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
