Military English Lessons

9.FAMOUSMILITARYLEADERS
Subject: Military Terminology
Lesson: Famous Military Leaders
LESSON OBJECTIVE
The students will be able to describe a famous military leader.
OPERATIONAL OBJECTIVES:
Objective 1: The students will be able to define the notion of leader;
Objective 2: The students will be able to answer general knowledge
questions regarding famous military leaders;
Objective 3: The students will be able to narrate the important events in the
life of a famous military leader;
Objective 4: The students will be able to explain the importance of a military
leader for the history of the country they belong to or for the universal
history.
TECHNIQUES:
presentation;
conversation;
explanation;
narration;
description;
listening for specific information;
outlining an oral text;
fill in exercises.
MATERIALS:
PowerPoint presentation;
whiteboard;
markers;
laptop;
speakers.
Procedure/Activities
1. Introduction or Opening
a) Administrative moment students report, attendance.
b) The teacher gives the title of the new lecture, Famous Military Leaders and
announces the objective of the lecture, the fact that the students will be able to
describe a famous military leader.
lockstep

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c) The teacher asks the students to name some military leaders and to say what
where some of the deeds that made them famous.
lockstep
2. Presentation
(For the sources of the information in this part of the lesson, see the
bibliography at the end of this unit.)
In order to check the students general knowledge of famous military
leaders the teacher asks them the following questions:
lockstep
1. Which World War II general is known as Blood and Guts?
2. Which World War I general was known as black Jack?
3. Which World War II Field Marshal was known as The Desert Fox?
4. Who was Defense Minister for Israel during the six day war?
5. This famous general wrote The Art of War. Which?
6. Which general took Berlin at the end of World War II in Europe?
7. Which general was nicknamed Ike?
8. This general conquered nearly all the known world (of his time)?
9. Which World War II general became a U.S. president?
10. This General was a senior commander in WWII and the Korean War. Who
was it?
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill

Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill

Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill (1874-1965) was a British Conservative
politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the
Second World War. Widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the
past century, he served as Prime Minister twice (1940-45 and 1951-55). A noted
statesman and orator, Churchill was also an officer in the British Army, a historian, a
writer, and an artist. He received the Nobel Prize in Literature, and was the first
person to be made an Honorary Citizen of the United States.

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Family and early life

Born into the aristocratic family of the Dukes of Marlborough, Winston Leonard
Spencer-Churchill, like his father, used the surname Churchill in public life. From
age two to six, he lived in Dublin. It has been claimed that the young Winston first
developed his fascination with military matters from watching the many parades pass
by the Vice Regal Lodge.
Churchills earliest exposure to education occurred in Dublin, where a governess
tried teaching him reading, writing, and arithmetic. With limited contact with his
parents, Churchill became very close to his nanny, Mrs Elizabeth Anne Everest. She
served as his confidante, nurse, and mother substitute.
Independent and rebellious by nature, Churchill generally had a poor academic
record in school. He was educated at three independent schools.
Churchill was rarely visited by his mother, and wrote letters begging her either
to come to the school or to allow him to come home. His relationship with his father
was distant; he once remarked that they barely spoke to one another. His father died
in 1895, leaving Churchill with the conviction that he too would die young and so
should be quick about making his mark on the world.
Speech impediment
Many authors mentioned Churchill's stutter in terms such as severe or
agonising and Churchill described himself as having a speech impediment which
he worked to overcome. His dentures were specially designed to aid his speech. After
many years of public speeches carefully prepared not only to inspire, but also to
avoid hesitations, he could finally state, My impediment is no hindrance.
Marriage and children
Churchill met his future wife, Clementine Hozier, in 1904 at a ball and they
were married in 1908 and had five children.
Military service
In 1893, he applied to attend the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. He tried
three times before passing the entrance exam. He chose cavalry rather than infantry
because the grade requirement was lower and did not require him to learn
mathematics, which he disliked. He graduated eighth out of a class of 150 in
December 1894 and although he could now have transferred to an infantry regiment
as his father had wished, chose to remain with the cavalry and was commissioned. In
1941, he received the honour of being appointed Regimental Colonel of the 4th
Hussars, an honour which was increased after the Second World War when he was
appointed as Colonel-in-Chief; a privilege usually reserved for royalty.
Churchills pay as a second lieutenant in the 4th Hussars was 300 annually.
However, he believed that he needed at least a further 500.This is one reason he
took an interest in war correspondence. He did not intend to follow a conventional
career of promotion through army ranks, but rather to seek out all possible chances of
military action, using his mothers and family influence in high society to arrange
postings to active campaigns. His writings brought him to the attention of the public,
and earned him significant additional income. He acted as a war correspondent for
several London newspapers and wrote his own books about the campaigns.

