All of the previous events lead up to the infamous “Battle of Berlin”, which was an occupation of the city led by the Russian forces. It would be a long and bloody battle, one that would be lengthy from the determined German resistance. The Germans had taken so many losses in the previous battles that at Berlin and the last stand of its Third Reich, both the young and the old would be equipped to fight for the fragments of Hitler’s Empire that was crumbling around them.

However the war was also fought on many different territories and wasn’t limited to Europe and Hitler’s ambitions of a world ruled by the Third Reich. There were battle grounds on the deserts of North Africa where infamous generals like Rommel of Germany and Montgomery of the British would duke it out in the plains of sand. There were also the events that took place in the Pacific, as a result of the attack by the Japanese on the American port of Pearl Harbor which brought America’s full power into the war. The Pacific Campaign would face just as many dangers as the European Campaign; however it would employ different tactics due to the geographic conditions. From its island to island campaign which required the use of large navies and fleets of landing craft, to the carrier battles that would determine who held the power in the pacific. In the end however, Germany would be defeated, and Japan in its defiant defense of its territory would feel the wrath of two atomic bombs at the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Bringing unparalleled destruction, and with that the Japanese surrender, ending World War II.

What I have hoped to communicate with this blog is a broad insight into the events of World War II, and to enlighten readers in that the war was truly dark and cost many lives. Also what the war cost, and the atrocities that took place such as the genocide/eradication of the Jewish population by the German’s, and the political happenings behind the scenes of the war. The best words I can end this on are not my own truly, but on the words of President Roosevelt with his speech "The Spirit of Man" from his Flag Day Address on June 14, 1942.

Video Source:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJt6GJwkl5A

The Roar of Flying Fortresses

Many of the battles that have been mentioned took place because of the air campaign of the allies. The air campaign over Berlin that was aimed at weakening Germany’s industry took place throughout most of the war; this provided (in the long term) the Allies overwhelming air superiority, giving them almost complete control of the skies, which helped in ground victories as well.

                There were many planes that took part in the battles in the skies, some very recognizable such as the B-17 “Flying Fortress”, a primary bomber of the Allied force that was littered with guns, including its iconic “ball-turret”. “Over 12,000 of the B-17’s were built throughout WWII, [as the need for them in the war was high.]” –(Bombing Mission).  In fact the numbers were so high that “in a single formation there could be upwards of 21 bombers” and there could be multiple formations in a single combat flight mission. –(Close Encounter). Also taking part was the B-24 “Liberator”, which is commonly mistaken with the B-17, although they share many similarities. At the beginning of the war the bomber’s had to go into German territory alone because their fighter escorts did not have the range to follow them into German skies, leaving the bomber dangerously vulnerable to German fighter attacks. However later in the war the bomber squadrons would gain a friend of a fighter known as the P-51 Mustang, which had the range necessary to follow the bombers and could outperform the German fighters as well.

                The crews of these bombers faced death every combat mission, facing not only determined German fighters but a fierce system of anti-air defenses. As well as the German ingenuity, such as the German ME-262; the first jet aircraft fielded in combat, which was ahead of its time like many of the German war machines. But the crews still went in, even with the poor odds they faced. However, the battle for Berlin didn’t take place only in the air. There would be a hard fought battle on the ground as well…

Image Source’s:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/B-17G_formation_on_bomb_run.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/04/B-24D%27s_fly_over_Polesti_during_World_War_II.jpg

Sources:

(Bombing Mission). Perkins, Paul. Patterson, Dan. Bombing Mission. 5/6/11. Article.

(Close Encounter).  Neely, William. Close Encounter. 5/6/11.

The Battle of the Bulge

Now I will move forward into the war, towards the end of 1944. By this time the German army had been pushed back and out of the Normandy sectors (France, Belgium, Luxemburg areas) and the allies had put a choke on German supplies, making it difficult for the German army to operate with a shortage of things such as oil, gasoline, and fabrication supplies to build more units.

                The state Germany found itself in was brought by an Allied campaign following Operation Overlord (aka the Normandy Beach Landings), this campaign was known as Operation Market-Garden. The purpose of which was to fly paratroopers over key positions (mainly bridges at significant river crossings) and to seize these positions and hold until reinforcements could battle their way to the paratroopers. The operation was given such attention that it was said that “The Troops would be home before Christmas!” however, the operation didn’t succeed in that goal and now in the winter of 1944, Germany would launch its own offensive.

                Hitler had devised the plan himself, and had the developed a strategy that took advantage of the winter, with the winter the skies would be too thick for the Allies to use their overwhelming air power. Hitler’s hopes with the offensive were capturing Antwerp Harbor, to divide the Allied armies into a state of confusion and hopefully negotiate a truce so that Germany could concentrate their forces against the Russians. When the time came to launch the offensive, the Germans had assembled “330,000 men and eight hundred tanks and assault guns [participated] in the campaign.” – (Bulge) Within these armored divisions would be the best tanks fielded at that time, a collection of German Panther, Tiger, and King Tiger tanks. However, for all their technological worth the men of the Allied forces would still put up a stubborn but effective resistance in a small village.

