Battle of Normandy - Research Paper Example

Battle of Normandy Introduction In the context of the military intervention in countries worldwide governments have to faced dilemmas in regard to the appropriate strategic framework; these dilemmas can be often proved crucial for the development of innovative strategic policies – that would remain inactive if there would be no pressure for the immediate resolution of a military conflict or a threat against a nation. Current paper focuses on the examination of the aspects of a particular battle: the battle of Normandy; this battle has remained known for the courage of the Allies and for their ability to resolve severe crisis even if the political and social conditions of a particular country are not supportive to the above effort. The examination of the battle’s aspects has led to the assumption that the success of the battle should be related with the following sectors: a) the strategic framework in which the battle was developed, b) the conditions of the battle – referring to the terrain of the battle (also an element of the strategy developed for the needs of the battle) and the weather, c) the perceptions and the behaviour of the participants – referring not only to the soldiers but also to the leader of the battle and d) the military equipment and weapons used in the various phases of the specific operation. 2. Strategy 2a. Plan of action An important part of the strategy used in the battle of Normandy has been the management of the risks related with the specific operation; when the battle was to begin the allies had made sure that they have the control of the air; by keeping the air forces of the enemy, the Luftwaffe far from the terrain of the battle the chances for its success had been increased (Corvisier et al., 1994, p.63); the above policy was an indicative example of the strategic plans developed in the context of the battle of Normandy; in the specific battle the Allies needed to ensure the minimization of risks for failure – keeping the soldiers safe from the air attacks during the development of the battle has been one of the most important achievements of Allies during the specific military operation. All phases of the battle were carefully designed in advance; moreover, soldiers were trained in a geographic region that presented similarities with Normandy – Burghead was chosen as the area of exercise of the army of the Allies as the specific region has similar geographic characteristics with the beach of Normandy (Barbier, 2007, p.101); in fact, the exercises developed for preparing the army of the Allies for the battle in Normandy have been many; by ensuring that soldiers are prepared to fight in the specific terrain, the planners of the battle had another issue to resolve: to distract the enemy from the region of Normandy – the use of different and numerous exercises as a preparation for the battle had led to the confusion of the enemy in regard to the actual place and scale of the particular operation. In this way, the chances for the success of the battle were further increased. 2b. Leader Leadership had a decisive role in the success of the battle in Normandy. An important characteristic of the battle of Normandy has been the fact that its phases were under the control of different persons; for reasons of security but also of credibility in the development of decisions – taking into consideration the extreme conditions under which the battle had to be developed – led to the decision of the operation’s planners to assign each phase of the battle to different leaders; at this point it should be noted that the development of the specific initiative was decided under the severe pressures caused by the continuous expansion of the German troops and the increasing losses and damages for the Allies and their supporters; under these terms, the delegation of all the phases of the battle of Normandy in just one person would be extremely risky for the success of the specific operation. 3. Conditions – terrain and weather The conditions of the battle had been considered by its planners to have a crucial importance for the success of the battle; as noted above, soldiers were trained in regions with similar geographic characteristics; in this way, the issue of terrain of the battle would not be of particular importance for the outcome of the battle; on the other hand, the weather could negatively affected the development of the battle; it was for this reason that the planners of the battle decided to develop the battle during the summer – in this way the risk for extremely adverse weather conditions would be minimized (Barbier, 2007, p.101); through the above strategies the planners of the battle made sure that the conditions of the battle – referring to the terrain and the weather – would be supportive to the soldiers participated in the invasion in Normandy. From a different point of view, Doyle et al. (2002, 359) note that the weather in the specific part of Europe is usually unstable – being characterized by strong rains until the mid of July and being more sunny for July – August; the troops of Allies had to face this challenge but because of their training in the terrain they would be able to respond to the demands of the battle – even if periodically the weather conditions were adverse for the particular operation. 4. Participants 4a. Leader As noted earlier, the leadership in the battle of Normandy has been a complex issue; in fact, the specific operation was not delegated to just one person; rather, military leaders from different countries – the Allies and their supporters – were asked to participate in the battle and manage each various parts. The role of leadership in the success of the particular battle is indicated in the initiative of Guy Simonds, the planner of a specific operation developed in the context of the battle in Normandy: the operation TOTALIZE; the specific operation was developed by the Canadian forces participated in the battle in Normandy and was proved to be of crucial importance for the final outcome of the battle. 