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Cuba
In 1895, Churchill travelled to Cuba to observe the Spanish fight the Cuban
guerrillas; he had obtained a commission to write about the conflict from the Daily
Graphic. He came under fire on his twenty-first birthday, the first of about 50 times
during his life, and the Spanish awarded him his first medal. While there, he soon
acquired a taste for Havana cigars, which he would smoke for the rest of his life.
India
In 1896, he was transferred to Bombay, British India. A year later, he joined the
British Army against a Pashtun tribe.
Sudan and Oldham
Churchill was transferred to Egypt in 1898. He visited Luxor before joining an
attachment of the 21st Lancers serving in the Sudan. While in the Sudan, he
participated in what has been described as the last meaningful British cavalry charge,
at the Battle of Omdurman in 1898. He also worked as a war correspondent.
Churchill resigned from the British Army in 1899.
He was invited by Robert Ascroft to be the second Conservative Party candidate
in Ascrofts Oldham constituency.
South Africa
Having failed at Oldham, Churchill looked about for some other opportunity to
advance his career. In 1899, the Second Boer War between Britain and the Boer
Republics broke out and he obtained a commission to act as war correspondent for
the Morning Post. After some weeks in exposed areas, he accompanied a scouting
expedition in an armoured train, leading to his capture and imprisonment in a POW
camp in Pretoria. His actions during the ambush of the train led to speculation that he
would be awarded the Victoria Cross, Britains highest award for gallantry in the face
of the enemy, but this did not occur.
He escaped from the prison camp and travelled almost 300 miles (480 km) to
Portuguese Loureno Marques. His escape made him a minor national hero. He
gained a commission in the South African Light Horse.
In 1900, Churchill returned to England and stood again for parliament and won
in the contest for two seats. After the general election, he embarked on a speaking
tour of Britain, followed by tours of the United States and Canada, earning in excess
of 5,000.
Territorial Service and Advancement
In 1900, he retired from the regular army and in 1902 joined the Imperial
Yeomanry, where he was commissioned as a Captain in the Queens Own
Oxfordshire Hussars in 1902. In that same year, he was initiated into Freemasonry. In
1905, he was promoted to Major and appointed to command of the Henley Squadron
of the Queens Own Oxfordshire Hussars. In 1916, he transferred to the territorial
reserves of officers, where he remained till retiring in 1924, at the age of fifty.

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First Lord of the Admiralty

In 1911, Churchill was appointed First Lord of the Admiralty. While serving in this
position, he put a strong emphasis on modernization and was also in favour of using
airplanes in combat. He launched a program to replace coal power with oil power.
Churchill continued to serve as First Lord of the Admiralty into World War I.
When a coalition government was formed in 1915 Churchill was removed from the
Admiralty because he had proposed the disastrous Battle of Gallipoli.
Western Front
After his resignation, Churchill rejoined the British Army, attempting to obtain
an appointment as a brigade commander, but settling for command of a battalion.
After spending some time as a Major with the 2nd Battalion, he was appointed
Lieutenant-Colonel, commanding the 6th Battalion, Royal Scots Fusiliers in 1916.
Correspondence with his wife shows that his intent in taking up active service was to
rehabilitate his reputation, but this was balanced by the serious risk of being killed.
As a commander he continued to exhibit the reckless daring which had been a
hallmark of all his military actions, although he disapproved strongly of the mass
slaughter involved in many Western Front actions.
Political career to the Second World War
Churchill stood again for the seat of Oldham at the 1900 general election. During
his first parliamentary session, he opposed the governments military expenditure and
his own constituency effectively deselected him, although he continued to sit for
Oldham until the next general election. In 1904, he crossed the floor to sit as a member
of the Liberal Party. As a Liberal, he continued to campaign for free trade. As President
of the Board of Trade, he introduced the Trade Boards Bill setting up the first minimum
wages in Britain and measures to help unemployed people find work.
Churchills proposed solution to the suffragette issue was a referendum on the
issue, but women's suffrage remained unresolved until after the First World War.
In 1911, Churchill was transferred to the office of the First Lord of the
Admiralty, a post he held into the First World War. He gave impetus to several
reform efforts, including development of naval aviation the construction of new and
larger warships; the development of tanks; and the switch from coal to oil in the
Royal Navy.
First World War and the Post War Coalition
In 1914, Churchill went to Antwerp; his actions there prolonged the resistance
by a week and this time saved Calais and Dunkirk.
Churchill was involved with the development of the tank, which was financed
from naval research funds. In 1915, he was one of the political and military engineers
of the disastrous Gallipoli landings on the Dardanelles during WWI.
In 1915 he resigned from the government, feeling his energies were not being
used and, though remaining an MP, served for several months on the Western Front
with the rank of lieutenant colonel. In 1917, Churchill was appointed Minister of
Munitions, and in 1919, Secretary of State for War and Secretary of State for Air.

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A major preoccupation of his tenure in the War Office was the Allied
intervention in the Russian Civil War. Churchill was a staunch advocate of foreign
intervention, declaring that Bolshevism must be strangled in its cradle.
Rejoining the Conservative Party Chancellor of the Exchequer
Churchill was appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1924 and oversaw
Britains disastrous return to the Gold Standard, which resulted in deflation,
unemployment, and the General Strike of 1926.
Churchill later regarded this as the greatest mistake of his life.
Political isolation
The Conservative government was defeated in the 1929 General Election. Over
the next two years, Churchill became estranged from the Conservative leadership. He
spent much of the next few years concentrating on his writing.
Indian independence
Churchill opposed Gandhis peaceful disobedience revolt and the Indian
Independence movement in the 1930s. During the first half of the 1930s, Churchill
was outspoken in his opposition to granting Dominion status to India.
German rearmament and conflicts in Europe, Asia and Africa
Beginning in 1932, when he opposed those who advocated giving Germany the
right to military parity with France, Churchill spoke often of the dangers of
Germanys rearmament.
Abdication crisis
In 1936, Walter Monckton told Churchill that the rumours that King Edward
VIII intended to marry Mrs Wallis Simpson were true. Churchill then advised against
the marriage and said he regarded Mrs Simpsons existing marriage as a 'safeguard'.
The Abdication crisis became public. At this time, Churchill publicly gave his
support to the King. He made a declaration asking for delay before any decision was
made by either the King or his Cabinet.