The battle was that was most predominant was the battle of the small town of Bastogne, a small village that would become the centerpiece of the Allied defense during the Battle of the Bulge. The German army had moved so quickly through the Allied lines that some Allied units which were in frantic retreat linked up with other units in Bastogne, the resulting defense here left a bulge in the line marking the Allies defense, hence the name –Battle of the Bulge. The Germans outnumbered the small force at Bastogne, so the Allied forces their put together a defense plan where there would be a main force within the village and small manned post on the outskirts of town. Whenever one post was attacked the main force would move in and add to the defense, this strategy worked long enough until armored forces could push back the German forces and relieve the soldiers at Bastogne, ending the Battle of the Bulge.

On another, lighter note; at one point through the Siege on Bastogne the German commander of the forces attacking Bastogne asked for the Allied surrender, and the Allied commander  “…sent a handwritten one-word note back. It read "NUTS." Surrounded on all sides…” – (Military Ch.)

Sources:

(Bulge) "Bulge, Battle of the." Europe Since 1914: Encyclopedia of the Age of War and Reconstruction. Ed. John Merriman and Jay Winter. Vol. 1. Detroit: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2006. 480-483. Gale World History In Context. Web. 29 Apr. 2011.

(Military Ch.) Curry, Andrew. “Bastogne: The Battle of the Bulge”. Military.Discovery.com. Web. 29 Apr. 2011 http://military.discovery.com/history/world-war-2/battle-bulge/battle-bulge-2.html

Image Source:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/12/Infantry_%26_Tanks_near_Bastogne.jpg

Operation Overlord

I often wonder just what it was like for the men of the allied forces on the day of June 6, 1944. This was the day of the landings on the beaches of Normandy, as part of operation Overlord. Were the soldiers all silent, all burrowed within the sanctum of their own minds thinking of something, home, the upcoming battle, the speech that Eisenhower delivered to them (Speech is in the video above), or friends and family? The soldiers were mostly young, inexperienced men, a collection of draftees (men who were drafted into the military) and volunteer soldiers.  However the allied force that was heading towards the beaches of Normandy was not just composed of American forces, and not all were heading towards Omaha beach.

                The Allied force that took part in the Normandy Invasion was composed of multiple nations, primarily American, British and Canadian forces. As for their landing points Americans landed at the infamous Omaha beach, as well as Utah beach and Point du Hoc. Meanwhile the Canadian and British forces landed at the beaches of Gold, Juno, and Sword. The battle wasn’t fought on beaches alone but also miles into France itself, paratroopers from the American and British airborne forces were being dropped in behind enemy lines. “[These airborne forces launched from England as early as] 12am on June 6^th, 1944 [and would arrive over France around] 2am”. –(WWII database) The number of planes taking part in the offensive were so numerous that one writer from the New York Times wrote “we saw tracers arching through the air in a parade of Allied planes.”  The fighting at some locations were at a high intensity, in one reported case, German soldiers inside a bunker defending the beaches of Normandy reportedly “… fired 12,000 rounds at the Americans and were running out of ammunition.” –(WWII Database). In fact by the end of the day Allied forces would suffer over 10,000 casualties but the beaches of Normandy would be in the hands of the Allies, and from that a foothold into Fortress Europe.

Source Information:

 “Parade of Planes Carries Invader” The New York Times. 1944. Print.

(WWII Database) worldwar2database. MFA Productions LLC. Web. 4/22/11. 

 http://www.worldwar2database.com/html/normandy.htm

Image Source:

http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/images/s300000/s320901.jpg

The Great Cusade..

The Great Crusade…

30 Seconds! That was the amount of time left in the lives of a few soldiers being portrayed in the film “Saving Private Ryan”, for once the ramp of the landing craft dropped the men inside the small craft would be exposed to a hail storm of bullets from German positions on the shores of Normandy.  The scene described is one that many remember from films and historical footage, as well as the memories of those who were on the beaches the day of June 6, 1944.

I was in the 5^th grade when I saw “Saving Private Ryan” for the first time (Probably not the most age appropriate movie for me at that time) and just like that, a spark ignited within me. That spark was a thirst for knowledge over the events, stories, people, machines, tactics and minds behind World War II. I grabbed at every minute detail from then on that had to do with WWII’s history, and thankfully history is a never-ending resource of information.

World War II holds many stories of the heroic, brave and inspirational nature but it also holds many tragic, and dark stories as well. I hope that through this blog I can give some insight into a few of the events and people that followed the landings of D-Day.


Picture Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:1944_NormandyLST.jpg