This week's classes really reinforced for me the situation in the Pacific that led up to the decision to use the bomb. It must have seemed like such a dire situation there, with the fighting tactics of the Japanese. Iwo Jima and the lives lost there, hand-to-hand combat, in addition to the kamikaze pilots and the total unwillingness to surrender or give at all make the Japanese a formidable and terrifying foe.
In addition, the diverse types of terrain of the islands there would have been an added stress that I would not initially think of. It is just one more obstacle to have to consider when fighting there.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Presentations
Monday
Remagen was the town near Cologne where the bridge was located. The bridge was part of a plan to build a series of bridges alon gthe Rhine at the beginning of WWI. The plan was scratched and picked up after the war and a couple of bridges were built. The Allies captured the bridge intact without opposition, allowing them to cross the Rhine.
Wednesday
Eleanor Roosevelt was born October 11, 1884. She and FDR were married in 1904 and had 6 children, with one child dying in infancy. I did not know that FDR's mistress was present when he died. Eleanor wrote a column in the Daily newspaper from 1936-1962, helped with the refugee situation during the war, wrote to soldiers, and boosted both citizen and soldier morale. She died at the age of 78 from Tuberculosis.
Remagen was the town near Cologne where the bridge was located. The bridge was part of a plan to build a series of bridges alon gthe Rhine at the beginning of WWI. The plan was scratched and picked up after the war and a couple of bridges were built. The Allies captured the bridge intact without opposition, allowing them to cross the Rhine.
Wednesday
Eleanor Roosevelt was born October 11, 1884. She and FDR were married in 1904 and had 6 children, with one child dying in infancy. I did not know that FDR's mistress was present when he died. Eleanor wrote a column in the Daily newspaper from 1936-1962, helped with the refugee situation during the war, wrote to soldiers, and boosted both citizen and soldier morale. She died at the age of 78 from Tuberculosis.
Pacific Islands
I found it very interesting to learn about the different terrains of all the Pacific islands. I had never really thought about how different each island was, especailly in different parts of the Pacific. It is also interesting that soldiers never seem to know about the terrian before they arrive on the island, at which point they must adjust quickly to continue to fight.
Presentations
The presentations were all well done. The Remagen Bridge was very interesting. If this bridge was Germany’s last hope for winning the war, one would think more effort would be put into its defense, and accuracy of information about troop movements and numbers. I also found it amusing that their explosives did not work.
The presentation on Eleanor Roosevelt was very interesting. I did not know that FDR was her 5th cousin. She was extraordinary woman, who had many noble causes. I found it very interesting that she helped raise morale of the troops and tried to change refugee laws to allow more Jewish children enter the U.S.
The presentation on Eleanor Roosevelt was very interesting. I did not know that FDR was her 5th cousin. She was extraordinary woman, who had many noble causes. I found it very interesting that she helped raise morale of the troops and tried to change refugee laws to allow more Jewish children enter the U.S.
Eleanor Roosevelt Presentation on 4/16
Eleanor Roosevelt was an interesting person, and in some aspects I am not sure if that is good or bad. She seemed to step out of the social norms for women and class during her time, and I do think that this is what made her an extrordinary person. Even after attending boarding school she was not really prepared to be an elite woman in New York. Then she married her fifth cousin, and I want to assume this was partially something that was expected of her. Maybe she did it to fit in because she had not really fit in before. Some of the things she did that I think were more typical of a woman included staying with her cheating husband and caring for him when he was sick and later handicapped.
More interestingly was that she stood out as a great advocator. She spoke up for the war, women's sufferage, worker's rights, and even tried to boost soldiers' morale. What interested me was that she visited bases, became soldiers' pen pal, and tried to be thier voice in congress when they could not be. What made her think of these things, and why did she decide to take action in this manner? I do admire her for fighting to let more Jewish children refugees in the US, but I wonder what sparked her to do this? After learning about this truely extrordinary woman, I do have to that America is better for having had her.
More interestingly was that she stood out as a great advocator. She spoke up for the war, women's sufferage, worker's rights, and even tried to boost soldiers' morale. What interested me was that she visited bases, became soldiers' pen pal, and tried to be thier voice in congress when they could not be. What made her think of these things, and why did she decide to take action in this manner? I do admire her for fighting to let more Jewish children refugees in the US, but I wonder what sparked her to do this? After learning about this truely extrordinary woman, I do have to that America is better for having had her.