Wallis Simpson and King Edward VIII

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First term as prime minister

After the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, the day Britain declared
war on Germany, Churchill was appointed First Lord of the Admiralty and a member
of the War Cabinet, as he had been during the first part of the First World War. In
this job, he proved to be one of the highest-profile ministers during the so-called
Phoney War, when the only noticeable action was at sea.
We shall never surrender
On 10 May 1940, it became clear that the country had no confidence in
Chamberlain's prosecution of the war and so Chamberlain resigned. George VI asked
Churchill to be prime minister. Churchill's first act was to write to Chamberlain to
thank him for his support.
Churchill refused to consider an armistice. Although at times personally
pessimistic about Britains chances for victory, his use of rhetoric hardened public
opinion against a peaceful resolution and prepared the British for a long war. By
refusing an armistice with Germany, Churchill kept resistance alive in the British
Empire and created the basis for the later Allied counter-attacks of 1942-45, with
Britain serving as a platform for the supply of Soviet Union and the liberation of
Western Europe.
Churchill created and took the additional position of Minister of Defence, making
him the most powerful wartime prime minister in British history. He immediately put his
friend and confidant, Lord Beaverbrook, in charge of aircraft production. It was
Beaverbrooks business acumen that allowed Britain to quickly gear up aircraft
production and engineering that eventually made the difference in the war.
Churchills speeches were a great inspiration to the embattled British. His first
speech as prime minister was the famous I have nothing to offer but blood, toil,
tears, and sweat.
Relations with the United States
Churchills good relationship with Franklin D. Roosevelt secured vital food, oil
and munitions via the North Atlantic shipping routes. Upon re-election, Roosevelt
immediately set about implementing a new method of providing military hardware
and shipping to Britain without the need for monetary payment. Put simply,
Roosevelt persuaded Congress that repayment for this immensely costly service
would take the form of defending the US; and so Lend-lease was born.
Churchills health was fragile, as shown by a mild heart attack he suffered and
when he contracted pneumonia. Despite this, he travelled over 100,000 miles
(160,000 km) throughout the war to meet other national leaders. For security, he
usually travelled using the alias Colonel Warden.
Churchill was party to treaties that would redraw post-Second World War
European and Asian boundaries. Proposals for European boundaries and settlements
were officially agreed to by Harry S. Truman, Churchill, and Joseph Stalin at
Potsdam.

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Relations with the Soviet Union

British supplies and tanks helped the Soviet Union when it was invaded by
Germany. The settlement concerning the borders of Poland was viewed as a betrayal
in Poland during the post-war years. It was Winston Churchill, who tried to motivate
Mikoajczyk, who was prime minister of the Polish government in exile, to accept
Stalins wishes, but Mikoajczyk refused. Churchill was convinced that the only way
to alleviate tensions between the two populations was the transfer of people, to match
the national borders.
One of the conclusions of the Yalta Conference was that the Allies would return
all Soviet citizens that found themselves in the Allied zone to the Soviet Union. This
immediately affected the Soviet prisoners of war liberated by the Allies, but was also
extended to all Eastern European refugees.
Dresden bombings controversy
Between 13-15 February 1945, British and US bombers attacked the German city
of Dresden, which was crowded with German wounded and refugees. Because of the
cultural importance of the city, and of the number of civilian casualties close to the end
of the war, this remains one of the most controversial Western Allied actions of the war.
Ultimately, responsibility for the British part of the attack lay with Churchill.
The Second World War ends
In June 1944, the Allied Forces invaded Normandy and pushed the Nazi forces
back into Germany. Germany was eventually defeated. Churchill told a huge crowd
in Whitehall: This is your victory. The people shouted: No, it is yours.
Leader of the opposition
Although Churchills role in the Second World War had generated much support
for him amongst the British population, he was defeated in the 1945 election. It was
anticipated that Churchill would step down and hand over the leadership to Anthony
Eden, who became his deputy after the election defeat, but Churchill was determined
to fight on as leader. It would be another decade before Churchill finally did hand
over the reins to Eden.
For six years he was to serve as the Leader of the Opposition. During these years
Churchill continued to have an impact on world affairs.
Second term as prime minister
Return to government and the decline of the British Empire
After the General Election of 1951, Churchill again held the office of Minister
of Defence between 1951 and 1952. He also became prime minister in October 1951.
Aware that he was slowing down both physically and mentally, Churchill retired as
prime minister in 1955.
Retirement and death
Elizabeth II offered to create Churchill Duke of London, but this was declined
due to the objections of his son Randolph, who would have inherited the title on his
father's death. He did, however, accept a knighthood as Garter Knight.

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In 1963, US President John F. Kennedy proclaimed him an Honorary Citizen of

the United States.
Despite poor health, Churchill still tried to remain active in public life. He died
at his London home at age 90, in 1965. Churchills funeral was the largest state
funeral in world history. By decree of the Queen, his body lay in state for three days
and a state funeral service was held at St Pauls Cathedral. Unusually, the Queen
attended the funeral.
Churchill as artist, historian, and writer
Winston Churchill was an accomplished artist and took great pleasure in
painting and writing. Despite his fame and upper-class origins, Churchill always
struggled to keep his income at a level that would fund his extravagant lifestyle.
Churchill was a prolific writer of books, writing a novel, two biographies, three
volumes of memoirs, and several histories in addition to his many newspaper articles.
He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1953. Two of his most famous
works were his memoir The Second World War and A History of the EnglishSpeaking Peoples.
Portrayal in film and television
Churchills deeds inspired many films, e.g. An American in Paris, The Man Who
Never Was, Winston Churchill: The Valiant Years, 1961.
George S. Patton

George S. Patton
George Smith Patton, Jr. (1885-1945) was a United States Army officer best
known for his leadership while commanding corps and armies as a general during
World War II. He was also well known for his eccentricity and controversial
outspokenness.
Early life and family
George Smith Patton Jr. was born in San Gabriel Township, California in 1885.
As a boy, Patton read widely in the classics and military history.

