...Resiliency can be defined as the ability to quickly overcome difficulties or overall toughness. Using this personal skill on the battlefield can prove to be tough, but is something soldiers and senior leader’s experience, and use on a daily basis. How leaders, no matter what rank, use this skill to influence their Section, Platoon, Battery, or Battalion speaks volumes to how our Army lead’s the way in battle/combat. World War II is still a prime example of how resiliency on the battlefield proved to be beneficial to win the war overall. Specifically, artillery units during the “Battle of the Bulge” were extremely resilient on the battlefield. In detail, we will discuss specific moments during this battle that artillery units had to be...
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...Costliest Battle of World War II By the end of World War II, numerous battles had been fought and millions of soldiers had lost their lives defending their countries. Due to the large number of battles that took place, only a portion of the battles, especially the major ones, were recorded. One of these major battles is the setting for the novel Soldier Boys by Dean Hughes. A large portion of this novel takes placing during one of the final and important battles of World War II. This battle is known as the Battle of the Bulge. The Battle of the Bulge, also called Ardennenoffensive by the Germans, was a major German offensive launched on December 16, 1944 towards the end of World War II. This battle, the only major German offensive of the war, was launched by Adolf Hitler as a last attempt to reverse the decrease in his fortunes that had begun on D-Day. He sought to accomplish this by splitting Allied troops through an assault in the Ardennes Forest of Belgium. After splitting the Allied troops, Hitler planned to then proceed to and capture Anterwep, Belgium, destroying the enemy troops stationed there. This, he believed, would force the Allies to form a peace treaty that would favor the Axis Powers. However, the fighting that ensued after Germany’s initial attack in the Ardennes Forest did not result in Hitler’s predicted outcome. The location Adolf Hitler had decided upon for the launch of his attack, the Ardennes Forest, was a dense forest with few roads that stretched...
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...The Battle of the Bulge proved to be one of the largest battles to ever take place during World War Two. It was located in Antwerp in the Netherlands around the northern part of Europe. It stretched eighty five miles through Belgium and Luxemburg. It got its name from the bulge the US put up against the German forces that stretched more than fifty miles wide. The battle took place from December sixteenth, 1944 through January sixth, 1945. After winning a battle in the southern part of Europe, Hitler and the German army wanted to focus on taking the northern part of France. After the defeat in Stalingrad by Soviet forces, Germany’s advantage into Eastern Europe had failed. Hitler wanted to recapture Antwerp in the Netherlands to deny Allies the use of the ports facilities. He thought launching a surprise attack on the Allied forces would split them up throughout the Ardennes Jungle where he could gain control of...
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...Battle of the Bulge There have been so many different battles that have been fought in our history. One battle that really stands out to me is Battle of the Bulge. This battle began December of 1944. It took place in different regions throughout Belgium, France, and Luxembourg on the Western Front. During these attacks it formed a bulge, which gave them the name Battle of the Bulge. This battle attacked all different allies. The Americans however took the biggest blow during this battle. I selected this battle because I found it to be very interesting. The Germans had a lot of planning that went into this battle. More importantly I chose this because it was the largest battle the United States Army fought in during this time and has gone down in history. A little bit of background to this battle is that again it was fought in December of 1944. As stated by Citin0 “ Saturday morning it was Americans turn to be living a nightmare as 8,000 artillery rounds, from nimble 81mm mortars to 16 inch railway guns brought the Ghost Front to horrifying life with the first shots of what would be called the Battle of the Bulge.” (Cintrino, 2014) Adolf Hitler was trying to split allied forces in the Northwest. As you may know the Americans were caught off guard with this push so they fought desperately not to lose any ground. As the Germans pushed forward this caused a large bulge, which gives you the name of this battle. This battle at first caught everyone for surprise. However Hitler had...
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...advanced through France, moving them closer to Germany. With the German Army in disarray from the success of D-Day, Allied Command became complacent, believing it was only a matter of time before the Third Reich collapsed. In mid-December 1944, Germany would attack Allied Forces as they were stretched out over 100 miles of the Ardennes Forest in Belgium and Luxemburg. The Germans called the offensive “Unternehmen Wacht am Rhein” or Watch on the Rhein. Media...
