Battles

The Battle of Gettysburg (local i/??? t? sb? r? /, with an /s/ sound),[6] was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It was the battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War[7] and is often described as the war’s turning point. [8] Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade’s Army of the Potomac defeated attacks by Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia, ending Lee’s invasion of the North.

After his success at Chancellorsville in Virginia in May 1863, Lee led his army through the Shenandoah Valley to begin his second invasion of the North—the Gettysburg Campaign. With his army in high spirits, Lee intended to shift the focus of the summer campaign from war-ravaged northern Virginia and hoped to influence Northern politicians to give up their prosecution of the war by penetrating as far as Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, or even Philadelphia. Prodded by President Abraham Lincoln, Maj.

Gen. Joseph Hooker moved his army in pursuit, but was relieved just three days before the battle and replaced by Meade. Elements of the two armies initially collided at Gettysburg on July 1, 1863, as Lee urgently concentrated his forces there, his objective being to engage the Union army and destroy it. Low ridges to the northwest of town were defended initially by a Union cavalry division under Brig. Gen. John Buford, and soon reinforced with two corps of Union infantry.

However, two large Confederate corps assaulted them from the northwest and north, collapsing the hastily developed Union lines, sending the defenders retreating through the streets of town to the hills just to the south. On the second day of battle, most of both armies had assembled. The Union line was laid out in a defensive formation resembling a fishhook. In the late afternoon of July 2, Lee launched a heavy assault on the Union left flank, and fierce fighting raged at Little Round Top, the Wheatfield, Devil’s Den, and the Peach Orchard.

On the Union right, demonstrations escalated into full-scale assaults on Culp’s Hill and Cemetery Hill. All across the battlefield, despite significant losses, the Union defenders held their lines. On the third day of battle, July 3, fighting resumed on Culp’s Hill, and cavalry battles raged to the east and south, but the main event was a dramatic infantry assault by 12,500 Confederates against the center of the Union line on Cemetery Ridge, known as Pickett’s Charge.

The charge was repulsed by Union rifle and artillery fire, at great losses to the Confederate army. Lee led his army on a torturous retreat back to Virginia. Between 46,000 and 51,000 soldiers from both armies were casualties in the three-day battle. That November, President Lincoln used the dedication ceremony for the Gettysburg National Cemetery to honor the fallen Union soldiers and redefine the purpose of the war in his historic Gettysburg Address.

Emotion is a word that best represents the feeling of a person. An individual can have more than one emotion and explore how it impacts him/herself as a whole. The growth of an individual is well attached to their emotions; and often times, emotions are used as a weakness. However, weakness of emotion also allows for growth in an individual. In the novel Soucouyant, written by the Canadian author, David Chariandy explores the theme emotion as weakness. Chariandy explores this common theme, as the growth of the character develops using the relationship between the mother and son.

This relationship is used to show how different emotions have been created in use of a weakness to the character. Caramba, the son of an ill mother, tries to the best of his ability to be a successful care taker. However, the emotions of Caramba unfold as he reveals how he truly feels. Caramba learns to overcome his guilt about abandoning his mother as he comes to terms with his remorse that portrays his anger, his mother’s failing memory that connects to his childhood and the patience he discovers he has when care-taking for her. However, the result leads to Caramba crumbling furthermore inside and attempts to commit suicide.

The growth of the character will slowly unfold the weaknesses caused by emotion in connection to the actions of the character. There are several different emotions that a human can feel. There are times where emotions over take the power and ability to control our minds. The greatest difficulty one can experience is to feel that they are responsible for a problem which has no solution to it. Just as Caramba, the protagonist of the novel, shows how he let his emotions over-rule his ability to think with a stable mind. The fact that his mother is unwell and he cannot help her frustrates him.

His anger is shown as he screams “…because she’s not just some goddamned patient of yours, she’s my mother…! ” (Chariandy 82). The frustration of Caramba and the anger he holds within himself shows as he yells at the nurse for treating his mother as an ordinary patient. The emotions of Caramba over took his sense to think straight, causing an outburst which created a moment of weakness for him. The emotion allows the character to evolve showing how much he cares for his mother. As the protagonist realizes this, he pitches in a helping hand to the nurse trying to fix his mother a meal.

