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The Role Of Union Logistics In The Carolina Campaign Of 1865
By Major Johnny Wade Sokolosky. 2015
This thesis investigates the role Union logistics played during the American Civil War and examines the effectiveness of logistics support…
in Sherman's Carolina Campaign.Discussion begins with an overview of Union logistic operations in the war focusing on the logistics functions of supply, transportation, and combat health support. Next it proceeds to examine the role of logistics during the campaign by first discussing the impact logistics operations had on General Sherman's preparations prior to initiating the campaign. It then further discusses logistics operations carried out during the conduct of the campaign in the Carolinas. Finally, it examines logistics operations in the Carolina Campaign in terms of today's logistics doctrine.Logistics played a critical role in the success of the campaign. The logisticians in support of Sherman's Army overcame difficulties at the strategic, operational, and tactical levels to provide effective support. There were significant problems with the support concept, especially in the areas of casualty evacuation and uniform resupply. This thesis investigates these problems as well as the logistics successes that helped make Sherman's Carolina Campaign the triumphant it is remembered as.Chaplains In Gray: The Confederate Chaplain’s Story
By Charles Frank Pitts. 2015
ONE of the oddities of history is that men of peace have never been known to stay out of a…
fight!There yet remains to be told the story of the chaplains to the men in gray who fought through the bitter years of 1861-1865. Men of war, they stood for him who is called the Prince of peace.In considering the chaplains in the Army of the Confederate States, we are brought face to face with the most amazing display of spiritual power ever witnessed among fighting men on the American continent. We are made aware of the effectiveness of their unique approach to the religious needs of men in uniform. We find tangible proof of the tremendous contribution which religious faith makes to military efficiency. We see the startling results of close co-operation between officers of the line and their spiritual leaders. In the ranks of the Southern armies there appeared a spiritual hunger that could only be assuaged by the uncompromised preaching of the cross. In the valley of the shadow, men of God, loyal to their native states, by precept and example wrote their names among Dixie's men of valor. These chaplains have a message peculiarly fitted for us today--a message of optimism and encouragement.The Role Of Union Cavalry During The Atlanta Campaign
By Major Robert Blake Leach. 2015
This study is a historical analysis of the effectiveness of Union cavalry during the Atlanta Campaign of the American Civil…
War. In a campaign noted for the highly skilled maneuver conducted by General William Tecumseh Sherman, the effective employment of the cavalry was essential. The Union cavalry had the missions of providing security to the flanks of the army and protecting the supply lines by guarding the railroad and by striking against the Confederate cavalry. Later in the campaign, the Union leadership introduced the task of destroying Confederate railroads as a cavalry mission. The Union cavalry failed to perform these missions adequately.First, this work investigates the tradition of the Union cavalry and the state of Sherman's cavalry at the beginning of the campaign. Secondly, an analysis of the cavalry operations breaks the use of cavalry into three phases and focuses on the various missions which were attempted. Finally, the study addresses the lessons learned and what the applicability is for modern operations.This study concludes that although the Union cavalry was well manned and well equipped, improper employment and deficient senior leadership caused it to play an unsuccessful and detrimental part in the overall campaign.The Limits Of Obedience: Brigadier General Thomas J. Wood’s Performance During The Battle Of Chickamauga
By Major Craig J Manville. 2015
This thesis is a historical analysis of the order that Brigadier General Thomas J. Wood received from Major General William…
Rosecrans during the Battle of Chickamauga. There are many questions concerning Wood's actions on 20 September 1863. Wood's obedience to this written order created the gap into which Lieutenant General James Longstreet drove his right wing. This thesis will discuss the circumstances surrounding this order and the effect it had on the battle. It will investigate the limits of obedience and disobedience and will seek to determine if Wood should have disobeyed, or at least questioned, this critical order issued by General Rosecrans.“The Red-Legged Devils”, Brooklyn’s Best Regiment
By Major T.J. Hartshorne. 2015
