March in Military History
March brings spring offensives and turning points: the Castle Bravo nuclear test, the fall of Bataan, and the birth of NATO.
342 events across 31 days
Featured Events in March
March 1
Castle Bravo: America's Largest Nuclear Detonation
1954
March 5
The Boston Massacre
1770
March 2
Texas Declares Independence While the Alamo Burns
1836
March 3
America's First Military Draft Becomes Law
President Abraham Lincoln signed the Enrollment Act, establishing the first nationwide military conscription in American history. The law required registration of all males aged 20-45, but included a deeply controversial provision allowing the wealthy to pay a $300 commutation fee or hire a substitute, sparking the slogan "a rich man's war and a poor man's fight" and triggering the deadliest civil disturbance in American history.
March 4
The Overnight Miracle at Dorchester Heights
In one of the most audacious operations of the American Revolution, General Washington's troops fortified Dorchester Heights overlooking Boston Harbor in a single night, using cannons hauled 300 miles from Fort Ticonderoga. When dawn broke, the British found a fortress above them. Unable to dislodge the Americans, they evacuated Boston, the first major strategic victory of the Revolution.
Every Day in March
Castle Bravo: America's Largest Nuclear Detonation
33 events · 1954
Texas Declares Independence While the Alamo Burns
13 events · 1836
America's First Military Draft Becomes Law
12 events · 1863
The Overnight Miracle at Dorchester Heights
10 events · 1776
The Boston Massacre
14 events · 1770
The Fall of the Alamo
10 events · 1836
Capture of the Ludendorff Bridge at Remagen
10 events · 1945
CSS Virginia Destroys the Wooden Fleet at Hampton Roads
10 events · 1862
USS Monitor vs. CSS Virginia: The First Ironclad Battle
10 events · 1862
Tokyo Firebombing: The Deadliest Air Raid in History
10 events · 1945
MacArthur Evacuates the Philippines: "I Shall Return"
10 events · 1942
The Truman Doctrine: America Commits to Containing Communism
10 events · 1947
The Siege of Dien Bien Phu Begins
10 events · 1954
Eli Whitney Patents the Cotton Gin, Setting the Stage for Civil War
10 events · 1794
Germany Occupies Czechoslovakia: The End of Appeasement
10 events · 1939
The My Lai Massacre
10 events · 1968
British Evacuation of Boston
10 events · 1776
Allied Naval Assault on the Dardanelles
10 events · 1915
The Bombing of USS Franklin (CV-13)
10 events · 1945
Napoleon Returns to Paris, The Hundred Days Begin
10 events · 1815
Operation Michael, The Kaiser's Last Gamble
10 events · 1918
Patton's Third Army Crosses the Rhine at Oppenheim
10 events · 1945
Reagan Announces the Strategic Defense Initiative
10 events · 1983
Operation Varsity, The Largest Single-Day Airborne Assault
10 events · 1945
Battle of Fort Stedman, The Confederacy's Last Attack
10 events · 1865
Battle of Iwo Jima Declared Secure
10 events · 1945
The Goliad Massacre
10 events · 1836
Operation Chariot, The St Nazaire Raid
10 events · 1942
Last U.S. Combat Troops Leave Vietnam
10 events · 1973
Easter Offensive Begins
10 events · 1972
British Guarantee to Poland
10 events · 1939
Notable Military Figures Born in March
March 1
General Richard B. Myers
General, U.S. Air Force
Served as the 15th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 2001 to 2005, overseeing U.S. military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq during the critical early years of the Global War on Terror.
1942–present
March 1
Glenn Miller
Major, U.S. Army Air Forces
Disbanded his enormously successful orchestra to volunteer for military service. As commander of the Army Air Forces Band, he revolutionized troop morale with over 800 concerts. Disappeared over the English Channel on December 15, 1944. Posthumously awarded the Bronze Star.
1904–1944
March 1
David Niven
Lieutenant Colonel, British Army
One of the few major Hollywood stars to serve in combat during WWII. He left his film career to enlist in the Rifle Brigade and Commandos, participated in the Normandy invasion on D-Day, and earned the American Legion of Merit.
1910–1983
March 1
Yitzhak Rabin
Chief of the General Staff, Israel Defense Forces
As IDF Chief of Staff, led Israel to victory in the Six-Day War of 1967, one of the most decisive military campaigns in modern history. Later served as Prime Minister and won the Nobel Peace Prize for the Oslo Accords before being assassinated in 1995.
1922–1995
March 1
Lt. Eugene Esmonde
Lieutenant Commander, Royal Navy
Led the suicidal torpedo attack against the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau during the Channel Dash. All six Swordfish aircraft were shot down. Posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross.
1909–1942
March 2
Sam Houston
Major General, Commander-in-Chief of the Texas Army
Wounded under Andrew Jackson at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend in the War of 1812. Commander-in-chief of the Texas Army, he won the decisive Battle of San Jacinto in 18 minutes. Served as President of the Republic of Texas, U.S. Senator, and Governor of Texas. Removed from office in 1861 for refusing to swear allegiance to the Confederacy.
1793–1863
March 2
Carl Schurz
Major General, U.S. Army
German-born Union Army general who commanded troops at Second Bull Run, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, and Chattanooga. Before the war, he helped secure Abraham Lincoln's presidential nomination. Later served as U.S. Senator from Missouri and Secretary of the Interior.
1829–1906
March 2
Mikhail Gorbachev
Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Soviet Armed Forces
Last leader of the Soviet Union, who withdrew Soviet troops from Afghanistan, negotiated the INF Treaty with President Reagan, and presided over the peaceful end of the Cold War. His policies of glasnost and perestroika led to the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact and the Soviet Union itself. Awarded the 1990 Nobel Peace Prize.
1931–2022
March 2
Desi Arnaz
Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army
Cuban-born entertainer who served in the U.S. Army during World War II. Classified for limited service due to a knee injury, he directed USO entertainment programs for wounded soldiers at military hospitals, organizing morale programs that reached thousands of recovering servicemembers.
1917–1986
March 2
Admiral Mitsumasa Yonai
Admiral, Imperial Japanese Navy
Japanese Prime Minister (1940) who opposed the Tripartite Pact with Germany and tried to prevent war with the United States. His government fell because of his anti-war stance. Later served as Navy Minister during Japan's surrender in 1945 and oversaw the dissolution of the Imperial Japanese Navy.
1880–1948
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About March in Military History
March has witnessed 342 significant military events spanning from the American Revolution to the modern era. Each day of March carries its own story of battles, innovations, sacrifices, and turning points that shaped the course of military history.
Our day-by-day coverage includes detailed narratives, historical context, images from military archives, and connections to our broader library of military history articles. Whether you're researching a specific date or browsing for fascinating stories, March has no shortage of compelling military history.