Conflict in Europe

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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German soldiers raise the swastika at the Acropolis, Athens, April 1941

War in the Balkans

In 1941, the Axis powers invaded Yugoslavia and Greece. British and Commonwealth intervention and evacuation followed, before a vicious partisan conflict broke out.

Defeat in the West

In the summer of 1940, the Germans defeated France and drove the British out of Western Europe. Following their evacuation from Dunkirk, the British found themselves facing the threat of invasion.

During the First World War, armies were forced to adapt their tactics and pursue new technologies as a way of breaking the deadlock. Here, we explore some of the weapons used by the British Army on the Western Front.

Wellington: The Iron Duke

Whether you know him as Arthur Wellesley, the Iron Duke, or even Old Nosey, the Duke of Wellington is the British Army’s most famous commander.

Marengo’s makeover

We sent Napoleon's horse Marengo to the Natural History Museum to prepare him for display in the new galleries.

The British Army entrusted its secrets to birdbrains

During the First World War, the Army often relied on pigeons to deliver important military information. These birds quickly gained a reputation as one of the most reliable forms of communication.

Florence Nightingale: The Lady with the Lamp

Florence Nightingale was a legend in her own lifetime and one of the most famous women in British history.

Battle of Waterloo

The Battle of Waterloo was fought on 18 June 1815 between Napoleon’s French Army and a coalition led by the Duke of Wellington and Marshal Blücher. It was the decisive battle of its age.

Battle of the Somme

The 1916 Somme offensive was one of the bloodiest battles of the First World War. But it provided the Army with a tough lesson in how to fight a large-scale modern war.

Battle of Normandy

D-Day enabled the Allies to establish a foothold on the beaches of Normandy. But they still faced the task of breaking out, pushing the Germans back and liberating France.

D-Day

D-Day, 6 June 1944, marked the start of the Allied invasion of Normandy and was the greatest amphibious operation in history.

William Inglis: The original die-hard

Major-General Sir William Inglis had a long and successful career. But it was his actions in the Peninsular War, when he showed enormous personal courage and leadership under fire, that earned him national fame.

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.

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.