The Fourteenth Regiment New York State Militia of Brooklyn, New York gathered an impressive combat record during the Civil War,…
yet the Professional Military Education world rarely takes notice of their deeds. They were first formed on 5 July 1847 when the New York State Legislature consolidated the individual militia companies into regiments. During the Civil War the Fourteenth Regiment fought in 29 engagements and sustained over 700 casualties. Their battles include participation in both Bull Runs, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Wilderness and Spotsylvania. Though noted primarily for actions in the Civil War, the Regiment also served in the Spanish American War, World Wars I and II, and Korea, though under different unit designations. The Fourteenth Regiment's past can be a road to our future. An insight to their performance under fire can provide today's students a timeless template on how to conduct combat operations.The purpose of this monograph is to identify skills and capabilities required by commanders to excel at the operational level…
of war and in the practice of operational art. The author evaluated the performance of Confederate Major General Daniel Harvey Hill in his role as a department commander during the American Civil War. Department commanders were responsible for sequencing tactical operations to support the accomplishment of their government's strategic objectives but received little guidance on how to fulfill their missions. The monograph concludes that twenty first century American military officers in similar command positions must be able to make decisions given ambiguous guidance and a fluid operational environment, be creative and active in developing innovative techniques to better understand the operational environment, and be able to craft holistic campaign plans that go beyond offensive and defensive operations.An examination of Hill's tenure as commander of the Confederate Department of North Carolina from February to July 1863 found that he was uncomfortable translating discretionary orders into action, he was unable to adequately visualize his operational environment, and he did not construct a coherent campaign plan to accomplish disparate missions and support Confederate strategic aims. Some of Hill's struggles were due to the inability of the Confederate high command to articulate strategic priorities, the actions of the Union forces, and lack of experience in higher level commands. Previous tactical-level experiences in the war made Hill more cautious about committing force when presented with ambiguous situations and in his capacity as department commander he did not grasp his responsibility to provide recommendations to strategic-level decision makers regarding force disposition and types of combat operations.The Confederate Command During The Fort Henry-Fort Donelson Campaign, February 1862
By Major Kendall D. Gott. 2015
This study investigates the decisive factors that affected the Fort Henry-Fort Donelson campaign in February 1862. The thesis is relevant…
not only to the study of history, but as a series of lessons for all commanders.In the final analysis, the ultimate failure of the Confederates during this campaign can be attributed directly to the actions of General Albert Sidney Johnston. He failed to develop an adequate strategy to meet the expected invasion from the North or to insure that each subordinate command in his department was prepared for the onslaught. Johnston also failed to establish a command structure to support his Department. Most damaging of all, Johnston neglected the defenses of the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers, which served as invasion routes through the center of his departmentIronically, one of the worst generals of the Confederacy correctly saw Fort Donelson as the key to stopping Grant and protecting Nashville. Had he been better supported by his superiors and by the officers serving at the fort with him, the Confederates may have won a victory at Fort Donelson and secured the Western Department for several months.Union And Confederate Infantry Doctrine In The Battle Of Chickamauga
By Major Raymond Scott Eresman. 2015
This study investigates whether the infantry doctrine used by the Union and Confederate armies in the Battle of Chickamauga followed…
published doctrine and determines what effect infantry doctrine had on the battle.Beginning with a review of each side's formal doctrine, the study divides the battle into sixty-eight engagements and focuses on organization, formations used, terrain, use of skirmishers, engagement distances, use of breastworks, and engagement results to determine the doctrine used and its impact on the battle.The armies' organizations and formations indicate that each used a different doctrinal source; Union forces appeared to use Brigadier General Silas Casey's manual while the Confederates used Lieutenant General William Hardee's and Lieutenant General Winfield Scott's manuals. Casey's doctrine gave the Union army greater potential flexibility within their brigade, division, and corps formations, but the cost of that potential was less combat power in the line of battle and vulnerability on the flanks.Engagement analysis indicates that both sides deviated from tactics by fighting prone during heavy firefights. Union breastworks in this battle were almost invulnerable. The final conclusion is that while initial engagement distances were largely determined by terrain, minimum ranges seemed to be influenced by the increased lethal range of the rifled musket.The Tullahoma Campaign: Operational Insights
