The Holocaust Essay Example for Free

The Holocaust Essay The pain and conditions experienced by the victims is unimaginable by any standards. (spicenter. org) In the early 1930’s, Eastern Europe was on the verge of power, and in a small western European country called Germany, trouble was occurring. In 1933, Europeans had no worries beyond their daily struggle to earn money, put food on their familys table, and clothes on their childrens backs. This would all change in a matter of months. Whatever type of life a person had built for themselves, it was all to come to a crashing down, if they did not conform to Hitler’s specifications. www. ushmm. org) On January 30, 1933 Adolf Hitler was appointed chancellor of Germany. In March 1933, with the building of the Dachau concentration camp, (thinkquest. org) Adolf Hitlers rising became one of the most destructive leaderships in recorded human existence. After his inception as ruler of Germany, Adolf Hitler had one thing on his mind, a pure Aryan race with complete world domination. Jews were subjected to humiliation through the Anti-Jewish Laws. (theholocaustexplained. rg) The seven most established laws in Germany were: Jews were forced from jobs in civil service and history, Jews were barred from most other professions, Jews were excluded from schools and universities, Jews were forced to carry cards identifying themselves as Jews, Jews were forced to have a J stamped on their passports, Jews were excluded from dining and sleeping cars on German trains, and Jews were barred from public areas such as parks, sporting arenas, and baths. (theholocaustexplained. org) Hit ler’s goal was to eliminate all of the things he did not desire for Europe. worldpress. com) This included: Jews, mentally and physically ill, non supporters of Nazism, gypsies, homosexuals, and anyone else who did not fit the mandatory code. (www. ushmm. org) He wanted to create a â€Å"superior race† called the Aryan Nation. To accomplish his mission he had concentration camps created. (library. thinkquest. org) The most significant sign of the troubles looming ahead was the â€Å"Kristallnacht-night of the broken glass. † On November 9, 1938, Nazis attacked Jewish communities; destroying, and burning over 1000 synagogues. (theholocaustexplained. rg) Over 700 businesses were wrecked, as were hospitals, schools, cemeteries, and homes. From Poland, Czechoslovakia, eastern European provinces, and of course Germany, a great migration was going to begin. (worldpress. com)Nazis transported victims to concentration camps by means of railroad, which was the cheapest a nd easiest method. The trip was horrible. People were packed in as tightly as possible. In the summer, the cars became sweaty, smelling, and seriously hot. Many died of heat stroke. On the other hand, winter was even worse. When the temperatures decreased, these cars were sent place to place without heat. Death from hypothermia and starvation was common. (spicenter. org) Camps were set up for various purposes. These included labor, medical experiments, and death. Transition camps were set up as holding places for death camps. (Saucher) At the beginning of camp, prisoners usually had marks on their clothes or numbers on their arms to identify them. Things such as: jewelry, clothes, shoes, gold fillings, eyeglasses, shawls, baby bottles, and anything with value was taken and sold. (Saucher) They were then put into the inhumane conditions of the camps. Many times families would be split up. Women and men were separated, and grouped according to age. (library. thinkquest. org) There was only one bathroom for hundreds of people. At some camps these were long wooden boards with round holes. While they are in the bathroom, they would be watched by the soldiers to make sure they would not stay in too long. (Saucher) There was no toilet paper, so the prisoners used the linings of jackets. If they did not have one, they often stole one from someone else. Sleeping conditions were equally bad. The beds of the prisoners were usually wooden boards. The diet of the prisoners was poor. (thinkquest. rg) A standard daily meal would consist of watery soup and a piece of bread. Occasionally, an extra allowance was permitted and prisoners received a piece of cheese, some margarine, or some watered jam. (thinkquest. org) The prisoners had to stand for hours in snow, rain, heat, or cold for role-call, which occurred twice a day. Within the first few days of being at a camp many people woul d die of hunger, disease, or a beating. (thinkquest. org) The main disease was typhus, which was carried by flies. When infected by disease, prisoners were still required to work. They did not see that sickness necessarily meant death. spicenter. org) If the prisoners did not obey the guards every order then they would be beaten, put in solitary confinement or shot. It was extremely hard for prisoners to escape these camps. If caught, a prisoner was either shot or beaten severely. (Saucher) Many times, when someone escaped from a camp, all of the prisoners in that group would be shot. (Dinnerstein) If a person was caught planning a rebellion or escape, and the prisoner refused to give the names of the other associates, the