The Normandy landings in Defeating Germany in World War Two Essay Example for Free

The Normandy landings in Defeating Germany in World War Two Essay 1. Using source A and your own knowledge explain why the D-day was such an important event of World War two? D-Day was such an important event of World War Two for numerous amounts of reasons. The term D-Day actually means The Day. As said by Major Elson, it is the day where everyone does something. Major Elson fought on the Italian front, which is demonstrated on the map. D-Day was to be June 1944 minutes between night turning to morning on the 6th. The Germans had occupied France and France needed Britain, Canada and America to come together to regain the French territory for them. As well as this, Russia was fighting of Germany in the East and needed the Allies to relieve pressure. D-Day was a very important part into ending the war but other factors include the Battle of the Atlantic, the fighting in North Africa and the Battle of Britain. Arriving at Normandy using the Mulberry harbours, the Allies captured all of the five designated beaches (Omaha, Juno, Gold, Sword and Utah) despite strong German coastal defences. This is mainly due to the opposing armies having no idea to where the Allied forces would be landing because no place in France were called those names. The map shows where the troops entered France and this also clearly enforces the sheer scale of the invasion and its importance into keeping it top secret. Meanwhile, parachutists were flown in nearly 20 minutes after mid-night to capture Pegasus Bridge on the River Orne and Vier. This was important as it prevented German counter attacks from transporting troops to the beaches. As quick as they could, the Americans advanced all the way up to Cherbourg and captured it. Meanwhile, the British struggled pushing through Norman hedgerows which proved excellent cover for the defending German formations but the Allies succeeded in liberating the city of Caen in the end. This then led to the captivity of the capital of Normandy, Flank Con. However, with the capture of Saint-Là ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ and later Avranches in mid-July, the way was open for an Allied breakout into open country, an opportunity seized by General Omar Bradley, commander of the 12th US Army Group, who early in August ordered his forces to advance to the east. Hitler refused to allow the Wehrmacht to abandon Normandy and ordered a German armoured counter-attack against the allied forces near Avranches. On August 7 the German offensive was defeated and they soon found themselves in a trap as Canadian and United States divisions began to close in on both sides. On August 19th the allied forces had closed the gap at Falaise, trapping about 12 German divisions, who were subjected to merciless air and artillery bombardment. Hitler now ordered his forces in the gap to escape: about 30,000 did so, while 50,000 were captured by the Allies. The Germans were forced back by sheer weight of numbers by the Allies and by August 25th 1944 Paris had been liberated. After this, the Allies advanced too far, too fast to the border of France and Germany and so the Germans were able to push back one area of the line of troops, enforcing a bulge. This was known as The Battle of the Bulge. The Allies overcome this. The Allied advance in the west and south through Italy coupled with the Soviet advance in the east led to the overall defeat of Germany on May 7th 1945 11 months after D-Day began. The map demonstrates all of the above happenings and the names of the commanders in charge show their line of advancement into Germany. This map also, clearly shows us just how much land had been covered and that the Allies werent just invading from Normandy but from the Mediterranean, from the east (USSR) and from Italy. However, if it werent for the declaration of operation Overlord at Normandy then it is possible to say that attacks elsewhere would not have taken place. The map helps me explain my theory; you can see an awful lot of troops coming from all directions heading towards Germany but the majority are advancing from Britain. Thus meaning that without the attack from Normandy, it wouldnt relieve pressure from the eastern front with USSR and in general, the Allies wouldnt have won the Battle of Normandy. A key factor is that the Battle of Normandy was the beginning of the end. It was a turning point in the war and I can make a judgement from my evidence that the Battle of Normandy was a key factor into the defeat of Germany (Victory in Europe) and possibly to ending the war altogether. 2. Study sources B and C. Compare these judgements on the importance of D-Day in the outcome of the Second World War. From studying both sources, I can see that they differ considerably. Both sources say the importance of D-day. Source C tells the problem of getting over the river Rhine and the vigorous German counter attacks. Source B doesnt have a particular author but it was written for the Telegraph Newspaper marking the 50th anniversary to commemorate D-Day. There are two key facts to touch upon in this subject area. Firstly, I have recognised that this is a British newspaper and therefore its information would be from a British perspective. By this, I mean that it will say only what the British public wants to hear especially on the anniversary. The anniversary is a celebration of freedom and victory and commemoration so for a British newspaper, the British public is not going to want to hear about D-Days flaws. Secondly, this is secondary evidence. This means the writer wasnt there to actually see what happened- he/she is just going on the basis of what they have heard and researched. However, this is the same for source C so there is no difference in that respect. Regardless, a British historian (Jack Watson) writes source C. Therefore, this man is obviously bound to know his stuff as his career is based around the acknowledgement of history. Thus meaning that he isnt just purely writing to commemorate the anniversary of D-Day, he is writing it because he is interested in it. Maybe this is why source C is far much more detailed than source B. From reading source B, it had become clear to me that the way in which the text had been written; it comes across although D-Day was achieved in such little time. This is true but the advancement of the troops from Normandy to Paris did come with a bit of a struggle at some areas (e.g. British troops capturing Caen) and so it wasnt as straightforward as the writer is making out. I think the writer has done this to give the British public what they want to hear and therefore will sell more copies. Another possibility is that the writer just needed to summarise D-Day and just produce an overview. Source C explains that it wasnt just down to Normandy that D-Day took place. Watson says how paratroopers landed in Holland, resistance broken in Italy and fighting in Germany. This means the historian has studied a broader area to the happenings of D-day rather then just focusing on France like source B. I think this is because people, who read his writings, are going to be more inclined to see D-Day from all angles of perspective. I believe people reading Watsons work would like a less judgmental and less biased view to the events of D-Day. Source B illustrates a bit more on how important Normandy was and how we commemorate it today. I do think that the writer of source B is somewhat biased and possibly holding back factual information which would probably give us a different perspective on D-Day as he has just wrote it to please, however, this leaves this piece of evidence to some extent, being unreliable. Source C, nevertheless, has more factual evidence and includes as much information about D-Day in as little words as possible for it to be a more reliable source. It takes into account the German resistance and understands the Allies didnt gain liberation easily. 