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...Running Head: BATTLE OF ELSENBORN RIDGE THE BATTLE OF ELSENBORN RIDGE 12 The Battle of Elsenborn Ridge SSG Correa SSG Hlebinsky SSG Smith, Jonathan SSG Smith, Joshua 13B Senior Leadership Course: Class The Battle of Elsenborn Ridge The Battle of Elsenborn Ridge, part of the Battle of the Bulge, was a major battle during World War II (WWII) between the enemy troops of Germany and American troops. The Battle of Elsenborn Ridge took place in the Ardennes region, where Adolph Hitler planned for his troops to pull a surprise attack and then advance to Antwerp. The battle began on December 16th, 1944, and only lasted ten days; yet, it was one of the most iconic turning points of World War II claiming another victory for the United States...
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...Essay on Battle of Bulge The Battle of Bulge was fought between central and the allied powers for four months. The battle started on December 16th 1944 and ended on April 16th 1944. This battle was also known as ‘Hitler’s desperate gamble’, as Hitler attempted to use Battle of Bulge to turn the tide of World War II. The battle of Bulge, which was a major offensive campaign by Nazis, was launched through the densely forested Ardennes region of Wallonia in Belgium, down to Ettelbruck in the middle of Luxembourg and then finally reaching France. It extended on an eighty-mile front. There are various reasons of why the battle was fought at this specific location. Firstly, it was the shortest route to reach Paris by land. Secondly, the winter weather was in Hitler’s favor. Low cloud and fog would not allow attacks by ‘the superior air force’ of the allies. Another reason is that the “tank busting Typhoons of the RAF or Mustang fighters from the USAAF could not be used against the German tanks”. Battle of Bulge was connected to the larger war as it was a last chance that Adolf Hitler had to push back the allied forces. This is why many people call battle of Bulge as ‘Hitler’s desperate gamble’. Germany directed an ambitious counteroffensive with the objective of capturing Antwerp and splitting the American and British armies in the area. It would then deprive the Allies of a badly needed seaport on the Meuse River. Germany also wanted to negotiate peace by force. To fulfill...
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...Bulge, all stated that there was hysteria among their ranks, no one knew what to do or what was going on. The intelligence failed to perceive the offensive coming and left the soldiers in the Ardennes in the dark. Assaulting through the Ardennes Woods in eastern Belgium on December 16, many German tanks and a few hundred thousand German troops got through the daintily held American lines. In spite of the fact that the Germans propelled as much as 50 miles in a few territories, the Ardennes hostile was fleeting. Regardless of taking horrible misfortunes, US powers figured out how to defer the foe sufficiently to allow fortifications to be moved into position to end the German drive. By December 26, it was clear that the German development...
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...There were many battles during World War II. There were two theaters of the war. In the European Theater of War had a total of seven battles. The second theater, Pacific Theater of War, had a total of six battles. All thirteen battles played a significant role in World War II. The Battle of Britain took place in the skies over the United Kingdoms in the summer and fall of 1940. It was a significant turning point of World War II. The battle was a struggle between the German Luftwaffe and the British Royal Air force. The Germans Luftwaffe commander was Hermaan Goring. The British Royal Air force's commander was Sir Hugh Dowding's. The Battle of Britain ended when Germany's Luftwaffe failed to gain air superiority over the Royal Air Force....
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...and the chief Panzer division was General von Manteuffel’s 7 th Panzer division. An interesting component of the German’s army was that they used soldiers, who were fluent in English and knew American slang, and distributed them behind the Allied lines, equipped with American uniforms and Jeeps, in order to disrupt and confuse their enemies (Battle of the Bulge, History Learning Site). As for the Americans, their plan was to form a line and concentrate their soldiers to the northern and southern ends, as they thought this was the least likely area for an attack. Instead, they thought the most...
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...divisions. This way the additional fire support went where it was needed quickly. During the Bulge, many of these Corps units were on the move every 12 to 24 hours. The shift of several large caliber artillery units, particularly segregated African American battalions, to Bastogne during the first 48 hours of the battle helped save the city from capture.”(“Artillery Battalions in WWII) The restructure of battalions to the support larger elements was a major factor in effectiveness of fire...
