Looking Back at History: The Allied Western Push

So watching this HBO series, Band of Brothers, has once again emerged me into a World War II phase.This time with a focus on the American-Allied invasion of France, also known as Operation Overlord. It is a ten-part miniseries, produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, inspired by the masterful film Saving Private Ryan. The story revolves around the many experiences of the paratrooper division known as Easy Company and the 101st Airborne Division. After going through some intense training, these paratroopers drop behind enemy lines, under heavy gunfire. Once they are able to reunite and assemble, they secure the beaches of Normandy and begin their long push towards Germany. The series does a great job of illustrating the war-like environment, with raw and exciting filming, that puts the viewer in the midst of the action. As well as this, is the amazing character buildup, throughout each episode. If you enjoyed Saving Private Ryan or WW2 history, then this series is a must!

So on to the historical aspect of it.. By late 1940, the German Nazis had controlled and occupied most of central Europe, including France. After their failed bombardment in Britain, they turned their attention against the Soviet Union in 1941, in what has become known as Operation Barbarossa. In my opinion it was Hitler's decision to invade the Soviet Union, that would eventually cause his collapse. While his armies were stretched far and wide fighting in the eastern cold conditions of Russia, the allies were preparing to mount an assault on the Western Front. Germany thus became caught in the middle of two wars, one on the east against the Soviet Union, and one on the west against the Americans, British, and other allied forces.

The main emphasis of Operation Overlord, was to land soldiers in Europe and begin their push on Germany. This meant liberating German-occupied France, which would become the doorway into Europe. On June 6, 1944, also known as D-Day, Operation Overlord began with the invasion of Normandy. The plan started with an airborne assault, paratrooper landings, and then an amphibious assault in the English Channel. Several decoy operations were also put into affect, to confuse the Germans. The most severe fighting took place on the beaches of Normandy, where 160,000 American soldiers were welcomed with heavy Nazi gunfire. (This historical event is best captured in the opening 20 minutes of Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan).

Once the beaches were secured, the fighting continued for another two months, until by late August, the allies had pushed the Germans out of Normandy, France. A few days later, the French Resistance managed to liberate Paris on August 25th. This marked the successful end of Operation Overlord. The allies began organizing in France, shipping in more soldiers and supplies, and thus began their push towards Germany.

Following the liberation of France, the Allies began to move towards the Rhine River of Germany in August of 1944. They also planned another operation with the British, known as Operation Market Garden. In this objective the Allies landed thousands of paratroopers in Netherlands, in hopes to outflank the Germans from the north. However the operation was a failure due to bridge blockades, delayed supplies, and strong resistance from the Germans. The allied forces thus continued their march from the West of Germany.

However in December of 1944, the Germans made a fierce counter-attack against the Allied push, known as the Battle of the Bulge. In the wintry Belgium forests of the Ardennes Mountain ranges, the Germans led a massive surprise assault on the Allied front lines, in hopes to split up their army, and re-capture Antwerp, Belgium. The counter-offensive began in December 16th, and caught the Allies quite off guard. However the Germans quickly suffered heavy resistance especially in the town of Bastonge, Luxembourg. By January, Allied Reinforcements came from the south, such as General Patton's Third army. Thanks to better weather conditions, and new reinforcements, the Allies were able to repel the German counter-offensive. The battle was however, the bloodiest one in the war for the Americans, who loss around 19,000 soldiers.

The allied invasion of Germany began in February of 1945, on the west of the Rhineland. At this point the Soviets were also moving in hard from the Eastern side, and were probably going to arrive at Berlin before the Allied Forces. General Eisenhower then decided to not contend for Berlin, and instead sent his armies to the south of the capital city. The Battle of Berlin, between the Germans and Soviets began in April 16th of 1945. Knowing that his armies had been defeated and his Third Reich had come to an end, Adolf Hitler committed suicide on April 25th. The German armies surrendered on May 8th, of 1945 also known as VE Day, Victory in Europe.

