A Bridge Too Far is a 1977 war film telling the story of the failure of Operation Market Garden of World War II. This operation was an attempt by the Allied forces to gain control of several bridges in the Netherlands with the main objective being to outflank the German defenses. If this plan were to work as planned, the men believed the war would be over by Christmas. From the beginning this plan, devised by British Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery, to have 35,000 men flown 300 miles from air bases in England and being dropped as much as 64 miles behind enemy lines seems extremely risky. Even Lieutenant-General Frederick Browning admits that if even one of the groups fail, the entire operation fails, but still has confidence in the overall plan. At the command briefing, others voice their own doubts in the plan. General Gavin worries about parachuting in daylight while General Sosabowski doubts the sanity of the entire plan and even goes so far as to question whose side the briefing officer is on. Though General Urquhart may have his doubts, he tells his troops the plan and trusts in the fact that gliders with reconnaissance Jeeps will arrive shortly after they land in their drop zone about 8 miles from their target location (one of the bridges). Though many people have doubts about the plans and some such as Major Fuller and some of the British officers have actual evidence of difficulties in the plan, nothing is ever done. Major Fuller is even dismissed after showing General Browning reconnaissance photos of German tanks at Arnhem which is one of the crucial targets of the Allies. All of the Generals are not exactly sure how to feel about the operation at first. Of course they know the extensive risks of the plan, but they are all military men. They do not want to question their superiors no matter how impossible the orders may seem. No matter their insecurities, they do the only thing they can which is to determine their method of attack. General Gavin knows that the only way to take the bridge would be to take it from both sides and plans to send troops across the river on a boat. The other generals have their own methods of attack, but are met by German resistance. They are able to secure the Nijmegen bridge as General Sosabowski and his troops attempt to reinforce British troops at Arnhem. With the Germans fully aware, their paratroopers are unable to successfully get through to the men at Arnhem and the operation fails. All of the men experience their own hardships and difficulties throughout the operation. General Gavin seems to go through the motions and though he is nervous, is able to devise a semi-successful plan. General Urquhart is faced with many problems from the reconnaissance Jeeps not arriving, to not being able to have any source of communication. Similarly, Sosabowski and his troops experience immediate resistance as they attempt to parachute to their designated drop zone. Though all of the characters had their doubts about Operation Market Garden from the very beginning, their military training kept them from really voicing these concerns and ultimately the operation failed.

A Bridge Too Far. Perf. Ryan O’Neal, Sean Connery, Dirk Bogarde, Gene Hackman,. Joseph E. Levine Production, 1977. Film.

“A Bridge Too Far (film).” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 23 Feb. 2015. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Bridge_Too_Far_(film)>.

The movie Gettysburg is a war film written and directed by Ronald F. Maxwell and is based on the novel The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara. Gettysburg came out in 1993 and is centered around the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg. This battle, which took place during the American Civil War, involved the largest number of casualties and is seen by some as the turning point of the war. The movie focuses on many of the military leaders on both the Union and Confederate side over time. Confederate General Robert E. Lee is depicted in the movie as a man that is extremely beloved in the South and is viewed almost as a hero. His troops are extremely devoted to him and are always eager to fight under his command. Another leader, though lower in rank, depicted in the film is Union Colonel Chamberlain. Chamberlain comes off as much more educated than General Lee which most likely comes from his teaching background. Though he is just a common man, he is still extremely passionate about the war and the cause that they are fighting for. He even extends his compassion to the men on the side he is fighting against, even if he cannot understand their views and reasoning for fighting in favor of slavery. Chamberlain also seems much more thoughtful than Lee and thinks about the deeper meaning of the war than simply the glory of it. Both of the men are extremely well respected throughout their troops and even though they have different points of view, they are both very passionate about their sides’ opinion. Aside from the passion that both of these men feel towards their causes, they both have a deeper love for war and the military itself-like many of the other characters that we’ve seen so far. These two characters have many similarities and differences throughout the film, but like most of the war leaders that we’ve encountered so far, they are extremely well respected, and intense about the military and their causes.

“Gettysburg (1993 Film).” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 16 Feb. 2015. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gettysburg_(1993_film)>.

Gettysburg. Perf. Tom Berenger, Jeff Daniels, Martin Sheen. Simitar Entertainment, 1993. Film.