3. Study sources D and E. Use details from the cartoons and your wider knowledge in your answer. What do these cartoons suggest about the reasons why the allies defeated Germany? There are many reasons as to why the allies defeated Germany. Source D illustrates one aspect. Source D shows Adolf Hitler ordering troops to invade the USSR but they turn into graves instead. From my own knowledge I know that this occurred on June 22nd 1942. Hitler envisioned it as short decisive war with USSR reaching a spectacular triumph. It started well for the German army who successfully employed the blitzkrieg tactic again. The Germans had a spectacular rate of progress into the USSR with the Panzer tank regiments moving up to twenty miles a day. By September1941 the German army had reached the Ukraine farmlands and had surrounded the city of Leningrad. This was the height of German success from this point onwards the German defeat became more and more probable. The German forces were unprepared for the extreme Russian winter with temperatures reaching as low as -40 degrees Celsius. The Russians used a huge evacuation policy, which involved evacuating whole armaments factories to the east of the USSR. This ensured that even though they had lost a large amount of territory they still had the means with which to fight back. USSR was well organised because at the time of signing the Nazi-Soviet Pact, they realised they couldnt possibly fight a war as they werent ready. Therefore, this treaty gave USSR time to prepare, and so they did. Consequently, this Soviet cartoon depicts basically how Hitler sent his troops to death. As well as defeats in the east, there are other areas in which Germany fell. Between the years of 1939 and 1941 the United States of America had played a supposedly neutral role in the war. While not actually declaring war on the Germans the USA was supplying the British with everything they needed to keep the war effort going. The American role in the war changed on the 7th December 1941 when the Japanese attacked the American naval base at Pearl Harbour in Hawaii. The American President Roosevelt used this attack to swing public opinion in favour of declaration of war. The USA declared war on Japan and three days later Hitlers Germany declared war on the USA. This declaration of war by Germany was a decisive point in the whole war. It has long been wondered why Hitler chose to declare war on the Americans. His forces were just suffering their first defeats in the USSR and the German army was already stretched on a number of different fronts. This clearly shows that the Germans were failing before they had begun. I believe this relates to the cartoon; the troops in the picture are defeated before they have even begun. As if Germany hadnt enough on their hands and hadnt taken into account the loss of men in the cold winter months in Russia, they continued and they reached the key industrial and railway centre of Stalingrad in August 1942. A bitter street battle ensued which continued until February 1943. Eventually the Germans were defeated in the Battle of Stalingrad one of the fiercest battles in the whole war. The Russian victory destroyed the invincible reputation of the German army. The defeat also destroyed the German morale because of the large losses of men and because of the fact that the supposed master race had been defeated by a lower race in the Slavs. This obviously didnt give the Germans the courage to go on. Not to mention, an awful lot of the German army was foreign so they wasnt as eager to fight as its not their country they are defending. Germany was a country practically on its own. Whereas on the other side there was Canadians, Russian, American and British all fighting on the same team with a greater number of troops. The Atlantic Ocean was a key battleground in the Second World War because of the large number of allied supplies travelling from the USA to Britain and the USSR. The Germans had had control of the Atlantic since the beginning of the war with the number of U-boats losses being very minimal compared to the number of Allied shipping lost. But by mid 1943 technological advances allowed the Allies to effectively win the Battle of the Atlantic. Some of these advances included better radar detection systems and longer-range aircraft. The victory in the Atlantic meant that Britain was no longer blockaded. The Germans also lost the war in the air. Over a period of two years between 1942 and 1944 the Allies mounted ever more devastating air attacks on German cites. The Allies were able to drop a far greater tonnage of bombs over German cites than the Luftwaffe could drop over British cites because of the development of a heavy bomber by the allies. The continuing air attacks slowly gained the Allies complete air superiority which was key for the D-Day landings in June 1944. These are all the events that lead up to June 6th (D-Day) and all of these links in with the effect of D-Day. In conclusion it could be argued that there were a number of different turning points in the war. On the one hand, the declaration of war by the USA, the Soviet victory in Stalingrad the Allies successful completion of Operation Overlord or when Hitler choose to declare war on the USA, could all be considered as the turning points in the war. Overall we believe that the point at which German defeat became inevitable was when Churchill and several great generals including Eisenhower and Montgomery planned the daring invasion of Normandy and put it into action. Sources D and E demonstrate this quite clearly. Source E basically shows that Stalin and a Russian soldier/general could easily roll over the Germans without much of a fuss and were defeating them generously. Germany, as illustrated above, suffered many defeats and Normandy just basically hit the nail on the head. The French were Allies with Britain and Britain was Allies with USSR and Canada and USA. I dont suppose it benefited the Axis in any way at all with the economic and industrial power of the Allies was now overwhelming. If the Germans had been fighting the British alone the war would have been one of attrition like the First World War because Britain and Germanys industrial output were equal. So with the addition of the two most industrial powers in the world in the form of the USA and the USSR the Allies could not lose. All of the previous defeats like the fighting in North Africa, the Battle of Britain, the Battle of the Atlantic and the fighting in the East with USSR etc. are all linked with the effect of the Battle of Normandy. On the other hand, in my opinion, if it wasnt actually for the Battle of Normandy which led to the liberation of France and the Falaise gap and so on, then Germany would of carried on capturing countries until the end. It is also possible to say that if Germany hadnt declared war on USA (for which reason we do not know) then USA might have still stayed out of the war against Germany (and only fought Japan) and also, Germany might have stood a chance of winning. But they still would have had a war on two fronts with USSR, too. Therefore, if they hadnt declared war on USSR in 1942 then they would have had more troops to give resistance on D-Day. In general, Germany didnt stand a chance as the British were sending messages to the French resistance who helped prepare for D-Day and also the British bombed Calais four times as much as they did Normandy to give Hitler the impression they were invading at Calais rather than Normandy. Therefore, Hitler sent more troops to defend Calais