While the armies clashed in Europe, fighting also raged across the belligerents' colonial empires. In Africa, British, French, and Belgian forces captured the German colonies of Togoland, Kamerun, and South-West Africa. Only in German East Africa was a successful defense mounted, where Colonel Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck's men held out for the duration of the conflict. In the Middle East (right), British forces clashed with the Ottoman Empire. After the failed campaign at Gallipoli, the primary British efforts came through Egypt and Mesopotamia. After victories at Romani and Gaza, British troops pushed into Palestine and won the key Battle of Megiddo. Other campaigns in the region included fighting in the Caucasus and the Arab Revolt.

Photograph Source: Public Domain

November 11, 1885 - General George S. Patton, Jr. (right) is born at San Gabriel, CA. The descendent of Brig. Gen. Hugh Mercer and several Confederate officers, Patton graduated from West Point in 1909. An early proponent of armored warfare, he oversaw the US Tank School during World War I and led an armored brigade in the conflict's final months. With the outbreak of World War II, Patton led American forces during Operations Torch and Husky. A flamboyant leader, he frequently retarded his career with outspoken comments and nearly ended it when he slapped a soldier in Sicily. Held back from D-Day, he later led the US Third Army during its rapid advance across France and played a key role in the Battle of the Bulge. Relieved in November 1945 for comments against occupation policy and the Soviets, he suddenly died the following month from injuries sustained in a car accident. Share your thoughts on this charismatic leader - was he one of America's best or all bluff and bluster?

Happy Veterans Day to All Those Who have Served

Photograph Courtesy of the National Archives & Records Administration

November 8-10, 1942 - Allied troops land in North Africa as part of Operation Torch (right). Having been having been persuaded of the impracticality of launching an invasion of France, American commanders agreed to conduct landings in northwest Africa with the goal of clearing the continent of Axis troops and preparing the way for a future attack on southern Europe. Believing the Vichy French forces in the the area would offer little to no resistance, American and British forces began landing at Casablanca, Oran, and Algiers on November 8, 1942. While some French forces offered battled, they were quickly overcome as the Allies secured their objectives. Consolidating their position, the Allies began advancing east into Tunisia with the goal of trapping Axis forces against Gen. Bernard Montgomery's advancing Eighth Army. Share your thoughts on Operation Torch - was it the right move or should an invasion of France been attempted in 1943?

Photograph Courtesy of the National Archives & Records Administration

November 7, 1811 - Gen. William Henry Harrison (right) wins the Battle of Tippecanoe. In the wake of his failures to overturn the Treaty of Fort Wayne, the Shawnee leader Tecumseh and his brother Tenskwatawa began organizing a confederacy against the United States. Gathering forces at Prophetstown, Tenskwatawa was soon confronted by an army led by Harrison. Attacking Harrison's camp near the Tippecanoe River, his men were repeatedly repelled. Though having sustained greater losses, Harrison's victory inflicted a serious blow to Tecumseh's efforts to unite the tribes. Despite this, Tecumseh remained a threat on the frontier until his death at the 1813 Battle of the Thames. Was Harrison's win a foregone conclusion or should Tenskwatawa approached the battle differently?

Photograph Source: Public Domain