Nazis would bring everyone from his or her barracks and force him or her to watch to mutilation of the others. Dinnerstein) When a prisoner died, the remains were usually thrown on the side of the street. Later, most of the bodies were burned. (library. thinkquest . org) There was often a severe lack of food. This was overcome by the cooks, who sometimes used the dead bodies as food for the prisoners. (thinkquest. org) Many of the activities practiced by the Nazi soldiers were horrifying. (thinkquest. org) Prisoners were fed to bears in private zoos. Husbands were forced to have sex with others men’s wives in front of their children. Women were forced to have sexual relations with animals. thinkquest. org)Jewish babies were launched into the air and fasten together by bayonets in front of their mothers. Soldiers practiced their gunmanship by shooting the Jews finger tips and noses. Prisoners were put through terrifying experiments without their consent. The first tests performed were sterilization tests. (A,2) Three methods were tried, including sterilization by medication, sterilization by x-rays, and sterilization by injection. Next came saltwater tests. Prisoners were forced to drink saltwater until they went insane. They were performed in order to find a way for downed pilots and sailors to drink the surrounding sea water. The third set of tests were high altitude tests. (A,4) Test subjects were put in low pressure chambers and then the oxygen was slowly removed. After the subject died, the Nazis put the body under water and did an autopsy to find out how much oxygen was left in the brain cavity. (B,2) Another set of tests were performed to find information on hypothermia. The Nazis took subjects and put flight suits on them. After being properly adjusted, the men were put in 36 degree Fahrenheit water. Then they would be able to find a way to save pilots stranded in the North and Baltic Seas. (thinkquest. org) Before they could be revived, many of the men died of severe brain excessive bleeding. The Nazis used quite a few methods of extermination, but the most common were gassing, burning, shooting, beating, and inhumane testing. (spicenter. org) Gassing was the easiest, cheapest, and most efficient way of destruction. Jews were put in chambers disguised as showers and then gas was let in. They were all sent to the showers, naked with a bar of soap, so as to deceive them into believing that they were truly going into a shower. B,1) Most people smelled the burning bodies and knew the truth. To most people the Holocaust represents an extremely harmful event, and perhaps the cruelest crime in history. (thinkquest. org) What many fail to consider is the pain and misery these prisoners endured throughout these unfortunate times. The truth is that all prisoners were treated wrongly; from the time that they were captured and separated from their family, until the moment they were forced into death. Concentration camps were camps that the Jewish, Gypsies, or other people were forced to go to, to be tortured or forced to do work. Adolf Hitler and the German Nazi Soldiers did not like those kinds of people so they decided to put them in camps, called Concentration camps. They put them in these camps mostly because of their looks and their religion. By 1942, Germans had built 6 death camps. Some death camps were located in Auschwitz, Belzec, Chelmno, Majdanek, Sobibor, and T. II. Some other concentration camps were Bergen-Belsen, Buchenwald, Dachau, Sachsenhausen, Treblinka, and Theresienstadt. These camps were work camps not killing camps. The worst death camp was Auschwitz. (thinkquest. org) It was the largest concentration camp. Auschwitz was located in Poland. It was made up of 3 concentration camps in one. About 1 ? million people were killed at Auschwitz during World War II. (C,2) The second camp was Bergen-Belsen. It was built in 1943 as a prison camp. It was meant for 10,000 people, but it held 41,000. (thinkquest. org) There were no gas chambers but 37,000 prisoners died from either diseases or just being overworked. Anne Frank, one of the most famous victims died there. The third camp was Dachau. This was the first concentration camp built in 1933. This camp was meant to perform experiments on prisoners but it wasn’t meant for a killing camp. It was still known as one of the harshest camps because of its horrible living conditions and experiments. (thinkquest. org) The fourth camp was Sachsenhausen. This camp was built in 1936. It was apart of three camps, including Buchenwald and Dachau. (thinkquest. org) Early prisoners were 10,000 Jews from Berlin and Hamburg. 200. 000 people were in the camp. 100,000 ended up dying from diseases, exhaustion, or over working. (C,3) The fifth camp was Theresienstadt. 33,500 people died from the crowding in the ghetto. 