For me, using Ruppenthal’s paper as the primary source for answering this question, I find it interesting that logistics were the primary factor behind Eisenhower’s decision to develop the “broad front strategy”. My preconceived notions, or bias’s, going into this argument were that spreading things out, or making your fronts “broader”, would create a greater strain on logistics vice make this easier. Also, I did not factor in planning criteria that would have been specific to WWII and the European theatre. To better understand the situation, I wanted to see how this dilemma came to fruition: “direct outcome of the earlier decisions by which logistic considerations had been subordinated repeatedly to the enticing prospects which beckoned
eastward”(Ruppenthal) Rightfully so, and a concept that has its roots in Marine Corps Doctrine, the allies had tempo and used it to their full advantage. Unfortunately, the residual effect of outpacing your logistics came to bear and all but halted operations. At the culmination point, allied planners created two separate and distinct COAs. Essentially, one would “concentrate” forces and other would be “broad”, using the Rhine River as ad hoc forward line of troops. Conversely, and at the exact climax of the war, we see Eisenhower sacrificing tempo to adjust for logistical considerations. Undoubtedly, allied planners should have focused more on logistics but I don’t see that fully addressing the issue. I feel, had operation’s been more focused on specific point to capture/destroy, for example Berlin, the logistics would have been able to keep up.
Presidents Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower shared many similarities yet still many differences when it came to Cold War foreign policies. Truman’s foreign policies revolved around the Truman Doctrine, which stated that the United States would financially support Greece and Turkey . Despite Truman’s and Eisenhower’s differing political parties, the foreign policies of the presidents shared several similarities. The main differences between the two presidents can be attributed to differing circumstances during their years in office. Both Truman and Eisenhower sought to eliminate communism and support civil rights, but Truman emphasized international relations and the American economy while Eisenhower dealt more with domestic issues around civil rights.
Influenced by the fear of communism by American society and containment beliefs of people like George Kennan, who advocated that the US should use diplomatic, economic, and military action to contain communism, Truman established the Truman Doctrine, which stated that the US would protect democracies throughout the world, pledging the US would fight it around the world. This doctrine was an extension to both the Monroe Doctrine and the Roosevelt Corollary. In dealing with foreign policy, Truman did everything to protect nations of being consumed by communism, such as the Berlin Airlift, in which Truman decided to avoid the Soviet blockade of West Berlin and flew supplies directly over to the people in need. In Asia, Truman decided to use limited warfare, meaning the lack of atomic weapons, and was highly criticized by Douglas MacArthur, commander of the army, who he later dismissed for not following US policy.
In order to receive a victory in the Battle of the Bulge, General Patton used Mission Command Analysis in order to understand how he can be successful for this mission. The first thing of understanding t...
Cameron, R. S. (2003). The army vision: The 4th AD in world war II. Military Review, 83(6), 59-68
The Cold War was a time of fear for the American people in the aftermath of the second World War, but also was a key period in which different presidents began and led various programs to fight Communism, both at home and abroad. President Eisenhower was elected in 1952, and various actions he took throughout his two term administration both assuaged and increased American fears related to Cold War problems. Eisenhower’s policies and programs of the Cold War included MAD and McCarthyism, which caused domestic fears, Brinksmanship and the creation of highways to carry military equipment through the Federal Highway of 1956 in case of foreign war, and his creation of NASA and the National Defense Education Act of 1958 for a technology race with the Soviet Union.
context of world war 1 it was when the French and German sides dug in
The Schlieffen Plan in The First World War In 1894, France had made a treaty with Russia, meaning that if France or Russia ever declared war or became under attack they would fight for each other. When Germany declared war on France in 1914, they soon realised they would have to fight a war on two fronts; Russia and France. The German Chief Of Staff, Count Alfred Von Schlieffen, designed the Schlieffen Plan, thought up in 1905, to defeat France and their allies Russia.
Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces during World War II, was close to not achieving commander status. If this had happened, a different person would have taken control over Operations Torch, Avalanche, and Overlord. Eisenhower, in fact, was the key component in the victory for the Allies. Had he not been assigned by George Marshall to a planning officer in Washington D.C., President Harry Truman might not have saw Eisenhower’s potential. Eisenhower’s past 30 years of military experience, his strong mental and social stature, and his ideas and tactics were all key factors for his triumphant victory in World War II.
In 1943 the British and American Allies shared a common language and a common enemy, but they disagreed on the war’s grand strategy. (site) These strategic differences culminated in the Sicily Campaign, with Allied command and control exercise by Allied Commander, General Eisenhower, failed to employ the three essential attributes of mission command: commander’s intent, full understanding, and mutual trust among partners, as discussed in General Dempsey’s white paper. These failures in Mission Command also limited the Allies’ ability to effectively integrate the vital joint functions like Fires, Maneuver, and Protection. This essay will evaluate the Allies’ Command and Control and the other vital Joint Functions and expound on General Eisenhower
When the battle of Queenston Heights began, General Isaac Brock was at Fort. George. When he received the bad news, he immediately travelled there by horse. If the Americans captured Queenston, they would've cut off the British' access to Detroit. The Americans saw Queenston Heights as a strategic area that needed to be captured. The Americans had 3,550 men (militia and regulars), while the British had 1,300 men (regulars, militia, and native warriors). Americans seemed to have the upper hand.
More important, the Allies needed to come up with an effective strategy. Organizing their cargo ships into convoys, or groups for mutual protection was the Allies plan of action. Air patrols helped protect convoys by covering much of their routes (Pitt 129). This strategy caused problems because with all the ships in a convoy, the U-boats could sink them much easier and more at a time. “Wolf Packs,” a group of U-boats which was the new strategy that Hitler developed to help in the attack of the Allies convoy. With this tactic the Germans would attack the Allied ships in different directions using se...
Warfare was in a state of transition. Older commanders and generals in the French and British militaries were very cavalry and infantry focused. These commanders believed that cavalry, infantry, and artillery would assure victory in any circumstance, against any foe. They clung to the static tactics of the bygone World War I era. World War I had been fought primarily on French soil, and the military as well as the government never wanted that to happen again, therefore they wanted to reinforce their main border against any future German. Little did they know that only twenty two years later they would be bested by German forces in a way that would shock the world. This research will be analyzing many important assumptions, oversights,...
It began to emerge the differences in tactics. The question was whether to continue so far the Supreme Allied Commander of the Allied Forces Europe, General Eisenhower’s tactics attacking on a broad front, or due to problems of supply to take just one mighty blow. In that period Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery developed a new operation plan, which would include the use of 1st Airborne Army (Lieutenant General Lewis H. Brereton), actually 1st Airborne Corps (Lieutenant General Frederick Browning). The Corps comprised of 82nd US Airborne Division (Brigadier General James M. Gavin), 101st US Airborne Division (Major General Maxwell D. Taylor), and 1st British Airborne Division (Major General Robert “Roy” E. Urquhart) supported with, under his command, 1st Polish Independent Parachute Brigade (Major General Stanislaw Sosabowski). These units should be dropped along the roa...
The Schlieffen Plan in The First World War The German commanders realised that if war broke out, they would have to fight two powerful countries at the same time: France to the west and Russia to the east. They had to produce a well co-ordinated plan because they would have to otherwise split their forces in two. Therefore, they worked out a plan called the Schlieffen Plan.
The wars on the Western and eastern front differed in many ways. The war on the Western Front took place on the border of France and Germany. At this time, Germany was facing a two front war. Germany came up with the Von Schlieffen plan to make sure they could conquer the war on both fronts. This war called Germany to defeat the French on the West and then rush their forces East and defeat the Russians. This plan relayed on time. In order to achieve this plan they would have to defeat the French in limited time. The Germans had the advantage since their railroads were much faster and more efficient them railroads in Russia.