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Patton came from a military family, his ancestors including General Hugh
Mercer of the American Revolution and other relatives who fought in the American
Civil War.
Education and early military service
Patton attended Virginia Military Institute for one year. He then left VMI and
enrolled in the United States Military Academy. The Academy required him to repeat
his first plebe year because of his poor performance in mathematics. However, he
did so with honors and was appointed Cadet Adjutant.
1912 Summer Olympics
Patton participated in the first-ever modern pentathlon at the 1912 Summer
Olympics in Stockholm. He finished fifth overall. He made the U.S. Modern
Pentathlon team for the 1916 Summer Olympics, scheduled for Berlin, but the Games
were canceled because of World War I.
Master of the Sword and the Patton Saber
Following the 1912 Olympics, Patton traveled with his family to Dresden,
Berlin, and Nuremberg. Seeking the greatest swordsman in Europe to study with,
Patton went to Saumur for intense study with a French master of arms.
Patton was made the Armys youngest-ever Master of the Sword at the
Mounted Service School at Fort Riley, Kansas. While Master of the Sword, Patton
became an instructor at Fort Riley and improved and modernized the Army's cavalry
saber fencing techniques.
Earlier in the year, he assisted in the design of the Model 1913 Cavalry Saber.
Pattons 1914 manual Saber Exercise outlined a system of training for both mounted
and on foot use of the saber. The weapon came to be known as the Patton Saber.
Patton adapted his style of move forward and attack technique to his use of tanks
in battle. This became his trademark combat style in World War II.
Punitive Expedition into Mexico
During the Punitive Expedition of 1916, Patton served as aide to then-Brigadier
General John J. Pershing in his pursuit of Pancho Villa. Patton, accompanied by ten
soldiers of the 6th Infantry Regiment, and using three armored cars, conducted the United
States first armored vehicle attack, and in the process killed two Mexican leaders.
World War I
At the outset of the U.S. entry into World War I, then-Major General John J.
Pershing promoted Patton to the rank of captain. While in France, Patton requested a
combat command. Pershing asked him to undertake the establishment of a Light Tank
Training School for U.S. troops, to which he agreed. For his successes and his
organization of the training school, Patton was promoted to major, lieutenant colonel and
then colonel. In 1918, he was placed in charge of the 1st Provisional Tank Brigade.
Patton commanded American-crewed French Renault tanks at the Battle of
Saint-Mihiel and in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. For his service in the MeuseArgonne Operations, Patton received the Distinguished Service Cross and the
Distinguished Service Medal, and was brevetted full colonel. For his combat wounds,
he was presented the Purple Heart.

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Inter-war years
While on duty in Washington, D.C., in 1919, Patton met Dwight D. Eisenhower,
who would play an enormous role in Pattons future career. During their assignment
at Fort Riley, Kansas, Patton and Eisenhower developed the armored doctrine which
would be used by the US Army in World War II. In the early 1920s, Patton petitioned
the U.S. Congress to appropriate funding for an armored force.
World War II
During the buildup of the United States Army prior to its entry into World War II,
Patton commanded the 2nd Armored Division. From his first days as an armored
division commander, Patton strongly emphasized the need for armored forces to stay
in constant contact with the enemy, concluding that aggressive, fast-moving
mechanized and armored forces disrupted enemy defensive preparations while
presenting less of a target to enemy gunners.
North African campaign
In 1942, Major General Patton commanded the Western Task Force of the U.S.
Army, which landed on the coast of Morocco in Operation Torch for the North
African Campaign. Casablanca fell after two days of fighting.
Patton was one of the first American commanders in World War II to make full
use of light Army observation aircraft to visit friendly troop forces as well as
independently reconnoiter enemy positions.
In 1943, following the defeat of the U.S. II Corps by the German Afrika Korps,
Patton replaced Major General Lloyd Fredendall as commander of the II Corps.
Patton was also promoted to lieutenant general.
It is said that his troops preferred to serve with him rather than his predecessor
since they thought their chances of survival were higher under Patton. For instance,
Patton required all personnel to wear steel helmets and required his troops to wear the
unpopular lace-up canvas leggings and neckties since the leggings prevented injury
from scorpions, spiders and rats which would climb up under soldiers trousers.
A system of fines was introduced to ensure all personnel shaved daily and observed
other uniform requirements. The discipline Patton instilled paid off quickly. Patton
found victory at the Battle of El Guettar.
Sicily campaign
As a result of his performance in North Africa, Patton received command of the
Seventh Army in preparation for the 1943 invasion of Sicily. The Seventh Armys
mission was to protect the left (western) flank of the British Eighth Army as both
advanced northwards towards Messina.
Patton formed a provisional corps under his Chief of Staff, and quickly pushed
through western Sicily, liberating the capital, Palermo, and then swiftly turned east
towards Messina. American forces liberated the port city in accordance with the plan
jointly devised by Montgomery and Patton. However, the Italians and Germans
evacuated all of their soldiers and much of their heavy equipment across the Strait of
Messina to the Italian mainland under the cover of anti-aircraft artillery.

