Hyperwar
In World War Two, Hitler's armies began to use a technique that involved high speed armored mechanized divisions in conjunction with heavy air support to disrupt enemy formations. Ironically, America nicknamed this type of battle style "blitzkrieg," or lightning war (Fanning, 283). Since then, many countries have adopted this type of battle style because of its extreme effectiveness.
The German populace in the early stages of the war experienced a huge moral boost due to the initial success of the German blitzkrieg in Poland and France. Hitler, realizing the demoralization the Germans had suffered as a result of World War One, used the victories to revitalize German morale and consolidate his own power.
In contrast, during Vietnam, heavy, but ineffectual air bombardment supported foot soldiers without the use of the armored mechanized divisions. In general, the war was fought without the high speed movement that would come to characterize later wars. The Vietcong were allowed to fight a war on their own terms, while American forces failed to establish any specific objective. The lack of any grand strategy made it impossible to achieve goals because none existed. Because of this, the Vietnam conflict dragged on for years to the overall negative reaction of the American people.
In Operation Desert Storm, Iraq's armies were overwhelmed by the speed, maneuverability, and technological efficiency of Coalition armies. The Persian Gulf "Conflict" lasted less than one year. Due to this brevity, and the overwhelming success of the operation, the American public showed major support for the forces in the Persian Gulf. The same is true for the style of attack that recently occurred in the Middle East. This was a true war as more than one thousand battle deaths were incurred on both sides of the conflict. However, the majority of these were Iraqis. A very recent Gallup pole showed that 76% of Americans favor the current conflict in Iraq... [continues]
In World War Two, Hitler's armies began to use a technique that involved high speed armored mechanized divisions in conjunction with heavy air support to disrupt enemy formations. Ironically, America nicknamed this type of battle style "blitzkrieg," or lightning war (Fanning, 283). Since then, many countries have adopted this type of battle style because of its extreme effectiveness.
The German populace in the early stages of the war experienced a huge moral boost due to the initial success of the German blitzkrieg in Poland and France. Hitler, realizing the demoralization the Germans had suffered as a result of World War One, used the victories to revitalize German morale and consolidate his own power.
In contrast, during Vietnam, heavy, but ineffectual air bombardment supported foot soldiers without the use of the armored mechanized divisions. In general, the war was fought without the high speed movement that would come to characterize later wars. The Vietcong were allowed to fight a war on their own terms, while American forces failed to establish any specific objective. The lack of any grand strategy made it impossible to achieve goals because none existed. Because of this, the Vietnam conflict dragged on for years to the overall negative reaction of the American people.
In Operation Desert Storm, Iraq's armies were overwhelmed by the speed, maneuverability, and technological efficiency of Coalition armies. The Persian Gulf "Conflict" lasted less than one year. Due to this brevity, and the overwhelming success of the operation, the American public showed major support for the forces in the Persian Gulf. The same is true for the style of attack that recently occurred in the Middle East. This was a true war as more than one thousand battle deaths were incurred on both sides of the conflict. However, the majority of these were Iraqis. A very recent Gallup pole showed that 76% of Americans favor the current conflict in Iraq... [continues]
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