However, patience is lost by him when his mother does not reply to him. He then shouted to his mother, “can you shut up and tell me, Mother? Can you please just shut up for a moment and tell me? ” (Chariandy 46). The character conveys his emotion of anger as he does not get a response from his mother when trying to help her. Caramba’s character understands and acknowledges the way he had spoken to his mother which appalled him and all the others. It is evident from this quote however, that Caramba understood the indecency in which he spoke to his mother allowing him to better recognize that he cannot repeat that mistake once again.

The constant battle with his inner self presents itself yet again as he cries to the nurse screaming in a fit of rage “who the f*** are you to judge me, anyway? ” (Chariandy 85). Caramba learns from this outbreak how much he is hurt deep down inside for leaving his mother and realizes that his inner conflict with himself has taken over him. As much as he tries to act normal and speak politely, he finds himself losing his anger in fits of rage making him understand how much trouble he is having coping with his mother’s illness and his absence from her.

The unmistakable remorse and guilt are both apparent and these huge outbursts were just a cry of anger for him to release how he truly felt. The fact that he had his emotions trapped inside him troubled him and caused these flare-ups. However, the growth of his character through these explosions of anger fighting his inner conflict made him realize that his guilt and remorse cannot be an excuse to justify his actions and rude behavior. The growth of his character shows, as he understands that his emotions were just a weak moment for him to cry out loud by releasing anger to those in front of him.

Caramba’s development shows for every single quote and supports the thesis showing an inner conflict which he expresses by crying aloud in anger to his mother and the nurse. Eventually, he understands that he cannot continuously carry the burden of his mother’s illness upon his shoulders. He learns to accept that his mother’s condition is not due to him leaving her. Caramba’s behavior proves how anger is used as a weakness as the guilt he had within himself for leaving her is still existent. He understands after each of these incidents that he needs to overcome the guilt and continue living ithout guilt or sorrow. A person’s past can play a huge role in their present. The connection that’s created may form a greater effect on the person more than the present moment they may be living. Other times, the connection from childhood memories to present day may introduce a sense of vulnerability. Caramba, the main character witnesses this happening to him as he reminisces of the past. He tries to see into his mother’s expression and cannot do so. This makes him wonder what is going through the mind of his very ill mother.

He thinks to himself, “I remember Mother looking up into a cloudless sky, an infinite blue. I couldn’t read the expression on her face. After this, everything seemed to change. ” (Chariandy 38). As much as he wanted to understand what his mother was thinking, it was difficult for him to do. Therefore, he left his mother alone letting her stay at peace with her own thoughts. Moreover, the bond of the two became stronger as they spent more quality time together. The growth of his character shows in the time that he spends with his mother reconnecting his bond and has flashbacks of memories.

He understands he cannot help her but also realizes that he cannot see her as she is either. Caramba does not like to know about his mother’s illness and what stage it has processed to as he was just a little boy at the time. They visited the doctor once as a family for his mother; the doctor provided them with information about the condition his mother has. Returning home, he tried to read through the pamphlets provided and wasn’t strong enough to fulfill his need of becoming knowledgeable about his mother’s condition. His actions spoke louder than his words. Caramba thought, “I couldn’t use this.

I couldn’t go further. I put the pamphlet back and joined Mother in the living room, determined to see her my own way. ” (Chariandy 41). The vulnerability of Caramba exceeded far beyond words as he was a little boy at the time who wanted to believe his mother was not suffering from a serious case of Dementia. This allowed for a stronger bond between mother and son, as he did everything he could to help her through her illness as a child. The fact that he was not able to help her financially, being so young made him feel sad which is why he just wanted to view his mother in his own way; normal.

Coming back to present day in the novel, as he returns home to see his mother, he sees first-hand how fragile she’s become. The older she got, the sicker she became. However, despite being so old and ill, she still knew how to have a good time. Mother and son got up for a dance and he was impressed at his mother`s memory. Caramba thinks “She moves briskly about the room. I struggle to keep up, astonished both by her energy and her memory of the moves. ” (Chariandy 44). The bond between them grew even more so as they dance with one another. Caramba is speechless seeing his mother dancing and remembering every move as he struggles to keep up.