“Battle of Gettysburg.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 16 Feb. 2015. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Gettysburg>.

The 1989 movie, Glory, is an American war movie based on the personal letters of Colonel Robert Shaw during the Civil War. During this war the country was divided into the Union and the Confederacy due to different views about slavery. Throughout this time period, it was very difficult for whites and blacks to coexist even though some African Americans, like Thomas, were actually free. This is holds true in the military as well. After returning from battle Robert Shaw is asked to be the Colonel of the first negro regiment. Upon first hearing this Robert seems a little shocked and not exactly sure how to react. After talking to his friend, Forbes, it is easy to understand his apprehension. In the world that they were living in, it seemed ridiculous to the military men that there would be black soldiers. At first, Forbes doesn’t even want to accept his friends invitation to accompany him in leading the men. Once the troops are assembled, it is obvious that the men are extremely eager to be in battle and fight for their own freedom. It also becomes obvious that the men will most likely never see battle. Throughout the high standing military officers it is hard to find one that believes in what Robert and the men are doing. They view the troops as a joke even though they may be the most passionate soldiers the military could find at the time. The men are denied essential items such as shoes and are forced to march with blistered feet. It is not until the Colonel goes and demands the items himself that they finally receive proper articles of clothing. This holds true for the uniforms as well. The men were training, sleeping, and living in their regular clothes instead of having proper uniforms. Throughout the movie you can see the struggle that the military men have with dealing with the colored troops from how to treat them, to how to train them. When Private Trip (Denzel Washington) is found “deserting” Robert and the other officers are not sure how to handle the punishment. Though the usual punishment would be to be flogged, they were not sure if that would be appropriate because the private was an ex-slave that had been whipped mercilessly countless times before. They are also unsure how to train them since in the beginning they are sure that the men will never see battle. During this time the entire world was dealing with diversity and how to handle it in everyday lives. The same goes for the people in the military. Though the colored regiment was eager and ready to fight they were laughed at by the higher officials, denied essential items, and experienced difficulty with discipline and training due to differences in color and the beliefs of society.

Citations:

Glory. Perf. Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, Cary Elwes, Morgan Freeman. TriStar Pictures, 1989. Film.
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In the movie Patton, a 1970s film about World War II, we are able to see different methods of leadership and how one’s personality influences the way they command others. Two characters that have opposite views when it comes to leadership would be General Patton and Omar Bradley. Patton is a very unique character who is very passionate, loyal, and determined. In the beginning speech we get a good insight into how Patton views war. We learn that Patton’s motives are not entirely patriotic, instead it is Patton’s love of violence that fuels his love of war. Also, we can see that he is a no-nonsense man and that if the soldiers are not there to win, then they may as well not be there at all. From this it is easy to see that his leadership methods are very structured and that he expects each and every one of his men to give one hundred and ten percent. He is the one to push the men to their limits, not support them emotionally. Another example of this would be Patton’s treatment of men who begin to buckle under the mental pressures of war. Patton finds it very difficult to understand these man and therefore is ruthless to them and shows very little mercy. During these times Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) was not seen as an actual condition, but instead simply a sign of the weak hearted. Those like Patton who thrived during wartimes were not able to understand men who suffered with the war and therefore did not respect them. Bradley, on the other hand, provides the men with a courageous father figure. The combination of the two men is what makes their leadership so successful. In almost a “good cop, bad cop” fashion, Patton motivates the men and drills them in training while Bradley provides the softer side of leadership; someone that these men would walk through fire for. In my opinion, I think that I would rather be more like Bradley due to the fact that my personality matches up more with his. Instead of his life revolving around war Bradley seems more humane and determined in a different way. While both men are seen as great leaders in war they both have very different methods of how they lead their troops. If I were to chose, I would stand with Bradley’s methods not because I think they are more effective, but because I would not be able to lead the ruthless way that Patton does.

“Patton (film).” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 9 Mar. 2015. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patton_(film)>.

“Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 9 Mar. 2015. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posttraumatic_stress_disorder>.

• Different types of leadership and how each method results in different responses in war as well as everyday life.
• More about the wars our country has participated in and the history that led to our involvement as well as people’s reactions.
• How to improve my leadership skills.
• How to use all of the resources provided by the school to the fullest and in a way that is most beneficial.