On Writing a US Military History Paper

[Mr. B]

I am taking a course on United States Military history from 1865 to present and it will require me to write a 10-15 page paper on a topic of my choice within the realm of the subject matter. I have until May but I want to finish by March because I'll be busy what with graduating from college. A lot of obvious potential topics present them self but I am hoping to find something not quite so obvious, maybe even obscure but still historically significant... kind of like the shipping container, not amazing in and of itself but hugely influential.

If I'm making any sense and your have something in mind, please share it.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Anything about US Military History? Do you have any interests that would narrow this? A particular time period, perhaps? Or maybe whether you're more interested in technological developments, battle tactics, strategies, consequences (political, economic, social, etc), or biographies of generals or important figures.

Military History can be a broad topic, especially when you get into modern history. If you want something relatively obscure, avoid World War II (and probably Vietnam) like the plague. Or, if you wanted to, you could pick something obscure in an obvious conquest (like the American reconquest of islands off of Alaska, perhaps a comparative paper to places like Iwo Jima and basically how our actions were a training ground for the later battle).

I have a history professor who likes to categorize all history students into warriors and non-warriors. There are people who are interested in battles, who fought, the tactics they used, etc. There are other people who have no interest in battles and wars and are more interested in intellectual history or social history. I tend to fall somewhere in the middle. That means I might have some ability to help, although my interest in wars tend to be the peripheries of them (minute details leading up to the war, general picture for the war, minute details of the consequences). I also haven't taken a US history class in a long time, so my knowledge of details could be fuzzy. Either way, I'll try to help if you can narrow it down.

 

[Mr. B]

At present I don't have any specific interests, although I would likely find some sort of technological advancement pretty interesting. For now I'm shooting for "obscure but important." The professor has a Ph.D. in military history but I am still hoping I'll be able to offer at least one trifle of information he doesn't already have a commanding knowledge of.

I'm sure over the course of the class something will strike my fancy but as I said, I don't want to wait long to start this paper.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Technology is far from my expertise. I know when I took into to mil history, I had to read a book on the development of the machine gun. Quite possibly the most influential weapon ever invented in military history. Airplane would be up there too, of course. For less obvious ones, I'm at a loss. My first thought was the impact the repeating rifle had on the Civil War and the advantage it gave the Union, but that's a bit before your time. So would be the invention of the Ironclad (another thought that came up in my stream of conscious post right now). Plus, the HMS Warrior kicks the shit out of the Monitor and Marrimack/Virginia.

The problem is a good percentage of military inventions are decidedly non-American. We had a good tradition with rifles, but that basically became obsolete with the machine gun (and we had to use really crappy French guns for the most part). Planes were French, German, and British. I suppose if you think Cold War, you could get some interesting stuff. Or you could focus on a foreign invention and how it forced Americans to act - especially in an arms race of some sort. Cold War would be an obvious one, but also a naval arms race (American participation in building of Dreadnoughts pre-WWI or Carriers pre-WWII). I don't know. Like I said, American military technological history has definitely been far from my studies (I just gave wrote a 20 page paper on the east-west schism of 1054 to give you an idea of what I've been studying ).

 

[Caliburn24]

After getting my own BA in history and serving in the US Army I'd suggest something along the lines of the USA's adoption of German tactics/doctrine/equipment during and after WWII.

But really the important thing is to choose something that interests you. Personal interest makes the slog of writing a paper much improved.

 

[Bloodwhiner]

Sometimes a seemingly mundane subject will score points only because the instructor really doesn't want to read about the Battle of the Bulge for the umpteenth time.

One that came to mind was the development of Roll-on, Roll-off shipping and it's effects on the modern battlefield. Not overly exciting but I'm betting your prof won't have seen it before. This is not limited to naval shipping, but the technique has now been used in aircraft, rail and land transport.

While the whiz-bang of battle is popular and colorful, the backstory of logistics is often overlooked.

Another option, though dangerous is to look at the effects of alternative outcomes. That could be the third wave attack at Pearl Harbor, the Soviets losing Moscow, Great Britain falling in 1940, The US staying out of WW 1, etc..

But as others have said unless you are a true student of history, I would avoid any of the major conflicts as they have been studied to death. Your prof will know them by heart. I suggest a visit to his office for the sole purpose of scoping out his library - see what aspect most interests him and then avoid it like the plague. Same rationale, he knows it too well.

If you want to do a battle, pick a minor pseudo-war (there are plenty). I would even suggest avoiding the US military.

How about the 1879 War of the Pacific between Chile and Bolivia/Peru? It had history's first amphibious assault using purposely built land craft. It also shaped the modern economic climate of those nations. I can almost guarantee that no student prior to you has written on the subject in his class.

I wish such a class had been offered at my school.

 

[Lindley]

Definitely choose something that's going to be interesting, it makes the paper *much* easier to write.

In my last semester at Carnegie Mellon, I took a class called History of Modern Warfare. The final project was a 10-page paper on some aspect of modern warfare; I chose "The Evolution of Trench Warfare," starting in the American Civil War, focusing on WW1 developments, and finishing with a brief touch on subsequent uses (such as the lines between the Koreas).

That paper ended up being 20 pages, twice the required length, because I simply found so much to write about. And it was a fun paper......two words which I don't think I'd ever used together before.