This makes him feel fragile while she demonstrates the stronger character despite being ill. He feels weak and does not know how to express his feelings of vulnerability and astonishment at the same time. The growth of Caramba is impacted throughout the novel with vulnerability and flashbacks of his childhood strengthening the bond between mother and son. As he better understands that he cannot be blamed, rather help her with her illness like his childhood days; he would be happier. However, the little boy inside of him feels helpless trying to understand how his mother can remember some things and not others.

The failing memory of Caramba’s mother proves how fragile Caramba had become. He understands that his past and present are two different times. However, there are times when Caramba is reminded of his past, proving this to be a weakness for him. His emotions take control of him as he realizes the difference in his mother and himself from the past and the present. Patience is a virtue, so it’s said. It’s much easier to rehearse the saying then it is to demonstrate it. However, Caramba shows patience fairly well as he understands that the condition his mother is suffering from is not his fault.

Instead of feeling guilty further, he could help her with the things she is nott capable of doing herself which is exactly what he does. As he knows his mother does not have the ability to do much for herself, he becomes more caring and nurturing, and helps her with everything he possibly can. Caramba says, “I can bathe you. You can? I can do it too. I’m your son. She nods warily at this. I accept the bag of sugar from her and guide her upstairs to the bathroom. ” (Chariandy 83). Although there is a nurse to provide assistance to Caramba’s mother, he chooses to help his mother on his own showing patience opposed to outbursts of anger.

He really shows patience with his mother as he leads her upstairs to bathe her. This mother and son time also strengthens the bond between them helping him to stay patient longer when helping her. His character builds a stronger support system by helping his mother with his every task and creates an awareness and strength for greater patience as well. His mother has an accident shortly after she had been bathed and Caramba being kind and caring tries to help her yet again. However, this time around, he was in for a surprise as his mother refuses his help feeling embarrassed at the incident that had occurred.

Caramba witnesses “She’s soiled herself again and she’s standing in a corner of her room with liquid clots running down her legs, her face breaking. ‘It’s alright, Mother. Let’s go to the bathroom and clean up. No. Go away. Come, Mother. We have to go now. No! Go away! Way, way. Don’t be silly, Mother, you can’t stay in that…state. Leave me! ’ She screams. ” (Chariandy 84-85). Caramba was brave and extremely patient with his mother knowing that it was not going to be easy to make her understand that it was going to be alright.

Therefore, he slowly tried to make his way and instead, his mother screamed aloud as if he’d done something wrong. Despite the loud screaming and shock that he felt, he still stayed calm and tried to help his mother into another set of clothing after bathing her yet again. Caramba demonstrated patience very well in these events that occurred. The fact that he was not able to explain to his mother in words how he could help her however, show her when the opportunities were granted increased his tolerance for his mother; allowing him to present his patience.

Caramba had the opportunity to display his patience once more when his mother grew a little older and acted more childish than ever before. He said, “I eventually persuade her to trust me with the fuzzy noose”. (Chariandy 108). These series of events caused Caramba to recognize how much his mother needed him, built patience and made him understand that this was the only way he could really overcome his guilt for leaving her in the beginning. He became more aware for his mother’s needs and satisfied her by taking care of her.

Patience really portrayed the weakness as an emotion for Caramba because his patience was limited before. Though, he began to understand better that his mother’s illness is not of his fault which means there was no need for guilt. Once he overcame his guilty feeling that had been hurting him for so long, he realized the more he lent a helping hand to his mother, the more she would appreciate him and their bond would strengthen. The strength and patience used by Caramba is shown as a weakness because he slowly breaks apart inside himself.

He examines his ill mother very carefully and tries to take care of her the best he is capable of doing so. He watches his mother become sicker however, still shows endurance until the end. Emotions always play a big role in a person’s life as they are the main key to understanding people. Caramba, the protagonist of the novel, tries his levels best in trying to understand his very sick mother. As he tries to do so, he understands many things which allow him to make an emotional connection. Caramba overcame his guilty feeling that had possession of him for a long period of time.

