Download or read book Montgomery and Colossal Cracks written by Stephen Hart and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2000-05-30 with total page 239 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A reinterpretation of the British Army's conduct in the crucial 1944-45 Northwest Europe campaign, this work examines systematically the Colossal Cracks operational technique employed by Montgomery's Anglo-Canadian 21st Army Group and demonstrates the key significance that morale and casualty concerns exerted on this technique. To ensure a full understanding of the campaign, one needs to look not only at Montgomery's methods but at those of his army commanders, Dempsey and Crerar; thus, this study addresses the scant attention to date paid to these two figures. Hart suggests that Montgomery and his two senior subordinates handled this formation more effectively than some scholars have suggested. In fact, Colossal Cracks, the concentration of massive force at a point of German weakness, represented the most appropriate weapon the 1944 British Army could develop under the circumstances. Previous studies have been characterized by an overemphasis on Montgomery's role in the campaign, rather than a systematic examination of overall British methods. They have ignored the difficulties that the 1944 British Army faced given its manpower shortage, and they have underestimated the appropriateness of Monty's methods to the campaign war aims that Britain pursued: namely, the desire that Britain's modest military forces secure a high profile within a larger Allied effort. The cautious, firepower-laden approach used by the 21st Army Group was both crude and a double-edged sword; however, despite these weaknesses, Colossal Cracks represented an appropriate technique given the nature of British war aims and the relative capabilities of the forces involved. It proved to be just enough to defeat the Germans and keep alive British hopes that her war aims might be achieved.
Download or read book Colossal Cracks written by Stephen Ashley Hart and published by Stackpole Books. This book was released on 2007 with total page 260 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Allied campaign for Northwest Europe as seen from a British and Canadian perspective A reinterpretation of the British Army's conduct in the crucial 1944-45 Northwest Europe campaign, this work examines the "Colossal Cracks" operational technique employed by Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery's Anglo-Canadian 21st Army Group. Rooted in concerns about morale and casualties, "Colossal Cracks" was a cautious, firepower-laden approach that involved the concentration of massive force at points of German weakness. Hart argues that Montgomery and his two senior subordinates handled this formation more effectively than some scholars have suggested and that "Colossal Cracks" represented the most appropriate weapon the British Army could develop under the circumstances.
Download or read book Fighting the People s War written by Jonathan Fennell and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2019-01-24 with total page 967 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Jonathan Fennell captures for the first time the true wartime experience of the ordinary soldiers from across the empire who made up the British and Commonwealth armies. He analyses why the great battles were won and lost and how the men that fought went on to change the world.
Download or read book The Last German Victory written by Aaron Bates and published by Pen and Sword Military. This book was released on 2021-12-22 with total page 254 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Operation Market Garden – the Allied airborne invasion of German-occupied Holland in September 1944 – is one of the most famous and controversial Allied failures of the Second World War. Many books have been written on the subject seeking to explain the defeat. Historians have generally focused on the mistakes made by senior commanders as they organized the operation. The choice of landing zones has been criticized, as has the structure of the airlift plan. But little attention has been paid to the influence that combat doctrine and training had upon the relative performance of the forces involved. And it is this aspect that Aaron Bates emphasizes in this perceptive, closely argued and absorbing re-evaluation of the battle. As he describes each phase of the fighting he shows how German training, which gave their units a high degree of independence of action, better equipped them to cope with the confusion created by the surprise Allied attack. In contrast, the British forces were hampered by their rigid and centralized approach which made it more difficult for them to adapt to the chaotic situation. Aaron Bates’s thought-provoking study sheds fresh light on the course of the fighting around Arnhem and should lead to a deeper understanding of one of the most remarkable episodes in the final stage of the Second World War in western Europe.
Download or read book British Armour in the Normandy Campaign written by John Buckley and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2004-07-22 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is an innovative study of the Normandy campaign and the perceived failure of British forces there. It is essential reading for all students of military history and general readers with an interest in the subject.
Download or read book Monty s Men written by John Buckley and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2013-11-26 with total page 385 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Historian John Buckley offers a radical reappraisal of Great Britain’s fighting forces during World War Two, challenging the common belief that the British Army was no match for the forces of Hitler’s Germany. Following Britain’s military commanders and troops across the battlefields of Europe, from D-Day to VE-Day, from the Normandy beaches to Arnhem and the Rhine, and, ultimately, to the Baltic, Buckley’s provocative history demonstrates that the British Army was more than a match for the vaunted Nazi war machine. This fascinating revisionist study of the campaign to liberate Northern Europe in the war’s final years features a large cast of colorful unknowns and grand historical personages alike, including Field Marshal Sir Bernard Montgomery and the prime minister, Sir Winston Churchill. By integrating detailed military history with personal accounts, it evokes the vivid reality of men at war while putting long-held misconceptions finally to rest.
