Essay Section Concepts Flashcards
Concepts covered in the course study guide for the essay section of the test
Compare rumors’ effect in the Bonus March, Japanese-American Internment, and Katrina relief.
BONUS MARCH – MacArthur thought there were communist in the crowd of veterans and therefore used force to remove them, huge political disaster
JAPANESE-AMERICAN INTERNMENT – At first DeWitt doesn’t believe in the rumors that Japanese Americans are involved in the attacks, but then rumors gain traction at high levels and he changes his decision about involvement. This causes this population to be put in camps away from the coast
KATRINA RELIEF -
Compare leadership in crisis situations at Monmouth, Shiloh, Stones River, and LZ X-RAY.
MONMOUTH – British were able to do a counterattack and gained the momentum because Washington wasn’t organized, but Washington was able to recover (to a stalemate) through short term leadership & use Von Steuben’s training
SHILOH – Rebels surprise Grant (had no security), Grant stayed calm then was able to recover well (navy helped – joint ops/combined arms), lead to victory
STONES RIVER – Bragg surprises Rosecrans but Bragg didn’t exploit it, Rosecrans holds the position (via artillery) Bragg retreats
LZ X-RAY – Moore planned well and had dynamic command to hold the perimeter (when surrounded and outnumbered)
Compare dissension among allies for Special Forces in Vietnam and LT Divinski in Andar.
SPECIAL FORCES IN VIETNAM – Green Berets had good relationships with locals, but the government didn’t trust Special Forces which put pressure on the relationship
Describe the Posse Comitatus Act’s link with the 1894 RR strike and 1960s domestic unrest.
POSSE COMITATUS ACT – forbids US Federal army to participate in domestic law enforcement (so many loopholes)
1894 RR STRIKE – considered a local issue, but was affecting interstate commerce… used loophole to bring in federal troops
1960S DOMESTIC UNREST – the Federal Army got involved with COINTELPRO, example of American ambivalence – the people completely disagree with Army’s involvement which causes them to quickly withdraw from the program
Compare US training and combat performance at Monmouth, TF Smith, and Desert Storm.
MONMOUTH – used Von Steuben’s training to recover, success for US because it showed we could stand against the British (RESULT: Stalemate).
TF SMITH – forces didn’t have the training or preparation necessary (tough terrain, people coming from different units, no training/prep)
DESERT STORM –
Compare the use of Principles and METT-TC at Cowpens and Guilford Courthouse.
COWPENS:
Maneuver – double envelopment (timed perfectly)
Offensive – Morgan had strong control (initiative) & surprised Tarleton
Enemy – used Tarleton’s aggressiveness against him, lured him in
Terrain – Morgan used a slight hill to hide his forces
GUILFORD COURTHOUSE:
Maneuver – Green makes Cornwallis move through forest, breaks up formations
Offensive – Green doesn’t initiate, but controls the fight
Enemy – uses Cornwallis’ aggressiveness against him, Green waits to be attacked, use lines well
Terrain – uses microterrain to break up British lines of defense
Explain how Dak To and Operation Cedar Falls illustrate the challenges of hybrid war.
DAK TO – used conventional fighting against guerillas, war starts to lead into a stalemate where North Vietnamese have a sanctuary and can just return after the fight
CEDAR FALLS – did not assess the enemy well (guerilla insurgents), again, conventional fighting which was not appropriate for the area, enemy kept coming back after attack
Compare Lee’s performance at Chancellorsville and Gettysburg.
CHANCELLORSVILLE – Lee had interior lines, he split his forces twice & puts Hooker at disadvantage, Lee stays on the offensive and envelops Hooker
GETTYSBURG – Lee has exterior lines, fails mass & timing, Lee did not have Obs/FoF and therefore could not achieve surprise nor use maneuver well
Describe three reasons for reduced military disease and war-wound deaths in the 1900s.
Penicillin – kills battle wound infections
DDT – modern pesticide, took care of Malaria & yellow fever
Dedicated combat medics who used Plasma
MedEvac – air ambulance
Describe Simplicity issues and fratricide at Germantown, Chancellorsville, Sicily, and Grenada.
GERMANTOWN – Washington violate simplicity by using an overly complex maneuver with anxious & poorly trained troops causing fratricide and defeat
CHANCELLORSVILLE – formation issue in wooden area in the evening, Jackson went to find a route and when he came back was shot by his own guys (dies)
SICILY – simplicity was violated b/c plan was not communicated to everyone, so jittery troops opened up fire on our night parachute drop
GRENADA – uncoordinated attacks with incompatible radios cause fratricide
Compare Enemy, Terrain and Maneuver at Saipan, Luzon and Okinawa.
SAIPAN
Enemy – initially met US forces on the beach, but then retreats inland
Terrain – small, rugged island
Maneuver – Japanese were better able to navigate the jungle
LUZON
Enemy – no longer opposed forces on the beach (used guerilla warfare inland)
Terrain – more open terrain aids US maneuver
Maneuver – contained in a few spots, but they won’t stop fighting
OKINAWA
Enemy – does not oppose forces on beach (move inward, uses cave network)
Terrain – really small island, mountainous
Maneuver – requires direct fighting
Describe local ally problems for the British in the South and LT Divinski in Andar District.
**
Use Principles of War to analyze Scott’s Mexico City Campaign.