He understood that his character developed more as he accomplished relieving himself of anger, strengthening his bond with his mother with her empowerment to lose memory, and patience being used to help her with her inabilities to fulfill tasks. In conclusion, emotion is portrayed as weakness and shows how a human can express and grow from how they may be feeling. Emotions should never be able to control our minds and disable our ability to think wisely and correctly. Moreover, emotions should be used to explore and understand ourselves better.

The Battle of the Somme started in July 1, 1916 and lasted until November 1916 between France and Germany. History considers this battle as the bloodiest of all battles in World War I. In the article “The Battle of the Somme”, the historical perspective of the Battle is outlined. This battle traces its origins from the many severe losses that the French had been experiencing at Verdun – to the east of Paris.

The British Allied High Command, taking sympathy with the French losses, decided to attack the Germans to the north of Verdun thereby driving the Germans away from the Verdun battlefield.

The battle at the Somme started with a weeklong artillery bombardment of the German lines where an estimated 1. 7 million shells were fired. By November 1916, when the battle ended, the British had lost 420,000, the French lost nearly 200,000 men and the Germans 500,000. (“The Battle of Somme”) Many historians agree that the neither the French and British nor the Germans won in this costliest battle to date. For many years, those who led the British campaign have received a lot of criticism for the way the Battle of Somme was fought – especially Douglas Haig.

(“The Battle of the Somme”). This criticism was based on the many lives that were lost in the battle and the insignificant gains that either parties got in exchange for those massive losses. The British and French captured only a little more than five miles (8 km) at the deepest point of penetration—well short of their original objectives. The British themselves had gained approximately only two miles and lost about 420,000 soldiers in the process, meaning that a centimeter cost about two men.

(“Battle of Somme”) What does this tell us? There are no victors in wars, only losers. This fact bears tremendous implications not only on Western civilization but on all civilizations that wage wars against one another. BIBLIOGRAPHY Battle of the Somme. Wikipedia. 2000. (http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Somme) Sheffield, Gary. The Somme, Cassell, 2003. The Battle of the Somme. 2000. (http://www. historylearningsite. co. uk/somme. htm)

The battle of the sexes has raged on as long as anyone can remember. Each sex, at some point, has either wanted or believed they had the upper hand over the other. It can be in the form of a power struggle or manipulation that one sex proves itself dominant over the other. Many times they find that they are evenly matched. The power balance in today’s society is fairly balanced. We have men who show deep feeling and women who are aggressive and harsh. We also have the opposite in both sexes.

Science is still working to discover how much our DNA affects our sex in terms of aggressiveness, affections and other factors in relationships. Science has yet to prove that there is a battle of the sexes at genetic level. Therefore much of it is dictated by society and its expectations of a particular sex. These expectations change through time and there are always exceptions to the rules. There was a time when women were dominant in certain areas, such as the household and men were relegated to dominate out of doors.

There are other times where males are completely dominant and the female submissive. The roles change back and forth through time, each time getting a little more evenly balanced between the sexes. For the most part, today’s society see men and women as equals. There are still issues to be addressed but for the most part we are equal in almost everything. The movie “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, is set in present time and shows both sexes as equally driven to succeed. Andi, the main female, is a modern woman who believes most relationships fail because men just don’t understand the female mind.

She believes that men allow themselves be driven off due to certain things women tend to do in relationships. She also believes that men don’t want to put forth the effort that a true relationship takes to succeed. She sets out to prove this by betting her boss she can “lose a guy in 10 days” by doing everything that is usually the death of a relationship. She picks out a man named Ben and sets to work. Andi is a modern woman who believes that she is an equal in every way to the male in a relationship and even superior at times.

She does everything she can to prove her point. She tries things such as clinging, mentioning marriage, calling his mother and many others. Ben, the main male, believes that women want to fall in love and make that the goal of a relationship when they meet a man. He believes that by telling a woman what she wants to hear and overlooking her “quirks” men can make any woman fall in love with them. He too makes a bet with his co workers that he can get a woman to fall in love with in 10 days. He picks Andi at the same time she picks him.