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Slapping incident
The slapping incident of Private Charles H. Kuhl in 1943 nearly ended
Pattons career.
Patton was visiting wounded patients from the recent Sicilian campaign at the
Evacuation Hospital near Nicosia when he encountered Private Charles H. Kuhl
sitting slouched on a stool midway through a tent ward filled with injured soldiers.
When Patton asked Kuhl where he was hurt, Kuhl shrugged and replied that he was
nervous rather than wounded, adding I guess I cant take it. In response, Patton
slapped Kuhl across the chin with his gloves, then grabbed him by the collar and
dragged him to the tent entrance, shoving him out of the tent with a final kick to
Kuhl's backside.
Although the Kuhl incident received the most publicity, Patton slapped and
berated a second soldier under similar circumstances.
When General Eisenhower learned of the matter, he ordered Patton to make
amends, after which, it was reported, Pattons conduct then became as generous as it
had been furious, and he apologized to the soldier and to all those present at the time.
General Omar Bradley was chosen to command the US 1st Army after D-Day.
This decision was not based on the slapping incident alone, but also on confirmed
intelligence that the Germans believed Patton would be leading the Allied assault into
Nazi-held territory. Eisenhower used Pattons furlough as a trick to mislead the
Germans as to where the next attack would be. German intelligence duly
misinterpreted Pattons movements, shifting forces in response to those of Patton.
In the months before the 1944 Normandy invasion, Patton gave public talks as
commander of the fictional First U.S. Army Group, which was supposedly intending
to invade France by way of Calais.
Normandy
Following the Normandy invasion, Patton was placed in command of the U.S.
Third Army. Patton would lead the Third during the late stages of Operation Cobra,
the campaign to break out from the Normandy hedgerows.
In its advance from Avranches to Argentan the Third Army advanced
unopposed over vast distances, covering 97 km in just two weeks.
Flexibility, improvisation, and adaption were cardinal requirements for Third
Army supply echelons of an armored division seeking to exploit a breakthrough.
Pattons forces were part of the Allied forces that freed northern France,
bypassing Paris. The city itself was liberated by the French 2nd Armored Division,
insurgents fighting in the city, and the US 4th Infantry Division.
Lorraine
General Pattons offensive, however, came to a screeching halt on August 31,
1944, as the Third Army literally ran out of fuel.
The combination of Montgomery being given priority for supplies, and
diversion of resources to moving the Communications Zone, resulted in the Third
Army running out of gas in Alsace-Lorraine while exploiting German weakness.

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Pattons rapid drive through the Lorraine demonstrated his keen appreciation for
the technological advantages of the U.S. Army. The major US and Allied advantages
were in mobility and air superiority. The U.S. Army had a greater number of trucks,
more reliable tanks, and better radio communications. However, probably the key to
Patton's success compared to all of the other U.S. and British forces, which had
similar advantages, was his intensive use of close air support. In addition, Weyland
and Patton developed the concept of using intensive aerial armed reconnaissance to
protect the flanks of their ground forces. Microwave Early Warning (MEW) radar
was also used to both cover against Luftwaffe attacks and to vector flights already in
the air to new sites. However, Eisenhower had faith only in the traditional method of
advancing across a broad front to avoid the problem of flanking attacks, which most
account for the decision to halt the Third Army.
The halt of the Third Army during the month of September was enough to allow
the Germans to further fortify the fortress of Metz. By November 23, however, Metz
had finally fallen to the Americans.
Battle of the Bulge
In late 1944, the German army launched a last-ditch offensive across Belgium,
Luxembourg, and northeastern France, known as the Battle of the Bulge.
At the time, Patton's Third Army was engaged in heavy fighting near
Saarbrcken. Guessing the intent of the Allied command meeting, Patton ordered his
staff to make three separate operational contingency orders to disengage elements of
the Third Army from its present position and begin offensive operations towards
several objectives in the area of the Bulge occupied by German forces.
Within a few days, more than 133,000 Third Army vehicles were re-routed into
an offensive that covered a combined distance of 1.5 million miles, followed by
supply echelons carrying some 62,000 tons of supplies.
During the advance, Patton led his divisions from the front, frequently
leapfrogging ahead in his command car, then stopping to urge the men on.
Patton's ability to disengage six divisions from frontline combat during the
middle of winter, then wheel north to relieve besieged Bastogne was one of his most
remarkable achievements during the war.
Crossing of the Rhine
By February, the Germans were in full retreat and Patton had pushed units into
the Saarland. Once again, however, Patton found other commands given priority on
gasoline and supplies. To obtain gasoline and supplies, Third Army Ordnance units
passed themselves off as First Army personnel, in one incident securing thousands of
gallons of gasoline from a First Army gasoline dump. Within a day, Pattons forces
had established a six-mile deep bridgehead, after capturing 19,000 demoralized
German troops.
Task Force Baum
On March 26, 1945, Patton sent Task Force Baum, consisting of 314 men, 16
tanks, and other vehicles, 80 km behind enemy lines to liberate an Allied POW camp,

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near Hammelburg. One of the inmates was Pattons son-in-law, Lieutenant Colonel
John K. Waters. The raid was an utter fiasco. Only 35 men made it back; the rest
were either killed or captured, and all 57 vehicles were lost.
Patton later reported it was the only mistake he made during World War II.
Final offensive operations
In 1945 Patton was promoted to a full General. Pattons troops liberated Pilsen
and most of western Bohemia.
In its advance from the Rhine to the Elbe, Pattons Third Army captured 32,763
square miles of enemy territory. Its losses were by far the lightest of any Third Army
operation.
Since becoming operational in Normandy until May 9, 1945, the Third Army
was in continuous combat for 281 days. It had advanced farther and faster than any
army in military history. The Third had killed, wounded, or captured six times its
strength in personnel. It had a ratio of enemy to U.S. losses of nearly thirteen to one.
June 1945 visit to California
Patton received a warm reception on June 9, 1945, when he and Army Air
Forces Lieutenant General Jimmy Doolittle were honored with a parade through Los
Angeles and a reception at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum before a crowd of
over 100,000 people. The next day, Patton and Doolittle toured the metropolitan Los
Angeles area.
Road accident and death
On December 9, 1945, Patton was severely injured in a road accident. Patton
died of a pulmonary embolism on December 21, 1945.
Criticism and controversies
Patton disliked jokes aimed at himself, feeling that accepting such jokes would
decrease the respect which he felt that troops should have toward their commanders.
Patton reportedly had the utmost respect for the men serving in his command,
particularly the wounded. However, he tended to classify cases of psychological
battlefield breakdown as malingering. The fighting elements of Patton's Third Army
had guaranteed mail deliveries, priority on hot chow and showers, regular uniform
issues, plus liberal distribution of passes and unit rotations out of the line.
Patton deliberately cultivated a flashy, distinctive image in the belief that this
would motivate his troops. He was usually seen wearing a highly polished helmet,
riding pants, and high cavalry boots. He carried flashy ivory-handled, nickel-plated
revolvers as his most famous sidearms. His vehicles carried over-sized rank insignia
and sirens. His speech was riddled with profanities. A UPI writer wrote, Gen.
George S. Patton believed he was the greatest soldier who ever lived. He made
himself believe he would never falter through doubt. This absolute faith in himself as
a strategist and master of daring infected his entire army, until the men of the second
American corps in Africa, and later the third army in France, believed they could not
be defeated under his leadership.