Bombing
They mentioned in the Iwo Jima film that very little was actually accomplished by bombing the island dispite severall raids both before and durring the invasion. It leads to an interesting discussion on the reasoning behind doing it in the first place. I heard that it was not uncommon for commanders to fire heavy amounts of boms/artilery at a possition for no other reason that to lead GIs on the ground to feel more confident about the possition they were preparing to take. I understand that the Japanese had sufficient time and knowledge of the island in order to build defence strongholds throughout. And it makes sence that givin their underground nature, the recon photos that US commanders had to work with may not have suggested how well the Japanese were dug in.
But it leaves a question in the air of what was the real motivation behind dropping so many shells on the island when it didnt have that much effect. Did the commanders just assume that the Japanese were there even though they didnt have exact locations of troops? Did commanders not even care about taking out possitions as long as troops thought they would have a fighting chance?
But it leaves a question in the air of what was the real motivation behind dropping so many shells on the island when it didnt have that much effect. Did the commanders just assume that the Japanese were there even though they didnt have exact locations of troops? Did commanders not even care about taking out possitions as long as troops thought they would have a fighting chance?
Worldcat
I don’t know if anyone else did this but I when to Worldcat.com instead on Worldcat on the KU website. So for anyone that doesn’t know how to get to the site go to the KU website, then to Libraries, then Database, and finally to Worldcat. I have located a lot of good information for my research paper, just thought I would let everyone else know.
Class
This week bought up a proposed invasion that I never heard about before and I have to wonder why the US did not go through with it, which was the invasion of Formosa. I seems to me that the US could have avoided several other smaller invasions and had one larger invasion and accomplished the same purpose. In addition, the more I hear and read about MacArthur I can’t believe that he was left in command. The man was just a glory hound that did not care about the Allies’ agenda, only his own. His actions in the Philippines, by passing his field of commanders and issuing orders to lower commanders was just b.s. Moreover, the attack he ordered on Manila just cost Americans lives and gained nothing.
Presentations
Remagen I think is probability one of the luckiest breaks the Allies got in the whole war. This is one event that no one can doubt helped end the war sooner. I still can’t believe that the Germans allowed this bridge to fall into the Allies’ hands unopposed, we were extremely lucky. The Germans understood their mistake because they killed almost all the individuals responsible for the bridge falling into the Allies’ hands intact. Also, I thought the presentation brought up an interesting point that most Germans considered the war over and lost if the Rhine was crossed. It makes me wonder why the German people or generals didn’t try again to overthrow Hitler after this?
The presentation on Eleanor Roosevelt brought up some interesting facts. I didn’t know that she married her fifth cousin or that FDR's mistress was at his side when he died. I have to wonder what Eleanor was feeling when she found that information out about FDR's mistress. I also thought it was remarkable the First Lady was a pen pal with several soldiers serving on the frontlines. I just don’t think that would happen today.
The presentation on Eleanor Roosevelt brought up some interesting facts. I didn’t know that she married her fifth cousin or that FDR's mistress was at his side when he died. I have to wonder what Eleanor was feeling when she found that information out about FDR's mistress. I also thought it was remarkable the First Lady was a pen pal with several soldiers serving on the frontlines. I just don’t think that would happen today.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Presentations on Eleanor Roosevelt and the Battle for the Philippine Sea:
Like others, I felt this presentation was a nice change from hearing about so many war casualties. She was definitely a much beloved and respected first lady. So many things that she did were just part of her general character and personality. I thought it was interesting to note that she was one of the founders of Freedom House, an advocate of human rights and civil liberties. What a testimony to her and her beliefs that there are still Freedom House offices located around the world today. It is not surprising that she took such an active part in FDR’s office affairs. Together they were a very impressive team.
In the presentation on the
presentations and sledge
I found it interesting that the Ludendorf bridge had towers on either side for troops and weaponry. It really show that the bridge was basically built to support the war. Even thought the destruction of the bridge was so important to the Germans it doesn't sound like they put much effort into destroying it.
Eleanor Roosevelt sounded like a very impressive lady. I had no idea she was involved in so many organizations and causes. It sounds like she used her societal position for the benefit of others. Her column in the newspaper would have been very interesting to read; a woman's ideas and insight would have been rare to find at that time.
WE have been discussing the horrible island conditions in class recently and it is completly reinforced in Sledge. How he vividly describes the mud and the dead bodies everywhere shows how terrible the conditions were. He also mentions his entrenching tools and how useless they were on Peleliu. It seems no matter how much training they did away from the front lines they were never prepared for what they were about to face. His story is eye-opening in those aspects.