 

[Alpha Romeo]

I'd suggest either the development of the atomic bomb or aviation. Both were major field changers. The latter even more so. Prior to WW2 the emphasis was on ballleships in naval warfare. After ww2 with the success of carrier groups, battleships were all but extinct.

Also, you may want to look at the industrialization of the millitary and the effect of that industry on policy.

 

[John Picard]

Sometimes a seemingly mundane subject will score points only because the instructor really doesn't want to read about the Battle of the Bulge for the umpteenth time.

This. A while back, when I was enrolled in US History from 1965 - Vietnam, we had to write a paper on an influential leader. Naturally, someone chose JFK, which pretty much every history teacher is sick and tired of reading about. One lady in the class chose Harry S Truman, which really piqued the instructor's curiosity since he is an often overlooked historical figure. As it turned out, the instructor learned a bit about Truman she never knew as did the student.

I threw my instructor a curve ball and wrote a paper on Margaret Thatcher. She thought I was a sexist until I told her my choice

 

[Spot's Meow]

I am trying to think of ideas but they just aren't coming to me. I love history, I am getting my Master's in it right now, but I have never been keen on military history, especially anything recent. I think that the Revolutionary and Civil Wars are very interesting but anything after about 1900 is just so boring. If I was assigned a paper like this I would probably write it on inventions created for war purposes that later became common household items, like the microwave.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

I feel I would write something about the Philippines and the US detention centers or one of the things I already mentioned. Certainly WWII would be the latest and the odds are I would try to pick earlier. I have niche interests in US history, but it waxes and wains (which is why I haven't taken a US history class in so long).

 

[Gov Kodos]

You could take a look at Capt Wirz and the Andersonville trial. It's issues of of morality and military ethics are well worth exploring.

 

[MetalPants]

Personally, I would write a paper on the American invasion of Russia after the Bolshevik revolution, and the effects that it has had on relations between the two countries.

That, or the evolution and effects of chemical warfare.

 

[John Picard]

You could take a look at Capt Wirz and the Andersonville trial. It's issues of of morality and military ethics are well worth exploring.

Andersonville is a very, very interesting and disturbing part of American Civil War History.

 

[wew]

I'd argue you need to figure out what era you are interested in or a specific topic, then you can dramatically narrow your focus.

For example you might look at the service secretaries in the post unification era.

You might consider looking at the shifting of US military operations from combat to humanitarian/nation-building missions.

 

[Colonel Midnight]

American Civil War naval history is a pretty good topic -- ironclads, paddleboats, commerce raiders off of Europe, etc. Lots of interesting possibilities there...

Cheers,
-CM-

 

[ancientone51]

USS Mayaguez and Koh Tang island.

We left men behind.

 

[Star Wolf]

I am taking a course on United States Military history from 1865 to present and it will require me to write a 10-15 page paper on a topic of my choice within the realm of the subject matter. I have until May but I want to finish by March because I'll be busy what with graduating from college. A lot of obvious potential topics present them self but I am hoping to find something not quite so obvious, maybe even obscure but still historically significant... kind of like the shipping container, not amazing in and of itself but hugely influential.

If I'm making any sense and your have something in mind, please share it.

Looks like you already found your interest, logistics. you can look at the railroads, the interstate highway system. The seabridge across the Atlantic in two wars along with the plans for a third world war. The Berlin Airlift, teh Rapid Deployment Force's preloaded floating warehouses. The disaster response of USN/USMC self contained battle and amphibious groups.

 

[trampledamage]

USS Mayaguez and Koh Tang island.

We left men behind.

Just read the Wiki article. They were all so young.

 

[Captain Ice]

If I was assigned a paper like this I would probably write it on inventions created for war purposes that later became common household items, like the microwave.

If his instructor will accept it, that's a wonderful idea.

You could take a look at Capt Wirz and the Andersonville trial. It's issues of of morality and military ethics are well worth exploring.

Andersonville is a very, very interesting and disturbing part of American Civil War History.

Definitely. I'd dare say it's an underdeveloped topic as well.

I am taking a course on United States Military history from 1865 to present and it will require me to write a 10-15 page paper on a topic of my choice within the realm of the subject matter. I have until May but I want to finish by March because I'll be busy what with graduating from college. A lot of obvious potential topics present them self but I am hoping to find something not quite so obvious, maybe even obscure but still historically significant... kind of like the shipping container, not amazing in and of itself but hugely influential.

If I'm making any sense and your have something in mind, please share it.

Looks like you already found your interest, logistics. you can look at the railroads, the interstate highway system. The seabridge across the Atlantic in two wars along with the plans for a third world war. The Berlin Airlift, teh Rapid Deployment Force's preloaded floating warehouses. The disaster response of USN/USMC self contained battle and amphibious groups.

The floating piers used to quickly offload supplies at Normandy, the development and construction of the first Liberty Ship, the development of cargo aircraft for military use...the list goes on and on.

How about expanding on the development and importance of military intelligence during the early 20th century? How about doing a WWII piece arguing that we won the war not through superior weaponry or tactics, but due to American industrial production capacity?

Another interesting possibility would be to study how improvements in medicine have influenced the military over the last 144 years? You could expound upon how the American soldier's diet has changed since the Civil war and the improvements in food preservation that have made that possible.

From one eternal student of history to another, the possibilities are endless.