Belgium And The German Invasion

The decision to enter into war is usually a great struggle involving many factors. Some countries, however, such as France in 1940, do not have much choice in the matter. France’s leaders struggled with the feelings of autonomy and responsibility. France's struggle entering into World War II was in the difficulty in fulfilling its dual responsibility to the people of France and to the rest of the world whom both maintained conflicting beliefs about the approaching war. The French people desired peace, while the other countries required France to go to war to defend itself against

On the 6th of June 1944, Operation Overlord began to free France from the Nazi German army. The invasion and liberation of France from Nazi Germany was a pivotal battle in the Second World War. This stems primarily from the extensive use of the Field Artillery throughout the battle. Many of the tactics and equipment used during the largest amphibious assault in history, are directly related to the current American artillery arsenal and how the United States uses that weaponry on the battlefield today.

World War 2 began in September 1939, mainly due to German Reich Adolf Hitler attempting to create a perfect world, which in his mind excluded mainly Jews, but also Gays, Gypsies, Poles, and people with physical, or mental disabilities. Hitler’s plan was to slowly take over the entire continent, converting the entire area slowly to his idea of Utopia, and hopefully at one point Germanize the entire world. He had formed the Nazi party in 1920, a group of over three thousand members all soldiers literally looking for a fight. German Nazis launched their first attack in 1940. France 's vaunted Maginot Line, engineered to protect the country failed to hold back the Nazi onslaught and the German Blitzkrieg poured into France. The city of Paris fell under German control, only weeks after the first invasion. France was then split into two parts, One-half being occupied France, which would be ruled by the Germans and guarded by the Nazi soldiers, Which also happened to hold the most populated city, Paris. The other half was called Vichy France, and would still be under French rule.

The preface states that Belgian civilians tried to “hinder the German advance” however possible, presenting their brutality in an attempt to justify events. The justification, however, did not help the German’s case as the impact of the Bryce Report’s findings in ‘proving’ the German’s committed murder and rape had already swayed the neutral United States against

The death toll rose and the smell of rotting corpses was in the air while every breath taken was a breath someone else lost. Around 80 million people were killed (k-1). Millions felt unsafe and that their lives were going to be taken from them, just because of the religion they practiced and because they were seen unfit for society. Beliefs of racial purity by Hitler gave perception of what the perfect race was and the way someone should look. He saw the Germanic race to be superior and what he called an Aryan master race. The perfect Aryan was tall with blonde hair and blue eyes and sought to be the race to rule the world. So for these reasons, tanks rolled through towns, gunfire was in the air, and bodies, bodies were everywhere. A war erupted,

After the U.S. began to push out the Germans and enlarge the pathway to Bastogne at the end of December 1944, the U.S. troops and some British soldiers started a counterattack, to eliminate the bulge in the American line. This success was largely due to General Patton’s third army, that attacked from the North and the South. On January 8, 1945, the German forces began to pull out of the Bulge. As the Americans advanced, they continued to erase all German gains. By the end of January, 1945, all territory that was captured by the Germans was back under Allied control (“Battle of the Bulge”). The Battle of the bulge was one of the most difficult battles of the war for the United States. Along with having the most American casualties of any other battle, many of the soldiers suffered great emotional and physical trauma from the cold, and lack of medical supplies, and the horrors that many of them witnessed on the battlefield (Farmer). One battalion, the 551st Parachute Infantry Battalion, is a notable example of the physical and emotional trauma of the Battle of the Bulge. At the start of the battle the battalion had 793 men. By the end, only 110 were left alive. The 551st was the worst casualties of any unit during the Battle of the Bulge (Orfalea). Nearing the end of the battle, the allied troops fought harder than ever, partly to ensure that all of the bloodshed and death was not in vain.

German losses were greater than their army could take. The Germans also lost a significant number of weapons, specifically tanks. German industries would not be able to replenish these materials before the end of the war. American losses were serious, but not nearly as devastating to their army. The battle is significant during World War II because it is Hitler’s last major offensive in the war. While the battle was intended to split Allied lines and force negotiated peace, American forces could contain the battle and inflict heavier losses on the German forces. The Germans lost so many experienced troops and equipment that there was no way their army could launch another attack on Allied forces. The Battle of the Bulge is most significant

Military strategy forever had been battles of attrition, men throwing themselves at each other until a winner was determined, this form of battle was replaced in Europe during the 16th and 17th century. The change in military strategy took place mostly in Europe, and the countries at the forefront of this were the Swedish empire and the Netherlands. The Swedes and Dutch changed many military strategies and practices which were in place for thousands of years and changed the standard for militaries. They helped to show the first realistic application of David versus Goliath, using smart tactics paired with a smaller army to destroy militaries of greater size. The two smallest nations in Europe took control and led the world in military innovations in the 16th and 17th century through competition and loss. The Swedes and Dutch managed to create fluid militaries which were able to overpower larger armies through deception and agility. The Swedish and Dutch nations during the 16th and 17th century gained military strength through the reformation of tactics, reorganization of the military, improvisation of weapons, and as a result changed the image and action of the military forever. The idea of a military revolution was first explored by a man named Michael Roberts in the 1950s. Roberts said that if the Swedish Empire and the Netherlands had not developed as they did, military strategy and organization would have not evolved for much later.