4b. Soldiers Soldiers participated in the battle of Normandy had a crucial role in the success of the battle; in fact, soldiers had to execute the plans of the battle’s designers – no matter the cost resulted; in this way, the battle of Normandy showed the willingness of soldiers fighting for the Allies to support the decisions of their leader; the above battle also proved that the achievement of targets in the context of political or social framework can be strongly depended on the cooperation among the participants; another implication of the high dedication of soldiers participated in the above battle has been the fact that after the completion of the specific operation the soldiers participated in the battle were not able to support additional military projects (Goethals et al., 2004, p.658) – like the one referring to Japanese people who have supported Germans during the Second World War. An important characteristic of the battle of Normandy has been the fact that the army used in the specific battle has been of different nationality and background/ training; however, their effective cooperation led to the success of the battle – no issue of conflict in terms of the tasks delegated to each country’s forces – referring to the Allies and their supporters – has appeared during the development of the battle of Normandy – or at least any such dispute was limited with no particular effects on the success of the operation. 5. Equipment 5a. Weapons Allies were well prepared for the battle in Normandy; having planned carefully the various phases of the specific battle they were able to have in place the weapons required for the successful completion of the battle; on the other hand, Germans did not expect that the troops of Allies would invade Normandy; for this reason, the weapons kept at the terrain of the battle by the German troops – for the defense of the terrain against a potential invasion – were limited (Fein, 2009, p.12); this failure of the Germans to have in place adequate weapons for facing the attack of the army of the Allies had a crucial impact on the development and the outcome of the battle. 5b. Military machinery The battle of Normandy was planned and developed by the Allies; having being planned carefully the specific operation had many chances to succeed; Allies had the time to retrieve the military equipment and machinery required for the development of the battle’s various parts – this was an advantage of the Allies towards their enemy. Germans might know that the Allies would attempt to attack but they could not imagine – see the relevant strategic plans used by the Allies – that the attack of the army of Allies would be developed in Normandy. In this way, Germans were unprepared – in terms of troops and equipment available to fight the troops of the Allies. 6. Conclusion - Significance of the Battle The outcome of the battle of Normandy has been crucial for the end of the Second World War; in fact, the above battle showed that the power of the Allies to face the German troops was important – despite the potential opposite assumptions of the German leaders; the above Battle also indicated the factors that are expected to lead to the success of military conflicts: effective strategic plans are necessary when specific military operations need to be developed; moreover, it is necessary that the conditions of the battle are studied and measures are taken for the training – preparation – of the soldiers (participants) in the specific conditions; of course, the willingness of the soldiers to fight for the achievement of the targets set by the specific operation cannot be controlled by the leaders; the commitment of the soldiers to their duty - in terms of a particular military conflict – is stronger as this duty is derived from the obligation for protecting the nation; conflicts for the achievement of freedom have more chances to succeed compared to conflicts that are developed just for achieving specific benefits or achieving targets related with specific political or financial issues. Works Cited Badsey, S., 1990. Normandy 1944: Allied landings and breakout. Osprey Publishing Barbier, M., 2007. D-day deception: Operation Fortitude and the Normandy invasion. Greenwood Publishing Group Corvisier, A., Childs, J., 1994. A dictionary of military history and the art of war. Wiley-Blackwell Doyle, P., Bennett, M., 2002. Fields of battle: terrain in military history. Springer Fein, E., 2009. D-Day: The Battle of Normandy. Capstone Press Goethals, G., Burns, J., Sorenson, G., 2004. Encyclopedia of Leadership, Volume 1. SAGE Hart, R., 2001. Clash of arms: how the allies won in Normandy. Lynne Rienner Publishers Martin, C., Whitsed, R., 1994. Battle diary: from D-Day and Normandy to the Zuider Zee and VE. Dundurn Press Sugarman, D., 2009. World War II: Battle of Normandy. Teacher Created Materials Appendix - Photos Photo 1 – Troops of Allies near the Normandy beach (source: http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1749.html) Photo 2 – The invasion in Normandy (source: www.benlymer.com/?p=135) 4. Formal Sentence outline Thesis: Battle of Normandy I. Strategy A. Plan of action The battle of Normandy was carefully planned and executed. Its design and the methodology of development were of crucial importance for its success. B. Leader The battle of Normandy would not be successful without the presence of a strong and capable leader. Emphasis was put by the planners of the battle on the role of the leader in the development of the various phases of the specific operation. II. Conditions A. Terrain Allies had prepared their army on the geographic characteristics of the terrain; in fact, several exercises had been developed by the troops of the Allies in regions with similar geography and weather. B. Weather Weather has not be a problem for the development of the battle in Normandy; Allies had planned the specific operation for the summer in order to guarantee that extreme conditions of weather during the development of the battle would be avoided. III. Participants A. Leader The success of the battle has to be related with the successful decisions of its leader – delegated by the specific operation’s planners. B. Soldiers The success of the battle was mainly related with the willingness of the soldiers – participants to follow the guidelines of their leader and to fight for the targets set in the context of the specific operation. IV. Equipment A. Weapons Weapons used in the specific battle were carefully selected – representing the best technology available at that specific period of time. B. Military machinery Apart from weapons of advanced technology, machinery serving for the development of military projects and operations has been used throughout the battle of Normandy. Conclusion: In the battle of Normandy the willingness of participants – soldiers and leader – to follow the strategic rules set by its designers has led to a unique success. The above battle proved that the combination of appropriate conditions and equipment can lead to the success of military operations – the cooperation in the field of the battle and the application of an effective and innovative plan of action are also critical factors for the successful development of military conflicts. 5. Mind Mapping 6. Grouping Thesis: Battle of Normandy I. Strategy a. Plan of action b. Leader II. Conditions a. Terrain b. Weather III. Participants a. Leader b. Soldiers IV. Equipment a. Weapons b. Military machinery Read More