88,000 Jews were sent to killing camps. (thinkquest. org) The sixth camp was Treblinka and T. II. In 1941 it opened to be a slavery camp. Close by another camp called T. II opened in 1942. That camp was meant to be a killing camp. (thinkquest. org) In Treblinka, there were bath houses which were used to kill people by a poisonous gas called carbon monoxide. About 700,000 to 900,000 were killed. (thinkquest. org) In 1943, a group of prisoners tried to escape but some were killed or recaptured. T. II camp was closed in October of 1943. (thinkquest. org) Treblinka was closed in July of 1944. In 1945, the war ended. Many died due to the harsh conditions of the camps. (thinkquest. org) Very few survived. If you survived you were very lucky! (C,4) There is a lot of information about the Holocaust. Some propagandists use partial knowledge to suggest that it didnt happen and they have their own statistics to make their audience believe so. Some people feel guilty. It was a very dark time and lots of lives were lost. (library. thinkquest. org) Others would like to escape from what they did because I think deep down they all knew it was wrong. Some people are just ignorant and feel superior and are racist so they dont regard it as something bad but something that should have continued happening. (spicenter. rg) Those types of people are horrible. Then, there are always skeptics. I believe the holocaust happened because first of all, who would fake something like that? And second of all, if people dont learn the lessons of history, people will be forced to repeat them. And who would want to repeat that? Maybe some people are just scared and dont quite understand what the holocaust was. I m ean, there are even some people who called Anne Franks diary fake and thats just wrong. (Saucher) But its not necessarily that people are stupid or idiotic but they just werent taught the normal way. Maybe they were taught to ignore things like that. Fear things like that. Laugh, gloat, and cheer at things like that. (Saucher) What disgusts me is that, people should know to frown upon those things but also have to accept them too to make sure that nothing like that ever occurs again. The Holocaust was absolutely real. Did they starve people and pile their bodies just to take convincing pictures? Theres real evidence. What about all the concentration camps? There are millions of bodies there. (Saucher) Im sure its possible to count them all, and the numbers would be well into the millions, of course, not all Jews died in concentration camps, but the numbers are very high. Prisoners liberated from camps. (Dinnerstein) It means Jews were alive and being fed. You don’t feed or protect a person you want to kill. If they were killed then who was liberated. (thinkquest. org) There are countless testimonies to see that the Holocaust did happen. Just go to Poland, Germany and other European countries in order to see the horror that the Nazis had made. (Saucher) The same people who say the Holocaust never happened are called Holocaust deniers. Holocaust denial is the act of denying the genocide of Jews during World War II, Holocaust denial is a criminal offense, punishable by fine and imprisonment in different countries in the world. Israel, Austria, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Spain and Belgium have enacted laws prohibiting Holocaust denial. Italy has a similar law that is being ratified. Quite simply the reason that many people no longer believe the holocaust happened is the fact that there is absolutely no evidence that it did. (Dinnerstein) The proof is always on those making the accusations. Many of the photos that were taken intentionally held those showing diseased prisoners were released. The fact that there was allied bombings and lack of food was the true reason for the deaths of those at the concentration camps. The scale of which has dropped at first being as high as 6 million people to the now accepted number of 200,000 to 1 million. (thinkquest. org) Quite simply we dont know exactly how many people died in the camps in Poland because there was never an investigation allowed. However the thing that many people dont understand is that there were no death camps or gas chambers. Even at the most horrific camp, Auschwitz, the only proof of there being a gas chamber was a reconstructed air raid shelter made by the Russians post war. (thinkquest. org) That right there is opinions being listed. (spicenter. org) People don’t believe the Holocaust never happened because of the facts not being more clear and official. What else do people want? Humans just like us suffered a tragic death or memory from the Holocaust and because evidence was either destroyed or just not there anymore people want to question or doubt that the Holocaust never happened. That’s wrong. (thinkquest. rg) What about Anne Frank’s diary. Is that fake? Did someone just waste their time faking a diary and going fully out of their way to express deep feelings on something so horrific? There’s a museum in Germany and a website to the people that they have identified and found during the Holocaust. Real people look for their loved ones or a family member that they lost o r may have an idea that the person was involved during the Holocaust. (Saucher) You can go online send whatever information you know and if they have the information you can find out a family member that was in the Holocaust. C,5) If people want to deny it because the number is too big and they think it’s impossible that a human can ever pull something like that off their wrong. Pearl Harbor, Princess Diana, Twin