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...World War Two Study Guide Fascism: a governmental system led by a dictator having complete power, forcibly suppressing opposition and criticism, regimenting all industry,commerce,etc., and emphasizing an aggressive nationalism and often racism. A political movement that employs the principles and methods of fascism, especially the one established by Mussolini in Italy. Benito Mussolini: Benito Mussolini served as Italy’s 40th Prime Minister from 1922 until 1943. He is considered a central figure in the creation of Fascism and was both an influence on and close ally of Adolf Hitler during World War II. In 1943, Mussolini was replaced as Prime Minister and served as the head of the Italian Social Republic until his execution by Italian partisans in 1945. Adolf Hitler: Adolf Hitler was the leader of Nazi Germany from 1933 until his suicide in 1945. Hitler was responsible for starting World War II and for killing more than 11 million people during the Holocaust. He was know as the Führer of the Third Reich. As dictator of Germany, Hitler wanted to increase and strengthen the German army as well as expand Germany's territory. Although these things broke the terms of the Versailles Treaty, the treaty that officially ended World War I, other countries allowed him to do so. Since the terms of the Versailles Treaty had been harsh, other countries found it easier to be lenient than risk another bloody European war. When the Nazis attacked Poland World War II began. Nazism: "Nazi"...
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...Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight D. Eisenhower is arguably the most recognizable military commander of the 20th century. His success in WWII played a huge role in the United States victory in Europe. It is extremely remarkable that Eisenhower actually had no field command experience before WWII (Chen). He clearly possessed naturally leadership qualities that complimented his strategic knowledge. From the beaches of Normandy, to the western front of Germany, General Eisenhower commanded the Allies. If it a lesser man was in charge the outcome of the war and the world we live in today could have been very different. Eisenhower was born in Denison, Texas on October 14th, 1890. He grew up in Kansas in a poor family. Eisenhower was known as a good athlete and a hard worker. In 1915 he graduated from West Point and was stationed in San Antonio as a second lieutenant. The First World War ended right before Eisenhower was scheduled to go, which greatly upset him. He then went on the graduate first in his class from the Command and General Staff College in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Next, the future president served under General John J. Pershing as a military aid. He later served as an aid to General Douglas MacArthur for seven years in the Philippines. In 1939 he returned home just at the outbreak of the Second World War. In September 1941, Eisenhower was promoted to brigadier general. Just three months later Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. Eisenhower was then called to Washington...
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...What is Leadership? Leadership can be a very difficult word to define. According to the Miriam-Webster Dictionary; Leadership is the office or position of a leader, the capacity to lead and the act or an instance of leading. My personal definition of leadership is “one who has the capability to lead a group or organization. By doing so, such person’s decisions are not solely based on his/her ideas and opinions only. A leader listens, supports, represents, never gives up and most of all is a role model to his subordinates. He have the ability to motivate and empower others to achieve a goal”. There are individuals who may agree with my definition and there are others who may add or subtract. Whatever the case may be; this justifies one fact about Leadership which is; everyone have their own way of how leadership is defined. Everyone have their unique Leadership styles and characteristics. There are many characteristics and qualities that come to mind when I consider a leader in my life and the influence that they have had on my values, skills and knowledge of what makes an effective leader. In gathering these various characteristics and qualities, I have a portrait of what an ideal leader can and should be. This paper will examine the characteristics of a leader that I would be willing to walk through the streets of Bagdad for, even if all I have was a squirt gun. My Ideal Leader falls under the category of Team Leadership. In Team Leadership; the leader has special responsibilities...
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...AP EH CH. 27---THE DEEPENING OF THE EUROPEAN CRISIS: WW II I. PRELUDE TO WAR (1933-1939) ---the efforts at collective security in the 1920s---the League of Nations, the attempts at disarmament, the pacts and the treaties---all proved meaningless in view of the growth of Nazi Germany and its deliberate scrapping of the postwar settlement in the 1930s ---World War II was largely made possible by the failure of Britain and France to oppose strongly flagrant German violations of the Treaty of Versailles A. The Role of Hitler 1. WW II in Europe had its beginnings in the ideas of Adolf Hitler, who believed that only Aryans were capable of building a great civilization 2. Hitler was a firm believer in the doctrine of Lebensraum which stated that a nation’s power depended on the amount and kind of land it occupied 3. Hitler thought that the Russian Revolution created conditions for Germany’s acquisition of land to its “racially inferior Slavic” east (Mein Kampf spelled out Hitler’s desire to expand eastward and to prepare for the inevitable war with the “Bolshevik Jew-led” Soviet Union) 4. Hitler always returned to his basic ideological plans for racial supremacy and empire as keys to the blueprint for achieving his goals 5. Hitler’s desire to create an Aryan empire led to slave labor and even mass extermination on a scale that would have been incomprehensible to previous generations of Germans (or anybody else outside...
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