Download or read book Philosophers of War written by Daniel Coetzee and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2013-10-21 with total page 1049 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This user-friendly reference systematically covers the entire intellectual history of strategy and war, in all cultures and all times. Each culture has had its Machiavelli, its Sun Tzu; its own Mohammed-like or Napoleonic figure. This encyclopedia ranges across the world to provide entries on every significant military and strategic thinker in human history as well as a number of military cultures, covering Chinese, Western, Indian, Islamic, and other cultures. Each entry supplies a brief biography, a synopsis of the writer's theories, their success or failure, and their impact on other thinkers and military practitioners. The unique coverage allows readers to cross cultural barriers and gain access to sources in languages as diverse as Arabic and German, and to note key similarities and contrasts. The relative importance and contribution of each individual to intellectual progress is noted, as is the greater significance of specific schools of thought and debates.
Download or read book Military Power written by Brian Holden Reid and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-02-25 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The contributors here consider the multifarious aspects of the Anglo-American approach to war. All the contributors are concerned to base their work on the overall historical context. They explore the relationship between theory and practice in military operations.
Download or read book Perspectives on the Canadian Way of War written by Bernd Horn and published by Dundurn. This book was released on 2006-04-01 with total page 411 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Contrary to popular opinion, this nation has always consciously and consistently utilized military force to further its security, as well as its economic and political well-being. Despite the best of intentions to aid others, the reality is that military force has most often been used to serve the national interest in ways that were not always altruistic but rather to serve practical political purpose. In the final analysis, the Canadian military experience has been integral to creating the advanced, affluent, and vibrant nation that exists today. This collection of essays, written by such noted historians and authors as Douglas Delaney, Stephen J. Harris, Ronald Haycock, Michael Hennessy, Bernd Horn, and Sean Maloney, spans the entirety of the Canadian military experience and underlines the reality that the government has consistently used its armed forces to achieve political purpose. More often than not, the "Canadian way of war" has been a direct reflection of circumstance and political will.
Download or read book Monty s Men written by John Buckley and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2013-10-15 with total page 548 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Historian John Buckley offers a radical reappraisal of Great Britain’s fighting forces during World War Two, challenging the common belief that the British Army was no match for the forces of Hitler’s Germany. Following Britain’s military commanders and troops across the battlefields of Europe, from D-Day to VE-Day, from the Normandy beaches to Arnhem and the Rhine, and, ultimately, to the Baltic, Buckley’s provocative history demonstrates that the British Army was more than a match for the vaunted Nazi war machine.div /DIVdivThis fascinating revisionist study of the campaign to liberate Northern Europe in the war’s final years features a large cast of colorful unknowns and grand historical personages alike, including Field Marshal Sir Bernard Montgomery and the prime minister, Sir Winston Churchill. By integrating detailed military history with personal accounts, it evokes the vivid reality of men at war while putting long-held misconceptions finally to rest./DIV
Download or read book Patton s Peers written by John A. English and published by Stackpole Books. This book was released on 2009-02-05 with total page 639 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: • Covers Canadian Harry Crerar, Briton Miles Dempsey, Frenchman Jean de Lattre de Tassigny, and the Americans Courtney Hodges, William Simpson, and Alexander Patch • History of the campaign for northwest Europe, including the race across France, the liberation of the channel ports, the battles of the Huertgen Forest and the Bulge, crossing the Rhine, the climactic battle for Germany, and more • Corrects the historical misperception that Patton contributed more to victory than other generals • Assesses commanders' individual performances • Impressively researched in primary and secondary sources • New interpretations and an entertaining narrative will appeal to both general readers and scholars Through the force of his personality and the headline-grabbing advance of his U.S. Third Army, Gen. George S. Patton has eclipsed the other six men who, like him, led field armies in the great Allied campaign to liberate northwest Europe in 1944-45. Certain to rank among the lassics of World War II history like Eisenhower's Lieutenants by Russell Weigley, Patton's Peers presents a masterful reassessment of the eleven-month struggle from D-Day to Germany's surrender, shedding long-overdue light on the contributions of these forgotten Allied field army commanders. Seasoned military historian John A. English unearths the vital roles played by these six generals. As the leader of an army of several hundred thousand troops, each had to plan operations days and eeks in advance, coordinate air support, assess intelligence, give orders to corps commanders, manage a staff of sometimes difficult subordinates, and deal with superiors like Eisenhower, Bradley, and Montgomery. Some performed less ably than the rest while others rivaled Patton in their achievements. All deserve to be lifted from Patton's shadow.
