...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 The battle of the Ardennes is a battle that happened on December 16, 1944 through January 25, 1945. It was also known as the battle of the Bulge. It was the largest battle fought on the Western Front in Europe during World War ll: it is also the largest battle ever fought by the United States Army. Three to five battalions, approximately 1500 to 4000 soldiers, comprise a brigade. The size of a division varies from about 10000 to 18000 soldiers, and most divisions have three or more brigades of roughly equal size. During the Battle of the Bulge, combatants not only fought each other but the brutal weather during this time. It was the coldest weather so far in history. At 5:30 a.m. on December 16, 1944, the temperature...
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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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...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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...me means a lot of cursing.” “That’s because you were in the Army -- things always seem different than they really are when you’re in the Army.” Libra comes back with a bang. “What do you know about the army, Tugg? -- Other than the fact that it’s the Army that does all the dirty work? When the Air Force, Marines, and Navy guys are nightie-night, we’re usually out there cleaning up your mess.” “My point-” “No, I think that was my point, Robbie.” Libra goes into her favorite subject, why the Army is better than the Navy. Robbie decides to take her on. “Oh, you want to start the ‘Army - Navy’ thing again?” “Everybody knows the Navy is for wimps -- don’t start that Navy Seal noise. They’re all over the news -- Army Rangers rule! -- Battle of the Bulge -- U.S. Army. Invasion of Normandy -- U.S. Army -- you guys just dropped us off, fired big guns from the safety of fifteen miles. Gettysburg, the Civil War for that matter -- U.S. Army, baby -- The liberation of Europe...
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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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...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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...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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...The most important battle/ campaign in the European theater is Germany’s surrender and Hitler’s suicide. After realizing from previous battles (Battle of the Bulge) that they were losing the war, Germany surrendered and Hitler had taken his life, ending World War II. (1) The second most important battle in the European theater is the Battle of the Atlantic. Before this battle, the U.S. was unable to send supplies and troops to Europe. We wanted to help and supply our allies throughout Europe, which was allowed after the Battle had occurred. Allies would not be able to help fight against Germany and would be unable to win the fight. (2) The third most important campaign in the European Theater is the North African Campaign. It allowed us to...
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...The Second World War was the bloodiest conflict in human history due to the world's superpowers fighting.There were many conflicts, like The Battle of the Bulge and Iwo Jima, but the most important was the Invasion of Normandy.This is the battle that helped the Allies win the war in Europe.This was the biggest amphibious invasion in military history. The great battle started June 6th 1944.The Invasion of Normandy was the most important battle of World War II due to the fact that it dealt a crippling blow to the Nazis in Western Europe while also taking pressure off the Russians and it stretched German supply lines thin from transferring Russia to France. Invading Europe has been on the Allies mind since 1941 when America entered the war in December of the same year. One reason this was the most important battle of world war 2 the sheer size of the invasion. It was the biggest amphibious...
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...Patton Analysis In the film Patton, many events and important people were depicted, including the battle of the bulge, Sicily, France, General George Patton, Erwin Rommel, Omar Bradley, and Bernard Law Montgomery. General Patton was commander of the Third Army in which he led them ti victory after a crushing defeat in the Battle of Kasserines pass. Erwin Rommel was general of the German army and he was widely respected for his ability to lead. Omar Bradley was second in command to General Patton and was head of the operation in North Africa. Montgomery was general of the British army and at this time he was winning every battle he got into. All of these people were important during world war 2 because they all led an army into battle and were victorious throughout the war and because they all were highly thought of and respected. Sicily and France were both places in which Patton led the Third Army and took then from the Germans. The battle of the bulge was a German offensive in which rot hope was to split up and surround the British and American forces. The directors purpose of masking this film was to inform people of general Patton's accomplishments while he was commanding the American Army. It was to show the war through the life of George Patton and to show how Patton changed the course of the war by actually disciplining the US Army. This movie shows the theme that discipline is the key to winning a war because without discipline, no one will know what to do and...
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...Transformational * Led from the front * Humble * Men looked up to him * Took care of his men * Accomplishes the mission Situational * Volunteered during war time * Led from the front * Brècourt Manor * 23 soldiers vs. 60 Germans 4 Howitzers * Recommended for MoH (Distinguished Service Star) * Had to reprimand Compton because he was gambling with enlisted men Adaptive * Problem Solver/Critical Thinker * Brècourt Manor * Great Communicator * His men listened to him no matter what * Tactically and Technically Proficient * Always had a plan when attacking * Resilient * He lost soldiers * Battle of Bulge * Proactive * Didn’t always have plan but always took control * Battle of Bulge * Attack of the...
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...During 1939 to 1945 World War II was considered the bloodiest conflict in history. Seeds of the war were sown in the Treaty of Versailles which ended World War I. The Treaty was signed on June 28, 1919. This was negotiated among Allied powers with little participation by Germany. Boundaries and assigned liability for reparations with the five years of enforcement, the French assented to the modification of important provisions. The provisions were that Germany agreed to pay reparations under the Dawes Plan and Young Plan. However this was canceled when Hitler rise to power and destructions. What events brought the use into WWII there were a couple of things leading up to the involvement. One would be Germany had a plan to try to prevent Britain from getting their supplies for war by using unrestricted submarine ware force or known as the German U-boats. Allied ships were the only ones being sunk by this however, the “Lusitania” held large amount of passengers and many of them died. At this time the US threatened to go to war but due to Germany backing down. Germany attempted to bargain and started up sinking ships however, this time was allied and neutral ships. Another event leading up to the involvement was the economy downfall due to the stock market collapsing in the 1900’s. With the problem it just increased the tensions which lead up to the fight between Communist and Nationalist. With Adolf Hitler’s National Socialist (Nazi) party coming into power which we...
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...Patriotic Essay Ladies and gentleman, students and teachers, thank you for coming and listening to my speech. Ben Franklin once said, “If you’re not to be forgotten when you’re dead and rotten, either write something worth reading or do something worth writing”. I believe that this means that everyone needs to do something with their life. There are Americans that have lived up to this quote before, like American writers and patriotic individuals, and there were some events in WWII that were also extremely patriotic. Some American writers are overtly loyal in the literature they write. American writers vary from men to women to all colors like Walt Whitman, Langston Hughes, and Zora Neale Hurston. Walt Whitman, a civil war veteran, decided to write something worth reading. Whitman’s poems are about his time in the war, and about his remarkable events he had gone through. His writings showed Americans the good and bad times of the Civil War. Walt Whitman died in 1892. Langston Hughes wrote against slavery, and he tried his best to do what he could through his writings. Hughes was first noticed when he published his poem “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” in 1921. Langston Hughes did write many things worth reading so he also fulfilled the quote that he will never be forgotten even thought he is dead and rotten (died May 22, 1976). Zora Neale Hurston was another great American writer. Her books inspired Americans though out her life to help end slavery. Zora and Langston finished...
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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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