Lawrence Weishuhn's Contribution to World War II - Research Paper Example

World War II WWII is termed as the most violent and largest war in the history of mankind. Today, the events of the war continue to puzzle historians as well as military scholars (McGowen 10). However, even with the brutality, a majority of the Americans have grown to maturity unaware of the social, political and military implications of the war. Today, the war has many teachings on the American people. Not only on the use of arms but also on global strategy, military preparedness and the principles of a coalition. The war was waged on sea, air and land for a period of about six years (McGowen 15). The military personnel that participated in this war have received various acknowledgement and appreciation from the American people. Lawrence Weishnuhn fought in the Fifth army in the Allied forces during various campaigns. He received EAME (European-African-Middle Eastern) Campaign Medal, containing seven bronze stars, is a military decoration in the US armed forces (Pouge 12). It was created to acknowledge those in military service during the European Theatre in the WW II. He also received a distinguished Unit Badge. In addition, my grandfather earned himself a Good Conduct Medal. This paper will focus on discussing the various battles and wars that were fought by Lawrence Weishuhn. It will also demonstrate the strategies employed by the Allied forces which gave them victory over the Axis forces. Air Combat Balkan (28th October 1940- 1st June 1941) The Balkan Campaign begun on October 1940 to June 1940 (McGowen 15). It was the invasion of Yugoslavia and Greece by the Axis forces. It was stated by the failed invasion of the Italian forces in Greece and ended following the capture of Crete by the Germans. The Italians attacked Greece from Albania. However, the Greece counter attack was so strong that the Italian forces returned to Albania. The effort by Italians to invade Greece was unsuccessful. Later on, Germans successfully invaded Greece after the capturing of Yugoslavia. The war ended with the unconditional surrender of the Yugoslavian army in 1941. Germany attack on Yugoslavia was due to the fear that the UK would launch a bomb on the Romanian oilfields which supplied Germany with oil. It also sought to restore the lost Axis Alliance prestige after the Italian Fascist has lost the battle in Greece. The German force launched various bombing attacks on Yugoslavia. On April 6th, Adolf Hitler, ordered the institution of Operation Punishment on the capital city of Yugoslavia (McGowen 45). During this attack, about 300 aircrafts, consisting mainly of Junkers Ju 87, along with a heavy fighter escort attacked the capital. The aircrafts flew in relays of 15 minutes from the airfields in Romania and Austria. The medium bomber, consisting mainly of Dornier Do 17, attacked the city while the dive-bombers focused on the Yugoslavian anti-aircraft defenses. The initial attack on the carried out for fifteen minutes over three different waves. This means that the city was under attack using air bombs for about one and half hours. The main focus was in the capital where the government buildings were located. Following the ruin of the city, the Stuka dive bombers wings launched a heavy attack on the Yugoslavian airfield. The attack significantly disabled the communication system between the Yugoslavian High commanders and the forces. It also disabled their ability to defend themselves prompting the surrender of the Yugoslavian army in 1941. 25th July to 14th September 1944 Northern France During the final week of July 1974, the Allied forces faced discouraging moments in Normandy. In the East, the Canadians and British forces were making less progress against the Germans. In the West, the American troops came under fierce resistance. The Allied forces had a numerical advantage. This enabled them to defeat the Germans and supporters in Northern France. The Allied forces practiced partisan warfare, air power and skilful deception plan. This enabled the Allied forces, including my grandfather, to have an overwhelming win in Northern France. By the end of July, the Germans were losing the buildup battle. The Germans had their miscalculations. They were also at a disadvantage when it came to guns, tanks, materiel and aircrafts. Montgomery skillfully directed the Allies in grounding down the Germans (McGowen 23). Once a breakthrough was made near St. Lo in Northern France, the American units showcased their prowess over the German counterparts in Mobile Warfare. The Americans were able to roll with speed across France in August of 1944 (Breuer 26). The American doctrine emphasized on relentless pursuit and mobility. This was closely followed by the American generals, who did not want to see a return of static warfare. It is worth noting that the trucks used by American soldiers were inferior to the Germans in terms of firepower. However, American trucks proved more reliable and maneuverable over long distances. Because of the persistent shortage of artillery ammunition, the Allies were forced into using air power. The US army was adept at improvisation. Hitler and his forces had no other option but to retreat at the might of the army he faced. The Allied forces, however, failed to close a very important gap in the Argentan-Falaise area. This was after Bradley’s order in 13th of August. However, some think that Montgomery is to blame for not sealing off the gap. For the US army, the pursuit in Northern France exhibited the army’s driving and slashing best, employing its mobility to encircle the Germans. By mid September, Success of the Allied troop was inevitable. Southern France August 15, 1944 On August 15, the Allied forces invaded the Southern France. The operation was regarded to as operation dragon. The 1st Airborne Task Force initiated the attack by dropping a parachute. The US Seventh Army then instituted amphibious assaults in Southern France. This was followed by the French First Army. The Germans were forced to abandon southern France due to the force encountered. They were forced to retreat to Vosges Mountains. A significant number of Army group G (German army) were captured. The chief objective of the Allies was to capture ports of Toulon and Marseilles. Other objectives were the control over St. Tropez and Montelimar (Breuer 112). During Operation Dragoon, the British and the US had some disagreement with regards to the operation. Operation followed the successful execution of Northern France; therefore, shunting of vital amphibious assets to Southern France. The US seventh Army was commanded by Alexander Patch. The initial plan was for the US Sixth Army Group to initiate the operation. The most memorable unit was the “Taskforce Butler”. This unit consisted of mechanized infantry, tank destroyers