Towers, etc. Were those wrong was that a lie? It was right. It’s a lie because so many lies are said about it. Does it mean that we need to agree with what everyone else says or look up things and educate yourself more about a subject you’re not so sure about? The Holocaust will forever be in our history for many more generations to come. It doesn’t matter if lies are said or doubts. There is no person that can change the fact that the Holocaust did happen. Since there are some that deny it, we can’t change it. Jews are not known for lying there are known for their honesty, But the person who started the Holocaust Denial was Harry Elmer Barnes. He was a respected historical revisionist known for his anti-war perspectives. He was warned against placing an amount of blame on the Nazis during the early 1960s. He says the World Wars were aggression against Germany, and that the Holocaust was propaganda for aggression. He then joined with European deniers in order to spread it; unfortunately, their efforts were successful. B,4) The Holocaust happened. It has been proven, many times over. But some people, American Nazis for example, claim that it never happened. It is easy to say things that are not true. It is easy to believe things that are not true. What kind of evidence is there, at this late date? There is a lot. There are eyewitness accounts, of Jews and N azis and bystanders. There are confessions. There are mountains of documents. There are graves and crematoriums. And there are missing people, individuals and huge parts of populations, gone, murdered. A person, who says that the Holocaust did not happen, says more about himself/herself than about history. You can claim that man never walked on the moon, and that Jesus never existed, that Mohamed was a pedophile and that the CIA killed JFK, yet if you claim that Jews were not murdered in gas chambers, you are facing a criminal record. The Holocaust was a major event in history. The millions of Jews who were tortured and killed by the Nazi are still being remembered today. The Holocaust was a terrible genocide and it leaves an impact on modern day history event, though it was a long time ago, before my time, it hurts. Even today, the damage still has not been repaired. It can’t be. No amount of money or anything can equal what was done. When I look back and identify with the holocaust, reading the history of the holocaust I could identify with what was happening and it was and still is horrifying. Never again, should this ever happen! I believe that if anyone knew what was to come, they would rather die than go through  the torture that they went through. Death was the only choice once in the hands of the enemy. The Nazis at that time  brutalized the idea of a Jewish person being a human being. It scares me to think that a world would allow such a horrible thing, but they went along with it. It makes me wonder, where God was when this happened. Any belief was judged if not deleted at a time like this. To look at the past, and see the live tapes of how it was, makes me want to close my eyes and pretend it didnt really happen, because to believe it shows just how evil,  a  man can be when given the opportunity. Families destroyed, records destroyed, being pulled apart, burned, shot, babies being cut out of the tummy of mothers and the wars. (library. thinkquest. org) My opinion on the holocaust is that it happened, and it is real. As horrible as it was, it happened. We as a nation and as people should never give anyone the power to do what was done. Just like slavery in America. It sickens me to say the least, that a man can justify killing another. They didnt just kill them, that would have been better if they just killed them, but that wasnt good enough. They had to torture  them, a  race of people who didnt deserve it. To those who deny the holocaust, well they will face serious consequences when it comes to the government. It’s a law that any person who denies the holocaust will be punished. There is no point in denying the Holocaust. (worldpress. com) After the Holocaust, the aftermath with the Jews, they were terrified after everything. So terrified they did not want to return back to their homes. (Dinnerstein) Some Jews were murdered when they tried to return to their homes in Poland. The problem was complicated because many countries refused to allow the survivors to enter. (Dinnerstein) A large number of Jewish survivors wanted to go to Palestine; the British were against such immigration and allowed fewer than 100,000 Jews to enter before Israel declared its independence in May, 1948. Looking for new homes approximately 137,000 Jews came to the United States (which admitted almost 400,000 refugees). Other countries where Jews found new homes were France, Canada, Great Britain, and Israel. The two countries receiving the largest numbers were the United States and Israel. (Dinnerstein) Works Cited Dinnerstein, Leonard. Survivors of the Holocaust. New York, 1982. Print. library. thinkquest. org. n. d. Saucher, Abraham. The Redemption OfThe Unwanted. 1987. Print. spicenter. org. 2013. theholocaustexplained. org. n. d. thinkquest. org. 2001. worldpress. com. n. d. www. ushmm. org. n. d.