Both believe that they understand the opposite sex better than the other and can gain the upper hand in a relationship. Ben is shown as an over confident male who thinks ignoring all the things she is doing will make her fall in love him within 10 days. Outwardly he overlooks her buying a dog “for them”, interrupting his poker games and similar incidents but inwardly he is cringing. He cannot figure out how she turned into such a clingy, needy, marriage minded woman so quickly. Andi, for her part, cannot believe he has not yet called the relationship off.

Both find that without all the games and manipulation, they are on equal ground and the male-female relationship does not have to be a contest and their perceptions of the opposite sex were not always correct. In the movie, “The Wedding Crashers”, the two main male characters, John and Jeremy, have been breaking hearts for years. They believe that flirting and sex are fine as long as they do not get attached. They portrayed as not believing love is worth the risk you must take to get it. If you fall in love, you get hurt so avoiding commitment of any sort is one of their most basic rules.

They crash weddings to pick up bridesmaids, whom they will never see again and enjoy woman after woman with no regrets. They are successful in business and do not think of the future as it pertains to love. In the 1990, where this movie is set, men are still portrayed as being a more knowledgeable regarding the opposite sex. They believe if they say the right things and keep it casual they are safe from being pulled into a relationship. The women in the film, Claire and her sister Gloria, approach the male –female relationship from opposite directions.

Claire is self assured and believes herself to be too smart to fall for the usual pickup lines and manipulations. She holds herself at a distance to causing men to have to approach her rather than approaching them. Gloria is manipulative and aggressive. She is a cheerful and persistent pursuer and does not allow herself to be deterred. Both women reflect the modern woman in different ways. Claire shows it with her self assurance and Gloria with her belief that she can be the aggressor in a relationship. Both are facets of the era we live in and there is no right or wrong in these representations.

As the characters find out, both sexes can be the user or the used, depending on the circumstance. Claire has the power to draw the men to her by being aloof or unobtainable, thereby issuing a challenge to the males to overcome her barriers. She is diplomatic but does not meet a man halfway. She likes to control the situation on her terms. Gloria is the complete opposite of her sister and goes after her chosen man with using all her wiles. She is sweet one minute and throwing a tantrum the next, all the while keeping her intended fascinated by her mercurial moods.

She has no problem initiating sex and as with most present day women, is not afraid to admit she has a sex drive. Claire is not a prudish woman but chooses more carefully then her impulsive sister. Gloria tends to be needier than Claire, clinging to her chosen man because she worries her clinging will drive him off. Claire is presented as a strong woman who will take only the right man and not just anyone who happens along. When John falls for Claire, Jeremy is stunned and dismayed. He urges John to remember the rules they followed. , who wants an immediate commitment from him.

While John is trying to woo Claire, who remains just out of reach, Jeremy is targeted by Gloria. She begins to pursue him so intensely that she frightens him. The couples are shown as opposites of each other with the female aggressor in one relationship and the male aggressor in the other. It shows the modern day balance that both sexes have worked hard to achieve and maintain. The results are both couples finding out that both mixes work and they really want to continue their . relationships. The Philadelphia Story is set in the 40s and the main female, Tracy Lord, is a rich, spoiled woman used to getting her way.

She has beauty and she has money and that is what really matters in that society. With those two things, she can treat a man anyway she likes and be admired for it. People consider her strong and willful but consider it her right to be so. Of all the characters in this movie, the female Tracy, wields most of the power. While the husbands are given certain due simply because they are men, she uses all the expected female wiles and they capitulate. The males are shown as expected to cater to the woman’s whims because she is a rich and beautiful prize.

The female acts as she is expected to and in return makes demands of the men that must be filled, lest she move on to the next beau. This was an age of romance as well and both men and women were portrayed as romantic at heart. The males are also shown as having a softer side. Tracy breaks up with her groom, George, because he misunderstood a situation and didn’t believe what she told him happened. He storms out, leaving a church full of wedding guests and everything set to go. Another man offers to step in but it is ex husband Dexter, who has been in love with her since they divorced, who marries Tracy.