Book Review: Return of the King

Book V begins with Gandalf and Pippin, as they ride Shadowfax into the land of Gondor. They arrive to the white city of Minas Tirith, to bring counsel to the steward, Denethor. Gandalf informs Denethor, that the city is about to be attacked by the forces of Mordor. Denethor however is bitter towards his guests, especially Gandalf, whom he claims is attempting to deliver the throne to Aragorn, the heir of Isildur. Denethor is also upset over the death of his son, Boromir, who died protecting the hobbits. Pippen therefore offers his service to the steward as a repayment for Boromir's brave sacrifice.

Meanwhile, aware of the coming battle at Gondor, Theoden decides to mobilize his Rohirrim army, and bring aid to the city of Minas Tirith. He tells his niece, Eowen, to lead the people if he does not return. Aragorn decides to take the Path of the Dead, to raise an undead army in the mountains. He is joined by Legolas and Gimli. Merry also offers his service to the king of Rohan, however Theoden refuses that the hobbit fight in the battle. As Theoden, Eomer, and the Rohirrim set out for Gondor, Merry is carried by a mysterious warrior, the disguise of lady Eowen.

The battle in Gondor begins by the rivers at Osgiliath, where Faramir tries to defend it. Unable to hold the orcs back, the soldiers must retreat to Minas Tirith. They are openly picked off by flying Nazgul, until Gandalf comes to their aid. Once they enter the city, Denethor is aggravated by the defeat and declares that the city not be given up. Faramir returns on a suicide mission, to gain favor with his father. The next day the massive armies of Mordor arrive, numbering 250,000 and led by the Witch-King, they cover the Pelennor Fields. The orc army begins their siege by showering the city with the heads of the soldiers from Osgiliath. Faramir is returned, still alive, yet in dying condition. The battle of Pelennor Fields begins.

Denethor declares that the city flee for their life, yet Gandalf takes charge and orders that they defend it. After a series of catapults, the orcs use a terrible battering ram, known as Grond, and are finally able to enter the city. Gandalf however awaits them, and tells the Witch-King that he can not enter. At this moment, the reinforcements of Rohan arrive with an army of 7000 horsed warriors. Theoden leads a glorious charge into the battle fields. He is eventually killed by the Witch-King, yet Eowen and Merry come to his defense, and are both able to defeat the Witch-King.

Denethor is lost in a mad rage, and decides to burn himself and his son Faramir. Gandalf quickly comes to the rescue of Faramir, and Denethor commits suicide. Meanwhile another army of pirates known as the Corsairs of Umbar, plan to arrive at the south of the city, yet are overtaken by Aragorn's ghostly army. Both the Rohirrim and the undead army are able to defeat the siege, and win victory at Pelennor Fields. Faramir, Merry, and Eowen are taken to the House of Healing where Aragorn is able to heal them. Aragorn and Gandalf then decide that their only hope of winning the war, is to drive out Sauron's army and attack the Black Gate once and for all.

In Book VI, Frodo has been kept hostage in the tower of Cirith Ungol, yet is rescued by Samwise. Sam returns the ring to Frodo. They both dress themselves as orcs, and continue through the wastelands of Mordor. Frodo grows weaker and weaker as he gets closer to Mount Doom. At this time, the orc armies begin to clear the land, to respond to Aragorn's attack. Aragorn awaits outside the black gate with a small alliance of Rohan and Gondor. He kills the Mouth of Sauron and declares that justice be done upon the black land. The orc army then begins to surround Aragorn's small army.

As they finally arrive to Mount Doom, Sam has to practically carry Frodo up the mountain. However once they get to the Crack of Doom, they are suddenly attacked by Gollum. Sam fights off Gollum, while Frodo hurries ahead to cast the ring into the fires of Mount Doom. However Frodo is suddenly unable to part with the ring, and decides to claim it for himself. He puts it on, and disappears. At this point, Gollum has grown mad with rage, and jumps on the invisible Frodo. He bites off Frodo's finger, to obtain the ring. As Gollum has finally been reunited with his "precious" he loses his balance and falls into the fires of Mount Doom. The ring is finally destroyed.