VERA CRUZ
Offensive – moves quickly and controls the fight (able to do so b/c surprise)
Surprise – lands far outside the city where they don’t have massed forces
Maneuver – quickly surrounds the town
CERRO GORDO
Offensive – Scott forces Santa Ana to respond to him
Surprise – Scott able to move through ‘impassable terrain’ and set up defense
Maneuver – gets cannons into position to attack within the rough terrain
BATTLE OF CONTRERAS
Offensive – Scott controls the fight
Surprise – Scott finds a goat path to get to the city on the West side, ‘impassable area’
Maneuver – got through rough terrain, attacks on two fronts, got artillery through
CHAPULTEPEC
Mass – via numbers, pushes directly in via ladders
Restraint – Scott utilizes this toward his soldiers so that they don’t abuse the locals
Legitimacy – Scott ran the Mexico City government better than previous people
Why did the side that achieved Surprise at Shiloh and the Battle of the Bulge not win?
SHILOH: Grant was able to recover quickly after the rebels surprise him (due to his own poor security) because he remained calm, Grant also had Navy to support him
BATTLE OF BULGE:
Germans took an unexpected path (actually better for defensive) in bad weather, but timing had to be perfect which was prevented by terrain and logistics
Compare the Triangle Division, Pentomic Division, and the Brigade Combat Team.
TRIANGLE DIVISION: small, more flexible command & control, global, twice the firepower.
PENTOMIC DIVISION: small, quick mass dispersal, European fighting, not enough combat power
Compare intelligence factors for Son Tay and LT Divinski’s operations in Andar District
SON TAY RAID – the raid was executed excellently, but no POWs there to rescue due to over-compartmentalized intelligence (secrecy)
LT DIVINSKI IN ANDAR –
How were Hutier Tactics and the Blitzkrieg Concept related?
HUTIER TACTICS: small unit teams, complex terrain (trenches), tactical, had to lead/trust/initiate, exploited combat arms at the lower levels (no radios)
BLITZKRIEG CONCEPT: small units, open terrain, requires trust/initiation/tempo, go for the weakest spot to surround strong spots, tactical and operational, better commo
Compare British action at Bunker Hill and Charleston (1776) via Principles of War and METT-TC.
BATTLE OF BUNKER HILL
Offensive – maintained the offensive because they sustained the attack
Legitimacy – lost some because they didn’t overwhelmingly beat the patriots
Enemy – underestimated enemy, British showed weakness against militia
Troops – daylight frontal attack against a defensible position
Terrain – attacked an open slope in front
BATTLE OF CHARLESTON (1776)
Offensive – failed because they squandered momentum
Maneuver – weren’t able to move through amphib terrain
Enemy – underestimated tenacity of patriots
Terrain – tide coming in & sand bars
Troops – heavy losses b/c ships were stuck & patriots were just laying down fire
Compare Blitzkrieg and AirLand Battle.
BLITZKRIEG: Offensive-defensive, initiative and command trust, increase tempo, surround hard spots by splicing weak spots, for open terrain
AIRLAND BATTLE: Relies on the offensive and maneuver with simultaneous/ synchronous operations, relies on leader initiative and shared trust
very similar
Compare Grant at the Wilderness with Ridgway in Korea and Petraeus in the OIF Surge.
GRANT @ WILDERNESS: Pushes forces (uses offensive), can’t use artillery in this terrain, loses tactically, but raises troop morale
RIDGEWAY IN KOREA: Instrumental leader, rallies his troops through short-term leadership, and maintains his composure
PETRAEUS IN OIF SURGE:
Compare how civil affairs played a role in the Modoc and Ute Wars
MODOC:
- Poor civil affairs, put them on a reserve with past enemies
- Tried negotiations, but Modoc leader kills them
- Modoc’s didn’t quit immediately, but did surrender
- Overall, negotiations did help end the war
UTE:
- We wanted Gold in the territory we gave them and for them to change their culture
- US brings in a larger force (seen as violation)
- Shot rings out in tense situation, fight doesn’t last long cooler heads prevail
- Negotiations occur: they lose a lot of territory, but no war occurs
Indian Wars
Red Cloud’s War – Fetterman Massacre, lack of US perseverance, gained tactical experience
Wounded Knee – no restraint or control by US, ends up as a massacre
Modoc War – forced people on to a reservation with their enemies (bad civil affairs), took months of fighting & negotiations to come to resolution
Ute War – we wanted gold & culture change (bad civil affairs), shot rings out but short fighting period, negotiations lead to resolution
Military Medical Developments
Civil War – developments are slow and painful (more on Union side due to resources) and emphasize poor camp hygiene as an issue
Cuba – know mosquitoes carried malaria/yellow fever and controlled breeding grounds
War in Europe – good camp hygiene is a lot better but can’t get rid of everything
WW2 – DDT, Penicillin, dedicated combat medics, plasma availability, and emphasis on camp hygiene
Which of the following is correct regarding wartime command and/or ethics?
WARTIME COMMAND EXAMPLES:
Washington = calm in the face of adversity, short term leader examples
Grant = strong, uplifts morale
Bragg had horrible command relationships
Pershing = aggressive, ruthless
Smith = shame & court martial
Bell = promotion to Chief of Staff for Army
ETHICS EXAMPLES: British (waxhaws massacre) & Tories Newburg Affair Jackson w/ Red Sticks Scott Bonus March