By Major Richard J Brewer. 2015
This study examines the operational insights offered by the analysis of the Tullahoma, or Middle Tennessee, Campaign of 1863. The…
thesis uncovers these operational insights by examining how Major General William S. Rosecrans, commander of the Army of the Cumberland, and General Braxton Bragg, commander of the Army of Tennessee, planned for and conducted the nine day campaign.This study of both commanders planning and execution of a campaign characterized by maneuver, rather than large scale battles, highlights five important insights into operational warfighting. These insights include the translation of strategic guidance into an operational plan, offensive and defensive operational planning, the importance of deception, the effects of sustainment on an operation, and the influence of leadership on the planning and conduct of a campaign.Merrill’s Marauders: Combined Operations In Northern Burma In 1944 [Illustrated Edition]
By Gary J Bjorge. 2015
Includes the US Special Forces in World War II Illustrations Pack with 95 maps, plans, and photos.Coalition warfare is generally…
a two-edged sword. When several countries join forces to fight a common enemy, the weight of their combined effort can be overwhelming. The effectiveness of this effort, however, can be dissipated or even rendered counterproductive if members of the coalition cannot find common ground among themselves on such vital issues as the nature and objectives of the war and the appropriate strategy, command structure, and methods for fighting it.In this Special Study, Dr. Gary Bjorge of the Combat Studies Institute offers a case study in coalition warfare during the Second World War. While the focus of his study is Merrill's Marauders, his analysis offers a broader perspective on how coalition considerations affected strategy, command and protocol, and military operations and tactics in the China-Burma-India theater. The lesson for today's professional officer is clear. It may be the responsibility of the political authorities to fashion a wartime coalition, but once in place, the partnership will have an impact on military considerations from the strategic through the tactical levels. Few officers involved in the combined effort will escape the fallout in one form or another from decisions made by the coalition leaders. Officers must be prepared for this, and Dr. Bjorge's study is designed to assist in that preparation.The Curtain Falls: Last Days Of The Third Reich
By Count Eric Audley Emil Lewenhaupt, Folke Bernadotte. 2015
COUNT FOLKE BERNADOTTE attracted the whole world's attention during the hectic months that preceded the total collapse of the Third…
Reich and the capitulation of the German forces. About the middle of February 1945 he set out from Sweden for Germany to try to establish contact with Heinrich Himmler and induce him to allow all Danes and Norwegians in German concentration camps to be transported to Sweden for internment until the end of the war.In this book, which is based on his own notes and reports, Count Bernadotte describes his various missions, which were repeated up to the very day of the surrender, his meetings with Himmler and other leading figures of the Nazi regime, and gives Intimate close-ups of the events and the weird atmosphere in which the last act of the drama of the Third Reich was played. He explains, further, how his project, which originally had had a purely humanitarian character, developed a political one of great importance when, long past the eleventh hour, he was asked to convey, via the Swedish Government, Himmler's offer of surrender to the western Powers.After the war, Bernadotte was unanimously chosen by the victorious powers to be the United Nations Security Council mediator in the Arab-Israeli conflict of 1947-1948. He was assassinated in Jerusalem in 1948 by members of the underground Zionist group Lehi while pursuing his official duties.Army Air Forces Medical Services In World War II (The U.S. Army Air Forces in World War II #7)
By James S. Naney. 2015
This history summarizes the Army Air Forces (AAF) medical achievements that led to the creation of the Air Force Medical…
