Abstract This paper explains that aviation was only eleven years old when war broke out in 1914, but the obvious military potential of aircraft inspired a tremendous acceleration in aviation technology during the next four years. The author points out that the concept of combat air support, specifically coordinating offensive tactical air power with ground force operations, remained virtually non-existent until 1939 when the Nazis introduced the world to an even more frightening new form of warfare, which they called 'blitzkrieg'. The paper relates that, by the Gulf War in 1991, the AH-64 Apache helicopter gunship with its computer controlled, multiple target tracking systems and night vision capabilities rounded out the modern close air support and ground attack capabilities of the American military.
Table of Contents
The Origins of Military Aviation
The Luftwaffe Introduces Tactical Combat Close Air Support
The Evolution of Tactical Combat Air Support
Modern Combat Air Support
From the Paper "The machine gun accounted for most of the casualties in World War I trenches, so in very short time, it was also adapted for use in aircraft, but it remained too difficult to employ effectively as a tactical weapon until the Germans introduced the interrupter gear that enabled accurate forward firing through the propeller. By war's end, military aircraft had evolved to the point that squadrons of fast, nimble combat aircraft fought bitter duals to the death high above the battlefield. The British pioneered the development of maritime aircraft, even successfully deploying HMS Ark Royal (subsequently renamed Pegasus), the world's first, albeit primitive, "aircraft carrier" in limited combat."
Abstract This paper discusses influencing factors on the decision to send atomic bombs on Japan during WWII. The author argues that atomic bombs used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were essential for America to win WWII.
From the Paper "The peaceful town of Hiroshima, Japan was beginning its day on the morning of August 6, 1945. Many Japanese were going to work or still in bed. The streets were bustling with bicycles. All at once, a flash of light was seen in the air. A deafening roar and fire hotter that the sun's surface. "Little Boy" exploded with the strength of twenty million tons of dynamite. The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan were necessary for the Allies to win the Second World War, according to their terms of unconditional surrender of Japan. In order to determine this, one must observe: One, the German Nazi's example to Japan; two, the strife between Japan and the Allies; and three, the arguments given by Secretary of War Harry L. Stimson."
Abstract This paper is a summary of the military history of the 1967 Middle East War. Topics covered include: The causes leading to the outbreak of hostilities, the three fronts of conflict, and a brief discussion of the aftermath. There is also a close look at individual battles.
From the Paper " To the southwest, the fortress of Jerardi was the main defense around Rahfa. The fortress itself contained thirty bunkered tanks and several thousand troops. The Egyptian 7th division defended the whole of Rahfa, supported by a substantial amount of artillery. Following a thirty-minute air strike, Israeli armor charged the fortification. Immediately, the lead tank struck a mine and exploded into flames. Immediately, the Israeli columns decided to flank the positions, and infantry in half-tracks followed close behind. The attack quickly bogged down in the dunes, but not before the Israeli Patton tanks succeeded in knocking out all of the six battalions of Arab artillery. As a result, Jerardi fell to the Israeli?s, fifty of whom lay dead (Marshall, 1967 pg. 45). However, once a lead IDF tank force reached El Arish, the Egyptians closed their scattered forces around the highway and retook Jerardi, which the IDF had no garrisoned. The result was 10 hours of close combat with submachine guns and grenades. Once the fighting had ended, the division spent until dawn Tuesday regrouping."
Tags: 1967, arab, bank, battle, conflict, dayan, days, east, egypt, gaza, intifada, israel, united, nations, jew, jihad, jordan, middle, military, nasser, six, soviet, suez, syria, union, war, west
Abstract This paper is an analytical comparison of two films, "The "Thin Red Line" and "Enemy at the Gates" as both accurate portrayals of World War II, viewed from different circumstances, but both showing the horrors of war. The author also examines their common themes such as fear and immense strength and bravery.
From the Paper "The Thin Red Line and Enemy at the Gates both accurately portrayed World War II; however, they were entirely different in the approach. In The Thin Red Line, the life of a soldier was portrayed in different ways throughout the movie. It showed some men as being nervous, antsy, and sometimes psychotic. It also showed the men who were calm, levelheaded, and who could still make normal decisions under the stress. One thing that all of them had in common was their fear, and eventually strength. Some of the men were born brave; others were forced to be brave."
From the Paper "Introduction
To a greater degree than ever before, World War II was an air war. World War I had been the first to be fought with airplanes, largely in the famous dogfights between competing air units, while World War II included this element as well as bombing raids conducted far from home base by German planes over Great Britain and other distant regions, and later by the V-2 rockets that were also directed at that island nation. The German Luftwaffe was a key element in the Nazi intention of conquering much of Europe beginning in the 1930s and continuing through the war in the 1940s. The Luftwaffe was a formidable air power. It had its origins in World War I, but after that war, the Treaty of Versailles had forced the Luftwaffe into a clandestine existence until 1935, when the Nazi propaganda.."
Abstract This paper explains that Hitler came to power in post-World War I Germany on a platform of promises to restore German pride, to undo the "humiliation" of the Versailles treaty, restoration of the economy, and hatred of the Jews and Bolshevism. The author believes that Hitler could not rise to power without the support of the German people, who were mesmerized by his emotional speeches and his promises of restoring German ?glory'. The paper points out Hitler's several tactical blunders that eventually led to his ultimate downfall: Dunkirk, where he ordered the halt of a German advance, and the delayed invasion of Russia.