and this was completely unnecessary. This then meant, that on the attacks of Normandy, Hitler was unable to send troops to Normandy from Calais because the paratroopers had captured the bridges and railway lines etc. D-day was the largest invasion to be known as of yet and the Germans couldnt retaliate against 3 countries including 176,000 allied soldiers, alone-not to mention the attacks from the East. 4. Study source F. How reliable is Stalins view of the importance of D-Day? Source F may only say that one thing has been completed successfully and that is the landings on a grandiose scale. We can infer from the rest of what Stalin says that the beach landings are going quite successful as well, because he says that. I think this is a fairly trustworthy source in that Jopeph Stalin was the leader of USSR at that time. This is primary evidence and was sent only five days after the landings so the goings on was still perfectly clear in Stalins mind. Also the date is reliable because this could not have been said before D-Day as the things Stalin mentions hadnt happened yet. Also he is speaking in the present tense so it is obvious that what he is talking about is currently going on. There are several things that it does not say in the text, perhaps because Stalin does not know this, or perhaps he is holding back. He does not tell us anything about what the opposition is doing or what the planes and ships providing covering fire are doing, which could be very useful information. The bottom part of the text in bold allows us to infer several things. It tells us he is speaking personally via telegram to Churchill, from this we can infer that as he is writing in the form of a telegram he may not want to mention a few things. He obviously will not criticise Churchills operation, as they are allies. Russia needed Britain, USA and Canada to relive pressure from the east and for Stalin to be congratulating Churchill on the success of it must mean that D-Day had relieved pressure and so Stalins telegram is of some great significance and importance. At face value it is impossible to judge the importance of the D-Day landings from just studying Source F alone. Inconclusively, by making careful inferences we can think that it was obviously a great success, for Stalin to send a telegram to Churchill congratulating him and saying history will record this deed as an achievement of the highest order. It is very difficult to analyse any resistance from the Germans from this source and whether USSR had any part in D-Day or whether D-Day was purely to do with anything else like the fighting in Italy. I know, however, that there was from my own knowledge but this source doesnt imply anything of the kind-5 days into the D-Day landings and Stalin is congratulating him already, before they have really begun. So in that sense, Stalins view isnt that reliable in the importance of D-day. On the other hand, Stalin wrote it so it has to be reliable-it is first hand evidence. He was there to witness the goings on at the time you cant get much closer to it than that and he shows his support to Churchill. Although Russia signed the Nazi-Soviet Pact with Germany, it was under a mutual understanding and this didnt make them Allies, it merely kept the peace for a little while. So there would be no reason for this source not to be unreliable as they were Allies. Stalin also proves from the Pact that he wasnt at all with Germany because he says the hysterical Hitler boasted for two years that he would invade England across the channel but could not even make up his mind even to attempt carrying out the threat. This means one of a few things. Firstly, Stalin stitched up Hitler to Churchill about Hitlers threat to invade England. Secondly, he criticises him, calling him hysterical. This clearly states he was never a German ally, he just used the Nazi-Soviet Pact as much as Hitler did. Stalin was Allies with Churchill and Churchill was the prominent figure who arranged D-Day. Therefore, his evidence has to be somewhat reliable and relevant to the importance of D-Day. 5. Study sources G and H. Which of these sources is more useful as evidence in assessing the significance of D-Day? On the one hand, Source H is obviously written by one of the allies rather than Germany, as it does not say as such. I know this because the way in which Geoffrey Elliot refers to the event is on a positive note. If a German wrote it, I would expect it to be somewhat negative as a pose to praising the significance of D-Day. Additionally, another factor as to why source H is useful to the significance of D-Day is that it recognises the obstacles the Allies faced. This is because most sources that are written by a member of the Allies country normally exclude the difficulties they faced and just note how greatly they succeeded. Members of the Axis countries usually criticise D-Day and find faults on every account in its events. Therefore, this source, in that sense, is exceedingly reliable as it looks at both perspectives. From my own knowledge, this is to some extent unusual. It states that a change in weather could have destroyed. Meaning that the weather made it harder for the allies to get on the beaches and off load their equipment. Despite this, they did it even though they were forced to cancel out the Mulberry Harbour at Omaha beach due to the weather. On the other hand, source G was written by a historian and it is obvious that he is bound to know the significance of D-Day thoroughly. The writing in bold at the bottom reads that Taylor has studied English history from 1914-1945. This means that he has studied both of the wars (First World War and the Second World War) and knows all knowledge he can on the subject. He would be able to see how significant D-Day was out of the Second World War in greater detail even if it secondary evidence rather than primary. Furthermore, Source G is less biased on the count that it involves the aid of Russia and America. This is great considering other evidence written by British historians, that I have studied seems to out-rule the Russian help and sometimes fails to mention about the Canadians and Americans. Conjointly, this source looks at the events leading up to D-Day and not just D-Day itself. For example, it says that Dunkirk was the period when Britain stood alone. This signifies one of two things. Firstly, Taylor is not just looking at the successes, as being alone isnt much of a success. Secondly, Dunkirk isnt part of D-Day. This can be seen as a good or a bad thing. Bad, because he isnt focusing himself on D-Day and this is what is required for me in order to assess the usefulness of this source to the significance of D-Day. Good, because he is analysing other factors into the vents leading up to Normandy and other factors that helped the invasion succeed. Source G also gives more precise key names and dates throughout the text. This relevant because this shows the historian knows what he is writing about. To add to this, I know for a fact that it is written by a British person because it says so at the bottom in bold. However, this is can mean that the historian is more inclined to be biased but being a British historian, it is expected. Taylor doesnt look at D-Day from a German prospective, given that it was published 20 years after the war. Instead, it sees D-Day as a final victory. They may be his opinion, but it was nearly a year after D-Day that the Germans surrendered so it wasnt exactly a final victory. To analyse exactly what source is more useful than the other to the significance of D-Day I must study their flaws. Source H appears to be more of an overview than anything else. This is satisfactory if its just for the 50th anniversary but compared with source G, with a lot more detail than itself, it is not good. This brings me on to the fact that it is a commemorative article produced for a magazine on the 50th anniversary. An editor who briefly researched the events of D-day produced this article and probably doesnt particularly focus on this subject matter. This is my interpretation of what I thought after reading the text. But as a pose to source G, which is written by a historian whose job and interest is to research the wars thoroughly, it doesnt compare. Therefore, in my opinion, I personally feel that Source G is more useful to the significance of D-Day and the evidence above backs up my theory as a whole. 