Monday, November 12, 2007

Battlefield Orders

1.

Flamethrower

I Paul Baumer was faced with many weapons of many calibers. During WWI, we used flamethrowers that were primarily latched onto tanks and mounted vehicles and had a short range of fire yet were powerful. In some cases infantry such as I as well as my friends carried lighter flamethrowers known as Flammenwerfer. It was these types of flamethrowers were used by hand though they were cumbersome and had a short range of fire.

A Typical hand flamethrowers consisted of

A backpack containing Cylinders (Typically there were three flamethrowers which contained flammable liquid in addition to a propellant gas Nitrogen.)

This fuel liquid was then thrust through a gun component made up of
Small reservoir
Spring-loaded valve
Ignition system


The Flamethrower was a device used us in the initial state of the WWI as it terrorized our enemies. Soon the allies saw the usefulness in this weapon and used it against us. This weapon was an excellent source of close range combat as it had a short range yet had powerful effects.

Tanks


Tanks were first developed in WWI as result of endless trench warfare’s. The first tanks were developed by the British and were invulnerable against to bullets as a result of their riveted armor and as a result proved useful within the war. Our leaders were not too keen to battle with tanks until it had become too late….

Time passed and eventually tanks made our methods of war obsolete. Tanks were a new revolution for warfare.

Machine Gun

Machine guns were fairly new yet shot bullets faster than that of any human. My commander had explained to me that a typical machine gun could fire on average 500 rounds per minute. Although machine guns were dominant and crucial to an army’s battalion they were unreliable as I was quick to find out. Machine guns
Heated up too quickly
The Firing of Rounds were too short
Water was not immediately ready to cool down the Machine Guns


Overall Machine Guns were highly advocated by our generals as a means to compensate for their disregard of tanks. We were pro for anti-tank machinery, and as a result the Machine Gun was used. In many cases, the rounds of a Machine gun could pierce through the armor of the tanks. Likewise these guns were utilized by us in order to provide proper support for those on the frontline. As a result, the Allies as well we used the weapon in order to provide defense as well as offense.

Submarine

Initially within the WWI submarines were disregarded for their lack of size. Submarines were originally thought to be used for only Coastal Mission we created a new fleet of them known as the U-155. These submarines were vast in size and contained to cargo holds as well as being armed with self propelled torpedoes.

We who created the submarines also created a new era of warfare beneath the sea. Many wars occurred, one in which 17 U-155 were annihilated by British submarines . As a result of these constant conflicts the British had also developed the R-Class of submarines which were intended for warfare. This development was a future success for the allies but terrorized us.

Airplane

Aircrafts during WWI were utilized by the allies and were used to us through the air. The damage that had burdened us with was inconceivable. As aircrafts became more complex, machine guns were integrated into the system as a means of air battle. Later the Red Baron came to be our savior from these savage machines.

Aircrafts were an efficient means of battle as many soldiers could be wiped out easily through guns and bombs. These airplanes also were often used as infiltration entities used in surprise attacks making it a vital aid for both sides of the militia.

3’’ Mortar

Mortars were a revolution in Trench Warfare and allowed us to safely fire a projectile such as a grenade or small bomb towards the enemy. Oh how I tell you that this was a great invention by man as the main advantages were…

Ensure Further Safety to the firing infantry
Lighter other large-scaled weapons
Leaves no exposure to shells and other projectile


Soon the Idea of a Mortar was adopted by the everyone within the war which was not a good thing. However, when the mortars were put into play we were the dominating force as we had three types of mortars. Each size was used to attack a different size of enemies.

E.g. Larger mortars were used when the numbers of opposing forces were larger.




2.

I Paul Baumer was once stuck in a place known as, “No man’s land” which to this moment was a one of the most terrorizing moments within my dreadful life. This land is in essence a land in which no man would ever wish to venture into. If you are mislead by the rate of war such as I once was you will find yourself stuck between the rage of two forces. You will find that you are in the eye of a storm not knowing when either side will come to demolish you. I remember this frightful moment when seeing the shells shoot mercilessly through the sky and I advise one to never venture into such a horrid place.

3.