Eleanor Roosevelt sounded like a very impressive lady. I had no idea she was involved in so many organizations and causes. It sounds like she used her societal position for the benefit of others. Her column in the newspaper would have been very interesting to read; a woman's ideas and insight would have been rare to find at that time.
WE have been discussing the horrible island conditions in class recently and it is completly reinforced in Sledge. How he vividly describes the mud and the dead bodies everywhere shows how terrible the conditions were. He also mentions his entrenching tools and how useless they were on Peleliu. It seems no matter how much training they did away from the front lines they were never prepared for what they were about to face. His story is eye-opening in those aspects.
Presentations and Lecture
I enjoyed learning about Eleanor Roosevelt this week. She had a very interesting life. I thought it was interesting to hear about the things she did and the impact that she had on the world. I think the fact that she was able to be so active in various causes says a lot about her determination. I did not know that she kept in contact with various soldiers who were fighting in the war. I admire her for being willing to be the voice of the soldiers.
I am enjoying Sledge's book. He really gives readers an idea about how horrible the conditions were that these men fought in. I am amazed at how different the condition on the two fronts were (beyond the differences in climate). I can't imagine how difficult it must be to fight an enemy who is hiding in well protected caves and tunnels. The Japanese seem to be fighting with a slight desperate push by this point.
I am enjoying Sledge's book. He really gives readers an idea about how horrible the conditions were that these men fought in. I am amazed at how different the condition on the two fronts were (beyond the differences in climate). I can't imagine how difficult it must be to fight an enemy who is hiding in well protected caves and tunnels. The Japanese seem to be fighting with a slight desperate push by this point.
Presentations
I found the presentation really interesting. I never really knew about Eleanor Roosevelt and how she tried to reform so many things in the US from attempting to let in Jewish children to making sure the Tuskegee Airmen got to see combat time. She was definitely one of the most important first ladies in history.
I have also never heard about the women and children jumping off the cliffs in Saipan. Japanese propaganda was definitely influential if almost 75000 women and children committed suicide during World War II.
I have also never heard about the women and children jumping off the cliffs in Saipan. Japanese propaganda was definitely influential if almost 75000 women and children committed suicide during World War II.
Iwo Jima
Of course the photograph of the Marines raising the flag is one of the most, if not the most famous photographs from the war. But to hear the details of the battle that led to the photograph just takes your breath away. Both sides were absolutely intent on having that island and both sides were willing to sacrifice everything to have that island..and literally fought tooth and nail over that island.
Eleanor Roosevelt
I was very intersted in the contributions that Eleanor Roosevelt did towards helping out with the war. One area in specific that I found good was that she made strong efforts in getting Jewish Children who were misplaced in the war to come to the United States and gain citizenship. I also was amazed at her contributions to the U.S. and the world following the end of the World War. For example, she always was not far from the leadership spotlight of Washington by being invovled in many diferent help organizations and efforts.
Philippines
The Philippine invasion seems to me one that was not entirely necessary at the time and was done to please McArthur's political motives. These forces could and should have taken Formosa to help out the Chinese ongoing war at the time. I could not stop thinking in class how history would have differed if we had gone onto Formosa, landed in China, and helped the Nationalist Chinese fight the Japanese in the war. If we had, maybe there would have never been a Communist China and the ongoing pseudo-Cold War between the US and China may have been avoided.
sledge and presentations
i was really struck by a part from Sledge when another marine asked him why Peleliu was taken and how army units landed on Morotai with little resistance the same day the peleliu operation began-and that MacArthur walked onto Leyte with ease. the other marine added that he didnt think they did any good, it wasnt helping win the war and their losses were for no good reason. I'm curious as to wether marine vets from that invasion still feel the same today and would make such statements publicly.
I liked learning about the history of the bridge going back to WWI. I also didnt realize that it was constructed with towers that could hold a full brigade. It was alos interesting to know that the designers left hollow points on the bridge meant for explosive charges-almost as if they planned that it would be attacked on day and need to be blown.
Prior to the presentation, i was unaware of the 1st lady's activeness in the war stateside, especially interesting was her impact on the segregated units and her personal correspondence with individual soldiers throughout the war. I had also forgotten that FDR married one of his cousins
I liked learning about the history of the bridge going back to WWI. I also didnt realize that it was constructed with towers that could hold a full brigade. It was alos interesting to know that the designers left hollow points on the bridge meant for explosive charges-almost as if they planned that it would be attacked on day and need to be blown.