6. Why do you think sources I and J disagree about the defeat of Germany and the end of World War Two? When one looks at sources I and J, we can see they are very different when juxtaposed with all the other sources and different compared with themselves. The only point at where they have something in common is that both sources are secondary evidence. Source I is written by Yves Leccouturier who is from Normandy. I know this because it says so in bold at the bottom of the source. The fact that he is from Normandy is a great factor to his perspective of the attack itself. He isnt going to be bitter about the landings as the allies came to liberate France, not invade it. Therefore, he is, of course, going to be grateful towards the Allies for pushing the Germans out of France. There is additional evidence that backs up my theory behind this. He describes it as the liberation of Europe and in the outcome of the Second World War. This clearly indicates just how grateful he is and that the rest of Europe should be grateful, too as the Allies savoured them and without them, V E Day wouldnt have been achieved (Victory in Europe-of, which I believe Leccouturier is referring to). Leccouturier also believes that as a result of the landings at Normandy, the war ended (illustrates this in the quote). Both of these examples, would be key factors as to why the source was written in this manner. Another quotation in the text to back up my theory is when Leccouturier says Everyone welcomed the liberator with limitless enthusiasm. Leccouturier is also a French Historian. This helps to establish his reasons behind the source because he would know a great deal about the landings from living there and also from being a historian. He would have surely researched a great deal into the subject matter. To add to this, he is writing this source for a guidebook of the Normandy beaches for tourists. In essence, the type of tourists that are likely to visit this area of France would essentially be French, British, American and Canadian. These are the countries that were on the same side as each other and so it would be me probable for them to visit Normandy as a pose to a German citizen. Therefore, it is logical for this source to be biased, in that approach and this is another instance as to why the source is written in this form. Source J has an immensely different view on the topic. Source J is written by a Soviet historian some years after (1968) and feels very differently juxtaposed with Source I. Source J, from studying the text, appears to be bitter about the Allied troops receiving all the credit for the result and the war ending as a result of that. Source J basically writes it in this way because they dont feel recognised enough by western Allies for their efforts in the war. The Russians were the ones who requested back up from Britain and Churchill took up the request along with America and Canada. Therefore, I can see why credit goes to the Western Allies as they were the saviours but it was Russia who was fighting of German in the East in the first place. The Soviets feel forgotten it seems, from the way the source appears, that Russians just want some sort of recognition for their efforts in the outcome. In conclusion, all of the evidence above makes it clear to why the sources disagree to the defeat of Germany and the end of the Second World War. This is because the Soviet historian wring this text feels that USSR played a key part up to, on and after D-Day and that they havent received a sign of gratefulness or not enough of it from the western Allies they helped. Juxtaposed with source I, who boasts about how joyous the Normans were when the Allies landed and how the Normans welcomed the liberators with limitless enthusiasm. And liberators being the word. It doesnt mention a word about USSR and their efforts and this source is just another example as to why source I disagrees with the defeat of Germany and the end of the Second World War. Being from Normandy and writing for a Norman guide book, it isnt likely that he is going to mention the USSR as they didnt land here, they didnt capture the beaches, Caen, Cherbourg or Paris, they werent anything to do with the Battle of Normandy itself. They were involved with the fighting in the east while the liberators fought in the west. France praised the Western Allies and the Soviets got jealous. All these reasons conclude, in my opinion, to why the sources disagree about the defeat of Germany and the outcome of the Second World War. 7. How far have the sources in this paper convinced you that D-Day and the Normandy invasion was the most significant factor in the defeat of Germany in World War Two? Use all the sources and your wider knowledge There are numerous sources that reflect that Normandy was the most significant factor in the defeat of Germany in World War Two and sources A, B, C, F, G, H and I are included. On the one hand, Normandy was by far, the largest and most amphibious invasion that has ever been planned, let alone to have succeeded. Source A depicts how much of a large-scale invasion it was because you can see a tremendous amount of troops came in from the English Channel to Normandy at the five beaches. Source B, written for the Telegraph newspaper for 50th anniversary edition, classifies it as the turning point in the Second World War and the greatest amphibious operation the world has ever seen. This is the second source to illustrate how much of significant factor the Normandy landings played to the defeat of Germany and the Second World War. Source C, written by a British historian, delivers another quotation to put to my evidence by writing the Germans were driven back. This directly explains that the landings at Normandy advanced to this. I also have primary evidence from Stalin, the leader of Russia. Stalin says, from his first hand knowledge that the landings have succeeded completely. What the Western Allies wanted to do was liberate France, force the Germans out of France and relieve pressure from Russia. Obviously, for Stalin to send this message in a telegram to Churchill after just five days, it must have been working. Source G, written by a British historian, explains that combined with the Russians, British and American armies brought final victory. Thus meaning that D-Day achieved its targets of relieving pressure on Russia, liberating France and more importantly, defeating Germany bringing Victory in Europe (V E Day). Another commemorative magazine on the 50th anniversary, source H, though it is a small article, provides a lot of evidence. To begin with, it refers to the D-Day and the Normandy invasion was a military feat. This infers that D-Day and the Normandy invasion was an achievement for the Allies. This source also says that D-Day and the Normandy invasions were a plan to smash German power in Europe. I can say from this that not only was it a plan; it was a plan put into action. Finally, source I, written by a French historian from Normandy wring tourist guidebook, says how the French coastline is marked forever by the first steps towards the liberation of