Oil was essential for anyone to win World War II, and the leaders of the war knew it. Joseph Stalin stated, “This war was decided by engines and octane,” and Winston Churchill commented, “Above all, petrol governed every movement.” (EU Times) Oil had an important role in all of the nations air forces, without which, a completely different outcome would have taken place. Oil and Gasoline were predominantly the most significant factors in allowing the United States and its allies to win World War II.
Kenneth Porter, a World War II gunner and veteran, decided to serve his country at the adolescent age of 18 in 1943 as a tailgunner on a B-17 Flying Fortress. He served with the 463rd Bombardment Group, 772nd Squadron, a part of the 15th Air Force, stationed at Foggia, Italy for just over nine months. His crew was most often in position #4 of a
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They were not expecting an attack of this magnitude from Germany at the time. Mr. Porter remembers the weather being so bad that the entire month of January they were only able to get into the air one time. This put the ground forces in a terrible situation. The Ardennes Offensive, more commonly referred to as The Battle of the Bulge because the initial attack created a bulge in the Allied front lines by the Germans, was the largest battle on the Western Front in Europe. Also, it was the largest battle that the United States Army ever fought during WWII. America ended up suffering 75,000 casualties by the end of this battle. (MacDonald)
Because of the Allied’s overconfidence and refusal to listen to their men on the ground, Germany was able to push back and reclaim the ground which included a large oil complex up close to Lake Valenton in Hungary (Porter). The Germans however, were not able to maintain the momentum of this forceful attack because they simply did not have the fuel to keep it
Although the troops were new and fresh, they were naive. The generals and the troops believed that they were morally and physically superior so they were careless about their safety. In their initial attack in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, a solely American offensive, the US did not utilize the terrain. They were successful in the first couple of waves because the Germans were caught off guard. However, their following attacks were weak. When the Germans fired back the units dropped to the ground attempting to fall back. This allowed the Germans to retreat and reposition when the battle should’ve been won by the US. Both the German generals and the US headquarters noted the inefficiencies of the AEF units and their leaders’ lack of initiative (German HQ, The Americans in Attack), (Hamburger, Lessons). The inexperience of the AEF allowed the Germans to retreat into the Argonne forest further extending the
This was to be a joint operation between British, French and American forces. Though it was not the actual boundaries, the Meuse River and the Argonne Forrest restricted much of the U.S. 1st Army’s maneuverability between them. This area was comprised of a very dense and thick vegetation with few roads for heavy equipment and supplies to flow forth once the offensive began; therefore this was to be used to the Allied Powers advantage. The Germans would be attacked all along the front from British, French, and American forces simultaneously.
The Germans defeated the Polish and almost all of Western Europe. Although the British had no help when it came to Hitler and his army, the remains of Europe had been overturned already. The Battle of the Bulge also called Battle of the Ardennes as well, which began Dec. 16, 1944 and ended Jan. 16, 1945. This was the last major German offensive on the Western Front during World War II. It was an unsuccessful attempt to push the Allies back from German home territory . Winston Churchill made a promise that he would fight as long as it would take to overcome Hitler. The name Battle of the Bulge was appropriated from Winston Churchill he referred to “the bulge” as the wedge that the Germans drove into the Allied lines.
The Battle of the Bulge also known as “Ardennes Offensive”, started on December 16, 1944. The Battle of the bulge, is significantly known as what ruined the German army and brought about the end of the war. The battle got its name from poorly protected stretch of hilly, woody forest “bulge” that Germans made between its allies. Hitler used this area of 80-mile dense forest, believing that his forces would be able to surround and cut off
In March 1918, with nearly 50 additional divisions freed by the Russian surrender on the Eastern Front, the German Army launched a series of attacks on the Western Front, hoping to defeat the Allies before U.S. forces could be fully deployed. In the north, the British 5th Army was virtually destroyed by two major offensive operations, Michael and Georgette around the Somme. A third offensive launched in May against the French between Soissons and Reims, known as the Third Battle of the Aisne, saw the Germans reach the north bank of the Marne river at Château-Thierry, 95 kilometres (59 mi) from Paris, on 27 May. Two U.S. Army divisions, the 2nd and the 3rd, were thrown into the Allied effort to stop the Germans. On 31 May, the 3rd Division
“The battle [is also] known by different names. The Germans [called it] ‘Operation Watch on the Rhine’, while the French [called] it ‘Battle of the Ardennes’. [American and Britain] called it the Ardennes Counteroffensive.” The main goal for the Germans for this offensive was to split the British and American forces in half and capture the port city of Antwerp. This would “cause an encirclement of four allied armies and [force] a peace negotiation” (Cirillo). The Germans almost had complete surprise when the offensive was launched on “December 16th, 1944, at 05:30” and the offensive start with “an artillery barrage of over 1,600 artillery pieces.” The assault took place across an “80 mile front [that] the 6th Panzer Army had to cover” (Quarrie 1). “The attack was led by one of the best equipped German divisions on the western front, the 1st SS Panzer Division.” This was the lead unit for the 6th Panzer Army and was the lead division for the assault. The 26th Infantry was covering the part of the front where the push started. They were caught completely by surprise. “Equipped with only 32 M4 tanks, 57 anti-tank guns and thousands of battle-weary men” (MacDonald 1). The initial assault went well for the Germans and they break through the thinly defended American lines. Just “20 hours in [from the start of the assault] German forces are just 55 miles out from their objective”. By this time the casualty rate is below from what the
