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Essay / The example of the Lost Battalion in the Argonne Forest during World War I
The Lost Battalion was a World War I unit that was part of an assault on the German line in the Argonne Forest , a place that would be a difficult combat zone. during the Second World War. The battalion was ordered to take the center while two other divisions were on the right and left flanks. I think the center is the other part of the offensive that is capable of achieving its objective, which is to hold a mill in the forest. The flanks are unable to break through the lines, leaving the center to fend for itself. The battalion was already short of supplies before the operation but was sent anyway. General Alexander lies to the battalion in the film by saying that the other divisions have achieved their objectives and that the center must be held at all costs. The battalion commander, Major Charles Whittlesey, followed this order and dug in to maintain his position. . Suffering heavy losses, the men still held the position. With their communications line cut, the battalion must use carrier pigeons to communicate with headquarters. Whittlesey calls for an artillery barrage on the enemy line, but the barrage is not targeted and hits his position instead. Taking Friendly Fire Whittlesey sends his latest carrier pigeon Cher Ami to send this message: "We are along the road parallel to 276.4. Our own artillery is launching a barrage directly at us. For heaven's sake, stop it. " (Whittlesey) With this Last Post, the battalion was on their own until the relief force found its way to them. After five days of fighting, of the original 670, only 191 men were able to return to the American lines. (Story on film) Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay The film does a great job of staying close to real life, but has some minor issues, the biggest of which is simply related to the writing the script. . There are parts during battles where men literally stand up just to be filled with bullets. This may have been done for film effects since the film did not have the greatest financing. But leaving your shelter just to get up and take a bullet isn't very realistic. Another error lies in the plot of the film itself, the film makes it seem like the lost battalion won the war or played a major role in ending the war. Unfortunately, all of this is not true: men have done a lot of work to maintain the line. But with the Germans already in retreat and Germany struggling to finance the war, Germany's defeat was already within reach. While it's nice to say that the battalion won the war, it's just not the most realistic thing to say when there are 5 more weeks left and 20,000 troops fighting alongside this battalion..