 1933. This caused many people (especially single parents with children) to move to different areas of the country. It was especially bad in the midwest region of the country when a severe drought (now referred to as the, "Dust Bowl") rolled in.

Part II

By the year 1936, a New Deal agency had been formed to help poor families relocate to better homes. It was called, the Resettlement Administration, later the Farm Security Administration (FSU). In March, a photographer from the FSU decided to leave the studio and try to capture the situation around her. Her name was, Dorothea Lange.

Lange was a graduate from Columbia University. She and the FSU had already taken thousands of photographs of people who had been affected in the rural areas by the Great Depression. While she was driving north of Los Angeles, Lange spotted a sign for a migrant workers' campsite. She then decided to pull over and talk to the people inside the camp. She spotted a young women with four children sitting in small tent. Lange approached the mother and asked for permission to snap some photographs of her and her kids. The mother gave her consent and Lange snapped a sequence of six photographs of the family around the tent. 

For the final picture, Lange asked two of the younger children to turn their backs to the camera and place their hands on their mother's shoulders. She then told the mother to hold her baby with one hand and to use her right hand to rest her chin. Lange then told the mother to draw her gaze away from the camera. Lange then moved closer and focused the mother at the center of the camera frame in order to exclude any other backround so that she and her children were the only ones visible. After taking this photograph, Lange closed her camera, thanked the mother and the children, and departed from the campsite. According to Lange she had only been there just over 10 minutes.

Part III

 

After the publication of the photographs, there were many attempts to find the identity of the Migrant Mother. But her identity would not be discovered until the year 1978, when an elderly women wrote a letter to the editor of the Modesto Bee newspaper. Her name was, Florence Owens Thompson. She was born on September 1, 1903, in Oklahoma. She was a full-blooded Native of the Cherokee Tribe. In the mid-1920s Florence married a man named Cleo Owens. With him, she had given birth to six children. 

Tragically, Cleo Owens died of tuberculosis in 1931. This left Florence as a single mother to six young children. In order make a living, she and her children turned to picking crops and cotton. The stress of the Great Depression, the death of her husband, and keeping her six children alive caused to age beyond her years. When Florence was photographed by Dorothea Lange, she was only 32 years old, yet she resembled a middle aged woman.

Epilogue

Almost immediately after taking the photographs, Lange returned to the Resettlement Administration and got them developed. Soon after, Lange published them in the San Francisco News. The images instantly captured the attention of the entire country. In response to the story that was published about the Migrant Mother and her family, the US government announced that it was going to send 20,000 pounds of food to the pea-pickers' campsite. Sadly, by the time it arrived, the mother and her children had already moved on from the camp. 

For more than four decades, the identity of the Migrant Mother was never known. Even as her image was printed on stamps and magazine covers, it seemed like she had simply vanished into the vast American populace. It wasn't until the year 1978, that Florence Thompson finally came forward by writing a letter to the editor of the Modesto Bee newspaper. A year later, she gave an interview for the Nebraska Public Television. After the Great Depression, Florence remarried and had four more children. She lived the rest of her life in California before dying on September 16, 1983.

Dorothea Lange was praised for her photographs taken of the family at the pea pickers' campsite.  Dorothea continued to work as a photographer and photojournalist for the rest of her life. She died on October 11, 1965. Today, her photograph of the Migrant Mother continues to inspire and influence people all around the world. It is credited with successfully humanizing the toll that the Great Depression had taken on the American people. It is also considered to be the main influence behind the development of documentary photography and remains a solemn remainder one of the most difficult periods in American history.

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/roadshow/stories/articles/2014/4/14/migrant-mother-dorothea-lange/

https://www.moma.org/collection/works/50989

https://www.history.com/news/migrant-mother-new-deal-great-depression#:~:text=From%20the%20moment%20it%20first,Americans%20during%20the%20Great%20Depression.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/28/lens/dorothea-lange-migrant-mother.html

https://www.history.com/topics/great-depression/1929-stock-market-crash