Second battle of the Marne
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WWI was a hard fought battle by many countries around the world. It was a brutal and long lasting effect that the men that fought in this war will never forget. There were many battles won throughout this war but a turning point for this war was a battle that the Americans were the tip of the spear. Leading the French against the heavily handed Germans and with standing there attack and sending an attack of their own that eventually led to the surrender of the Germans, it was the second battle of the Marne.
The Americas role in the second battle of the Marne was vital to the success over the Germans. The Americans Expeditionary Force with over 250,000 men fighting under overall French command played key roles both in the initial defense and the later advances. The 3rd, 28th and 42nd divisions were among the several other divisions that had been placed under French command for the first allied victory. The second battle of the Marne started with the German armies getting the command to employ a major offensive attack from the Chemin des Dames northeast of Paris towards the River Marne threatening both Paris and the Paris – Verdun rail link (Hanlon M. 1998-2000).
The plan that would eventually grant a victory for the allies, was to absorb the attack, let the Germans tire out, then counter attack along with an offensive move of their own. On the night of July 14 the artillery began to hit as the Germans attacked the American and French forces along the Marne river. The 3rd division of the American Expeditionary forces made wisely stand on the left end of the Marne river line. The 38th regiment of the 3rd division made a remarkable stand against the Germans, as they stopped there artillery attacked and began their ground attack on foot. The 38th regiment set up four platoons, that the Germans managed to fight made their way through three of them. As the Germans made their way to the fourth platoon, but at that point they were stuck in positions were the Americans easily dismantled them. The 38th regiment started with 351 men and 5 officers, at the end of it they were left with 51 men and officers (Hanlon M. 1998-2000).
The Term Paper on African American Men Program Fae
At times I often sit about on my front porch, in my car, or where ever I can a good thought. I think about the future of Americas youth. Especially our African American Youth, and young African American men to be more specific. I see neighborhoods being infested with drugs, and gangs with our young African American boys and men as the leaders and the targets of these so-called! SS businesses!" . I ...
On the July 18 1918 the French and the Americans made their counter attacked on the Germans. Using three divisions the allies succeed in breaking the German lines. Within 26 hours one division took several weapons, prisoners and ammunition from the German armies. The Americans had big role in the allies’ victory in the second battle of the Marne.
There were many weapons used in WWI, they each had a purpose during the war. There was a lot of close combat in WWI and for that reason is why bayonets were an important weapon to have. Many men in the war were forced to use their bayonets in life or death situations. When it came time to use your bayonet, you were either out of ammo and in close range of the enemy or looking to consume the ammunition you had, by using your bayonet at the given moment. Pistols were another weapon used to as a secondary option. Pistols were used when fighting in a close area and typically out of rifle or machine gun ammo.
Rifles and machine guns were mostly used by the men fighting in WWI. The rife was a great weapon to use in the trenches, but it was also a great long distance weapons as well. The British used a bolt action rifle that could fire 15 rounds per minute and hit a target up to 1400 meters away. Machine guns were an even better weapon to use against the enemy. The machine guns did require an extra person to operate but they did 10 times the damage of a rifle.Just a hand full of machine guns could take out a whole platoon of soldiers with a great effectiveness.
The Essay on Post-war Soldier And Civilian Expectations Of The British Government
British soldiers and civilians had high expectations of their government following World War 1, most of which did not eventuate. The soldiers needed understanding of their suffering and emotional pains of the war, while the British civilians felt that Germany’s reparations were highly important in the short-term. Employment was a significant issue to both groups, with the soldiers arriving ...
Mortars were also a very powerful weapon used in WWI. A mortar was an indirect fire, which could be used from long distances. Mortars took several men to operate and were not always accurate, butwhen on target could cause some serious damage to the enemy. Gas was another weapon used my soldiers of WWI, the Germans tried to use a chlorine gas but realized how unstable the weapon really was after a few uses. Mustard gas was also used during the war, a nasty weapon that caused blistering skin, internal and external bleeding (World War one weapons 2000).
What I believe to be one of the coolest weapons used in WWI was the flame thrower. The flamethrower was used to launch burning fuel at the enemy. The Germans used it first during the war, against the French. Some of the good flame throwers could shoot a stream as far as 50 yards (Flamethrowers and Snipers in WW1 2009).
A weapon that had its first chance in combat was the tank. The tank was built to cope with the western front conditions. The tank could cause serious damage and was very hard to stop but the tank was extremely slow, making it an easy target.
During WWI soldiers encounter many experiences, some good and some bad. In my option I think they were mostly bad experiences. Like I mention before, there was a lot of close combat in this war. Fighting in the trenches was not uncommon during this war. Men had to kill each other face to face throughout this war. Many soldiers from WWI suffered from indescribable nightmaresand even had flash back as if they were still in the war.With all that fighting in tranches and other close combat, the battle field to had a smell like no other. The front line smell was described as a smell of rotting bodies, men who had showered in weeks, lingering smell of gas and cigarette smoke. (World War 1 Trench Warfare WW1).
Along with the smell of rotting bodies, came the diseases that the solider tried to fight off every day, along with the enemy. Disease was not the only non-combative thing the soldiers of WWI had to fight off.Rats and lice were a big problem for the soldiers during this war. Rats would eat the human remains, eating the eyes and liver and even growing to be as big as cats. The soldiers used what they could to kill these over feed rodents but there were just too many to kill. Lice was a constant problem, living in filth everyday day made it all most impossible to get rid of the lice. It was later discovered that lice caused trench fever and it would take up to 12 week away from the trenches to recover from this. One of the toughest battles in the trench was trench foot, this fungal infection would turn worse and even cause amputation in serious cases (World War 1 Trench Warfare WW1).
The Essay on Weapons In Wwi
New weaponry and interventions can ultimately decide who will win a war. In World War I there were many new weapons introduced into the battle scene. These new weapons were more efficient in destroying and more powerful which made the death count rise dramatically. The new weaponry in World War I helped contribute to it being one of the bloodiest wars know to man at that time. One key weapon that ...
When the soldiers were not on the front line, there was some down time that lead to boredom. The men would try to stay busy by fixing different structures around camp. Even though soldiers were full of boredom, they would not let themselves fall asleep, in fear of attacks by the enemy. Soldiers also tried to pass the time by cleaning their weapons and writing letters back home. The food was nothing that could make them feel any better about their situation. Most food was eaten out of a tin or can, leaving little room for a satisfying meal (Cheng R. 2008).
I could not imagine the pain and suffering those men endured doing this time, but they did what I believe to be for the better of the world. These men made great sacrifices that will always be remembered as time continues to pass. We as Americans must continue to make the needed sacrifices for the good of our country and the world.
References
Cheng R. (2008) Front line. Life in the trenches
Flamethrowers and Snipers in WW1 (2009): Retrieved by http://rs26.edublogs.org/2009/05/01/flamethrowers-in-ww1/
Hanlon M. 1998-2000The Story of the American Expeditionary Forces. The second battle of the Marne: Retrieved by http://www.worldwar1.com/dbc/2marne.htm
