November 7 in Military History — On This Day

⚔️📍 Petrograd (St. Petersburg), Russia1917

Bolshevik Revolution — Lenin Seizes Power in Russia

Lenin's Bolsheviks seized key government buildings in Petrograd in a nearly bloodless coup, overthrowing the Provisional Government. The cruiser Aurora fired a blank shot as a signal, and Bolshevik Red Guards stormed the Winter Palace with minimal resistance.

The Bolshevik Revolution established the Soviet Union, inspired communist movements worldwide, and shaped global politics for the next 74 years.

Outcome

Bolsheviks seize power; Soviet Union established 1922

Second Battle of Fallujah

Operation Phantom Fury — the largest urban battle of the Iraq War. Marines and Army troops assault Fallujah in the most intense house-to-house combat since Hue City in Vietnam. The city has been fortified with IED networks, booby-trapped buildings, and interconnected tunnel systems. After six weeks of fighting, the city is cleared — 95 Marines and soldiers killed, 560 wounded, and 1,350 insurgents killed. Much of the city is destroyed.

Fallujah II was a tactical success but strategic pyrrhic victory. The city was cleared but the insurgency simply moved elsewhere. The battle validated Marine urban warfare doctrine and produced hard-learned tactical lessons that shaped US operations for years. But the destruction of Fallujah — 36,000 buildings damaged or destroyed — created hundreds of thousands of displaced Iraqis and deep anti-American sentiment throughout Al Anbar that fed the insurgency.

Full battle details →