In the time of “The Philadelphia Story” women were expected to draw the men to them, rather than pursue them openly. There were always exceptions to this rule, especially for the extremely wealthy. Women were to be ladylike at all times, however, this gave them power even as it took some from them. Men could openly pursue a lady but if she chose to play coy or hard to get, they would have to work hard to win her favor. Men were portrayed as sophisticated and suave. They were the aggressors, but only to the point that they be the chosen one.

They still had to curry favor from the female to keep her as their prize. Women were admired more for wealth, beauty and elegance in those days than for intelligence or imagination. Today’s expectations of the sexes are much different for most people. Women are accepted as equally intelligent, imaginative and brave. We now have women in combat; this does not reflect on them as women, it enhances their appeal. Men are doing cooking shows and designing clothing. There are still diving lines in some areas but we are making progress as shown in the films and in life.

Blustain, S. (2000, November). The New Gender Wars. Psychology Today, 33, 42. Cohan, S. (1997). Masked Men: Masculinity and the Movies in the Fifties. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press. Connell, Robert William: Gender and Power, Cambridge: University Press 1987 Essentials of Sociology (2005) Appelbaum,R. , Duneier, M. & Giddius, A. Website: http://www2. wwnorton. com/college/soc/essoc/reviews/ch09. asp Galician, M. (2004). Sex, Love & Romance in the Mass Media: Analysis & Criticism of Unrealistic Portrayals & Their Influence. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003) starring Kate Hudson, Matthew McCaughey and Adam Goldberg. Directed by Donald Petrie, Paramount Studios The Philadelphia Story (1940) starring Katherine Hepburn, Cary Grant and James Stewart, Directed by George Cukor, Warner Bros. The Wedding Crashers (2005) starring Owen C Wilson, Vince Vaughn, Christopher Walkin Directed by David Dobkin, New Line Home Entertainment Channel 14 Battle of the Sexes Website: http://www. channel4. com/science/microsites/B/battle_sexes/ Wikipedia (2007): Culture and Gender Roles Website: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Gender_role#Culture_and_gender_roles

The Battle of Stalingrad was fought from August 23, 1942 to February 2, 1943. Hitler’s attempt to capture the city ended when the Soviets trapped the 300 000-German 6th army under General Friedrich Paulus. The destruction of the mighty 6th army gave the Soviets a psychological lift and military initiative.

For the Germans, the battle signaled the end of the Russian conquest; that is, from a war of conquest to a war of survival. Background On August 1938, Hitler shocked the world by signing a non-aggression pact with his most hated enemy, the Soviet Union.

Both powers agreed not to attack each other for a period of 10 years. A secret protocol called for a division of Eastern Europe between the two powers. Confident that the Soviets would not intervene with his military plans, Hitler proceeded to attack Poland. On September 1, 1939, German armored formation, supported by the Luftwaffe, smashed into the Polish borders, trapping thousands of Polish soldiers before they could organize a general retreat into Eastern Poland. Two days later, Britain and France declared war on Germany. Two weeks later, Soviet forces occupied Eastern Poland, as part of the Nazi-Soviet Pact.

Poland was obliterated from the map of Europe. Hitler now turned his attention to the West. After eight months of interregnum, German forces aided by the powerful Luftwaffe, struck at France, Belgium, Norway, Denmark, and the Netherlands. The British were trapped at Dunkerque. French forces were defeated in a matter of four weeks. With France defeated, Hitler now turned his attention to his hated ally, the Soviet Union. On June 22, 1941, three German army groups, numbering about 3. 1 million men struck at the Soviet Union. The Soviets were caught by surprise.