Strategic Management Essay -- Information Technology

Strategic Management and Planning is a course of decisions and actions which ultimately lead to the development of a strategy to help a company achieve their objectives. Strategic planning focuses on the company’s long term range and how to accomplish what is laid out. Effective planning will help to prevent problems, provide a response if problems occur, and make available information and support needed to maintain public awareness, safety, and confidence. How do the two UCB's strategic IT plans stack up against the Baldrige criteria for assessing strategic planning? The Baldrige criteria are a series of questions that are not routinely asked on how an organization or company can function more efficiently. The purpose of these questions is to describe how the organization sets its strategic objectives into action plans, what are the organization’s action plans, and how is the organization able to project future performance on these key performance indicators or measures. In this paper, I will address these questions as they relate to UC Berkeley and the University of Colorado’s Campus-wide IT Strategic Plan. I will describe how each university used the strategic planning process to address their needs. What are the university’s current strategic objectives, the goals for each objective and the timetable for achieving these objectives? How will each university adapt to potential growth in technology? And what measures do the universities use to track the achievement and effectiveness of their action plans? In each report, each university clearly defined what there IT strategic plans and objectives are for their future success. By clearly defining what are their goals and needs, they mirror the Baldrige criteria. UC Berkeley d... ...essfulness of their strategic plan. In my research, this is not a problem that is isolated to just UC Berkeley or UC-Boulder. There seems to be a common practice among the IT community to not take into account the importance of measuring the effectiveness of their IT strategies. When discussing measuring for effectiveness of the IT plan at UC Berkeley, Mr. Jack McCredie explains, â€Å"It is much more of a description of an end state that we are working for. We are more goal oriented, not number oriented, in our process. One UC Berkeley goal was to wire the campus, not count the number of nodes that are actually installed. Our board doesn’t seem to require particular dashboard numbers that say we are 38 percent of the way to accomplishing our goal.† Both of the universities do not put enough thought into establishing proper measures of effectiveness into their plans.

Battle Of The Bulge

Since the time that war, military and military men have existed, there has also existed a parallel class of strategist, philosophers, military, practitioners, philosophers and historians who have invested their lifetime of effort comprehending the complexities of warfare.These efforts have produced both long, complicated documents that have looked in entire social and economic aspects associated with warfare, and also condensed records and quick lessons into strategy of war that practitioners of the military art could use to guide the conduct of warfare (Johnsen et al.1995). The efforts to chronicle war details and related documents is also taken in earnest effort by every nation, in order to create a perspective on war and establish a set of workable principles that can be followed in the course of any armed struggle. However, mere compilation and study of principles would certainly account as a very limited effort in evolving a contemporary and updated approach towards warfare.Whil e the principles may have been thoroughly scrutinized at the tactical and operational levels of warfare, their applicability and suitability at the practical level of implementation may be less than exhaustive. For examples, the principle and lessons of war from Napoleonic warfare, although revealing from the strategic point of view, may have little operational significance from the standpoint of 20th century techniques and necessities (Reid, 1993).It is important therefore for these principles to apply at the strategic level of war under the conditions of rapid technological change, and remain in accordance of military needs of the time. Contrary to ocular perception that associates war as purely a military enterprise, one that is conducted entirely on battlefields, the reality is that war is an intellectual accomplishment and creative exercise, and hence many of its finer details are perfected at the strategic board and discussion rooms.The intellectual framework required to accom plish this complex procedure requires a theoretical structure that is provided by Principle of war (Johnsen et al. 1995). Meanwhile, theories and principles are just one of the side of a full-fledged war, as they have their own limits and it’s the balanced of combination of principles along with ability to transform them in practice that ensures victories in armed engagements.It is also important to remember that war strategies and principles applied in a particular battle essentially bear the stamp of their time. Although they may appear out of place, or seem overtly simple from vantage point of time, they reflect the best wisdom and experience of the age (Murdock, 2002). It is from this understanding and insight that this paper looks into the important Battle of Bulge, fought between German and US forces towards end of the Second World War and that is universally recognized as the bloodiest battle faced by US in the War.Modern Principles of War The two world events that hav e profoundly affected war strategies and principles have been the First and Second World War. The scale and range of military strategy and operations seen in each of the war had been hitherto