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the lancaster kicks ass said:hey now wait a minute there RG........
firstly the Marshall plan wasn't simply you warm, kind hearted americans trying to help their fellow man, it was just as much to stop us falling to communism, it is not the single most generous act ever at all, more an attempt to keep some airbases in Europe open to you...........
the lancaster kicks ass said:and what do you mean you "bailed us out" in WWI?? your joining of the war made little impact to be honest, far less than you are implying,
May-June, 1918
The Allies Appeal for American Assistance
Final Report of General John J. Pershing, US War Department, September 1, 1919.
General John J. Pershing opposed the French and British efforts to incorporate US into existing Allied Armies, noting that 'nothing in the situation justified the relinquishment of our firm purpose to form our own Army under our own flag.' In Document I below, the Supreme War Council agreed that there would be a fully US military contingent. Document II contains the manpower estimates prepared by the Ministers of Great Britain, France and Italy and confirmed by the Allied commander, General Ferdinand Foch.
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I
Agreement Reached at Abbeville, May 2, 1918
It is the opinion of the Supreme War Council that, in order to carry the war to a successful conclusion, an American Army should be formed as early as possible under its own commander and under its own flag. In order to meet the present emergency it is agreed that American troops should be brought to France as rapidly as Allied transportation facilities will permit, and that, as far as consistent with the necessity of building up an American Army, preference will be given to infantry and machinegun units for training and service with French and British Armies; with the understanding that such infantry and machine-gun units are to be withdrawn and united with its own artillery and auxiliary troops into divisions and corps at the direction of the American Commander in Chief after consultation with the Commander in Chief of the Allied Armies in France
Subparagraph A. It is also agreed that during the month of May preference should be given to the transportation of infantry and machine-gun units of six divisions, and that any excess tonnage shall be devoted to bring over such other troops as may be determined by the American Commander in Chief.
Subparagraph B. It is further agreed that this program shall be continued during the month of June upon condition that the British Government shall furnish transportation for a minimum of 130,000 men in May and 150, 000 men in June, with the understanding that the first six divisions of infantry shall go to the British for training and service, and that troops sent over in June shall be allocated for training and service as the American Commander in Chief may determine.
Subparagraph C. It is also further agreed that if the British Government shall transport an excess of 150,000 men in June that such excess shall be infantry and machine-gun units, and that early in June there shall be a new review of the situation to determine further action.
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II
Message Prepared by the Prime Ministers of Great Britain, France, and Italy, Versailles, June 2, 1918
"We desire to express our warmest thanks to President Wilson for the remarkable promptness with which American aid, in excess of what at one time seemed practicable, has been rendered to the Allies during the past month to meet a great emergency. The crisis, however, still continues. General Foch has presented to us a statement of the utmost gravity, which points out that the numerical superiority of the enemy in France, where 162 Allied divisions now oppose 200 German divisions, is very heavy, and that, as there is no possibility of the British and French increasing the number of their divisions (on the contrary, they are put to extreme straits to keep them up) here is a great danger of the war being lost unless the numerical inferiority of the Allies can be remedied as rapidly as possible by the advent of American troops. He, therefore, urges with the utmost insistence that the maximum possible number of infantry and machine gunners, in which respect the shortage of men on the side of the Alliess most marked, should continue to be shipped from America in the months of June and July to avert the immediate danger of an Allied defeat in the present campaign wing to the Allied reserves being exhausted before those of the enemy. In addition to this, and looking to the future, he represents that it is impossible to foresee ultimate victory in the war unless America is able to provide such an army as will enable the Allies ultimately to establish numerical superiority. He places the total American force required for this at no less than 100 divisions, and urges the continuous raising of fresh American levies, which, in his opinion, should not be less than 300,000 a month, with a view to establishing a total American force of 100 divisions at as early a date as this can possibly be done. "We are satisfied that General Foch, who is conducting the present campaign with consummate ability, and on whose military judgment we continue to place the most absolute reliance, is not overestimating the needs of the case, and we feel confident that the Government of the United States will do everything that can be done, both to meet the needs of the immediate situation and to proceed with the continuous raising of fresh levies, calculated to provide, as soon as possible, the numerical superiority which the Commander in Chief of the Allied Armies regards as essential to ultimate victory." A separate telegram contains the arrangements which General Foch, General Pershing, and Lord Milner have agreed to recommend to the United States Government with regard to the dispatch of American troops for the months of June and July.
Signed
CLEMENCEAU
D. LLOYD GEORGE
ORLANDO
http://www.lib.byu.edu/~rdh/wwi/1918/amicome.html
THE CONTEXT
In face of the urgency created by the German offensive on the 21st. March 1918, General Pershing placed all his forces then available in Europe at the disposition of General Foch. Amongst these units, the 1st. U.S. Division which, on the 5th. April had been positioned in the region North of Paris, received on the 27th. April, the responsability for a sector to the West of Montdidier, in the 6th. Corps of the French 1st. Army. This was the first time, on an active battle front, that an American Division took up position.