Europe. By this remark, I assume he is referring to V E Day (Victory in Europe Day). In which case, this source directly shows that D-day and the invasion of Normandy was significant into the defeat of Germany. On the other hand, whilst D-Day and the Normandy invasion is obviously a prominent factor to the defeat of Germany, there are other factors, too. Source A shows how many troops came via the Channel but it also shows how Allied troops came from Italy, all along the German border of Russia and from the Mediterranean and into France. This demonstrates that Germany wasnt just being attacked from Normandy. Source D depicts a cartoon of Hitler ordering troops to invade USSR but instead, they turn into graves. This cartoon clearly states that there was fighting on the eastern front with Russia and that Germany wasnt benefiting from it and arent just suffering defeats in the West. Source E backs that up as it demonstrates Stalin rolling Germans back using a rolling pin and in the stew pots behind him are defeats Germany had already suffered from USSR. It is ironic that the cartoon is named The Chefs Speciality as this means the Russian speciality is to roll Germans back and defeat them. Source G has two sides to it. It does say that the Normandy invasions and D-Day brought final victory but it also says that D-Day couldnt have been launched until German U-boats have been mastered in the summer of 1943. The reason for this is because the Navy wanted absolute air and sea superiority before they proceed with the invasion. This led to an attack on the Atlantic Ocean named Battle of the Atlantic. Therefore, without the Battle of the Atlantic, D-Day and the Normandy invasion couldnt take place. Source J expresses how it wasnt just down to D-Day and the Normandy invasions that Germany was defeated. Source J, written by a Soviet, believes the Soviets played a role in defeating the Nazi aggressor but has not been fully recognised by the Western Allies. It continues to add that it was the Soviet people who held back the Nazis in Europe for over two years while the Western Allies deliberated and prepared for their invasion. I gather from this text that point this source is trying to get across is that without the Soviets aid, Hitler would of put into action his plans of invading Britain (as said by Stalin, Source F). Britain would have been unprepared and the invasion of Normandy and D-Day wouldnt have taken place at all. There are factors not included in any of the sources that without their aid, D-Day and the Normandy invasion wouldnt have been as significant as it was. The Battle of Britain is one of them. Germany was bombing RAF bases in Britain every night for 53 nights before bombing cities. This was a fatal mistake. It gave the RAF time to regroup, repair airfields and train new pilots. Therefore, Germany lost along with a few other reasons. But if Germany had won, Germany would have gained supremacy in the air and Germany would have invaded Britain and probably lost the war as a whole. Dunkirk was a key element in boosting the British moral and saving 50,000 troops from the coast of France. This is a great feat because if the British public didnt rescue them then the British troops would have been stuck at Dunkirk and captured by the Germans. They were saved and this meant that Britain still had its troops and could progress onwards. The loss of 50,000 men would have had an effect on their efforts with D-Day and the invasion of Normandy. The fighting on the Italian front and North Africa played an important role into the significance D-Day and the invasion of Normandy had to the defeat of Germany. This is for the same reasons as the fighting on the eastern front with Russia and the Germans in that if the British had lost this, Germans would have been able to progress onwards through France and would have possibly been more ready for the invasion of Normandy and D-Day. To add to this, Germany was failing anyway, mainly as a result of all these defeats above. Germany had fewer troops and wasnt as well prepared as the Allies. The Allies had paratroopers fly in to capture main railway lines and bridges to prevent Germans from bringing in reinforcements. There were also preparations in Britain. Britain had inflatable military equipment, code signals were sent to the French resistance, petrol pumps for military vehicles in Normandy were disguised as ice-cream parlours and they dropped Rupert dolls which were counterfeit paratroopers that fired gun shot sounds when they landed. Furthermore, Britain sent a van around Scotland sending out more false alerts of an invasion from Scotland and they bombed Calias 3-4 times more than Normandy so the Germans would think an attack would be in Calias. They also invented special tanks to overcome German obstacles, they used reflective stripes to confuse German radar systems and they code-named the beaches so the Germans didnt know where they were going to attack. This is a drastic amount of preparations to undergo but these kinds of preparations meant that Germany didnt, in theory, stand a chance of winning. I dont think Churchill would have organised such a large-scale invasion, involving 4 main countries if he wasnt assured of a beneficial outcome. I think most of the significance of D-Day and the invasion of Normandy was, on the whole, down to exceedingly good planning and a lot of luck. However, the sources, overall, in this paper and from my own knowledge, have convinced me that D-Day and the invasion of Normandy are the most significant factors to the defeat of Germany in the Second World War. The Invasion of Normandy led to a lot of things. For instance the capture of Cherbourg, Caen and Paris. The Falaise Gap was a great achievement as it captured 50,000 German troops and from then the Allies progressed fast to the French-German border where the Battle of the Bulge took place. The Allies won this two and then it was just a race with Russia to get to Berlin. Of course there were set backs, like the weather, the struggle at Caen and the capture of Omaha beach, but thats expected in a large-scale invasion as this. But on the whole, there were a lot of achievements and the invasion accomplished their targets and the invasion was a success. Germany surrendered on the 5th May 1945 and there was victory in Europe at last. Without all the other factors that led up to D-Day and the luck involved, Normandy wouldnt have either taken place, succeeded or succeeded as well as it did.

Operation Iraqi Freedom Essay -- International Politics

OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM Introduction On March 20, 2003, the combined military forces of the United States and Britain crossed the southern border of Iraq and Kuwait with the intent of capitulating the government of Saddam Hussein. Over the course of 21 days, the joint task force moved quickly and decisively to seize major objective cities along the road to Baghdad using aviation, armor, artillery, and infantry. Following the overwhelming success of the primary combat operations of the invasion, stability and support systems proved insufficient as sectarian violence and other criminal activity among the local population of Iraq increased. History In ancient times, Iraq was known by the Greek term Mesopotamia, or the land between two rivers. These two rivers, the Tigris and Euphrates, formed what was known as the â€Å"Fertile Crescent.