The armies of Sauron, end their battle, and Aragorn is victorious. The alliance of Gondor and Rohan return triumphantly to the city of Minas Tirith. Aragorn is then crowned as king of Gondor. He takes the elf-princess, Arwen, daughter of Elrond, as his wife. A final celebration takes place in Gondor to honor the heroes, especially the four hobbits; Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippen. Eomer becomes the new king of Rohan, and leaves Gondor with the body of Theoden to lead his people. Eowen falls in love with Faramir, however also chooses to return to her homeland.

Gandalf accompanies the four hobbits on their journey back to the Shire. They stop at Rivendell for a few days to speak with Bilbo. Gandalf informs the four hobbits, that Saruman is still a threat, and that the Shire is not as safe as they remember. He also tells them that he will have no part in it, and that his affair was with Sauron and the ring. Gandalf departs from the hobbits to speak with Tom Bombadil, while the four hobbits must return to the Shire on their own.

Saruman has taken control of the Shire, with a group of wicked men. Frodo, Sam, Pippen, and Merry are able to raise a rebellion and overthrow the wicked men. They cast Saruman out of their homeland. Saruman is then killed by his servant Wormtounge, and Wormtounge is killed by hobbit archers. The Shire is once again safe. However Frodo is unable to find peace, and eventually must part into the Grey Havens. He is joined by Gandalf, Bilbo, and the elves, who journey into the undying lands. Sam is very sad to part with Frodo. He however marries Rosie Cotton, and becomes mayor of the Shire for many years. After many happy years, and following the death of his wife, Sam gives the Red Book of Westmarch to his daughter, and departs from Middle Earth into the Gray Havens.

Of all the three books, this one was probably my favorite. Non-stop action and incredible moments (The charge of the Rohirrim and Gandalf standing up to the Witch-King). It's quite amazing, the amount of background and history that Tolkien put into the Lord of the Rings; from songs, folk-tales, to even his own elvish language. An amazing depth of creativity. And of all the characters of Middle Earth Gandalf is without question my favorite, full of such wisdom and courage. This work of Tolkien is truly a poetic masterpiece, and I am very happy to have finally finished it all the way through.

Book Review: The Two Towers

The Two Towers is split up into two separate adventures happening simultaneously. In Book III, the story continues into the lands of Rohan. Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas pursue the band of orcs that have captured Merry and Pippin. For three days they run cross-country, without much rest, until finally they cross paths with some Riders of Rohan. Their leader, Eomer, informs the three that they recently slayed a group of orcs, and left none alive. They begin to fear the worse, that Merry and Pippen were also killed in the battle.

Merry and Pippen however manage to escape from the orcs, and flee into Fanghorn Forest. There they meet an ent, a tree herder, named Treebeard. Although suspcious at first, Treebeard takes the two hobbits under his protection. Meanwhile Aragorn, Legoals, and Gimli journeyed into the forest still trying to hunt for the lost hobbits. It is there that they reunite with Gandalf, whom had now transcended into a white wizard. Gandalf informs the three that the hobbits are safe, and a new task is at hand.

Gandalf, Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas travel to Edoras, the center of Rohan, where they discover that King Theoden, has been befuddled by evil sorcery, the product of Saruman. Under the evil sway of Wormtounge, Theoden has lost all his ability to reason and lead his people. Gandalf is able to reveal his new powers as a white wizard, and remove Saruman's control of Theoden. Theoden re-awakes to discover that his people are in danger from Saruman. He decides to evacuate his people to the fortress of Helms Deep. Gandalf leaves to find reinforcements, while Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli stay with the people of Rohan. A massive army of 10,000 Uruk-Hai lay seige on the walls of Helms Deep. In the early morning Gandalf arrives with Eomer and an army of Rohirrim, and they are able to charge and defeat the orc army.