1ST. US DIVISION
At that time the Germans were halfway through their series of big offensives, and their future attack could include the sector of the 1st. Division. The activity and firing on this front were so great that it was difficult to prepare a defensive position.
The ground in front of the American sector was the hill on which the village of Cantigny is built. This not only gave an excellent view for the Germans to observe the American sector, but also masked from the Americans the offensive movements and activity in the German rear.
At the beginning of May, the command of the division was transfered to the French 10th. Army Corps and in the middle of May it was decided to dislodge the Germans from their position in Cantigny, in order to reduce the difficulties in holding this part of the front.
The 28th. Infantry Regiment of the 1st. Division was chosen to conduct the attack and during several days rehearsed it's plans on similar ground at the rear. During the attack the regiment received the support of the American and French artillery, of machine gun fire, mortars, 37 mm. guns, tanks, flame-throwers, Engineers and two companies of the 18th. Infantry Regiment.
The assault was launched at 6.45 am the 28th May and despite a lively main resistance from behind the village as well as artillery and machine gun fire on the left flank, all the objectves were rapidly achieved. The construction of trenches, laying of barbed wire and the preparation of strong points on the recently gained ground, was undertaken immediately.
The German reaction was immediate and particularly violent, showing the German will to break the moral of the Americans. Counter-attack after counter-attack was launched against the captured position during the following two days. As from midday on the 28th. May, during 72 hours, the American lines around Cantigny were the subject of intense shelling by all calibres of the enemy Artillery. At the end of this bombardement, the Americans still held all their positions. The Germans had to resign themselves to their failure.
During the defense against the German counter-attacks, the two companies of the 18th. Infantry in reserve and one company of the 26th. were brought up to the front.
The capture of Cantigny was the first big attack carried out by an American division. It is considered to be a great exploit and of particular value to the Allies as an illustration of the aptitude for combat of the American troops, who were beginning to arrive in France. This engagement took place the day after the German offensive of 27th. May against the Chemin des Dames, it was perceived by the Allies, as a ray of sun in a particularly menacing sky.
The 2nd. of June, the 1st. Division took over responsability for a slightly wider part of the front., in order to free French troops to be useful elsewhere. The 3rd., to the north of Cantigny, the front line was moved slightly foreward to improve it's position. During the day of the 9th. June, the division was severely shelled for the Germans began their major offensive between Montdidier and Noyon, to the east of the sector occupied.
The 1st. Division remained in the lines, in all, for 73 days with losses mounting to 5200 killed, wounded and missing. It was relieved on the 8th. July and was to play, ten days later, a very important part in the battle south of Soissons, in the scope of the 10th. French Army (Général Mangin).
http://batmarn2.club.fr/1dvcneng.htm
LE POINT DE VUE DU GENERAL LUNDENDORFF SUR LES TROUPES AMERICAINES
From the section by Ludendorff contained in THE TWO BATTLES OF THE MARNE: THE STORIES OF MARSHAL JOFFRE, GENERAL VON LUDENDORFF, MARSHAL FOCH, CHROWN PRINCE WILHELM (NY: Cosmopolitan Book Corporation, 1927).
"I did not delude myself at this time (July 1918) as to the imminence or the strength of the American forces then coming into action.
The French troops in many sectors of the front were being replaced by Americans, and the quality of the new forces was already manifest to me.
The German general staff estimated for me that on July 1, 1918, there were a round million American troops on French soil, of which 600,000 were already fighting. Their divisions, which we estimated to number twenty-two, were twice as strong as our own in actual number of infantry. America was evidently throwing all of her almost inexhaustible resources into the great battle.
Wherever the American soldier had made his appearance on the front, he had proved himself not very well trained, but extremely eager and even too rash, with apparently inexhaustible nervous energy. It still remained to be seen, however, whether the new divisions which had not yet been in action would be equal to the regulars (2nd 3rd Div) that turned the tide at Chateau-Thierry. It also remained to be seen whether American leadership, lacking tactical and technical experience in handling even single divisions, could handle great armies, especially in mobile warfare." (pp 218-9)
"The tremendous superabundance of pent-up, untapped nervous energy which America's troops brought into the fray more than balanced the weakness of their allies, who were utterly exhausted.
It was assuredly the Americans who bore the heaviest brunt of the fighting in the last few months of the war. The German field army found them much more aggressive in attack than either the English or the French.
For instance, in the simultaneous attack launched at the end of September--six weeks before the war ended--by the French in Champagne and the Americans between the Argonne and the Meuse, General von Einem's Third German Army facing the French had no difficulty in holding firm the line against their frontal attacks for fully two weeks, while General von Gallwitz's Fifth German Army facing the Americans in the Argonne could not withstand the incessant force of intrepidity of the American attack.
In the October battles for the possession of the Meuse line, which we had held for four years and heavily fortified, the Americans must be credited with decisive victory. By frontal pressure against the troops opposing them, they forced us to abandon the Aisne position and retreat behind the Meuse. The French on numerous previous occasions had attacked us there in great force, suffered terrible loss themselves and gained no advantage.
