Military History 1/2025

Jungle battles: The new issue of "Military History" focuses on the war in Vietnam, which ended almost 50 years ago on April 30, 1975. Another article deals with underground warfare, which also played a major role in Vietnam. It also discusses prisoner of war camps, barracks naming in the Bundeswehr, and the connection between the military and time.

Vietnam

The Vietnam War is considered one of the most traumatic events in US military history. It was the first time the US had to withdraw from a war without achieving victory. On April 29, 1975, the last Americans were evacuated in a dramatic rescue operation from the roof of a residential building. The images resurfaced a few years ago when the hasty evacuations from Afghanistan in August 2021 evoked memories of these events.

But how did the US involvement in the conflict between North and South Vietnam come to an end, and why did the USA get involved in the first place? Takuma Melber traces the history of the Vietnam War in his article: from its origins, through the involvement of different superpowers, to the communist takeover.

The section "Military History in Pictures" focuses on a specific event of this war: the My Lai massacre. It was not only one of the worst crimes committed during the Vietnam War. The gruesome images of the events captured by photographer Ronald Haeberle also influenced public opinion on the war and the future practice of war photography.

Underground warfare

Underground warfare, also known as "warfare below the surface," played a significant role during the Vietnam War. The underground networks of the Vietcong were hundreds of kilometers long, with multiple floors, hospitals, and command centers. So-called Tunnel Rats were trained to track down and destroy these underground systems. In his article, Hamza Kobus delves into this unique dimension of warfare, also looking at wars in Korea and Afghanistan.

Military and Time

In addition to the dimension of "space," which gets another component through underground warfare, the dimension of "time" holds immense importance for the military. Frank Reichherzer introduces in the section "In Focus" the various ways in which time influences the military, from the necessary synchronization of attacks to bridging waiting times.

Prisoners of war

For a long time, post-1945 West Germany paid little attention to the treatment of prisoners of war. It was only since the "turning point" and the consideration of a possible land war in central Europe that this issue has come back into focus. Even during the Cold War, there was concern about this, when a large-scale attack by the Warsaw Pact was still anticipated. West Germany would have played a central role in this task as an immediate front-line state at that time.

Barracks naming

Since the founding of the Bundeswehr, the issue of naming barracks has been a focus of internal as well as public debates. Mostly after 1945, the question was "How do you deal with the Wehrmacht?" Peter Lieb shows that the discussions about barracks naming are much older than the Bundeswehr, yet many questions remain unanswered to this day about what constitutes appropriate naming that aligns with a proper tradition.

You can find the issue for free download on the website of the Center for Military History and Social Sciences of the Bundeswehr.