Meanwhile the ents discover that Saruman has laid serious waste to their forest, and out of sudden anger, Treebeard leads an attack on Isengard. Without any army to protect him, the ents quickly consume the tower of Orthanc, and are able to capture Saruman. The following day, Gandalf, Theoden, and the others arrive to Isengard to discover that Saruman is being kept prisoner by the ents. Gandfalf strips Saruman of his power, and requests that he remains a prisoner in the tower. Merry and Pippin finally rejoin the group, however stumble across a seeing-stone known as a palantir. In the stone Pippin sees the plans of the dark lord Sauron, and the coming seige of Gondor. Gandalf travles with Pippin to the white city of Minas Tirith.

In Book IV, we continue with the quest of the ring. Having left the hill of Amon Hen, Sam and Frodo quickly discover that they do not know the way to Mordor, and are quite lost. They eventually are able to capture the creature Gollum, who has been following them in hunt of the ring. As their prisoner, Gollum promises to guide the hobbits to Mount Doom. Sam is suspicious of the sly creature, yet Frodo grows to understand him and have pity on him.

The three journey through the dead marshes, and come to the black gate of Mordor. Yet at the last moment Gollum informs them that their is a secret path through the mountains, known as Cirith Ungol. On their way to the hidden path they run into a band of rangers from Gondor, led by Faramir. Faramir happens to be the brother of Boromir, and is quite curious about the hobbits' affair. Frodo finally confesses that he is on a quest to destroy the ring of power. Faramir is able to overcome his urge to take the ring, and allows the hobbits to continue on.

Once they come to the tunnel in the mountains, Golllum abandons the hobbits, to become prey of the deadly spider Shelob. Shelob is able to pierce Frodo, however Sam bravely comes to his master's rescue, and is able to defeat the spider. Believing Frodo to be dead, Sam must make a difficult decision, to strip Frodo of his ring, and continue on with the quest. He however later discovers, that Frodo is still alive, and has only been stunned. The orcs capture Frodo and take him to the tower of Cirith Ungol.

Book Review: Fellowship of the Ring

The story starts off, once again in the Shire, nearly 50 years after the Battle of Five Armies, where Bilbo is preparing to celebrate his 111th birthday. The first chapter opens with a very entertaining setting, describing the culture of hobbits. Once the background is laid out, we learn the importance of this ring that Bilbo inherited from Gollum. Gandalf the Grey, visits Bilbo in the shire, and grows extremely suspicious of Bilbo, especially his "magical ring". Bilbo decides to leave the Shire on another adventure, and gives his ring to his nephew, Frodo. Bilbo finds it very difficult to part with the ring, yet eventually lets go, and becomes a minor character in the rest of the series. Frodo now becomes the main protagonist, as the ring-bearer.

Several years later, Gandalf discovers that this magical ring happens to be the ring of power, forged by the dark lord Sauron. Frodo must now depart from the Shire, in order to protect his people from oncoming danger. He is joined by his loyal companion, Sam Gamgee, and his two cousins Peregin Took and Meriadoc Brandybuck. Along their journey they encounter a mysterious lumberjack named, Tom Bombadil (omitted from the movies), who demonstrates his power over the ring. The hobbits continue the town of Bree, where they are chased and hunted by Ringwraithes. In the town of Bree they find shelter and hiding, and eventually meet up with a mysterious ranger named Stryder.

Although the four hobbits are suspicious, they allow Stryder to guide them to Rivendell. Along the way Frodo is stabbed by one of the Ringwraithes at Weathertop. He is quickly rushed to Rivendell, and is able to slowly recover under the medical care of Elrond, master of Rivendell. Once Frodo is feeling better, the Council of Elrond takes place, where the leaders of Middle Earth must decide what to do with the ring. After heated debate they decide to journey to Mordor and cast it in the flames of Mount Doom. Frodo volunteers to carry the ring, and is accompanied by 8 others; Gandalf the Wizard, Aragorn, Boromir, Gimli the dwarf, Legolas the elf, and his three hobbits friends, Sam, Pippin, and Merry. Thus the Fellowship is established, and the 9 set off from Rivendell.