The Germans had approximately 200,000 men, 1,000 battle tanks and 2,000 guns, deployed across a 60-mile front. Its combat power rivaling that of the Eastern Front made them a highly formidable fighting force. The Allies were spread thin across a 228-mile front that was defended by approximately 230,000 troops. (“Ardennes-Alsace,”
Elaborate on the role that oil played in World War II, with specific reference to it as a factor pertaining to Romania, North Africa and the Middle East, and Indochina, as well as the Allied effort to secure oil. Explain German and Japanese strategy toward the Middle East. See Module 2, and How Important Was Oil in World War II? – http://historynewsnetwork.org/article/339 and Becker, The Role of Synthetic Fuel in World War II Germany – http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/airchronicles/aureview/1981/jul-aug/becker.htm Explain German and Japanese strategy toward the Middle East During 1939 the world supply of oil came from the United States, Soviet Union, Caribbean, South America and the Middle East. (Location Marked on Map) German and Japanese grand strategy was greatly influenced by the need for access to secure sources.
The Battle of the Bulge is considered the United State Army’s greatest victory as American soldiers withstood the full force of the German War Machine. Allied Forces faced freezing temperatures, fog, threats of espionage and battle tested German units. This victory was not without shortcomings, most notably in intelligence and subpar battlefield performances.
The strategic setting of the Battle of the Bulge showed the American forces were comprised of four and two-thirds divisions with an effective strength of about 83,000 men. The heavy weapons then available numbered 242 medium tanks, 182 tank destroyers, and 394 pieces of corps and divisional artillery. These troops and weapons were deploying on a roundabout front of around 80 miles. Another 20 infantry divisions, nine armored divisions including 4,100 additional artillery pieces reinforced the Americans after the battle began. The Germans began their offensive with over 200,000 men, 340 tanks, and 1,600 artillery pieces. These forces grew by another 12 infantry
Terrain and weather played a huge effect in decision making and the outcome of the battle. As the allied forces were advancing towards the Germans their defensive lines and supply lines were going thin. Generals of the allied did not expect the Ardennes forest would be the area that the Germans attack. They thought that it would be very difficult for the Germans to get their tanks and artillery through the forest. So they would find a better area to utilize their tanks. While later Patton would use his tanks to turn the tide of the battle at Bastogne with superior position and tactics. Germans need an offensive plan to be able to continue to supply their troops and to end the two front war.With this amount of resources and location would
#1 It may be difficult to over-emphasize the strategic importance of oil in the present and near future world economy and balance of power. Security of the world’s major sources of oil and the prevention of their domination or control by other powers had certainly been a central, a constant and an openly stated foreign US policy for over 50 years. There is every reason to believe that it still is. As to the significance of the ‘oil component’ in the invasion of Iraq, much has been written about this subject, especially outside the USA. There certainly is a strong case for the USA to gain some control over the sources of finite and indispensable world oil. This is different from simply trying to steal Iraq’s oil money as some people have been
In 1958, oil was first discovered in Nigeria. The discovery has led to the transition from agriculture-based economy to that of oil economy. One would believe that a country that produces a numerous amount of oil used to support the world with energy would have improved domestic infrastructures and economic development. Unfortunately, this is not the case in Nigeria. Nigeria has suffered since the discovery of oil and is still suffering till this day. Not only has it created conflicts between other nations and Nigeria but it has also divided the country into groups, which has fueled civil wars and tension between the government and the people. This is why the topic is a geopolitical event but before trying to understand how it is geopolitical, one should understand what geopolitics is.
Conventional oil has become an indispensable part of human beings’ life. Agriculture need oil, cooking needs oil, driving needs oil, producing products also needs oil, we need conventional oil for everything. However, since human beings did not fully consider the use of non-renewable, environmental damage of oil and the social costs, people are over-rely on oil and uncontrolled product and consume of oil has caused too many problems, for example, economic problems, environmental populations and military problems.
Scientists predict that there are only fifty thousand days left where humans will have oil accessible to them. Alternatively, in terms of food, we are able to substitute oil for certain fruits, and for plastic using aluminum, glass, etc. However, the most troubling issue for the future is transportation. As planes, cars, trucks, etc., are all prime examples of essential oil users. Furthermore, humans still have not been able to solve the issue of creating efficient energy to replace oil. Electricity is not at the point where we are able to replace oil with it. To conclude, oil is important for our survival however, humanity must be able to adapt to a point where there is no shortage of it.