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After the German surrender

After the surrender of May 8, 1945, eliminated the threat of Nazi Germany,
Patton was quick to assert the Soviet Union would cease to be an ally of the United
States. Patton thought that the Red Army was weak, under-supplied, and vulnerable,
and the United States should act on these weaknesses before the Soviets could
consolidate their position. On a personal level, Patton was disappointed by the
Armys refusal to give him a combat command in the Pacific Theater of Operations.
Unhappy with his role as the military governor of Bavaria and depressed by his belief
that he would never fight in another war, Pattons behavior and statements became
increasingly erratic.
Many still laud his generous treatment of his former German enemies and his
early recognition of the Soviet threat.
Attitudes on race and nationality
Pattons attitude toward minorities varied depending on time and circumstance,
with military necessity being of particular importance.
Patton stated that performance was more important than race or religious
affiliation.
Patton as viewed by his contemporaries
Eisenhower expressed the opinion that Patton was a good executor, but not an
equally good strategist: George Patton was the most brilliant commander of an army
in the open field that our or any other service produced. But his army was part of a
whole organization and his operations part of a great campaign. Nevertheless,
Eisenhower was aware of Pattons role in obtaining victory in Europe and that is why
he did not send Patton home after the slapping incident Eisenhower believed that
Patton was one of those men born to be a soldier, an ideal combat leader.
Bradleys view of Patton was decidedly negative. Patton received little praise in
Bradleys memoirs. It was well known that the two men were polar opposites in
personality, and there is considerable evidence that Bradley disliked Patton both
personally and professionally.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt appeared to greatly esteem Patton and his
abilities, stating he is our greatest fighting general, and sheer joy. On the other
hand, Roosevelts successor, Harry S. Truman, appears to have taken an instant
dislike to Patton.
For the most part, British commanders did not hold Patton in high regard.
Although Montgomerys rivalry with Patton was well known, he appears to have
actually admired Pattons ability to command troops in the field, if not his strategic
judgment.
Other Allied commanders were more impressed, the Free French in particular.
President de Gaulle gave a speech placing Pattons achievements alongside those of
Napoleon. Soviet leader Joseph Stalin was apparently an admirer, stating that the Red
Army could neither have planned nor executed Pattons rapid armored advance
across France.

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Patton as viewed by the enemy

From 1943 on, it was clear that a consensus existed in the German Army officer
corps that of all Allied ground force commanders, the enemy general they feared the
most was Patton. Adolf Hitler himself was impressed by Patton, reportedly calling
him that crazy cowboy general, and the most dangerous man [the Allies] have.
Legacy
There are several museums dedicated to Patton, both in the United States
(General George Patton Museum at Fort Knox, Kentucky) and abroad (The General
George S. Patton Memorial Museum in Ettelbruck, Luxembourg), statues of Patton,
active United States Army installations named after him and even an American high
school bears his name: Patton Junior High School at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
Patton wrote much material, including speeches, lectures, and poetry.
Incorporating the biblical phrase Through a Glass, Darkly he composed a poem
imbued with his personal interpretations of reincarnation.
3. Practice
a) Answer the following questions using the information you accumulated
from the lecture:
individually
1. How was Churchill influenced by the early death of his father?
2. What were the methods mentioned in the lecture that Churchill used in order
to overcome his speech impediment?
3. Why did Churchill become a national hero while in South Africa?
4. What characterized Churchills actions as commander during WWI?
5. Describe Churchills relation with the United States during WWII.
6. What was George Pattons trademark combat style in World War II?
7. Enumerate some measures imposed by Patton in order to increase the level of
discipline among his subordinates.
8. What was one of the most important elements by means of which Patton
motivated his army?
9. What leadership lessons can you learn from the two famous people presented
in the lecture?
10. Which of the two military leaders do you prefer? Why?
b) Find the best word to fill in the blanks. The first letter of each word has
been given.
pair work
1. Winston Churchill had special dentures made for him in order to help him
with his speech i - - - - -- - - - .
2. This article is about some military veterans e - - - - - - - to asbestos.
3. A pistol that has a revolving cylinder with cartridge chambers that may be
fired in succession is called a r- - - - - - - .
4. If a man in our platoon m- - - - - - - -, everyone else has to pull the extra
weight when he skips out on work.
5. A prisoner of war camp will be established in this building to house the
foreign i- - - - - - .

