On 9 July 1943, the Allied Forces initiated the invasion of Sicily, or “Operation Husky”. This invasion was the largest amphibious operation conducted during World War II and utilized over 2,590 vessels and involved approximately a half million soldiers, sailors, and airmen. While this invasion was a victory for the Allies and provided them with a launch pad for its invasion of Italy, senior leaders made many mistakes in their planning, execution, decision making, and coordination. As a result, analysis of this operation provides excellent lessons learned that are still relevant today for future joint commanders and staff. Lastly, of the six joint functions integrated into joint or combined operations, this paper focuses on evaluating, at the…
This force had one Cruiser, the ENS. Iron; two Battleships, the ENS. Protector and the ENS. Cerne`; and a Destroyer, the ENS. Scott for fighting than two transports, the ENS. Brigade and the E.S. Neutral for transporting the few Howitzers, small Artillery, and soldiers. High Admiral Harrison Cannon was in charge of the Battle Force and Major Thomas Ventier was in charge of the ground troops. They were traveling to Dallica to meet the Hashkinian…
However, Lieutenant Colonel Cohen had a bad case of hemorrhoids and was unable to lead the mission. Lieutenant Colonel Cohen’s operations officer, Captain Baum was appointed to lead the mission in his stead.5 Baum’s forces consisted of ten medium Sherman tanks, six recon light tanks, three self-propelled one-hundred five millimeter guns,…
The seaborne aspects of Operation Overlord were known as Operation Neptune, and involved the embarkation of the troops, their transport across the English Channel, and their landings at Normandy. The Neptune forces were also responsible for providing covering gunfire during the landings and for continued supply operations following the landings.…
Alpha company, 1st Ranger Battalion; The principles of mission command will be used to analyze…
Executed well by General Scott, the amphibious attack was a new tool that the military had in its possession. Later in the Atlantic theater of the Spanish-American War, a battalion of 650 Marines would use the amphibious assault to secure Guantanamo Bay, Cuba as an American refiling and servicing station. This successful amphibious operation would provide insight into the future as in the 1920s, the Marine Corps would grow to specialize in amphibious attacks. This would allow them to remain a separate branch from the Army. The foundation laid at Vera Cruz for military cooperation and amphibious operations would become essential to the military as they would help secure American interests overseas. This would mark the beginning of the United States’ influence and prominence throughout the world. The Battle of Vera Cruz proved that the Army and Navy could work together. A strong relationship between the two branches was essential, because as technology would continue to develop, the fight for American sovereignty would continue to get…
Operation Overload, as it was technically called, is the largest amphibious operation in history. It started on June 6th, 1944 in Normandy, France. Even with the extensive planning, General Norman Cota, a strong operational leader, warned his troops to expect the unexpected. There were minimal German forces defending the area, concluding that Operation Bodyguard had worked. 14,674 sorties(one round trip to target and back by plane) were flown in a mere 8 hours. During the invasion, Dwight D. Eisenhower, A five star general and later, the 34th president of the United States, talked in a broadcast to the people of German-occupied Europe promising their liberation. Strategy on D-Day was critically important to this massive invasion. For example, two bridges, called the Pegasus and Horsa bridges were key for German reinforcements to reach Normandy. The night before the attack, two gliders landed near these bridges, carrying a couple Allied soldiers. The soldiers easily defeated the German guards and captured the bridges. This prevented reinforcements from meeting the landing troops. Allied troops were dropped out of planes to capture the Merville battery. The anti-aircraft guns on the battery scared the pilots and the paratroopers were dropped too early and critical supplies like mortars, radios, and mine detectors were lost or too damaged to use. Even with these problems, the Allied troops ousted out the…
13. Who commanded Allied forces in the Philippines and would be in charge of the Pacific Theatre during WWII? Douglas MacArthur…
