US MARINE CORPS BATTLES IN HISTORY

🪖 Revolutionary War Era

• Battle of Nassau (1776)
  First amphibious landing by Continental Marines; raid on British supplies in the Bahamas.

🪖 Early 19th Century

• First Barbary War (1801–1805)
  Battle of Derna (1805): “To the shores of Tripoli” – Marines stormed the fortress in Libya.

🪖 Mexican–American War (1846–1848)

• Battle of Chapultepec (1847)
  Marines led the assault on the fortress overlooking Mexico City; origin of “Halls of Montezuma.”

🪖 American Civil War (1861–1865)

• Battle of Bull Run (1861)
  Minor Marine involvement; mostly naval blockade and shipboard duties.

🪖 Spanish–American War (1898)

• Battle of Guantánamo Bay
  Marines secured a beachhead in Cuba, establishing a base still in use today.

🪖 Banana Wars (1898–1934)

• Haiti, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, Panama
  Marines conducted expeditionary operations and peacekeeping missions.

🪖 World War I (1917–1918)

• Battle of Belleau Wood (1918)
  Marines earned global respect for their fierce fighting against German forces.

🪖 World War II (1941–1945)

Pacific Theater – Amphibious warfare mastery

• Battle of Guadalcanal (1942–1943)
  First major offensive against Japan; pivotal in turning the tide.

• Battle of Tarawa (1943)
  Brutal 76-hour battle; highlighted need for better amphibious planning.

• Battle of Saipan (1944)
  Strategic victory enabling bombing of Japan; heavy Marine casualties.

• Battle of Iwo Jima (1945)
  Iconic flag-raising; 27 Medals of Honor awarded.

• Battle of Okinawa (1945)
  Largest amphibious assault in the Pacific; last major battle of WWII.

🪖 Korean War (1950–1953)

• Battle of Inchon (1950)
  Daring amphibious landing led to recapture of Seoul.

• Battle of Chosin Reservoir (1950)
  Marines fought a heroic withdrawal under extreme conditions.

🪖 Vietnam War (1955–1975)

• Battle of Hue (1968)
  Urban combat during Tet Offensive; Marines cleared the city block by block.

• Battle of Khe Sanh (1968)
  77-day siege; Marines held the base under intense pressure.

🪖 Lebanon (1982–1984)

• Beirut Deployment
  Peacekeeping mission; tragic barracks bombing in 1983 killed 241 U.S. personnel.

🪖 Gulf War (1990–1991)

• Operation Desert Storm
  Largest Marine Corps operation in history; liberation of Kuwait.

🪖 Global War on Terror (2001–Present)

• Battle of Fallujah (2004)
  Intense urban combat; largest since Vietnam.

• Operations in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
  Counterinsurgency, training Afghan forces, and securing key regions.

TIMELINE