† The vast stretch of low level land retained rain and flood water, making the soil exceptional for farming, thus it is said to be the cradle of civilization. It was home to the Sumerian Empire, beginning around 4000BC, long before Egypt, Greece, or Rome were known to have sophisticated societies. Agriculture, mathematics, literature, and the earliest forms of government were all established in this region. (1) Conflict has also been a significant part of Iraqi history since the Akkadian wars of 2340 BC. The rise of the Babylonian dynasty in 1700 BC gave way to the Assyrian dynasty in 1340 BC. The Assyrians were eventually overthrown in the seventh century BC by the Persian Empire of Alexander the Great. (2) The Arabs conquered the region in the early expansion of Islam in the eighth century AD, followed by the Mongol invasion in 1258. The last of the great dynasties to rule th... ...raq. References 1. Arabic-Media.com (Arabic Media) Site 1997-2011, http://arabic-media.com/iraq_history.htm 2. CRS Report for Congress, 17 February, 1998, http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/crs/98-129.pdf 3. UN Security Council Resolution 687, 8 April 1991, http://www.casi.org.uk/info/undocs/gopher/s91/4 4. UN Security Council Resolution 1441, S/RES/1441, 8 November 2002, PP 3, http://www.un.org/Depts/unmovic/documents/1441.pdf 5. Gordon, Micheal, R., Cobra II; The Inside Story of the Invasion and Occupation of Iraq, Pantheon Books, New York, 2006 6. Keegan, John, The Iraq War, Alfred A. Knopf, 2004 7. Purdum, Todd, S., and the staff of the New York Times, A Time of Our Choosing; America’s War in Iraq, Times Books, 2003 8. Trainor, Bernard, E., Cobra II; The Inside Story of the Invasion and Occupation of Iraq, Pantheon Books, New York, 2006

National Education Essay

National education is a subject that aims to increase the national identity of students and citizens in Hong Kong. There are several steps to help fulfill this subject’s aims. As it is believed to have benefits to the students in studying as well as helping critical thinking. There are some, however, some people see the content of this subject is brain-washing which hinders students to learn the real history of China, so that this subject still remains as the non-core subject in the primary schools or secondary schools. In this essay, both the advantages and disadvantages of national education in Hong Kong will be examined before drawing a conclusion based on the giving evidence. Moral and national education (MNE) is a school curriculum proposed by the Education Bureau of Hong Kong in 2012. Hong Kong government wanted to promote national education in both primary schools and secondary schools. There are several advantages while promoting national education for students. One of the benefits is helping students to increase the national identity. Consultation on Moral and National Education Curriculum (2011) has reported that one of the curriculums aims is to facilitate identity-building through developing affection for the country, this can help increase the national identity to students. Since the promotion of nation to Hong Kong students were not enough in their studying stages in the government thought, therefore the government propose this subject to students as well as the citizens to help them have a more accurate and clear mind of the nation which can help recognize the identity as well as raising students’ recognition and sense of belonging towards their family, society, nation and the world and help them to become responsible family members, citizens and nationals (Moral and National Education Curriculum Guide Primary 1 to Secondary 6 , 2011). As well as increase the national identity, helping students to develop moral qualities and a positive attitude is also the other advantages of promoting national education. In the curriculum of the national education, students could have more time for critical thinking. According to Moral and National Education Curriculum Guide Primary 1 to Secondary 6 (2011)†The curriculum aims cover values and attitudes, knowledge and skills, and focus on:  development of moral qualities, leading a meaning life, growth in knowledge, judging reasonably and being responsible and rational.† This can help students strengthen their moral qualities in preserving Chinese virtues, develop an affection for the country and help students develop positive values and attitudes. What is more, when students having their lesson of this subject, they may learn how to develop a positive and optimistic attitude (Education Bureau of Hong Kong [EBHK], 2002).This can help students having a better manage of their study and help the students to relieve their study pressure. Apart from the above advantages, there are also some disadvantages in promoting national education. According to the curriculum of this subject, some history of China had been cancelled or changed. The â€Å"China Model National Conditions Teaching Manual† which is the model textbook of the National Education was found to be biased towards the Communist of China and the so-called â€Å"China Model† (Oriental Daily, [13 July, 2012]).The teaching manual called the Communist Party an â€Å"advanced, selfless and united ruling group, while denouncing Democratic and Republican Parties of the United States as a â€Å"fierce inter-party rivalry that makes the people suffer†. Mok (2012) points out that the members of Scholar and Civil Alliance against the National Education against the brainwashing national education curriculum before school commences as most of the content were pretended to be brainwashing to both primary and secondary schools students. Parents thought that this may hinder students to learn the truth of their nation and change their minds when they learned. Thus, some of the parents were afraid their children would learn the wrong history and bad manner in this course without gaining any benefits. What is worse, adding one more subject in the core-subjects to the primary and secondary schools students may increase the workload of the students and may increase their study pressures. There are different focuses in this subject for different forms of students. Education Bureau of Hong Kong (EBHK, 2002) mentions the moral and national education covers four Key Stages from P1 to S6 across primary and secondary levels. Each Key Stage comprises five domains including personal, family, social, national and  global, with a view to promote the development of positive values and attitudes as well as identity-building in students. This reveals that students need to learn one more subject in their primary and secondary school lives. This will increase their workload and more study pressure will be released. It is clear that there are both advantages and disadvantages in proposing National Education. Proposing National Education can increase the nation identity to students as well as citizens which help them to be responsible national in nations. Furthermore, this can help students to develop moral qualities and a positive attitude. Nevertheless, there are several disadvantages while proposing this subject. The content of this subject has not cover all the truth of China to students and this may brain washing the students and this may increase the workload of the students. Thus, national education still remain the non-core subject in schools. Taking these arguments into consideration, National Education can increase the nation identity to the citizens and help students foster the positive attitude. However, these benefits can only be realized through proper teaching materials, ensuring that the teacher, students and subject are focus on the direct content and not just brainwashing the students. Students today are often have high study pressures they can release their stress when they having appropriate courses in National Education. No matter this subject would be proposed or not, there are both pros and cons to the students. More details of this subject should be consulted and examined by both Hong Kong government and citizens.

The South China Se The Sea Lies A String Of 14 Islands And...