The Battle of the Bulge is remembered as Adolf Hitler’s final effort to escape total defeat during World War II (WWII). His initial efforts were successful, however the Allied force commanders proved superior through there demonstrated adaptive and decisive decision making. These actions helped to overcome the military force and military intelligence failures during the battle. If these failures had been avoided, the Germans would have been defeated much quicker, effectively preventing the casualty numbers and damage inflicted on the Allied forces during the Western Front of WWII.

Ardennes offensive, also known as the Battle of the Bulge, because the Germans created a “bulge” around the Ardennes forest, pushing through the defensive line. After a day of fighting, the Germans broke through the American front. They surrounded most of an infantry division, they seized key crossroads, and they advanced their spearheads towards the Meuse River, this is how the battle got its name. It was codenamed Operation Autumn Mist. This attack was the largest battle fought on the Western Front. During WWII, between December 1944 and January 1945, the Battle of the Bulge occurred, it was an attempt by Hitler to split the allied forces; the significance of this battle was: it would be Hitler’s last major offensive, it lead to considerable losses of German troops, and it drew attention to the mental effects of war.

The Battle of the Bulge was one of the Bloodiest battles of World War II with around 175,000 total casualties and played a key role in ending the War. The Battle started as a German surprise attack on Allied Forces along an 80-mile front in the Ardennes Forest of southern Belgium. The Germans initially had a great deal of success in their attack but through a series of Allied counter attacks the Allied Forces were able to cripple the German Forces. The Field Artillery played a crucial role in this Allied victory in that they were able to effectively thin out the German Tanks which allowed Allied Ground forces to push back the German Forces. The strategic setting, the battle itself, and the overall significance of the battle clearly displays the Field Artilleries importance in both the battle and the war.

This story focuses on when Nazi Germany invaded Hungary at midnight on March 18, 1944. Few people believed they were in any danger. The night begins with a description of the character Moshe-Shames, the beadle of the town 's synagogue and one of the humblest residents, who vainly warns the inhabitants to flee and escape. While the Allies were preparing for the Battle of Normandy and the liberation of Europe during May and June of that year, Wiesel and his family, together with 15,000 other Jews from Sighet and an additional 18,000 from neighboring villages, were deported by German troops to the concentration camps. Once there, his mother and younger sister were immediately sent to the gas chambers. His other sisters, Hilda and Beatriz,

Many white Europeans believed that they lived in a civilized nation with the right religion and culture and had a duty to influence the less developed non-whites by taking care of the inferior civilizations; this is known as the white man’s burden. According to Prince Leopold, the heir to the throne of Belgium, “[L]et us see where there are unoccupied lands...to prove to the world that Belgians also are an imperial people capable of dominating and enlightening others.” He states that Belgium wants to imperialize in order to “dominate and enlighten others” with the others being the “uncivilized” cultural groups as stated in the white man’s burden. Even though it is not explicitly said, it can be inferred that a major motivation for Belgium was

On August 14, 1914, the German Reichstag commenced to make known that the German civilians should unite and defend their own country. They announced a “civil peace” which meant that all previous conflicts or issues would be set aside for the duration of war. They also began the mobilization for World War I. When the emperor first declared the policy in 1914, the people were joyful and in awe. By 1915 and 1916, the people’s views shifted from being optimistic to opposing war because war caused them to overwork and was the source for the food shortages; the government lost many of their supporters as a result. To end, in 1918, civilians from both sides who was either opposing war or supporting it affected the German population because of their different opinions which led to the defeat of Germany in World War I.

First of all the Belgians put up unexpected resistance. Although the Belgian army was only a tenth the size of the German army, it still delayed the Germans for nearly a month, defending fortresses and cities. The Germans used their "Big Bertha" artillery to destroy Belgian forts in Liege, Namur and Antwerp, but the Belgians still fought back, creating a constant threat on German supply lines in the North. In addition, the German attack on neutral Belgium and reports and propaganda about German atrocities turned public opinion in many neutral countries against Germany and Kaiser Wilhelm.