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Battle of the bulge analysis
Battle of the bulge analysis
Battle of the bulge analysis
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Christian Hanselman
4/8/13
MS 290
Battle of the Bulge
Battle: The Story of the Bulge
To write this book the author, John Toland, had to devote 15 years researching different stories from all sides of the war. He studied war memoirs, interviewed war veterans, and read military documents. While doing this he focused on both the allied and axis forces to truly understand both sides of the story and be able to write such a descriptive and accurate piece of work. This research was used in the book to describe the unlikely victory of the Americans over the Germans during the “Battle of the Bulge”.
By using the research he had gained from the memories of veterans and the many military documents written, Toland was able to paint a very graphic picture
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These hardships included: the harsh weather, watching friends die, killing mass amounts of the enemy, and many more things that can slowly break down even the toughest soldier from the inside out. For example, the author describes a vivid scene after a group of soldiers and refugees had been under attack on Christmas and were now looking for supplies. A man named the Baron Charles de Radzitsky d’Ostrowick had gone into a house in search of water. Toland describes what the Baron sees; “The Baron sickened as he stepped over the debris to the door. Here thirty bodies-American and German-were stacked as if for future reference. He picked his way through the human refuse to the courtyard. Outside, bodies were so thick he climbed onto a wall.” (275)
When men see tragedies such as, dead men (from both sides) literally stacked upon each other and floods of bodies so thick you can’t walk through, it takes an emotional toll and can even effect the most resilient soldier. This is why Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) was and is one of the most serious illnesses for soldiers in war. Often times we forget that the immediate danger is not always the worst part of war. It is only after the war when men start to think about what they saw and did that they can fully assess what happened and sometimes that can be too much for a man to bear on his
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I also enjoyed how he left his opinions out until the end in the epilogue. I feel that many writers can easily be identified as biased by including their emotions about the topic too much. With that being said, I do think that it takes some of the power out of a story. But overall I think it was better that he kept it factual because it minimizes the doubt of credibility.
The Battle: The Story of the Bulge is not a book about how the American’s used sheer numbers and force to overcome the Germans. It is a story of how the GI, who was independent, cocky, and had poor garrison etiquette, overcame the odds and became an unlikely strong adversary thus winning the battle. I can relate to the GI because I find myself at times to be cocky and not always wanting to take orders I don’t agree with. I think this relation helped me to understand some of the emotions the soldiers expressed throughout the
This book is essentially different from any other that has been published concerning the 'late war' or any of incidents. Those who have had any such experiences as the author will see its truthfulness at once, and to all other readers it is commended as a statement of actual things by one who experienced them to the fullest. (O'Brien Prologue)
In order to receive a victory in the Battle of the Bulge, General Patton used Mission Command Analysis in order to understand how he can be successful for this mission. The first thing of understanding t...
The day to day life for the regular soldier was not glorious. Many times the regiments were low on supplies such as food and clothing. They lived in the elements. Medical conditions were grotesque because of the lack of advanced equipment and anesthesia. “Discipline was enforced with brutality” as if all the other conditions were not bad enough.
The battle of the bulge occurred between December 16th, 1944 and January 25th, 1945. It was the largest land assault in World War II. There were more than 200,000 German troops and 83,000 American soldiers. The battle of the bulge was Germanys last ditch effort to try and salvage any chance of taking over and winning the war in Europe. Germany went all in with troops, tanks in a huge blitzkrieg attack towards the American soldiers in the
John Keegan, the author of “The Face of Battle” is allowing the reader to view different perspective of history, from the eyes of the soldier. Although by his own account, Keegan acknowledges, “I have never been in a battle. And I grow increasingly convinced that I have very little idea of what a battle can be like.” Keegan scorns historians for pointing the finger of failure after an evolution occurs and not examining the soldier’s point of view while the battle is transpiring.
December 16th 1944, Nazi Germany launches a surprise offensive attack against allied forces in the area of the Ardennes forest. Operation Watch on the Rhine was what the Germans code named this mission and it only took five days from the time Hitler met with his top military officials to launch day to get the operation going in full swing. Without major allied knowledge the axis powers gathered 450,000 soldiers and sent them to split the allied powers in two so a treaty could be made on the western front in favor of the axis powers and allow them to focus exclusively on the eastern front. Despite careful planning and complete surprise over allied forces, quick thinking and determination kept Germany front splitting the allied forces apart and ultimately sending Nazi Germany their final fatal blow to end World War II in 1945.