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6. We are running out of ammunition. Well have to bring more from the d- - - .
7. The military establishment was d- - - - - - - - - - due to the bloody encounter
with the enemy.
8. The friendly offensive forces have broken the enemy defensive line and are
taking advantage of the breach. This b- - - - - - - - - - - can help us win the battle.
9. The two countries will c- - - - - - a major military exercise next week.
10. In the United States military a- - - - to the President are appointed from each
of the services and one of their duties is to take care of the Football.
11. The m- - - - - - police patrol on horseback or camelback.
12. The o- - - - - - - - - - - - of the commander, that is the fact that he was frank
and unreserved in his speech, impressed everybody.
13. An a- - - - - - - - does not necessarily mean the end of a war. The warring
parties just agree to stop fighting for a certain period of time in order to discuss peace
conditions.
14. The two soldiers were sent on a r- - - - - - - - - - - - - mission in order to
gather information about the position of the enemy.
15. The convoy was ordered to h- - - and the men had to get out of the vehicles.
4. Production
The teacher asks the students to work in pairs. The students will have 20
minutes to prepare a presentation on one of the leaders analyzed in the lecture and
insist upon their leadership characteristics.
pair work
5. Closing
How do you rate yourself as a leader? What are the qualities that recommend
you?
lockstep
6. Reserve Activity
Write an essay expressing your opinion on whether the qualities of a leader are
inborn or acquired.
individually
Bibliography:
The information in Famous Military Leaders was taken and adapted from the
following sources:
Presentation
http://www.funtrivia.com/en/subtopics/Great-and-Famous-Military-Leaders235005.html (11.08.2011)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_S._Patton (12.08.2011)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winston_Churchill (13.10.2012)
The photos in Famous Military Leaders were taken from the following sources:
http://prodos.thinkertothinker.com/files/2011/11/winston_churchill.jpg
(23.08.2013)
http://ommorphia.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/edward-viii-wallis-simpson.jpg
(23.08.2013)
http://www.leadership-with-you.com/george-s-patton-leadership.html
(23.08.2013)

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10.WOMENINTHEMILITARY
Subject: Military Terminology
Lesson: Women in the Military
LESSON OBJECTIVE
The students will be able to debate on whether women should be accepted in the
army and on their roles within the military.
OPERATIONAL OBJECTIVES:
Objective 1: The students will be able to formulate opinions regarding the
roles of women in the military;
Objective 2: The students will be able to narrate historical events in a logical
sequence;
Objective 3: The students will be able to support a personal opinion
regarding the acceptance of the women in the military and their roles;
Objective 4: The students will be able to describe a military heroine in the
history of Romania or in the history of an English speaking country;
Objective 5: The students will be able to ask the teacher and their colleagues
questions regarding the role of the women in the military;
Objective 6: The students will be able to compare the roles of the women in
the Romanian army as compared to roles of the women in the armies of other
countries.
TECHNIQUES:
conversation;
explanation;
narration;
description;
listening for specific information;
summarizing information;
question answering;
multiple choice exercises;
true/faulse exercises;
categorizing;
compare and contrast.
MATERIALS:
PowerPoint presentation;
whiteboard;
markers;
laptop;
speakers.

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Procedure/Activities
1. Introduction/Opening
a) Administrative moment students report, attendance.
b) The teacher tells the students the title of the new lecture, Women in the
Military and announces the objective of the new lesson: to debate on whether women
should be accepted in the army and on their roles within the military.
lockstep
c) The teacher asks the students what were the criteria for being admitted at the
Land Forces Academy. How were these criteria different for women?
lockstep
d) What are the military specializations the women can choose in the Romanian
army?
lockstep
2. Presentation
(For the sources of the information in this part of the lesson, see the
bibliography at the end of this unit.)
Introduction
Women in the military have a history that extends over 4,000 years into the past,
throughout a vast number of cultures and nations. Women have played many roles in
the military, from ancient warrior women, to the women currently serving in
conflicts.
Amazon warriors
The Amazon women warriors were often considered a myth. In stories it was
said they mated randomly and raised only healthy female children. Riding horses,
they galloped to war against Greeks. There is a theory that they removed their right
breast to draw a bow more efficiently. Evidence has been found that these warriors
did exist. Recent burial finds in the Don River area seem to confirm the accounts of
Herodotus.
Queen Boudicca
Queen Boudicca ruled the Icini tribe in Britain at a time the Romans invaded the
island. The Celtic queen gathered an army of over one hundred thousand to drive the
Romans out. The warriors following Queen Boudicca included both men and women.
She attacked the towns under enemy rule and slaughtered the inhabitants. When she
faced a great battle against the Romans, her army became caught between the enemy
and the chaos of carts, milling horses, and cattle. Her army was slaughtered.
Women Gladiators were common from the time of Nero until 200 AD. They
owned the finest weapons and trained diligently at martial arts. Some came as slaves
hoping to win their freedom; while others were upper-class Roman women looking
for excitement.

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Figure represents a type of Roman gladiators woman Venator

Joan of Arc was a seventeen year old peasant girl who lived in the village of
Domremy France. She rode forth from Chinon with a convoy of six thousand troops.
Striking swiftly and hard against the English forts, she raged a siege on Orleans and
proceeded to Reims where Charles was to be crowned king of France.
Amazon Queen Califa is described in a work of literature, Amadisde Gaula,
published by Garci Rodrguez de Montalvo. In 1542, a Spanish explorer, Juan
Rodriquez Cabrillo, sailed north along the coast of Mexico and reported entering her
domain. Today this place is known as California.
Women Pirates Anne Bonne and Mary Reed were pirates in the 1700s. Anne
had her own ship and Mary was a strong second in command. Using clever tactics
and swing their swords, they had many adventures on the high seas.
Despite various roles in the armies of past societies, the role of women in the
military, particularly in combat, is controversial and only recently women have begun
to be given a more prominent role in contemporary armed forces. As increasing
numbers of countries begin to expand the role of women in their militaries, the debate
continues.
Female allowance to serve active duty
From the beginning of the 1970s, most Western armies began to admit women
to serve active duty. Only some of them permit women to fill active combat roles,
including New Zealand, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Norway,
Israel, Serbia, Sweden and Switzerland. Other nations allow female soldiers to serve
in certain Combat Arms positions, such as India, the United Kingdom and the United
States, which allowed women to serve in Artillery roles, while still excluding them
from units with a dedicated Infantry role.
The United States allowed women in most combat flying positions. Starting
from 2013, women could assume combat roles in the United States army for the first,