unprecedented, and with introduction of motorized units, battletanks and aircrafts, the very core of military strategy changed for forever (Johnsen et al. 1995).The lead military thinkers and strategists of the day were forced to undergo a total revision of their approach towards conducting battles that no longer comprised of charging cavalrymen and open field combat, and brought in their consideration the role of bombers and fighter aircrafts- such modern tools of warfare that had never been used by any army through the course of human history (Reid, 1993).However, though acutely aware of the fact that pre-World War I operational strategies and principles of battles no longer hold any applicability or relevance for modern context, the strategists included some cardinal ethics in revising and p reparing the new principles of war. Some of the outstanding principles of war, as promulgated from time to time by lead military thinkers and strategists have been Originality, Economy of Force, Strategy of Indirect Approach, Objective, Offensive, Military Security, Concentration, and Co-Operation (Reid, 1993; Murdock, 2002).The first among these was Originality. By its very definition, originality does not conform to any specified set of rules, procedures or antecedent governing conduct of war. It is always a fresh take on situation, borne purely out of context of the battle. Military strategists attributes following characteristics to originality (Reid, 1993): 1. Originality is the product of an original mind. 2 An original idea or plan, by its definition, presents novel insights and its not an obvious one; further it can not be known in advance to originator themselves.Original ideas are likely to be unconventional and they happen to be product of an unorthodox approach. 3 Origin al approach and ideas generated will posses varying degree of originality and situation specific approach that may come with built in elements of context based improvisation and ideas. However, the ability to conceive original ideas does not translate to ability of selecting the most appropriate course of action. 4 Originality comes from active imagination. 5. Every one participating in an action is capable of coming out with original ideas.There are several noted contributions of originality in military field that are historically famous and have been marked as legend. The use of elephants by Hannibal, the retreat plot deployed by Normans at the battle of Hastings, and the spectacular success achieved by German Blitzkrieg are all too famous and taught across all the military schools in world (Reid, 1993). Surprise, as it can be noted, formed the crux of the originality and with further maturation of military doctrine, surprise and initial advance emerged as separate principles of w ar that were followed to the hilt by many military leaders.The remarkable successes of Germany in the initial period of the Second World War and in the Operation Barbarossa against Russia and the deadly Japanese strike at Pearl Harbor were all result of a military strategy strictly woven around the cardinal principle of surprise and initial advance(Reid, 1993). Despite the obvious advantage of originality and the elements of surprise, flexibility and initiative introduced by it, the stress on originality alone do not form the full crux of war principles.Economy of Force: Economy of Force, as a military principle was a central theme of British Military Doctrine post World War I. Economy of Force is traditionally defined as a commander’s ability to identify the area to concentrate the main thrust of the force for decisive result corollary of concentration of force (Murdock, 2002). It is well recognized that it impossible to be strong everywhere and if decisive victory is to be achieved then it is imperative that strength is directed at the critical time and place, while ensuring that reduce the wasteful expenditure of effort.It also involves a commander’s ability to take calculated risk, planning for balanced development and providential deployment of available resources (Murdock, 2002). Strategy of Indirect Approach: Strategy of Indirect Approach is aimed at minimizing blood loss at battlefronts, both in friendly and enemy’s camp. Developed as opposite to war of attrition, it is a purely philosophical approach that is aims to strike strategically at enemy’s point of weakness instead of the main force. The areas identified for this purpose are lines of supply, lines of communication, factory and industrial installations and power centers (Murdock, 2002).Strategic bombing against these vulnerable but highly sensitive channels is likely to effectively cripple enemy’s ability to conduct warfare, leading to capitulation by its main body with minimum of blood loss. Battle of Bulge The Battle of Bulge, known in Army circles as Battle of Ardennes, resulted from German offensive in the last phase of the World War II and it took place from 16 December 1944 to 25 January 1945. After the Normandy Landing of 6th June, 1944, Allied forces had liberated almost whole of the Europe from Nazi occupation and cornered German forces to their own territories (Astor, 1999).Allied Forces had taken the strategic position in the rough terrains of Ardennes, that occupied areas of Belgium and France. Although the forests and hills of the region made it an apparently impregnable region, the history defied this notion as the region constituted the main path taken by German forces in both 1st and 2nd World War to mount surprise attack on Belgium and France (Astor, 1999). The region had already seen a major confrontation in the beginning of Second World War when German forces launched their blitzkrieg on France using the same path.Now, with tides of battle turned, Allied forces had parked themselves in the same region, preparing to use it against launching their major