Regarding the actual fighting of the Americans, their attacks were undoubtedly brave and often reckless. They lacked sufficient desterity or experience in availing athemselves of topographical cover or protection. They came right on in open field and attacked in units much too closely formed. Their lack of actual field experience accounts for some extraordinary heavy losses." (pp 228-9).
http://batmarn2.club.fr/apprecus.htm
the lancaster kicks ass said:and as for you "feeling ignored" in the peace disscussions after WWI and that leading to WWII, well that's really pissed me off!! Wilson was there at the peace talks, he was one of the big three, how exactly are you feeling left out??
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Therefore, the Supreme Army Command demanded of His Majesty the Kaiser and of the Chancellor that a proposal for the bringing about of peace be made to President Wilson of America without delay, for bringing about an armistice on the basis of his 14 Points.
...
http://www.lib.byu.edu/~rdh/wwi/1918/thaereng.html
the lancaster kicks ass said:YOU WERE THERE!! then you decide to set up the league of nations, then it wasn't approved in america, it was the american people's fault that you didn't join!! then you have the absolute nerve to claim that if you were at the peace talks, which you were, you and you alone could have prevented WWII, that's complete s**t and you know it...............
the lancaster kicks ass said:and the walls street crash, the fault of you americans might i point out RG, was just as much a cause of WWII than anything else...........
DerAdlerIstGelandet said:Well as for the US entering in WW1 I will agree that it had some impact. The US provided fresh troops which the French and the British did not have. On the other hand though you have to remember that at the same time the German army's moral was at an all time low also. There were even Navy mutinies going. (These however were just before the end of the war anyhow).
I am not trying to take away the US effort especially that of the 1st Infantry Division (Hell Yeah thats the division that I fly for!) but I would not say that the US bailed France and England out. Greatly influenced the outcome of the war yes, but single handendly won the war for the allies absoulutely not.
DerAdlerIstGelandet said:As for the whole Airbus thing, yeap this ones for you RG_Lunatic!
GO AIRBUS!!!!!
RG_Lunatic said:DerAdlerIstGelandet said:Well as for the US entering in WW1 I will agree that it had some impact. The US provided fresh troops which the French and the British did not have. On the other hand though you have to remember that at the same time the German army's moral was at an all time low also. There were even Navy mutinies going. (These however were just before the end of the war anyhow).
I am not trying to take away the US effort especially that of the 1st Infantry Division (Hell Yeah thats the division that I fly for!) but I would not say that the US bailed France and England out. Greatly influenced the outcome of the war yes, but single handendly won the war for the allies absoulutely not.
I never said "single handedly", simply that it was the addition of the US hand that pushed the German's over the edge.
And it was not just that US troops were fresh, it was also the US Army method of warfare. The USA had a different understanding of what war was about because of the Civil War. The idea that troops would be lost was accepted and the goal was to make those losses bear results, not to avoid them which of course does not work anyway (as the British and French losses can attest).
The way the USA felt was that after bailing the Allied powers out of WWI
DerAdlerIstGelandet said:As for the whole Airbus thing, yeap this ones for you RG_Lunatic!
GO AIRBUS!!!!!
delcyros said:8)
There is no doubt that wing airflow design of NACA profiles influenced german design on a big scale. Just note the innumerous laminar flow copies.
RG, are you sure that "...no other nation was willing to pay expensive bills for a comparable windtunnel..."???
I recommend to double check your argument, since you ignore the german wind tunells, which have been much superior in terms of air flow, pressure and speed to the US one.
The 1939 wind tunnel of Adlershof made 2.000 kVA and allowed a max simulating speed of Mach 550 mp/h. In terms of size and performance it is only slightly less powerful than the US one. However, the basic technology was behind the US in my minds, since they used no computerization for the pressurepoints.
Complete new vakuum technology windtunnel have been made in Peenemünde. There a 8000 kVA windtunnel was made between 1940 and 1942 for Mach 3-4, allowing a max airflow speed of 1000 meters/second (2236 mp/h) at a channel of 30*40 cm. This resulted in the first supersonic windtunnel results. It proved to be vital for supersonic flow research (esspecially v. Brauns A-projects and supersonic missiles + planes)
Dr. Wegner even worked on a Mach-10 windtunnel for verification of Dr. Sängers ideas. He later became a key US aerodynamic for hypersonic airflow and their wind tunnels.
The most powerful european windtunnel was build 1940-1945 (not finished at all) in Ötztal/Tirol by Dr. Peters late in ww2. Driven by marine turbines it developed 110.000 hp (75.000 kVA!) and allowed an airflow of 15.000 cbm per second at an airchannel of 8 m diameter and 14 m length with effective 670 mp/h airspeed.There are SEVERAL SUPERSONIC airflow tests recorded by these tunnel for Lippish, Messerschmidt and (mostly) DFS.
After end of ww2, the french decided to take down the Ötztal windtunnel and rebuild this object in France. Renamed TLT it is still the most powerful windtunnel of europe. It proved to be vital for all Airbus projects. Till today.
Check out his book, RG:W.P. Wegener, The Peenemunde wind tunnels, (1998), passim.