On the first day alone, 1 million Soviets were either killed, capture, or injured; 1400 aircraft were destroyed, 500 guns were either destroyed or captured. After three days, the Soviets lost almost 80% of their armored formations in the East. Four Panzer armies drove towards Moscow. The arrival of the so-called ‘Siberian units’ (numbering about 1 million men) and the harshness of the 1941 winter finally drove the Germans from the outskirts of Moscow. Both sides rested. Hitler, however, planned another campaign in the Southern sector of the front. Operation Blue

On May 1942, German forces smashed across the Southern sector of the Eastern Front. Again, Soviet forces were caught by surprise. The Germans drove into the river Don, and prepared a massive assault on the river Volga (where Stalingrad was located). Two German panzer armies took the Caucasus on the following month. The 2nd and 4th Romanian armies as well as the 8th Italian army aided the German Sixth army in the crossing of the river Volga. By the 1st of August, additional armor was transferred to the 6th Army for the final capture of the city of Stalingrad.

Marshal Georgy Zhukov anticipated this and ordered Soviet forces to encircle the 6th Army. Setting the Stage for the Battle In the Southern sector of the front, Hitler possessed superior forces. German forces numbered about 1. 7 million men, or about 76 divisions. Operation Blue called for the use of 3 panzer armies; two of which would drove into the Caucasus. One panzer army would drive straight into Stalingrad (refer to map1). On the eve of Blue, Germany still retained the element of surprise. For the Soviets, the defense of Stalingrad and other key cities around the Volga rested on the newly formed Soviet army reserves.

Much of the Don steppes (refer to map2) were ideal for armored maneuvers. Field Marshal Fedor von Bock once argued to Hitler that the best way to destroy the Soviet army is to launch a massive attack around the river Volga. Hitler, however, insisted that the main thrust of the attack should be around the Caucasus Mountains. Much of the strength of the Soviet army laid on its newly formed armored formations and the reserve armies, and of course, the channels of defenses around key cities in the Volga region (refer to map 3). Stalin allocated only about 20% of the whole Soviet forces to the Southern sector, expecting an attack around Moscow.

At the start of Blue, 10 Soviet armies were hastily sent to the South to counter the 3 panzer armies and the 7 German infantry and satellite armies. It can be argued that whilst the Soviet held the upper hand in the northern and central sector of the front, in the south, the German initially outnumbered the Soviets by almost 3:1. At the start of the battle of Stalingrad, all Soviet reserves were thrown into Stalingrad in a bid to encircle the German 6th army. When the German 6th Army entered the city on August 23, about 5 Soviet tank armies were massing around the river Volga.

Only the 4th Panzer Army was in proximity to support the 6th Army in case of a major Soviet offensive. Most of the armor were allocated to the army group in the Caucasus region. The Battle The first phase of the battle of Stalingrad involved the direct assault of the German 6th Army and the German 4th Panzer Army to 8 Soviet armies of the Stalingrad front (refer to map4). Fighting in the Don steppes reached its height on the end of July when 2 Soviet tank armies tried to outmaneuver both the 6th Army and the 4th Panzer army. It would take 4 weeks before the German army could liquidate the 2 tank armies.

The Soviet army retreated into the interior of the Volga region in preparation of a massive German attack on the Stalingrad. Stalin now reorganized the Stalingrad front. Two infantry armies were reassigned as tank armies. The second phase of the German drive into Stalingrad involved the crossing of the river Volga. The Romanian and Hungarians armies provided the flanks of the 6th Army. The 4th Panzer Army provided the spearhead of the attack. Some armored formations were reallocated to the 6th Army from von Kleist’s 1st Panzer Army. The Soviets retreated to the outskirts of Stalingrad.

Consequently, Stalin ordered the Soviet armies to hold the 6th Army in Stalingrad. He allowed no further withdrawal of the Soviet forces. Between the Don and the Volga, a huge salient was formed occupied by the 62nd and 64th Soviet armies. On August 29, 4th Panzer Army smashed into the southern junction of the 64th Army and headed towards Stalingrad. The 6th Army drove into the northern junction of the 62nd Army (refer to map5). The pressure made by the Soviet 4th Tank Army in the north slowed the progress of the 6th Army, enabling the two Soviet armies to escape encirclement (refer to map6).