offensive against German mainland. The emotions in Allied Armies ran high at this juncture. They had successfully liberated almost all of the Western Europe from Nazi occupation and at the beginning of December, 1944 they were standing at the threshold of the door of Nazi regime, the cause of momentous suffering and unparalleled loss of life for millions of people.The heavy Nazi defeat in USSR, resulting in almost total decimation of over half a million Nazi force had further created a positive mood of victory. It was not surprising that many of the army men and military officers were looking forward to end of War by 1st January, 1945. However, hopes of a quick victory took a setback as US intelligence gathered rumors mentioning a massive German counter attack. Prisoners captured and deserters from German army mentioned of large scale congregation o f German military machine and personnel.By 9th December, there were unconfirmed reports in Allied camps of an impending German maneuver, but there was hardly any decisive or concrete information available on which to base the response. For a short time the Army generals believed the military amassment to be of defensive in nature, aimed at protecting German borders (Astor, 1999). Meanwhile, around 12th of December, in several cases of interrogation of bordering civilians, Allied soldiers learned of heavy movement of military equipments as well as arrival of hardcore Nazi troops –Wafen SS from Italy (Astor, 1999).The reports created a scene of impending offensive assault. However, the report took more than a day in making its way to Army headquarters. As a matter of fact, riding on their feats of victory over Nazi Army in recent battles, American army had dangerously dropped its guard and slumbered in a zone of complacency. German spies reported that American guards manned the ir post for an hour after dark and then returned to base to emerge at the dawn.This was in total disregard to the alert and caution required at the time of ongoing war situation. As confirmed by American commander of 106 division, before bulge, they were a nine to five army in Ardennes. The Nazi Ardennes offensive was prepared by Hitler himself and it was based on standard German strategy of achieving maximum damage through surprise. Towards this purpose, German forces maintained total radio silence, putting Allied forces completely in dark on the movements and intentions of their enemies.While Allied armies rested through first half of December, German panzer divisions, supported by large number of infantry troops were stealthily filtering through forests of Ardennes to catch Americans unprepared and off guard (Astor, 1999). Germany had indeed the plan well laid out for they had deliberately selected the most vulnerable section of American division for the first salvo. German batte ries opened fire on the early morning of 16th December, 1945. The sixth panzer division showered 99th division with heavy mortars and shells, severely destroying Allied communication lines (Astor, 1999).The Fifth Panzer division, supported by Seventh Army, tore into Allied forces, virtually annihilating the opposition out of way. The attack was so intense that it literally cut down large number of trees surrounding the Allied camps, and falling tree trunks became another mortal hazard for the soldiers scrambling for cover and their life. Allied forces soon galvanized their response and within an hour of initiating attack, the 277th division found itself facing a barrage of shots and ammunition from Allied forces, and especially American soldiers.In fact at many places German forces suffered heavy casualty. However, German preparations were fairly elaborate and troops stationed near Sauer River and Sauer town witnessed the amazing scene of searchlights reflected through low hanging c louds, illuminating long stretches of path for German forces while providing little guidance to Allied troops of the location or position of their formidable adversaries (Astor, 1999). The adversaries indeed proved too formidable and they incessantly and mercilessly poured down heavy shells, bombs and fire on a force caught completely off balance.The impact of the German affront forced American divisions to move back; they hoped to assemble at a safe place and then mount an effective counter strike. But the rapidly advancing tanks units of German Army stripped the retreating American troops of any assemblage point inflicting waves after waves of massive casualty. To support the army motorized units, approximately thousand planes of Luftwaffe hovered over the scene, dropping paratroopers, reconnaissance and when the opportunity presented, strike the visible American targets.The swift German attack had also been successful in creating wedge between First and Third Army, and separated British forces from American units. The German armies continued their rampant attack for three full days, causing heavy casualties on Allied forces. Meanwhile, the Allied generals, under leadership of General Eisenhower and command of General Patton were already planning counteroffensive against German divisions. Eisenhower and the Allied command well understood the fact that German were counting on their success upon same speed and thrust that had achieved in the initial years of wars (Astor, 1999).However, Ardennes presented a different topography that was too rough and too uneven for quick, breezy movements. Further, the time of year being December, the entire area was covered with snow and it considerably slowed down German Operations. The principle aim of advancing German army was to cross the Meuse River, using the cover of surprise and stealth for their infantry to cut through Allied lines. Behind them Panzer divisions would coast easily, mowing down remaining resistance and cross the River.Once across the river, they would turn and