Prior to the presentation, i was unaware of the 1st lady's activeness in the war stateside, especially interesting was her impact on the segregated units and her personal correspondence with individual soldiers throughout the war. I had also forgotten that FDR married one of his cousins
Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima did indeed appear to be a horrible place. Asside form the heavy fighting that was occuring there, the island looked evil because it was one gian volcano. The terrain was also very usefull to the Japanese who were able to dig in very well and be protected by the U.S. bombarments. In addition to this cover that they were able to have, the advancing Marines on the ground had no idea where they were located. One other major area of advantage to the defending Japanese was that the heavy units that came ashore were unable to travel on the loose sands on the beaches.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Iwo Jima
The tactics used by the Japanese during this battle were most surprising to me. The vast tunnel system reminded me of the later Vietnam War. Yet I think the most fascinating thing about this was that it was such a small island for so many men to die for. Also the use of hand to hand combat that occured on Feb. 23 as the mountain was being taken seems strange in a time of such mass artilery and technological advances.
Eleanor Roosevelt
This presentation was really interesting to listen to. I think it is a lot easier to connect to the history of World War 2 when someone researches a person and finds relatable qualities in them. I thought the most interesting portion of this presentation was just how much this first lady impacted the home front after her husband was paralized with polio. I also found it interesting that she lobbied to allow Jewish children to come into the US and that congress vetoed it.
Nisei
As I may have mentioned in class, the most highly decorated American unit in World War II was one comprised of Japanese-Americans. Nisei are 1st generation Japanese not born in Japan, or in this case, 1st generation Japanese-Americans.
The unit was the 442nd Infantry Regiment of the 34th Infantry Division. They fought in Italy, France, and Germany.
The unit was the 442nd Infantry Regiment of the 34th Infantry Division. They fought in Italy, France, and Germany.
Kamikazes
I often times look back on the Japanese tactic of the kamikaze as a dying empire's last gasps. And while I still believe that these men knew exactly what they were doing and had thought this through a lot, I also believe that this ... method was supported by those in higher offices who realized the days of the elite Sea Eagles were over, and that now they had not the time nor material to train new aces. So instead they gave them rudimentary pilot training and a simple mission; penetrate the fleet defenses and crash themselves into an American ship. I understand that these were college students, and had done much thinking on the subject, but I think that often timess college students are some of the most idealistic people out there. We are entering the prime of our lives and sense that we have the power to really change things. So it seems logical to me that indeed, many of the one way pilots were our age, and fresh from the universities at which they probably originally wanted to wait out the war. But now with the hated Americans moving on the Home Islands, the time to act was now, and with their beliefs, no greater honor could be bestowed than to serve the new divine wind to save their country.
A side note on divine winds, there was a ridiculous typhoon that hammered Okinawa soon after the US had captured it, destroying about 10 percent of the ships anchored in harbor and around the isalnd. Experts have postulated that had this occured during the invasion, it would have been disasterous for the landing craft and amphibious assualt vehicles used by the Marines to hit the beaches, possibly causing the invasion to fail. Perhaps the divine wind was just bit late.
A side note on divine winds, there was a ridiculous typhoon that hammered Okinawa soon after the US had captured it, destroying about 10 percent of the ships anchored in harbor and around the isalnd. Experts have postulated that had this occured during the invasion, it would have been disasterous for the landing craft and amphibious assualt vehicles used by the Marines to hit the beaches, possibly causing the invasion to fail. Perhaps the divine wind was just bit late.
Remagen and Roosevelt
Two very different presentations that were both full of information I did not know.
The Remagen presentation was really able to shed some light on a battle that I'd heard of and seen bits of in movies, but didn't really understand very well. It is always strange to watch a once-great military start to crumble towards the end of the war, especially in this one where there wasn't one decisive battle that knocked Germany out of the war. To think that their communications had become so fouled that they couldn't even agree to destroy the bridge or defend it (instead opting to weakly defend it and then attempt to blow it at the last moment) is quite a testament to the Allied bombing campaign which had been busy for the last year or so destroying much of the German infrastructure. But in response to some earlier posts, I believe one of the reasons the Germans were planning on waiting til the last minute to blow the bridge was the stream of refugees, good German citizens, that were still streaming over the bridge to escape the moving front lines.
