Battle Of Verdun Research Paper

Many historical Battles shaped, contributed, and evolved U.S. Military Operations within the Field Artillery Branch, The Battle of the Bulge held one of the most significant roles. During World War II (December 16, 1944-January 25, 1945), The Battle of the Bulge was the last major German offensive campaign on the 80 mile Western Front stretching along Luxembourg, Eastern Belgium and the Ardennes. Germany and Adolf Hitler’s goal was to cut the Allied forces in half and utilize a divide and conquer method because he felt like this was their most optimal chance to win the war. There were many key factors and issues for Allied Forces during the Battle that were unaccounted for which consisted of; torturous weather, terrain, intelligence, communications, resources and a desperate German forces.

This year is the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Fromelles. People still remember the soldiers that fought in the battle and lost their lives. It was one of the most horrific battles in WW1 and is a good example for people today to see why war is so terrible. The reasons they may think this because of all the casualties, how Britain's plan went horrible wrong and achieved nothing.

The Battle of the Bulge was a major battle during World War II (WWII) between the Nazi troops of Germany and American troops. The Battle of the Bulge 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 which started on December 16, 1944 and did not end until January 25, 1945. The Battle of the Bulge was one of the most iconic turning points of World War II claiming another victory for the United States despite the comparison of field artillery, soldiers, causalities, and supplies between American and German troops in the rough terrain of the Ardennes region. Setting the Stage After the successful landing on D-day, German troops had been pushed back into Germany.

Bodies flailing, ripped apart by machine guns. German Panzers destroying everything in their path. A blood soaked forest; the Ardennes. The Battle of the Bulge began on December 16, 1944. It was a hard fought allied victory that pitted American, British, Australian, and South African forces against the battle hardened Panzer and SS German divisions. In the heat of the battle, the American 101st division was surrounded by German forces at Bastogne. When asked to surrender, General Anthony McAuliffe only replied with one word; “Nuts!”. The 106th division was almost annihilated. This was a gallant allied victory, showing the force of the American soldiers. However, it came with great cost. Influenced by the beginning of the war and how the war turned against the Nazi’s, the Battle of the Bulge was a bloody battle, in which German defeat lead to their surrender soon after, proving to be an extremely significant event in WWII.

The Battle of Cantigny which was fought on "May 28, 1918", was the first major American battle and offensive of World War I. The Americans repelled the raids against them and went ahead with their own assault. Flamethrowing Americans burnt the Germans out of their defensive positions, and the Battle of Cantigny ended quickly and with ease. The doughboys braced themselves for the inevitable counterattack.

On January 8, German troops withdrew from the tip of the "bulge”. The losses caused by this battle were critical. The last of the German reserves were gone, the Luftwaffe was weaker than ever, the German army in the west was being forced to retreat back, and the Eastern Front was open to be taken by the Soviets. With most of its military power gone, Germany had just about nothing left to defend itself, and its final defeat loomed just a couple months away.

The brutal battles were the greatest in the world. A battle is a fight between large and organized armed force. The battle started in 1914, and it lasted for years. I pick the battle of Gumbinnen because it was the most brutal battles in history. It was the first major in the First World War.

The battle involved the largest number of casualties of the entire war and is often described as the war's turning point.

The Battle of the Somme was fought between July 1st and November 18th, 1916, as part of the Western Front of the First World War. The battle was fought primarily between Britain, France, and their allies, against the German Empire. It was fought near the River Somme in France. The British and French launched a major offensive operation against the Germans, hoping to break their lines and bring an end to the war. The Allies managed to gain some ground, but they were not nearly as successful as they hoped, the war continuing to rage on for another two years. The Somme Offensive was the largest and bloodiest battle on the Western Front of the First World War, involving over three million men, approximately one million of them becoming casualties

Source one is a primary source with interviews elucidating the strategies undertaken at the Battle of Verdun and the soldier’s perplexing encounters of war. The perspective of this source varies with differing speakers with the first is that of the narrator, describing the history of of the German armies, with mention of Allied responses, giving it the main perspective that of a German history. Due to the first perspective not having a name identified, it therefore reduces the reliability. German solider Ernst Weckerling is that of the second perspective, reiterating his duties and events during his time in Verdun. The final perspective is that of Marcel Batreau, and is analogous to Weckerling’s perspective, with Batreau, a French soldier, telling his version of events during the battle.

The Battle of Verdun was fought from 21 February – 18 December, during the First World War on the Western front between the German and French armies, on hills north of verdun-sur-Meuse in north-eastern France.

December 16, 1944 marks the beginning of the Battle of the Bulge. This Battle took place on what is know as the Western Front. This battle will forever be known as one of the biggest battles to be fought during WWII. This battle would prove to be a costly battle for both sides. Both sides will see a tremendous loss of life and equipment.

The battle of the Somme, intended to end the war that year, had ambitious objectives, it was significant for failing to achieve almost all of these. One of these was Beaumont Hamel, a fortified village behind the German lines. The Battle plan called for the village to be taken on the first day. The fact that the village was not taken until the very end of the battle on the 13th of November, illustrates how much the plan failed. Demonstrating the level to which the plan failed Private Anthony Stacey reports that this was a death trap for our boys as the enemy just set the sights of their machine guns on the gaps in the barbed wire and fired . Another objective, Serre, was not taken at all. In fact, the British staff were so unaware of modern weapons, that they had cavalry ready to attack after the infantry broke through. This is significant as it shows how inexperienced the British army was when it came to trench warfare. Had the staff understood the trench tactics better, they would not have

In specific, I will be talking about the Battle of Somme the 1st July, 1916 as it is not as discussed as happier moments during the war such as the takeover at Vimy Ridge and that memorial. A quick overview for the battle of Somme would be that it was fought with the British forces under the command of their General Haig and dragged on for 141 days. By the end, casualties totaled 1.2 million on both sides after the British advanced 11km. It is still known to be the greatest single disaster in 500+ years of history for Newfoundland and Labrador, and it is now a memorial day for them. Soon later, the French attacked Somme and achieved advances greater than what he British did, with fewer divisions and close to 2000 casualties.

Men who retreated were even mowed down by their own machine gun fire. General Nivelle, of the 2nd Army that was defending Verdun issued the order: ‘No surrender; no retreat, not even an inch: die where you stand.' Imagine being in a battle where the only way you might survive is by running forward into machine gun fire because you know if you run back you'll for surely be killed. Some may consider this to be barbaric and a violation of rights and freedoms but think what may have resulted if it was not done. Perhaps during WWII Stalingrad would have fallen to the Germans and which eventually might have led to the entire eastern front to be taken and German occupation of soviet territory. This would have allowed them to re-concentrate their armies to the western front and perhaps led to a defeat of the allies. The same goes for Verdun. If the Germans had succeeded in taking Verdun the French would have completely lost their spirit. Since France was also an important British ally if the French were to lose morale and essentially give up, it may have led to different outcomes in the battle of the Somme and other important battles that may have changed the course of history.