Somewhere off the coast of Southeast Asia in the South China sea lies a string of 14 islands and reefs. These reefs and islands are the center of an international dispute of sorts. Six surrounding countries lay claim to at least a few of the islands, but China claims them all. Including the sea surrounding them. All the Spratly Islands are claimed by China, Taiwan and Vietnam, while parts of them are claimed by Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines. But according to China, their territorial rights to the islands and sea date back over 2,000 years from ancestors who discovered, named and explored the South China sea (The World Factbook: Spratly Islands) (Livingstone). Largely unexplored, the islands include approximately 100 inlets, coral reefs and sea mounts for a total of less than 5 km of land scattered over 158,000 square miles and are located in the midst of international shipping lanes. (The World Factbook: Spratly Islands) The natural resources seem to be part of the struggle for control of the Spratlys. There are differing opinions on the amount of oil and natural gas the islands hold. â€Å"China’s claim is the islands and the surrounding sea are home to 125 billion gallons of oil and 500 trillion cubic feet of natural gas but the United States disagrees. The U.S. Geological Survey disputes the numbers, instead estimating that the region holds 5 to 22 billion barrels of oil and 70 to 290 trillion cubic feet of gas – a sizable difference† (DeLuca). However, based onShow MoreRelatedOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pagesâ€Å"nuclear politics,† which encompasses both state initiatives and popular dissent, in former but diminished national great powers such as France and Great Britain and in emerging and aspiring high-tech states of very different sorts in Israel, India, and China. Equally impressive in terms of the global range of questions they include, Hecht and Edwards look at the impact of the nuclear nations’ quest for viable, stable sources of uranium and sites for testing nuclear devices in locales as disparate as

Essay on Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter

Sigmund Freud, creator of the Freudian psychoanalysis, once said about hypocrisy, â€Å"He does not believe that does not live according to his belief.† This is essentially Freud’s loose definition of hypocrisy, a term that the Oxford English Dictionary defines as â€Å"the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one’s own behavior does not conform.† In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel The Scarlet Letter, the characters’ hypocrisy represents the pervasiveness of hypocrisy in all people. Hypocrisy is evident in all of The Scarlet Letter’s main characters: Hester, Dimmesdale, Chillingworth, the town of Boston, and Pearl. One of the main characters in the novel, Hester, shows the pervasiveness of hypocrisy with her own hidden†¦show more content†¦Hawthorne uses Hester’s hypocrisy to show us that hypocrisy can be hidden even in those who it is unexpected in, and in doing so he suggests that hypocrisy may be more pervasive than we think and can see. . In addition to Hester, Hawthorne uses Dimmesdale, another of his main characters in to represent an aspect of hypocrisy. Specifically, Dimmesdale represents the difficulty of shaking off hypocrisy, and brings the conclusion that hypocrisy lingers because it is so difficult to fix. Dimmesdale’s hypocrisy arises from his position as a minister even after his adulterous act. Dimmesdale even admits to feeling morally unclean and question what his â€Å"polluted soul [can do] towards their purification,† (131). In spite of his feelings, Dimmesdale cannot force himself to confess his sins and come clean to the town. The fact that Dimmesdale cannot act against what he believes to be instinctively wrong, sinful, and potentially harmful to others shows us that hypocrisy difficult to change. Dimmesdale’s inability to face the consequences and change his hypocritical stance shows us that hypocrisy can be a nearly permanent fixture. It also raises a key question: how can hy pocrisy not be pervasive if we can’t shake it off easily? The simple answer is that hypocrisy must be pervasive because it lingers and can’t be removed. This implies anyone who has been hypocritical, which is about everyone, is stillShow MoreRelatedIn Nathaniel HawthorneS The Scarlet Letter, There Are948 Words   |  4 PagesIn Nathaniel Hawthorne s The Scarlet Letter, there are many important scenes. But there are five scenes that stood out and pushed the plot forward. This includes Hester walking out of the prison, Chillingworth finds out about Dimmesdale’s scarlet letter, and Dimmesdale stands on the scaffold with Hester and Pearl. The final two being Hester meeting Dimmesdale in the forest and the Dimmesdale confessing his sin. These scenes are the key points in his novel. 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Every human being needs the opportunity to express how they truly feel; otherwise the emotions become bottled up until they begin to hurt the person. Unfortunately, the puritans were not allowed this type of expression. Luckily, at least for the fourRead MoreRomanticism And Transcendentalism In Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter956 Words   |  4 Pages The Scarlet Letter - Research Paper Nathaniel Hawthorne is 19th-century author whose works were primarily classified as romanticism and transcendentalism. His works held many controversial elements for his time including the extensive use of feminist principles. Many of Hawthornes novels depict a different viewpoint on the defiance towards misogyny and patriarchal ways. The Scarlet Letter furthermore enhances these elements. Hawthorne’s novel, The Scarlet Letter, portrays the many elements of feminism

How Does Steinbeck Show the Importance of Friendship in...

Of Mice and Men is a book about two men and their struggle to achieve their dream of owning a small ranch through their companionship. The two men are completely different, one being a retarded fellow (Lennie), and the other, a typical ranch hand(George) who travels with him. On the path to achieving their dream, they run into obstacles, but stick together, stressing the importance of true friendship. Steinbeck wrote this book to tell us how important it is to have a friend to share your life with. The book starts off set in Soledad, which, when translated into English means lonely. But when Lennie and George are together, they are anything but lonely. They share a friendship so great that if either person dies, or both are†¦show more content†¦We see the interview with the boss, George becomes protective toward Lennie, â€Å"I never seen one guy take so much trouble for another guy.†(P43) and when Curley’s wife enters into the attention George is seriously apprehensive about Lennie, â€Å"Listen to me†¦ you leave her be.†(P54). Later on, when George finds Lennie in Crook’s, the stable buck’s, room, he looks disapprovingly at Lennie, â€Å"George stood framed in the door, and he looked disapprovingly.†(P115), this is very parent like. Steinbeck reinforces the contrast between them and everybody else. Slims says â€Å"Ain’t many guys travel around together†(P57) Lennie is unquestioning in his loyalty to George . We see this in George’s anecdote about the Sacramento River. â€Å"‘Jump in.’ An’ he jumps†(P66) Lennie has a childlike obedience. Steinbeck shows us this in the fight between Lennie and Curley. Earlier on, George tells Lennie to not fight with Curley, Lennie remembers this and due to his childlike obedience, his â€Å"hands remained at his sides; he was too frightened to defend himself.†(P91). Once George tells Lennie to â€Å"Get him†(P91), Lennie immediately crushes Curley’s hand completely. Most mature people would know whether they should break the rules or not, because they wouldn’t get as badly hurt, but with Lennie, it is a different story. It is this childlike obedience that Steinbeck uses to show us how George needs to act as a parent towards Lennie. Although he frequently speaks of how much better his life wouldShow MoreRelatedTo What Extent Is Of Mice and Men More Effective Than Rainman in Giving Us Understa ndings of Loneliness and Friendship?1553 Words   |  7 PagesSteinbecks novel Of Mice and Men cannot accurately be compared in effectiveness of its themes with the movie Rainman. 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A Critical Appreciation of Wallace Steven’s ‘ the Idea of Order at Key West’ Essay Sample free essay sample