Service in July 1949. When the United States entered World War II, our nation's small aviation force belonged to the U.S. Army and relied on the Army medical system for support. The rapid expansion of the AAF and the medical challenges of improved aircraft performance soon placed great strain on the ground-oriented Army medical system. By the end of the war, the AAF had successfully acquired its own medical system oriented to the special needs of air warfare. This accomplishment reflected the determined leadership of AAF medical leaders and the dedication of thousands of medical practitioners who volunteered for aviation medical responsibilities that were often undefined or unfamiliar to them. In the face of new challenges, many American medics responded with hard work and intelligence that contributed greatly to Allied air superiority.Bombers
By Keith Ayling. 2015
Includes 31 IllustrationsEx-Bomber pilot, journalist, outstanding aviation author, Keith Ayling brilliantly analyzes the bombers - medium, light, heavy and dive…
- of U.S., Britain, Russia and the Axis Air Forces. When and where different types of bombers are used, with details of performance and thrilling stories of heroism in the air. Every type of bomber is included, light as well as heavy, torpedo bombers and dive bombers, including a glimpse into the closely guarded details of the Russian air force, and a look at the bomber strength of Japan. Illustrated with b/w photographs.General Hermann Balck: An Interview January 1979
By General Hermann Balck. 2015
This work provides an interesting view of German as well as enemy operations, tactics, strategies, equipment, weapons, and more, through…
an interview with a little-known but highly capable panzer general of the Wehrmacht, who saw considerable service in Europe and the Eastern Front during the war. Includes a brief biographical sketch of General Balck.Cassidy’s Battalion
By Colonel Samuel L. A. Marshall, Gen. Jacob E. Smart. 2015
The chief threat to the UTAH BEACH landings was the German coastal battery located just to the westward of the…
village of St Martin De Varreville. It had been the target of air bombardment in the preceding days but the results were not known. The fate of the northern half of the operation could have turned on it; the assured destruction of the Battery became a chief preoccupation of the 502d Airborne Infantry Regiment led by Lt. Colonel Patrick Cassidy. Widely scattered in the drop Cassidy and the paratroops under him were still determined to succeed in their objectives. In this short monograph produced by the European Theater of Operation historian S.L.A. Marshall, which was based on the oral testimony collected from the men involved, we follow Cassidy and his men as they attempt to achieve their important objectives.Air Interdiction In World War II, Korea, And Vietnam – An Interview With Generals Partridge Smart & Vogt Jr.
By Gen. Earle E. Partridge. 2015
Three distinguished USAF Generals offer their wisdom on Aerial Interdiction.In the long evolution of American air power in the twentieth…
century the professional experiences and judgments of these senior air leaders are both representative and instructive. Over one hundred years of military service are contained in this oral history interview, almost all of it concerned with the application of a new kind of military force--air power--to the oldest of military questions: how to defeat enemy armies. In discussing their experiences in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam, these men focus on those air campaigns which have come to be considered classics of air interdiction: in World War II, Operation Strangle in Italy, March-May 1944, and operations in support of the Normandy Invasion, April-June 1944; in the Korean War, all campaigns, especially Operation Strangle, May-October 1951; in the Vietnam War, the air interdiction part of the Rolling Thunder air campaign, March 1965-November 1968, the air campaign in Southern Laos, 1965-1972, and especially the air interdiction portions of Linebacker I and II, May-October and December 1972. In addition, the discussion turns in the latter stages to the impact of electronics--laser guided weapons, electronic suppression devices, drone air planes, and immediate air intelligence--on air interdiction operations. Generals Partridge, Smart, and Vogt offer definitions, clarifications, examples, generalizations, and advice. Their purpose, and that of the Office of Air Force History, is to further the dialogue among military professionals so that the past can help us to meet the challenges of the future.The Red Battle Flyer [Illustrated Edition]
By Freiherr Manfred von Richthofen. 2015
Includes Aerial Warfare During World War I Illustrations Pack with 115 maps, plans, and photos.The famous battle memoirs of the…
