Revolutionary War for me. Never really studied it any more than I had to in school, but living in South Carolina and visiting the battlefields like Cowpens made me realize how important the Carolinas were to the overall war effort. The more I learn, the more fascinating it becomes.

I had been interested in the Civil War since reading Bruce Catton's trilogy published for the centennial.
Then when working in Virginia we visited all the major Virginia battlefields plus Antietam.
Also have personal history of relatives on my side and my wife's side who fought in that war.
My great-grandfather was disabled for life from "swamp fever" caught at the siege of Petersburg, when his wife died he had to give up his two children for adoption, one of them my grandfather. That's where my German Jewish ancestry comes from.

quote:

Originally posted by joel9507:
No interest in the Midnight War??

WWII has the most interest for me, followed by the Civil War and WWI.

But the story of President Wilson's bowing to the British/French idea to (and, to quote Dave Barry, "I'm not making this up") try to get Russia back into WWI on the Allied side, by having the Allies invade Russia to intervene in their civil war is fascinating, and a very good object lesson on the fallacy of blindly going along to get along.

It did happen, on a comparatively small scale relative to the Western Front battles, and surprisingly the US kicked some butt even in winter fighting against the Bolsheviks, till someone with sense figured out it was pointless, and we made like bananas and split.

I did not know that is what they called it....I have been studying post WW1 and the war between the whites and reds....who knew the Soviets made it all the way to Warsaw

Vietnam war because I was involved in it for multiple tours

It's the duce because without it the US would have never ended up in the position of savior of the free world. A close second is the civil war because it creates the modern federal state of our government over the loose confederation of unified but strong states.

the one thats coming

A useful article for... someone.

Chilling World War III 'wargames' show US forces crushed by Russia and China
According to research organization RAND, should a major conflict arise in Russia and China's 'backyards,' US forces would be crushed by a vast array of both conventional and cyber weapons. Based on a variety of wargame simulations, a clash with Russia in the Baltic states would result in the rapid defeat of U.S. forces and their allies. Simultaneously, a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, while a massive military gamble for China, would also pose a huge challenge for U.S. forces in the area.

Scary World War III ‘wargames’ show U.S. forces crushed by Russia and China in certain hot spots around the globe.

Research organization RAND has run dozens of wargames simulating major conflict scenarios in what it describes as Russia and China’s “backyards.” The wargames suggest that the U.S. forces in those locations would get attacked by a vast array of both conventional and cyber weapons.

RAND Senior Defense Analyst David Ochmanek discussed the simulations at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) in Washington D.C. last week. “In our games, where we fight China or Russia … blue gets its a** handed to it, not to put too fine a point on it,” he said, during a panel discussion. Blue denotes U.S. forces in the simulations.

AIR FORCE BUILDS NEW DEEP STRIKE 'SPY NETWORK' FOR AIR ATTACK

“We lost a lot of people, we lose a lot of equipment, we usually fail to achieve our objectives of preventing aggression by the adversary,” Ochmanek added during the CNAS discussion.

File photo - Artillerymen of 1st Battalion, 41st Field Artillery Regiment fire M109 Alpha 6 Paladins, on Tapa Army Base, Estonia, Nov. 27, 2015. (U.S. Army photo by: Sgt Caitlyn Byrne, 10th Press Camp Headquarters)
File photo - Artillerymen of 1st Battalion, 41st Field Artillery Regiment fire M109 Alpha 6 Paladins, on Tapa Army Base, Estonia, Nov. 27, 2015. (U.S. Army photo by: Sgt Caitlyn Byrne, 10th Press Camp Headquarters)
Based on the wargames, a clash with Russia in the Baltic states would result in the rapid defeat of U.S. forces and their allies, Ochmanek told Fox News. “Within 48 to 72 hours, Russian forces are able to reach a capital of a Baltic state,” he said. On the other side of the world, a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, while a massive military gamble for China, would also pose a huge challenge for U.S. forces in the area, according to Ochmanek.

Russia and China have amassed large inventories of precision-guided cruise missiles and ballistic missiles that can reach hundreds of miles and strike military targets, the researcher said. Set against this backdrop, U.S. military outposts and aircraft carriers in the contested regions could face a potential devastating barrage of missiles.

ABRAMS TANK SET FOR 'LETHALITY' UPGRADE

In RAND’s wargames and analysis, Russia, and particularly China, unleash so many missiles that they overcome U.S. defenses. “They send salvos that are so great that we cannot intercept all the missiles,” Ochmanek said.

File photo - Infantrymen of the 3rd Battalion, 69th Armored Regiment, 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, fire M1A2 System Enhancement Package Version 2 vehicles on Tapa Army Base, Nov. 13, 2015.
File photo - Infantrymen of the 3rd Battalion, 69th Armored Regiment, 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, fire M1A2 System Enhancement Package Version 2 vehicles on Tapa Army Base, Nov. 13, 2015. (U.S. Army photo by: Sgt Caitlyn Byrne, 10th Press Camp Headquarters)

The researcher notes that the key “domains of warfare” are contested from the start of hostilities. The U.S., he explains, should not assume air and maritime superiority over the battlespace. American space assets could also face attacks, while U.S. command and control systems could be targeted by electromagnetic and cyber weapons.

To combat these threats, U.S. forces could ramp up their deployment of so-called ‘standoff’ missiles that can be fired from large distances, such as cruise missiles, according to Ochmanek, along with highly robust reconnaissance systems and jam-resistant communications.

AIR FORCE FAST-TRACKS NEW NUCLEAR MISSILES

“For a sustained investment of an additional $8 billion a year between 2020 and 2030, the U.S. Air Force could buy the kit needed to make a difference,” he said, noting that similar sums would be required for the Army and Navy.

President Trump’s fiscal 2020 budget plan proposes $750 billion for defense, up 5 percent from fiscal 2019.

America’s posture is also key when it comes to challenging potential adversaries such as Russia, according to Ochmanek. “It’s putting more combat power back into Europe, and putting it on Europe’s eastern flank,” he said.

NAVY PLANS 'BLUE FORCE' OPEN WATER WEAPONS STRATEGY FOR NEW FRIGATE

The U.S. National Defense Strategy, which was released by the DoD last year, cites the restoration of “America’s competitive edge by blocking global rivals Russia and China from challenging the U.S. and our allies,” as one its key goals.

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“Long-term strategic competitions with China and Russia are the principal priorities for the Department, and require both increased and sustained investment, because of the magnitude of the threats they pose to U.S. security and prosperity today, and the potential for those threats to increase in the future,” the strategy explains.

Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers link

quote:

Originally posted by dewhorse:
I did not know that is what they called it....I have been studying post WW1 and the war between the whites and reds....who knew the Soviets made it all the way to Warsaw

When in the Czech Republic last fall, I was privileged to meet someone whose grandfather was in the Czech Legion! He was surprised to find an American who had heard of that episode.

WWI, interesting times,

but options were for only one, so could not pick Rev war too, (SAR member)

WWII, because the world was staring at the abyss, and the good ole USofA, with the help of her allies, knocked evil on its ass.

WWII because of the enormous scope. There's never been anything like it in human history. It's a war that you can probe forever and never find the bottom of it. So many small missions and out of the way theaters that fascinate and fuel the imagination.

The Civil War also fascinates me, and I have a morbid fixation on WWI. Talk about a miserable war for the soldiers. I'll go through spells of fascination with the others mentioned, but the two world wars and the Civil War are always at the top.