Allied forces evolved into a naval strategy of convoy and avoidance in the Atlantic. Corbett’s naval strategy was based on the concepts of strategic defense, command of the sea for defensive purposes, non-concentration of the fleet, and not focusing on a decisive battle. Mahan’s naval strategy was based on the concepts of offense, concentration, and engaging an enemy’s main fleet. The Allied application of sea power in the European theater exemplified almost every characteristic of Corbett’s defensive and non-concentration strategies. Mahan’s naval strategy was far more offensive than what the Allies attempted in the European theater. The Allied strategy concentrated on protecting shipping with convoys and not seeking out offensive contact with German naval forces. While the Allied application of sea power was defensive, its application of air power related to the CBO was…
Admiral Chester Nimitz decided towards the end of the summer in 1942, that the 2nd Marine Raider Battalion or “Carlson’s Raiders,” would conduct what would later become one of the most famous special operations missions of the entire war. The Makin Raid came about after the U.S. Navy’s defense of Midway two months prior . As Admiral Nimitz began to plan his next operation, he realized he needed a huge diversion to commit the Japanese forces in the opposite direction. The decision was the Raiders would conduct a submarine launched operation. This operation would be conducted in conjunction with Operation Cactus, better known as the Battle of Guadalcanal. The plan was aimed at delaying the advance of the Japanese…
forces land. The first U.S. Marine Division was commanded by Major-General Alexander Vandegrift, who had a lot of men in it that had no combat experience. Vandegrift was told that the men would have time to train when they were in the Pacific, but by the end of June, half of the division still had not been in the war zone and the attack was five weeks away. The whole forces were lacking in reliable maps, tide charts, and etc. The ones that were used were lacking the basics of details. The naval force had no charts for hazards underwater, so they could not calculate how far inshore a ship could go. Because of theses issues, it was agreed to put back the day of the attack from August 1st to August 4th and then to August…
Battle of Leyte was intended to be the last battle for the tired and battle tested military soldiers; but, in an abrupt change of plans the Marines decided to enact Operation Scavenger, the US Bomber raid, on Iwo Jima that paved the way for Operation Detachment, the land raid. The military goal:…
Principal Commanders: Brig. Gen. Irvin McDowell [US]; Brig. Gen. Joseph E. Johnston and Brig. Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard [CS]…
The Battle of Iwo Jima (19 February – 26 March 1945) was a pivotal conflict during World War II characterized by some of the fiercest fighting in the Pacific Campaign. For Japan, Iwo Jima served as their last line of defense protecting their homeland from the Allied advancements. Japan knew the strategic significance of the island for both Allied and Axis powers and was equally certain that the U. S. would seek to secure it. Resolved that America would pay a huge price for every inch of ground gained, The Battle of Iwo Jima become the bloodiest battle of World War II and remains the most costly of battles in Marine Corps history. Three Marine Divisions conducted an amphibious landing and assault to destroy one heavily defended Japanese Division on the 7.5 square mile island of Iwo Jima. The 36-day assault claimed 6,766 U.S. lives and nearly 20,000 wounded. For the Japanese, the loss was even more staggering with only 1,083 survivors of the original 21,060 defenders. General Tadamichi Kuribayashi, the commander for Japanese forces, “proved to be Japan’s greatest wartime general and…the most redoubtable adversary” for the United States. Kuribayashi displayed brilliant leadership and tactical application of strategic objectives, as he skillfully employed the art and science of mission command in his epic defense of Iwo Jima.…
Emptiness is the feeling you get at 2 A.M when you look at your old Facebook photos, smiling at the old photos of yourself, and realize the people who made you smile, laugh, and giggle are no longer around. You look at these photos as a journey down memory lane but in reality deep down somewhere, you wish you could experience these moments just once more. There’s nothing wrong with having a glance at the past but substituting the past for the present and yearning for it is dangerous. The past has a captivating effect that makes us fall in love it because it helps ignite a sense of happiness and comfortability. You can see the idea of never wanting to let go of the past go in “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner. “A Rose…