head for the crucial port of Antwerp that they aimed to capture in order to cut off Allied supplies and force them to capitulation. However, German forces, in all their haste to advance, could not discount the natural adversities of fog, snow, inclement weather and hostile terrain. The Allied armies used these natural disadvantages well against advancing German battalions to halt them in their track and in the process cause severe damage to their resources. The Allied high command also sent quick reinforcement to flanks under pressure of heavy enemy fire thereby negating the German success.The resolute stand by Allied armies and their refusal to submit to overwhelming German armor virtually stalled the German advances (Astor, 1999). By December 18, from the strategy point of view the German High Command had known that their operation was destined towards failure. If they continued to pursue it, it was done with the hope to i nflict heavy damage on allied force and seize the initiative from them. The German fought desperately more because they knew that Antwerp presented them their only chance of survival, however slim it may be. In defense lay their total ruin (Astor, 1999; Smith, 1995)).However, as US generals later estimated, Germany faced total ruin in either of the situation. It was essentially stripped of the substance to reverse balance of power in Europe. With Allied forces pressing it from the West, and Russian forces blowing it from East, the German defeat had become a certainty that even most optimistic of Nazi generals knew. If anything, the battle of Bulge brought their ruin sooner than later. By 20th of December, Allied generals had taken complete stock of the situation and prepared their counter plan with the aim to completely neutralize the Nazi striking potential (Smith, 1995;Cooper, 1998).By 22nd of December, Allied airplanes, comprising of bombers and fighters, started to wreck havoc o n German armored units. Although Luftwaffe tried to counter the Allied airplanes, but it was outnumbered and beaten out of contest. By December 24, Allied bombing of German rail movements, their communication line, their armored divisions and their supply lines created a condition of virtual siege for German army, that starved in absence of supplies, ammunition and fuel (Smith, 1995). Nazi units were severely short of fuel, that had, for all the practical purpose, rendered them cripple and worthless from battle point of view (Smith, 1995).From Christmas of 1944, the definitive allied ground counterstrike began against defeated and retreating German armies. German encirclement of town of Bastogne was broken down by January 3 and by January 10 the two division of advancing Allied forces from two directions were at a distance of mere 10 km from each other, allowing the Nazi forces a very narrow corridor to ensure their escape (Smith, 1995). It had taken exactly a month to turn German p osition into a hopeless one, from where almost no escape was possible. By January 16 the combined allied forces were rapidly closing down on them.The severe damages suffered by Nazi forces that included 1,20,000 casualties (wounded and dead), loss of 600 tanks, 1600 planes, complete disruption of their communication lines and exhaustion of their fuel supply, had irrevocably broke their back. The offensive came to an end by January 25, resulting in an another major and decisive allied victory (Smith, 1995). Reference Cooper, B. Y. 1998. Death Traps: The Survival of an American Armored Division in World War II. Presidio Press, Astor, G. 1999. The Greatest War: Americans in Combat, 1941-1945; Presidio Press.Smith, W. B. 1995. Eisenhower's Six Great Decisions: Europe, 1944-1945; Longmans, Green. Houston, D. E. 1995. Hell on Wheels: The 2d Armored Division;; Presidio Press, 1995 Johnsen, W. T. , Johnson, D. V. , Kievit, J. O, Lovelace Jr. D. C. Metz, S. 1995. The Principles of War in the 21st Century: Strategic Considerations; Strategic Studies Institute, 1995 Reid, B. R. 1993. The Science of War: Back to First Principles. Routledge, Murdock, P. 2002. Principles of War on the Network-Centric Battlefield: Mass and Economy of Force; Parameters, Vol. 32, 2002

Belonging Indigenous Australians and Sense Essay

You are to write a speechto present at a conference titled Perceptions of Belonging. Your speech should discuss HOW Peter Skrzynecki and another composer explore the following statement: To feel a sense of belonging, you need to accept yourself and be accepted by others. Refer to TWO Skrzynecki poems and ONE of the related texts from your portfolio. What is the meaning to belong? One’s perception of belonging may vary throughout their lifetime. Though generally, to belong is to be accepted and to develop a sense of satisfaction, security and stability through a variety of ways within one’s life. In contrast to not belong is to be experiencing a sense of rejection, alienation and isolation. A sense of belonging usually emerges from†¦show more content†¦Skrzynecki effectively portrays the doubt within his mind through the symbolism of â€Å"Our Lady watched with outstretched arms, her face overshadowed by clouds†, with the clouds symbolic of the doubt that filled him as well as being ironic imagery. This also questions the ability of concrete statues to provide comfort and warmth let alone protection. â€Å"Luceat Lux Vestra, I thought was a brand of soap†, is symbolic of his immaturity and naivety, having no idea between the true meaning and feeling unaccepted. The repetition of â€Å"For eight years†, shows how he continually did the same things for eight years just to be accepted, although he really didn’t feel accepted at all. An example, â€Å"Caught the 414 bus, like a foreign tourist†, conveying his feeling of isolation and rejection through the use of a simile. 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