and tanks. The French Resistance Fighters were also instrumental in the war. They supplied the Allies with imperative intelligence information, helping in the sabotage of the German operations. A US-British merger so the development of 1st Airborne Task Force, which saw several airborne strikes carried out. German lost roughly 250,000 troops while the American losses were 4,500 (Breuer 12). Rhineland 15th Sept 1944 to 21st March 1945 In September of 1944, the awaited victory over the Nazis seemed near. In the East, the red army moved towards the German frontier. Allied air power wrecked mayhem on Wehrmacht, lines of communication and German industry. In the West, three Allied army groups set poised to launch an assault on Nazi homeland. As a result of this imminent threat, the Germans set up a Siegfried line at Wehrmacht. This line consisted of tight defense mechanism. It was erected to give the Nazis enough time to mount a counter attack on the Allied forces (Ballard 43). The rapid advance of the Allied forces in pursuit of the Germans consumed a lot of material and manpower. This made the man behind the operation, Eisenhower, to realize that the war could not be won in 1944. The US 12th Army group and the 21st Army group were charged with the push over the northern Rhine. All this was in preparation for the entry of forces into Berlin. The German had some 300,000 casualties and material loss during this war (Ballard 87). North Apennine (September 1944 to April 1945) During the premier week of August 1944, the Allied forces stood on the Ponte Vecchio in Italy. The Allied alliance had launched the operation DIADEM which was launched from Rome (McGowen 46). The Allied leaders were optimist that they would push the German troops out of the Northern Apennines and advance to the Po Valley and beyond. They also hoped that they would rapidly advance to the Balkans, Alps and Austria before the enemy. The Italian campaign was frustrating and arduous to the fighting forces. This was attributed to the terrain, winter weather and exhaustion of the army forces. The Allied forced predicted that following the surrender of Italy, the German troops would retreat to the Alps. However, instead they focused on enhancing their defenses on the Northern Apennine Mountains. The Allied forces faced great opposition by the Axis defenses through the Gothic Line. The Gothic Line was anchored on various streams, rivers and waterways that flowed from the mountain to the sea. The principle strength of the Gothic Line was located at the city of Bologna. Various operations, for example, Operation OLIVE were implemented to weaken the German defense line (McGowen 34). The German troops took advantage of the Italian terrain and launched an effective defense against the Allied armor, manpower and air attacks. Furthermore, it facilitated the transfer of troops from different parts of their defense front to reinforce the threatened regions. In contrast, the Allied forces struggled in moving troops as well as supplies through the rugged terrain. Although they had captured Leghorn before the onset of North Apennines Campaign, their supplies moved slowly due to the weather and the rugged terrain. The Northern Apennines Campaign was a demonstration of the determination, courage, valor and resilience of the Allied soldiers. The Allied troops preserved fighting in the horrible weather and through the treacherous terrain against the highly motivated Axis Forces. The success of the Allied forces during this war set the scene for the Po Valley Campaign which marked the end of the war. Po Valley (5th April- 8th May 1945) The Po Valley campaign was the final campaign in Italy in the WW II. It resulted with the complete surrender of the German troops that were occupying Italy (MacDonald 131). During this campaign, the Allied forces hoped to advance rapidly, after the collapse of Rome, to drive the Germans out of Italy. However, the German forces launch a strong defense on the Northern Apennine Mountains slowing the Allied forces. The Po Valley campaigns were launched in April after the winter weather was over. The Po Valley Campaigns begun when the Eighth British Army attacked the Eastern Flanks of the valley. They were later followed by the US fifth forces that captured Bologna. The Fifth Army then crossed the Po River to advance to the Alps. It was during the time when the Allied forces experienced scarcity of resources in terms of personnel and equipment as they had been deviated to support the Northwestern Europe. During the time, Lawrence Weishuhn and his colleagues were exhausted from the harsh winter weather, stiff enemy resistance and rugged terrain that characterized the Apennines Campaigns. Although the Po Valley campaigns lasted for only 21 days, they were marked by the fall of the German troops that occupied Italy (MacDonald 102). This was because the operations by the Allied Army caught the Germans by surprise. The Po valley campaigns were strategized to be fast and confusing ensuring that the Germans did not have time to re-organize and force defense forces. The Italian partisans also launched an attack against the German troops behind the Allied defense lines. Benito Mussolini, the German military leader, was captures and executed by the Italian Partisans. Following the announcement of the German surrender on 2nd May 1945, the Po valley Campaign as well as the war ended (MacDonald 133). Lessons Learnt from my Grandfather Experience World war two has much to teach us. It teaches us about the profession of arms. It also helps in our understanding of military preparedness and global strategy. Another thing that can be learnt from the war is the importance of combined operations in war of coalition against fascism. As a freshman, it gives me renewed pride in the US Army, which fought magnificently in this “mighty endeavor.” The war also serves to unify the citizens. During the war, people were united with a common purpose. This teaches one the essence of working together as one, so as to achieve a common goal or target. From the experiences of WWII, one can learn the power of collaboration. The Allied forces were united; this implied that they had numbers to achieve their objectives. This should reform our way of thinking, whereby a team can achieve tremendous results than an individual. Works cited Ballard, Ted. Rhineland 15th September 1944 to 21st March 1945. London: Oxford, 1990. Print. Breuer, Williams. Operation Dragoon: The Allied invasion of the South of France. London: Routledge, 1996. Print. MacDonald, Charles. The last offensive. NJ: Prentice Hall, 1973. Print. McGowen, Tom. World War II (America at War). NY: Elsevier, 1993. Print. Pouge, Clarice. United States Army in World War II, European theatre of operations, the supreme command. US government Printing, 1986. Print. Read More