Field Marshal Erich Von Manstein: Prominent Among The German Generals

George Smith Patton Jr. was one of the most aggressive generals the allies had during WWII. As a German official said, “Patton was the smartest and most skillful general during WWII.” Patton was known as “Old Blood and Guts” throughout the end of WWII. If all of this is true then, what kind of an impact did he have on the war?

Omer Bartov’s book Hitler’s Army takes an interesting look into the social constructs of the Wehrmacht during World War II. Bartov proposes a question of was the Wehrmacht Hitler’s Army. By that they mean did the soldiers of the Wehrmacht believe in Nazi ideology and what they were told they were fighting for, or were they simply soldiers fighting because they were told too. Bartov’s ultimate answer is yes they are loyal to Hitler and his ideology, and he is eventually correct. After training a generation mentally and physically from the age of ten through Hitler Youth programs the Wehrmacht became Hitler’s Army and their blind loyalty distorted their morality to carrying out war crimes when believed to be necessary. He reaches this conclusion by analyzing the Wehrmacht’s time in Russia and how that devastating campaign effected the enlisted soldiers. He finds that the only way the Wehrmacht’s moral even survived this was their warped mentality and cohesion between the soldiers due to harsh discipline.

Lee Rayford when he returned to the United States from Italy, where he served with the 99th Fighter Squadron. ca. 1941-1945

When I discuss World War II, invariably my discussion always includes a discourse of two generals, who in my opinion were two of the greatest generals of that war: Erwin Rommel and George S. Patton. Both men were icons for their countries during this greatest of all wars, and they were so similar and different in many ways of their personal and public lives. Patton and Rommel both came from an extensive military training. Rommel joined the local Infantry Regiment as an officer cadet in 1910 and was sent to the Officer Cadet School soon after.

Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 30 Apr. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jagdgeschwader_1_(World_War_I). “Manfred Von Richthofen.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 1 May 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manfred_von_Richthofen. Richthofen, Manfred von.

General S. Patton once said, “Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.” Some may argue that his life was cut short while others may say it was too long. Being a man who fought in World War I and World War II, George S. Patton, Jr. certainly contained a wealth of experience in warfare. Looking at the written history, there were those who seemed to undervalue Patton, as well as those who may have held him much too high. Researchers have many different opinions on Patton’s’ leadership, but the research here will encompass both the positive and the negative aspects of his leadership and surrounding issues while addressing the following questions:

Generals during World War II faced daily innumerable difficult and grave decisions. Critical decisions made during WWII did not have the depth and speed of today’s modern communications infrastructure. Eisenhower quoted, “Making decisions is of the essence in leadership.”1

Operation HUSKY was a dismal display of mission command and integration at the operational level. GEN Eisenhower’s unwillingness to get involved in the planning and execution led to a lack of understanding and mistrust among subordinate leaders ultimately allowing German forces to evacuate to Italy. This essay will evaluate mission command by examining first Eisenhower’s leadership, or lack thereof, and the resultant lack of involvement by his ground commander, GEN Alexander. Resultantly, the two subordinate commanders, Patton and Montgomery, developed their own uncoordinated maneuvers. The essay will apply the joint attributes of commander’s intent, mutual trust and understanding as evaluation criteria to analyze the impacts of poor mission

Student, loyal, arrogant, passionate General George S. Patton was known as many things but above all he was known for his ability to inspire action by leading from the front. While his vision and operational leadership was never in doubt some of his character traits opened him up to controversy. This paper’s focus will not only center on how General Patton’s visionary leadership and unethical behaviors not only effected his career and the lives of his men, but how ultimately his traits influenced the outcome of World War II. This paper will also

The great General George Smith Patton said that “A good solution applied with vigor now is better than a perfect solution applied ten minutes later.” Patton was a great leader and an even better strategist; although, he was a ruthless man who had a love for war and death. While General George Patton’s childhood developed his strategic thinking and cunning leadership, his narcissistic self-promotion led us to victory in World War II.

General McChrystal had a long lineage of military leadership in his family. In 1974, he entered West Point’s US Military academy following in the footsteps of his father. US Army Major General Herbert J. McChrystal Jr., graduated from West Point in 1945. McChrystal was not known for his academic ability and received marginal marks in evaluations, however he received superior marks in leadership. His resilience and determination allowed him to overcome the adversity allowing him to become an exemplary cadet and later one of the Army’s greatest leaders.

Healthcare is a necessity that not everyone has. How can it be provided to everyone? A majority of people, 62%, say it is the government's responsibility to provide health care coverage for all Americans, while others, 37%, say it is not. Editorials from Livestrong.com and Brazen.com use various types of effective evidence to support both claims.

In the book, The Birth of Tragedy, by Nietzsche, the late 19th century philosopher uses the terms Dionysian and Apollinian to use them as the two central principles in Greek culture. Apollinian was a term derived from the God Apollo, which related to the sun, light, and clarity, whereas Dionysian derived from the God Dionysius, which would often be thought of as the wine-God that represented drunkenness and ecstasy. Nietzsche uses Apollinian as the basis of all analytical distinctions. For this aspect, all elements that belong to the individuality of man are Apollinian in nature. Furthermore, all types of structure or form fall under this category because form serves to individualize or define that which is formed.

Erwin Rommel was one of Germany’s greatest commanders. Born in Heidenheim, Germany, on 15 November 1891, Erwin Rommel was referred to as "the People 's Marshal" by his countrymen. Having a long career in the military, he began his service in World War I, where he cut his teeth in combat as a young infantry officer. Over his career, Rommel received several nicknames, none more famous than “The Desert Fox”, given to him by the British soldier he fought against in the deserts of Africa during World War II.

Walt Whitman changed poetry in the United States and all around the world. Walt Whitman did not follow the normal tradition of poetry. Walt Whitman started writing in free verse. Free verse is an open form of poetry. It does not use meter patterns or rhyme. Free verse lets poets talk with freedom. Although, Walt Whitman wrote many poems, but his “Song of Myself” interested me. This piece of poetry consists of different small poems that describe different circumstances from a life. For example, topics like death, birth, childhood, and adulthood. “Song of Myself” consist of fifty-two different poems, but poem six made sense to me. In poem six, Walt Whitman writes about death and different situations about death. In poem six grass represents death.