In one month’s time, the Allies lost 34,000 men to either death or capture. Germany, by contrast, lost 100,000 men and 800 tanks. Hitler has failed to recognize the manpower resources of the American army and had misinterpreted the effect that Autumn Mist would have on the front. In reality, all it did was delay the impending break into Germany by a few months time. With Russia getting closer to Berlin by the day and the Rhine the only obstacle in the way of Montgomery, Hitler’s time was running out. The Battle of the Bulge is best concluded by Sir Winston Churchill, who said “It was without any doubt the greatest American battle of the Second World War and it will, I believe, always be considered as a great American victory.”
...ings by then, whose memories, fears, and enthusiasms should not be remembered." Thus, unlike the title suggests, this remarkable war memoir is not about one soldier. Instead it refers to the entire German army who were defeated by the Allies. Although the German cause was very controversial, these gentlemen bravely fought for their country. Many men died, many were mutilated, and many more had to forever live with the atrocities they encountered. At war's end, however, they were merely "forgotten" for their failure of success. And although The Forgotten Soldier is an astonishing account of the horrors of infantry warfare, it serves a much greater purpose. It allows the historian to glance into the German experience and realize they too were young men fighting because their nation called upon them, and they deserve to be remembered for such a courageous act.
The battle of the Somme was one of the most tragic battles fought during World War I. The amount of life lost on both sides was tremendous and historians everywhere agree that this battle was one of the bloodiest battles fought. With casualties upwards of a million, it is not surprising that the Somme is often referred to as the ‘bloodbath’. Historian Martin Gilbert explores the severity of the battle in his book; The Somme: Heroism and Horror in the First World War. In his book he attempts to pay tribute to the soldiers who fought and fell in the battle. To do this he uses excerpts from diary entries, letters and poetry written by the soldiers on the front lines to give the reader a first-hand account of what the soldiers were thinking and feeling while fighting. Gilbert is able to effectively portray the horror of the Somme and reduce the anonymity of the fallen by sharing stories from the soldier’s personal writings, however his book would have been more effective if he had a clear well-structured argument.
The first act of a soldier struggling with post-war life is the chapter, “Speaking of Courage,” when the character, Norman Bowker, is trying to work through the loss of a fellow soldier as he drives around his childhood hometown. “The war was over and there was no place in particular to go” (O’Brien 131), “As he came up, a pair of red flares puffed open, a soft blur...
First i would like to discuss "All Quiet on the Western Front". This book was written by Erich Maria Remargue. It is simply a testament of Paul Baumer. Paul was young man who voluntarily enlisted himself in the German army along with his classmates. Paul and his friends enlisted because of the very patriotic speeches of their teacher. They were very enthusiastic soldiers until they realized that it was nothing like they thought it would be. The first chapter of the book automatically jumps in to how horrible the conditions were. Pauls first battle was brutal. Out of 150 men only 80 came back. Paul and the rest of his men got the some and the next morning they lined up for breakfast. The cook prepared food for 150 men. He insisted
One of the worst things about war is the severity of carnage that it bestows upon mankind. Men are killed by the millions in the worst ways imaginable. Bodies are blown apart, limbs are cracked and torn and flesh is melted away from the bone. Dying eyes watch as internal organs are spilled of empty cavities, naked torso are hung in trees and men are forced to run on stumps when their feet are blown off. Along with the horrific deaths that accompany war, the injuries often outnumber dead men. As Paul Baumer witnessed in the hospital, the injuries were terrifying and often led to death. His turmoil is expressed in the lines, “Day after day goes by with pain and fear, groans and death gurgles. Even the death room I no use anymore; it is too small.” The men who make it through the war take with them mental and physical scarification from their experiences.
This book adds to our historical knowledge because it gives a great firsthand account of the war from a man who served in the trenches. Not only that, but Jünger participated in many major battles throughout the war. Due to this, Jünger’s experiences give an unprecedented look into the life of the average soldier. This perspective also shows how the soldiers were effected by and perceived the changes and events that occurred we have discussed in class on a broader front. However, Jünger rarely expresses his opinions of the war as a whole or dwells on broader concepts such as the justification of the war. Overall Jünger’s assessment of the war is very detailed and interesting, but it lacks in explanation.
Vonnegut fought in the battle of the Bulge as a scout for the 106th US Infantry Division, after which he was taken prisoner by the Germans. H...
“ No novel since Red Badge of Courage and War and Peace has contained a more vivid or terrifyingly acute picture of the conditions of actual warfare and certainly no novel of our time since U.S.A has projected its theme on a more variegated background of human experiences. On page after page and in episode after episode. It is Mailer’s magnificent reportorial sense, his gift for evoking the tactile essence of a scene, that sustains the book and that will keep it alive at least as long as the events it describes live in the memory”.