Table of Contents
Hitler's Rise to Power
Prelude to WWII
March into Rhineland
Annexation of Austria
Czechoslovakian Crisis and the Munich Pact
Non-Aggression Pact with USSR
Start of World War II
Blitzkrieg Pinnacle of Hitler's Power
Battle of Britain
Hitler's Invasion of the USSR: Beginning of the End
Defeats on Other Fronts
From the Paper "Despite their policy of appeasement towards Germany, Britain and France also were wary of Hitler's expansionist designs and had decided that they would declare war if he invaded Poland. Hitler was skeptical about the will of western democracies to fight; and, on September 1, 1939, he decided to "go for broke" by invading Poland against the advice of his Army that felt it was still not ready for an all out war. Britain and France promptly declared war on Germany which signaled the start of World War II."
Abstract This paper examines how Genghis Khan was the greatest military conqueror of all time, in as much as he single-handedly conquered more land, by the mile, than any other leader before or after him. It looks at how his warlike ways were so brutal that they took on literally mythical proportions, seeding racial and social fear across Europe. It shows how, for his own soldiers and for the lands under his control, he was a beloved leader, religiously inspiring, and religiously tolerant, a dedicated soldier, and brilliant tactician, while to his enemies, he was genocidally murderous and a cruel and even inhumane warrior.
Outline
The Medieval Blitzkrieg Destruction and Reconstruction
Terror Tactics
Conclusion
From the Paper "The calvary which Khan employed was relatively unique for the time, enabled by the traditionally nomadic horse-based lives previously led by the Mongol people. ?All members of the Mongol army were mounted, and the cavalrymen led spare horses that carried sufficient supplies and equipment needed for protracted campaigns.? (Fisher, 2003) In the Khan's army, heavy calvary consisted of those wearing silk and leather armor and armed with lances and swords -- this contrasted with the truly heavy calvary of contemporary Europe, which was weighed down by literally hundreds of pounds of heavy plate and chain mail armor. The light calvary was protected only by thick leather helmets, and armed with bows. His army was about evenly divided between these forces, and both moved with exceptional speed compared to the very heavy calvary and the ubiquitous infantry of their opponents."
Abstract This paper compares the wars of good and evil as described by C.S. Lewis' in "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe", compared to the war waged by Hitler. The paper compares the military tactics of the witch in the novel to those of Hitler, particularly the Blitzkrieg attack. The paper describes Hitler and the witch as being alike in their trickery, military tactics, secret police, lightening fast action, and they both could have been victorious if Russia or Edmund had stayed on their sides.
From the Paper "Wars between Good and Evil Imagine a small boy being enticed with hot chocolate and a box of chocolates. Most boys would eagerly eat the chocolate without a moment's hesitation. This begins the story of good versus evil. This can be compared to Hitler's war of good and evil. Many of the qualities and actions of the witch can be compared to Hitler including Hitler's Blitzkrieg attack and the table of Critters. C.S. Lewis's, "The Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe," and Hitler are two battle between good and evil fought with different military tactics where the only victory would be with the "good" teams winning. . "
Abstract The paper discusses how war machines date back to ancient times, with the development of the Roman helepolis. The paper examines how the reality of mechanized warfare entered the modern conscious with the development and deployment of tanks in the two World Wars. The paper explores how, in the World Wars tanks were important, not merely because they represented an important technological advance, but more importantly because they allowed a shift from attrition tactics to maneuver tactics. The paper concludes that the invention of highly lethal and well armored cavalry-like units allowed modern warfare to embrace many of the ancient tactics which, became the basis of the 'revolutionary' Nazi blitzkrieg warfare.
From the Paper "Tanks particularly served to enable an increase in the operational tempo of the European arena at the end of the first World War and the beginning of the second. It was this shift in tempo that was directly responsible for the devastating victories by the German forces which nearly left Europe entirely in Nazi hands. Though tacticians have long understood that Germany's victories were due to a shift in military paradigm relative to that of the beginning of World War I, it was not until recently that the term "operational tempo" came into use and that the influential work of retired Air Force Colonel John Boyd pointed out that the success of this movement stemmed as much from its effects on the psyche of the adversary as from its own brute force."
Abstract The paper graphically describes the Battle of the Bulge that served as the final breaking point for Hitler's Third Reich. The paper relates that although tens of thousands of lives were lost on both sides, the Battle of the Bulge served as one of the greatest military engagements in the war in Europe.
From the Paper "The war plan that eventually culminated in the Battle of the Bulge was first realized in the mind of Adolph Hitler, a plan conceived out of pure desperation sometime in July of 1944 and considered over and over by Hitler throughout the month of August. His greatest concern at the time were the war reports that kept filtering into his secret headquarters in Rastenburg in East Prussia, reports that detailed how the Allies were managing to infiltrate Germany from practically every direction. But for Adolph Hitler, these reports, despite their grim statistics, did not deter him from believing that the war could be reversed in the favor of Germany."