Book II of Fellowship begins with the journey from Rivendell. Gandalf leads the group up the Misty Mountains, however they are quickly confronted with impossible storms and blizzards. The fellowship then decides to go into the mountain, through the Mines of Moria. Inside the caves they fight many orcs, a cave-troll, and are chased by a satanic Balrog. Gandalf bravely faces the Balrog on the Bridge of Kazad-dum, and takes the bridge down. He falls with the Balrog, while the rest of the Fellowship is able to get out of the mines. With Gandalf gone, Aragorn must now take the lead.

The fellowship arrives to the Elven forest of Lothlorien, where they are able to rest. They meet the powerful sorceress, Lady Galadriel who offers them gifts and boast across the River Anduin. They arrive at a hill of Amon Hen, where Boromir tries to take the ring from Frodo. Frodo then realizes that he must go on without the rest. In his attempt to escape, he is joined by his loyal companion Sam. The two are able to get away, while the rest are suddenly attacked by a band of orcs. Boromir falls heroicly in battle, however the two hobbits, Perry and Merry are captured. Realizing that the fellowship has been broken, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli decide to pursuit Merry and Pippin.

It's one thing to see this story on film, however a completely different experience to read it in words. Its a never ending poem of songs, adventure, and companionship.

Book Review: The Hobbit

So after about four months of dedicated reading, I have finally finished the classic Lord of the Rings series by JR. Tolkien. We started the club back in November, with me, Shawna, K-man, Laura, and Marc. This would be my second attempt at the series. On my first attempt, during my college years, I made it half way through The Two Towers and eventually hit a wall. However this time I tackled the series, from beginning to end, with a new patience and keen admiration. Here is my review of The Hobbit.

Published back in 1937, The Hobbit was Tolkien's first claim to fame. The book was written primarily as a children's fantasy book, and for this reason is quite easy to read. The story immediately takes us into Middle Earth, without much background, and revolves around a hobbit named Bilbo Baggins. Bilbo is visited by a company of dwarves, led by Thorin, and a wizard, named Gandalf. The dwarves ask Bilbo to join them on a quest to defeat a deadly dragon named Smaug, who has stolen their treasure.

The story then tells of their epic journey to the Lonely Mountain, where they pass through Rivendell, the Misty Mountains, and the black forests of Mirkwood. Along their journey, Bilbo comes across a magical ring that belongs to Gollum. Bilbo is able to escape from Gollum, through a series of riddles, and eventually discovers that the ring makes him invisible. He later regroups with the company of dwarves, and says nothing of his recently discovered ring, which turns to be the driving force of the next three books. The company finally reaches the lake-town of Dale. Bilbo is able to trick the dragon Smaug, and find his weakness. Smaug is eventually slayed by the hero of Dale, Bard the Bowman. Following the slaying of the dragon, a dispute amongst the men and dwarves occur over the treasure. Bilbo is once again able to use his clever wit, to find a solution to the problem. In the final Battle of Five Armies the men, dwarves, and elves unite against the Goblins and the Wargs. The treasure is divided amongst the men and dwarves, and Bilbo accepts only a small portion of the treasure. He returns to the shire as a very wealthy hobbit, full of adventorous tales.

As I said the book is a very easy read, yet also a very necessary prequel to understand the Lord of the Rings series. What's most interesting to me, is the literary comparison of The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings series. There is no question that his target audience significantly changed from children to adult. In the Lord of the Rings, Tolkien reaches a new depth of creativity, detail, and poetry. Whether or not he had already envisioned this vast concept of Middle-Earth, Tolkien was able to begin his vision in The Hobbit. It became the necessary foundation, and a launching pad for the masterpiece to come. However this book, in itself, is still a classic that can be enjoyed by both children and adult.