The third phase of the battle involved a major German assault on the southern sector of the city. The Luftwaffe dropped thousands of bombs in the city. Paulus ordered the 6th Army to make a frontal assault of the city (which was now surrounded on three sides). German artillery pounded on the Soviet defenses on the Volga. Meanwhile, Soviet reserves continued to pour on the Stalingrad front allowing Zhukov to mount local counterattacks against the 6th Army. As the fight for the city intensified, Stalin reorganized the Soviet fronts, creating the Southwest and Don fronts.

Zhukov’s plan for a major counterattack was simple yet ambitious. Three Soviet armies from the Southwest and Don fronts would drive towards the left flank of the German 6th Army. Two Soviet armies from the Stalingrad front would drive towards the junction of the 6th Army and the 4th Panzer Army (refer to map7). This strategy was designed to trap the 6th Army in Stalingrad. On October 1942, storm was unleashed on the Romanian and Hungarian armies (which served as flanks of the 6th Army). They were easily destroyed. The Soviets pounded the city into rubble.

Although Hitler promised to airlift supplies to the 6th Army, only 100 tons reached daily, far from the 400 tons daily supplies promised by Hitler. From December 1942 to January 1943, the Soviets reduced the Stalingrad pocket by 50%. Hitler’s insistence for the 6th Army to hold out added to its own destruction. Paulus never ordered a major break out of the 6th Army. On February 1943, the headquarters of Paulus was captured by the Soviets. Paulus surrendered to the Soviets on the day of his promotion as field marshal. Weapons/Advantages/Alliances

Most of the German armor used in Blue and the battle of Stalingrad were Mark III and Mark IV, equipped with 50 and 80 mm. guns. Armor ranged from 80 to 100 mm. The famous 88 mm gun was used both as anti-tank and anti-aircraft gun (it was the only anti-tank gun that could destroy the mighty T-34). German airpower relied on two famous aircrafts: the bomber Junker and the Messerschmitt Bf109 (a powerful fighter). German soldiers were highly trained, far from their Soviet counterparts (also in comparison with Germany’s allies: Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Italy).

The Soviet tank armies relied on two powerful tanks: the T-34 (with its 75 mm gun) and the KV100 (a heavy tank). The T-34 tank was suited on all types of weather and could reach a speed of about 70 miles an hour. The Soviets also employed the IL28, a powerful fighter that could in some cases outfought the mighty Bf 109. The advantages of the Germans were as follows: 1) the efficiency and effectiveness of the German General Staff in operational and strategic planning, 2) the level of training of individual German soldiers, 3) the close coordination of German mechanized units and the air force, and 4) flexibility in command structure.

The advantages of the Soviets were as follows: 1) the large size of the Soviet reserve armies, 2) its powerful tank designs (T-34), 3) determination, almost fanatical, of the Soviet armies in defending key cities, and 4) high production of armaments. Situation Report The defeat of the German 6th Army at Stalingrad signaled the end of Hitler’s war of conquest in the East. It initially destroyed the capability of the German to launch another massive operation (except at Kursk). In essence, the defeat gave the Soviets a psychological lift; that is, it was possible for the German army to be defeated.

The strategic victory of the Soviets at Stalingrad allowed Stalin to press for a major Allied counterstrike at North Africa. German pressure in the East was partially relieved. Hitler was now faced a war on two fronts, which he initially prevented by signing the non-aggression pact with Stalin. On the area of operations, much of the German activities after the battle of Stalingrad focused on minor offensive posture, in contrast to the Soviets which could mount major operations (Bagration for example).

In any case, the battle of Stalingrad shifted the favor of war to the Allies, as did in the battle of El Alamein in North Africa. Bibliography Battle of Stalingrad. BBC. PolyGram Video International, 1994. Beevor, Antony. Stalingrad: The Fateful Siege 1942-1943. New York: Viking, 1998. Irving, David. Hitler’s War and the War Path. London: Parforce, 2002. Seaton, Albert. The Russo-German War, 1941-1945. New York: Praeger, 1971. Toynbee, Arnold. A History of the World. London: London Publishing House, 1964. Wells, Herbert. The Outline of History. London: Garden City Books, 1956.