As for the presentation of Eleanor Roosevelt, I'd always heard that there was more to her than the typical first lady of her time, and the presentation outlined that nicely. She was certainly a stronog-willed woman and I suppose she has inspired the political ambitions of women since then. She showed that you could go out and get things done, much like the women in the factories were proving, best personified by "Rosie the Riveter" and others like her. I find it equally important to study the homefront, since the sentiments and values back there tend to affect the troops on the front lines. A nice change of pace.
The Remagen presentation was really able to shed some light on a battle that I'd heard of and seen bits of in movies, but didn't really understand very well. It is always strange to watch a once-great military start to crumble towards the end of the war, especially in this one where there wasn't one decisive battle that knocked Germany out of the war. To think that their communications had become so fouled that they couldn't even agree to destroy the bridge or defend it (instead opting to weakly defend it and then attempt to blow it at the last moment) is quite a testament to the Allied bombing campaign which had been busy for the last year or so destroying much of the German infrastructure. But in response to some earlier posts, I believe one of the reasons the Germans were planning on waiting til the last minute to blow the bridge was the stream of refugees, good German citizens, that were still streaming over the bridge to escape the moving front lines.
As for the presentation of Eleanor Roosevelt, I'd always heard that there was more to her than the typical first lady of her time, and the presentation outlined that nicely. She was certainly a stronog-willed woman and I suppose she has inspired the political ambitions of women since then. She showed that you could go out and get things done, much like the women in the factories were proving, best personified by "Rosie the Riveter" and others like her. I find it equally important to study the homefront, since the sentiments and values back there tend to affect the troops on the front lines. A nice change of pace.
Soil
We talked about today about the soil at Iwo Jima and Okinawa and I was wondering if the American higher ups did not know this information before going in or what. You think they would have planned better for this, especially the rain. I was just wondering if they didn't know about it or that they were on such short timetable that it didn't matter? Also, could they have planned better for it? One of the main things to know for battle is terrian and it seems they didn't look at it. So am I not understanding this or making to big of a deal over it?
Eleanor Roosevelt Presentation
The Eleanor Roosevelt presentation was a nice change of pace for the class. We have been learning about just the war and hearing about the homefront is nice. Eleanor did a lot of different things and was important in many different aspects of American life. I did not know that she wrote letters to soliders, I thought that was interesting. I learned a lot of new information about her in this presentation.
Remagen Presentation
I found the presentation very interesting. It is hard to believe that the Germans tried to blow the bridge and it didn't blow up and stayed standing for a couple weeks. The thing I don't understand is the Germans knew the Allies were coming and they didn' t have enough troops to stop them why didn't they blow the bridge earlier. I know bridges are important but Germany couldn't mount a counter attack at that time so the bridge was more important to the Allies than the Germans. So why wait and let the Allies take the bridge? This would have slowed the Ally advance for a little bit and maybe the Germans could have regrouped. I just wonder why people wait to blow bridges so long even if they don't need them.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Kamikaze
I did not know that there was so much history behind these missions. I just thought that Japanese men were trying to complete last ditch efforts to win the war. In fact the name came from an old tale of divine wind and a storm that destroyed a fleet in the past to save them. The college intellectuals of WWII had committed themselves to save their families by becoming weapons to target aircraft carriers. These thoughts and concepts were honorable much like Bushido and the code of the Samurai. I think that these individuals were even more like the medieval soldiers than the Japanese army men were. Did they compare themselves to the medieval soldiers?
Presentation 4/14
As I learned more about the American's taking the Remagen Bridge and moving into Germany, I started to wonder if the Germans knew that they were beaten. They were worried as the Americans moved towards the bridge, but they only protected it with 36 soldiers. It was understood that if the americans crossed the river they would soon take victory for the war, but still the Germans did not do enough. They pulled troops from other places, but it was not enough troops to protect this vital position. What were the Germans thinking?
Phillipine Campaign
I am currently taking a Korean War class alongside with this class and I have to say that both of these class have shown MacArthur as a arrogant, sometime ignorant person. It seems as though reputation, stature, and prestige are his motivating factors rather than actually caring about what is going on in the war. The story today shows this. He made sure that there were plenty of photographers and filmers watching is arrival on to the island. Another story I have heard comes from my Korean War class. During the Korean War MacArthur and President Wilson were to land on an island in the Pacific in order to meet to discuss the war. MacArthur told his pilot to make sure that he landed last in order for it to seem that Wilson was coming to greet him and meet with him rather than the other way around. I am sure that he was qualified for his position, but at times it looks like he cares far more about other things than war.
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