Download or read book Surrender Invites Death written by John A. English and published by Stackpole Books. This book was released on 2011-02-09 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What it was like to fight Hitler's ideological troops in Normandy starting on D-Day, June 6, 1944.
Download or read book Monty s Functional Doctrine written by Charles Forrester and published by Helion and Company. This book was released on 2015-08-19 with total page 227 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Using a combination of new perspectives and new evidence, this book presents a reinterpretation of how 21st Army Group produced a successful combined arms doctrine by late 1944 and implemented this in early 1945. Historians, professional military personnel and those interested in military history should read this book, which contributes to the radical reappraisal of Great Britain’s fighting forces in the last years of the Second World War, with an exploration of the reasons why 21st Army Group was able in 1944–45 to integrate the operations of its armor and infantry. The key to understanding how the outcome developed lies in understanding the ways in which the two processes of fighting and the creation of doctrine interrelated. This requires both a conventional focus on command and a cross-level study of Montgomery and a significant group of commanders. The issue of whether or not this integration of combat arms (a guide to operational fighting capability) had any basis in a common doctrine is an important one. Alongside this stands the new light this work throws on how such doctrine was created. A third interrelated contribution is in answering how Montgomery commanded, and whether and to what extent, doctrine was imposed or generated. Further it investigates how a group of ‘effervescent’ commanders interrelated, and what the impact of those interrelationships was in the formulation of a workable doctrine. The book makes an original contribution to the debate on Montgomery’s command style in Northwest Europe and its consequences, and integrates this with tracking down and disentangling the roots of his ideas, and his role in the creation of doctrine for the British Army’s final push against the Germans. In particular the author is able to do something that has defeated previous authors: to explain how doctrine was evolved and, especially who was responsible for providing the crucial first drafts, and the role Montgomery played in revising, codifying and disseminating it.
Download or read book World War II Northwest Europe 1944 1945 written by Russell Hart and published by The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc. This book was released on 2010-01-15 with total page 97 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Outlines Allied activities in Western Europe from D-Day in 1944 to the German capitulation in 1945.
Download or read book Decision in Normandy written by Carlo D'Este and published by . This book was released on 2001-06-01 with total page 555 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Here, for the first time in paperback, is an outstanding military history that offers a dramatic new perspective on the Allied campaign that began with the invasion of the D-Day beaches of Normandy. Nationa advertising in Military History.
Download or read book The Second World War 6 written by Stephen A. Hart and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2014-06-06 with total page 133 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book examines the seminal Northwest Europe campaign of the Second World War. This hard-fought campaign conducted by the Western Allies against the Germans during 1944-45 represented, for the former, the decisive theatre of the entire Second World War. From the desperate and risk-laden D-Day landings on 6 June 1944 to the rapid charge through western and central Germany in the last weeks of the war, American, British, Canadian and French military forces took on and defeated the German military. This victory ensured that the scourge of Nazism was finally expunged from the face of Europe.
Download or read book 50 Div In Normandy written by L-Cmdr Ethan R. Williams and published by Pickle Partners Publishing. This book was released on 2014-08-15 with total page 166 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In late 1943, the British army ordered the veteran 7th Armored, 51st (Highland), and 50th (Northumbrian) Divisions to return to the Great Britain to provide combat experienced troops for the invasion of northwest Europe. On D-Day, the 50th Division achieved nearly all of its objectives. By mid-June, however, the 50th held positions only a few miles beyond its final D-Day positions. The apparent failures of the veteran divisions in later operations led many senior leaders to believe that these divisions had become a liability. This thesis will evaluate the performance of the 50th Division in Normandy by first examining the period before the invasion to determine the 50th’s readiness for war, British army doctrine, and weapons. The 50th’s prior combat experiences and pre-invasion training will be analyzed to determine the effect that prior combat had on the division. Finally, this thesis will evaluate the performance of the 50th Division in specific combat engagements in Normandy.