Red Baron.The Red Battle-Flyer, or Red Fighter Pilot, (German: Der Rote Kampfflieger) is a book written by Manfred von Richthofen, the most famous German fighter pilot ace. During his time over the Western Front he achieved eighty air combat victories, making him the top-scoring fighter pilot of the First World War.The book details some of Richthofen's experiences during World War I. He finished the book in 1917 during a convalescence from wounds, and as it was written during the World War I, it was subjected to war-time censorship. He would fight on wreaking havoc among Allied airmen until 1918 when he was finally downed, the final vanquisher of the famous Red Baron is still disputed but seems that he met his end from ground fire.Tragedy At Honda [Illustrated Edition]
By Admiral Charles A. Lockwood, Hans Christian Adamson. 2015
Includes 6 maps and 14 photos illustrations“Known to seafarers as the Devil’s Jaw, Point Honda has lured ships to its…
dangerous rocks on the coast of California for centuries, but its worst disaster occurred on 8 September 1923. That night nine U.S. Navy destroyers ran into Honda’s fog-wrapped reefs. Part of Destroyer Squadron 11, the ships were making a fast run from San Francisco to their homeport of San Diego at a steady 20 knots as fog closed around them. The captain of the flagship Delphy ordered a change of course, but due to navigational errors and unusual currents caused by an earthquake in Japan the previous week, she ran aground and eight destroyers followed her. The authors recreate in dramatic hour-by-hour detail what happened, including the heroic efforts to rescue men and ships. In addition to presenting a full picture of the tragedy, they cover the subsequent investigations, which became a media sensation. In conclusion, the authors suggest that the cause of the tragedy lay in the interpretation of the differences that exist between the classic concepts of naval regulations and the stark realism of the unwritten code of destroyer doctrine to follow the leader. Admiral Nimitz’s introduction sets the scene for this action-filled account of America’s greatest peacetime naval tragedy in history. Only Pearl Harbor in 1941 would do more damage.”-Print ed.Leadership (Indochina Monographs #11)
By General Cao Van Vien. 2015
This monograph forms part of the Indochina Monograph series written by senior military personnel from the former Army of the…
Republic of Vietnam who served against the northern communist invasion.War and politics posed many challenges to South Vietnam's military leadership. Unlike his counterpart in some countries, the Vietnamese military commander was not simply a leader of men in combat. Depending on the level of command, he had to play his part in national politics, be himself a grass roots politician, or engage in political warfare. To achieve success, he was often expected to possess several qualities not always required of a professional military leader. The requirements of leadership, therefore, sometimes transcended the conventional framework of accepted rules and principles.Given these requirements and the fallibility of human nature, it had not always been easy to evaluate the total performance of our leadership. The dilemma we faced was that while professional competence during actual combat was a critical criteria, we could not tolerate deliberate aberrations in moral and social codes.In my analysis of the successes and failures of our leadership, I have endeavored to be fair and objective. If I seem to be laudatory of some officers while critical of others, it is not my intention to embarrass any individual. Performance has been the sole basis for all of my evaluations.Pacification (Indochina Monographs #10)
By Brig. Gen. Tran Dinh Tho. 2015
Includes over 30 maps and illustrationsThis monograph forms part of the Indochina Monograph series written by senior military personnel from…
the former Army of the Republic of Vietnam who served against the northern communist invasion.Pacification is the military, political, economic, and social process of establishing or re-establishing local government responsive to and involving the participation of the people. It includes the provision of sustained, credible territorial security, the destruction of the enemy's underground government, the assertion or re-assertion of political control and involvement of the people in government, and the initiation of economic and social activity capable of self-sustenance and expansion.Defined as such, pacification is a broad and complex strategic concept which encompasses many fields of national endeavor. As a program implemented jointly with the U.S. military effort in South Vietnam, pacification appears to have involved every American serviceman and civilian who served there, many of whom indeed participated in conceiving the idea and helping put it to work.In the attempt to present every relevant aspect of the GVN pacification effort, I have mostly relied on my personal experience as one of the many architects who helped draw part of the blueprint and oversaw its progress, and complemented it by conducting interviews with responsible officials and studying available documentation.