Conflict in Europe

The mass weapons case in the Conflict in Europe gallery

Conflict in Europe gallery

Explore the Army’s role in maintaining the balance of power in Europe from the 1700s to the present day. And discover how fighting on the Continent has affected the British Isles.
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Soldiers of The 3rd (East Kent) Regiment of Foot (The Buffs) defending the Colours at Albuera, 1811

Save the Colours!

Colours have been the focus of some of the most bitter fighting and magnificent acts of heroism in British Army history. Soldiers often fought to the last to preserve them in battle, and they continue to hold totemic significance for regiments today.

Lieutenant-General John Manners, Marquess of Granby, c1763

Marquess of Granby: The benevolent soldier

Lieutenant-General John Manners, Marquess of Granby, acquired his reputation for courage and leadership during the Seven Years War. His popularity was also founded upon his well-known generosity and concern for the welfare of his men.

British troops taking part in NATO's Exercise Lionheart in Germany, 1984

Active Edge: The Army, Germany and the Cold War

In 1945, British troops occupied Germany alongside their wartime Soviet allies. But growing East-West tensions soon evolved into the Cold War. For the next four decades, soldiers in Germany prepared to face an attack by the Warsaw Pact.

Civilians gathered around British tanks, Hamburg, May 1945

The Army and the occupation of Germany

Following their victory over Nazi Germany in 1945, the Allies were faced with administering a country in ruins. British soldiers had a leading role in this, helping to hunt war criminals, rebuild industry and help displaced persons.

The Battle of Dettingen, 1743

Battle of Dettingen

Fought in southern Germany on 27 June 1743, Dettingen saw British forces stand in alliance with those of Hanover and Austria against the French. It was the last time a reigning British monarch personally led his troops in battle.

Passing German prisoners of war when moving up to the Aller, Germany, April 1945

Countdown to victory

In the spring of 1945, Allied armies began their final advance into the heart of Nazi Germany. After weeks of intense fighting, they secured victory, ending the most destructive war in Europe's history.

Female prisoners after their liberation, Belsen, April 1945

The liberation of Belsen

As the British Army advanced into the heart of Nazi Germany in the spring of 1945, its soldiers were confronted with the full horrors of the Holocaust at the notorious Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.

The Battle of Busaco, 27 September 1810

Peninsular War

From 1808 to 1814, the British Army, aided by its Spanish and Portuguese allies, held off superior numbers of French troops before driving them out of Iberia. They then carried the war into France, playing an important part in Napoleon's first overthrow.

The Battle of the Boyne, 1690

Nine Years War

Between 1689 and 1697, British soldiers joined a European alliance against French expansionism. At the same time, extensive fighting took place in Scotland and Ireland between the supporters of King William III and the deposed James II.

A Conqueror tank of 5th Royal Tank Regiment in Germany, c1960

Nato and the British Army

Nato has been the cornerstone of British defence planning for 70 years. Originally formed as a bulwark against communism, more recently it has been involved in peacekeeping roles and the ‘war on terror’.

Soldiers with a refugee Kosovo Albanian family, 1999

Kosovo

In 1999, British soldiers deployed to Kosovo as a peacekeeping force. Today, troops still serve in the disputed country as part of a multi-national force helping to ensure security and stability.

British UNPROFOR troops outside a destroyed mosque near Vitez, Bosnia, 1994

Bosnia

British soldiers first deployed to Bosnia in 1992 during the country's vicious civil war. Initially tasked with protecting aid convoys, they have remained there on peacekeeping duties ever since.

Explore Conflict in Europe events

People dressed in 1940s style dancing at the National Army Museum
Dance
10 May 2025 £25.00

VE Day Dance

Celebrate the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe and jive the night away at our 1940s dance.

Napoleon at Waterloo
Discussion
18 Jun 2025 £25.00

Napoleon: Man vs Myth

Join our panel of experts, including the co-editors of 'Napoleonic Objects and Their Afterlives', to get to the heart of who Napoleon Bonaparte really was.

A British medical orderly treats a wounded German soldier, c1916
Talk
27 Jun 2025 FREE

It Worked: Innovation and Improvisation in the Royal Army Medical Corps

Jessica Meyer examines how new ideas and technologies helped to push military medical care forwards during the First World War.