â€Å"The Idea of Order at Key West† was written in 1934 and is considered Stevens’ most complicated verse form. It is both long ( being eight stanzas and 56 lines ) and in deepness. †The Idea †¦Ã¢â‚¬  is in a loose iambic pentameter and is written in free poetry. significance that there is no organized rime form. The stanzas are a spot confusing because the 5th one is indented a batch after the 4th one. In fact. there is no existent line between them. Equally complex as it is. the secret plan of â€Å"The Idea†¦Ã¢â‚¬  is instead simple. The talker of the verse form. a adult male. is walking down a beach with a friend and hears a adult female vocalizing. He muses on how the sounds of the ocean contrast and animate her voice. He imagines that she is every bit beautiful as both her vocal and the ocean. Though he doesn’t really see the woman’s face. the talker knows that she is lovely. As he walks behind her. the talker notices how her bright. aeriform voice compares to the dark sounding sea. To him it is about as if the ocean was a spirit whose voice they could non hear. but knew was at that place. For most of the verse form Stevens pigments a image of an ocean that is both enrapturing and cryptic at the same clip. In bend. the woman’s vocal is made mystical and tempting because of the scene. Though we. the readers. don’t see the adult female or hear her vocal. we experience the transmutation that the sea. the metropolis. and the talker go through. In the 4th stanza the tone of the verse form turns darker and the talker begins to detect things other than the adult female. her vocal. and the ocean. He claims that it was her voice that made the sky clearer and the ocean belonged to her and her vocal entirely. He and his comrade realize that the lone universe for her was the â€Å"one she sang and. vocalizing. made. † In the 7th stanza we learn the name of the speaker’s comrade: Ramon Fernandez. He ( the talker ) asks Ramon why things looked different after the enigma adult female finished her vocal ; her vocal made the metropolis visible radiations brighter and more enrapturing than they were earlier. At this point we realize that the talker has had an epiphany. Some c ritics say that the speaker’s epiphany was Stevens’ manner of demoing the importance of art. Without it. and in this instance without vocal. we would neer be able to see the universe clearly. The woman’s vocal opened up the talkers eyes to the visible radiation of the universe around him. and in bend the verse form itself opened up our eyes. The verse form focuses on the perceptual experience of imaginativeness and world. In this verse form. world pertains to the entirety of all things possessing actuality. being or kernel ; imaginativeness. on the other manus. gaining controls and interprets world so an person is able to make their ain significance of the given universe. and get away the facts of being through their ain sense of creativeness and inventiveness. At the beginning of the verse form the talker seeks an reply to whether the vocal exists through an external world or within his ability to explicate this into something personal. Throughout his walk the talker neer genuinely determines whether the vocal is an external world or within his ain imaginativeness. Stevens proposes that the vocal is neither. since one is non able to be without the other. Near the terminal of the verse form. the talker muses upon the woman’s vocal and determines that she is both of vocal and sea. therefore his enjoyment is derived out of a merger of his imaginativeness construing the voice along with an externa l consciousness of his environing world. Above all. Stevens gaining controls and portrays this subject through his apprehension of the human status which perceives the inhuman as homo. Throughout â€Å"The Idea of Order at Key West† the storyteller apparently attempts to separate whether the vocal he hears is the sea’s waves singing to the woman’s voice. or if the singer’s melody is his imagination’s perceptual experience of the ocean. To reply this inquiry. Stevens suggest that the storyteller must look into and acknowledge the difference between imaginativeness and world. Since the sea is an external nature which causes a meaningless â€Å"constant cry† and can non be â€Å"formed to mind or voice† . the storyteller must separate the ocean’s image and counterpart through the vocalist. Likewise. her ability to express the sound of the moving ridges â€Å"word by word† helps to transform the inhuman vocal of the sea into the wholly human vocal of the adult female. Furthermore. as the vocalist steps and interprets her vocal ; the ocean likewise analyzes and follows the Torahs of nature. As the talker begins to comprehend that the vocal is more than the sea simply singing through the woman’s voice. he begins to experience a sense of ineffability which goes beyond the mere linguistic communication of the melody and experience of his walk. Therefore in stanza 20 eight he states: â€Å"But it was more than that. more even than her voice. and ours† The storyteller begins to accept the enigma behind the song’s cloud nine and acquires the melody as the driving spirit of all the external worlds in his presence. This realisation of the song’s ineffability makes â€Å"the sky acutest at its vanishing† ( 35 ) and â€Å"measured to the hr at its solitude† . For Stevens. these Acts of the Apostless of reading are basically human Acts of the Apostless which help people come in touch with themselves and the universe around them in order to see the joys of being one with both themselves and nature. Within the concluding lines of the verse form. Stevens’ links the rubric by linking with and associating to our desire for ordered experiences and sympathizes among us since we ever try to do the cold homo. Therefore at the stoping. the woman’s vocal guides the storyteller and helps to unclutter the vision between the order which humans seek of the natural universe: â€Å"O! Blessed fury for order† . Likewise this awareness opens â€Å"fragrant portals† . The â€Å"fragrant portals† are of import because they open a new door to an enlightening new self-awareness. Furthermore. as storyteller begins to grok the message of the woman’s vocal. he realizes that the vocal allowed him to see order in the universe. Additionally. the vocal produces from within him a desire to make his ain vocal. in order to interact and match with the imaginativeness of others merely like adult female has done to his. Stevens’ apprehension of the human status serves a great intent in â€Å"The Idea of Order at Key West† . Stevens portrays the narrator’s experiences through the contemplation of his ideas. When the voice comes along he begins to alter his manner of thought because she helps him understand and go witting of the semblance of his imaginativeness. Through the linguistic communication of â€Å"The Idea of Order at Key West† Wallace Stevens expresses his perceptual experience of the universe. His ideas and linguistic communication go his instruments that craft the verse form. Through the readers of the verse form. Stevens gaining controls and engages them: â€Å"It is the witness and non life. which art truly mirrors† ( Oscar Wilde ) As the witness mirrors this signifier of art and interprets intending into the work’s allurement. they going cultivated and enlightened. As a poet. Wallace Stevens believed that poesy should be similar to a work of ar t. And like a work of art. Stevens’ poesy helps his readers discover order in a helter-skelter universe.