Principles of war essays

Principles of war essays The Liberation of Groningen - An Urban Battlefield April 1945 marked a significant date in history for the Canadian soldiers that were involved in a major urban battle during World War II, The Liberation of Groningen. This historic event was fought between an all Canadian Corps and a multi-element German force. The principles of war that were evident in this conflict was economy of effort and concentration of force. Both the Canadians and Germans used these principles to their advantage and disadvantage. Economy of effort was the principle of war that was misapplied by the Canadians during The Liberation of Groningen. Instructions were given to neither use airpower nor employ heavy artillery as they penetrated into the city. By substituting manpower for firepower the Canadians suffered 209 casualties, 43 were fatal.# Although heavy causalities were incurred for the Canadian corps, the commanders intent of leaving the city undamaged was achieved. There were very few civilian casualties and the citys infrastructures such as the railway station, hospital and natural gas plant remained intact. The Germans applied the principle of economy of effort effectively. They were very familiar with the city and had great knowledge of the surrounding terrain putting them in a strong defensive position. They employed males between 16 and 60 years to build a vast network of trenches, anti-tank ditches and weapons pits. Aerial photos revealed that these defensive works made Groningen a veritable fortress that would be heavily defended.# As a result of these defensive maneuvers by the Germans, the Canadian troops realized that they had to take a different approach to overtake the city. They would have to clear the streets going house by house. This type of urban warfare slowed the attackers progress and inflicted heavier casualties. The Germans applied the principle concentration of forc...