I remember the moments when we shot such dangerous gases towards our foes. I did not know why we shot them nor did I want to know the lasting side-affects that they had. Eventually I could see the destruction that these gases had upon us. There were three deadly gases that I remember which were known as Chlorine, mustard and phosgene gases. We used Mustard Gas mercilessly as a means to disable our enemies so it would be easier to raid them. In addition to this we deployed high concentrations of chlorine gas which killed many as well damaging the vital organs of the bodies of our enemies. The last of the gases was Phosgene gas. This was a terrible gas that inflicted pain upon its victims causing them to cough and choke to death. These terrible weapons were also put against us the Germans in the long lasting war that we had to endure.

4.


I remember those horrendous moments in the trenches that I spent with my fellow comrades. The stench was brutal to a man’s nose as well as the awful sight of others dying around you. I remember the smell of sweaty feet as well a musty smell from the damp clothes of many of the soldiers around me. Food was scarce and the only bread we had was eaten by rats. Around us we could feel the trembles of shells and bombs dropping around us. Many as well as I were frightened at the possibility that it could be us that would be bombed.

5.

During my time we typically had beans and a loaf of bread to share. We were happy to get food as well being able to drink. Sometimes our cook would give us extra portions of food as well as giving us a drink and some smokes on the side. Many times to make our food taste better we were given cheese as well as some butter to put on our food. During this harsh time, food was the only thing that kept us going to fight for a worthless cause. This food has also led me to have look back upon those moments when food was hastily available.




6.


In the German Army during WWI I once heard of a man named Red Baron. He was a famous German Pilot in the army and was considered an ace. His real name was Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen and was well know for his 80 air combat victories. Through all his victories he later died on April 21, 1918 when he was shot by a .303 bullet through the heart. His skills were unmatched and were seen when he landed an aircraft in his near death. I truly admire this man as many others do as he his fearless in the task that he does.

7.


The Schlieffen Plan was an ingenious plan devised by a man named Alfred Von Schlieffen. I was told about his plan by others in my battalion, and was impressed by its tactful manner. Our battalion was one of the many that were deployed on this mission to conquer the French. The main concept or effect of our plan was to force France to surrender before the Russians could devise a counter attack. Schlieffen knew that it would take the Russians around six to eight weeks to gather an army in order for a counter-attack to protect their allies. This plan had been put into action in 1914 and seemed that it was guaranteed to work. We came to realize that this plan had failed miserably and we began to retreat. Many of us died in the process.

8.

The war that me and my friends have been brought into is all because of an event known as the Archduke’s assassination. . I am angered when I speak of this, as I know that this is why I am even writing this journal. This assassination occurred in the year of 1914 and served as a catalyst for the hardships of war. When the Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated it raised a terrible uproar in the whole of Europe. Originally this formed a disagreement between the Austro-Hungarians and the Serbians. Finally the Austro-Hungarians declared war against the Serbians with the help of the Germans. On the other hand the Serbians had the help of the Russians on their side. All these actions led to more countries leading into the battle thus creating the terrible war that I am in known as the WWI.

9.

Within Helen Burrey’s journal much is explained about the life of a train nurse. Life was on the go as she explained it in her journal as she would have to care for the wounded soldiers with the help of three other nurses. She explained the fact that she and the other nurses had only one room to share in the train and was limited to the small confines of her room. Much more of the journal explained the same aspects and how life was harsh taking care of the many soldiers. I feel for her as I know how hard it is to care for those wounded from the hardships of war.


10.


Many times me and my friends would make bets on who would win a dogfight. A dogfight was better known as aerial combat in which two or more aircrafts would battle. The Red Baron was also known for his many successful air combat operations. During WWI planes developed machine guns which were integrated onto their base and thus started aerial combat which was known as a dogfight. In a typical Dogfight two aircrafts would shoot each other with machine guns until the other would go down. This is best explanation of a Dogfight as there really were no differences in combat styles.

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12.


I was once in a Pal Battalion and thought it was a great idea until I saw so many near to me die. However the war did give me an opportunity to get much closer to my friends and gave me a better reason to fight and that was to protect my friends. If it were up to me I would now not have signed up with my friends as I cannot stand to bear the fact that those that I love are dying as a result of the hardships placed upon us by war.

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