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following a revolutionary decision by defense secretary Leon Panetta to lift a military

ban on women serving on the frontline. Turkey uses female officers in combat flying
(bombardment) missions over Northern Iraq and in ISAF (International Security
Assistance Force) patrol missions in Kabul, Afghanistan. Pakistan employs women in
Air Force and has used female fighter pilots in search, monitoring and bombardment
operations in her war against militancy.
Arguments for and against women serving in the military
Several points have been put forward by those in favor of women serving in
combat conditions as well as those against the idea.
Physical concerns
The female skeletal system is less dense, and more prone to breakages. There
was also concern that, in aviation, the female body is not as adept at handling the
increased g-forces experienced by combat pilots; in fact, there is now evidence that
the male body is less able to handle the g-forces than the female body: women are
less likely to black out due to shorter blood vessel routes in the neck. Furthermore,
health issues regarding women are argued as the reason that some submarine services
avoid accepting women, although mixed-gender accommodations in a small space is
also an issue. The traditionalist Center for Military Readiness stated that Female
soldiers [are], on average, shorter and smaller than men, with 45-50 % less upper
body strength and 25-30 % less aerobic capacity, which is essential for endurance.
However, an article in the Army Times, July 29, 1996, states that some women
do possess the physical attributes suitable to become combat soldiers.
Psychological concerns
The disruption of a combat units esprit de corps is cited as another reason for
women to be banned from front-line combat situations. Indeed, many soldiers have
stated that they could not trust a woman to perform her duties in a place where
trusting their fellow soldier would be critical.
There is a secondary concern that romantic relationships between men and women
on the front lines could disrupt a units fighting capability and a fear that a high number
of women would deliberately become pregnant in order to escape combat duties.
In the British Army, which continues to bar women from serving in infantryroles units, all recruits joining to fill infantry vacancies partake in a separate training
program called the Combat Infantrymans Course.
In the American armed forces, the 1994 rules forbidding female involvement in
combat units of brigade size or smaller are being bent. Colonel Cheri Provancha,
stationed in Iraq, argued that: This war has proven that we need to revisit the policy,
because they are out there doing it.
A third argument against the inclusion of women in combat units is that placing
women in combat where they are at risk of being captured and tortured and possibly
sexually assaulted is unacceptable.
Finally, there is the argument that by not incorporating women into combat, the
American government is failing to tap into another source of soldiers for military

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combat operations. This argument claims that the government is creating a military
that treats women as second-class citizens and not equals of men. Other observers
state that without women, the military would have numerous manpower shortfalls
they would not be able to fill.
Tactical concerns
In On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society,
Lt. Col. Dave Grossman briefly mentions that female soldiers in the Israel Defense
Forces have been officially prohibited from serving in close combat military
operations since 1948. (However, in 2001, subsequent to publication, women did
begin serving in IDF (The Israel Defense Forces) combat units on an experimental
basis.) The reason for removing female soldiers from the front lines is no reflection
on the performance of female soldiers, but that of the male infantrymen after
witnessing a woman wounded. The IDF saw a complete loss of control over soldiers
who apparently experienced an uncontrollable, protective, instinctual aggression.
Grossman also notes that Islamic militants rarely, if ever, surrender to female
soldiers. In modern warfare where intelligence is perhaps more important than enemy
casualties, every factor reducing combatants' willingness to fight has to be
considered. Similarly, Iraqi and Afghan civilians are often not intimidated by female
soldiers. However, in such environments, having female soldiers serving within a
combat unit does have the advantage of allowing for searches on female civilians,
and, in some cases, the female areas of segregated mosques, while causing less
offense amongst the occupied population. A notable example of this would be female
United States military personnel who are specially selected to participate in patrols
and raids for this purpose. One example of this type of unit is the USMC (United
States Marine Corps) Lioness program, which used female Marines to search females
at checkpoints both on the Iraq-Syrian border and inside urban areas. Another
example is the US Army Cultural Support Teams (CSTs). These units, designed to
accompany special operations teams and work alongside them in deployed
environments, are intended to provide access to the information and needs of local
community women in communities where contact between male soldiers and civilian
women is culturally fraught.
Cultural Support Teams are all-female Soldier teams who serve as enablers
supporting Army Special Operations combat forces in, and around secured objective
areas.
Their primary task is to engage female populations in objective areas when such
contact may be deemed culturally inappropriate if performed by a male service member.
CSTs directly support activities ranging from medical civic action programs,
searches and seizures, humanitarian assistance, and civil-military operations.
Primarily, CST training will focus on basic human behavior, Islamic and Afghan
cultures, women and their role in Afghanistan, and tribalism. Training is conducted
on Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, N.C.
As a CST member, the total commitment to the program is approximately one
year.

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Melody Kemp mentions that the Australian soldiers have voiced similar concern
saying these soldiers are reluctant to take women on reconnaissance or special
operations, as they fear that in the case of combat or discovery, their priority will be
to save the women and not to complete the mission. Thus while men might be able to
be programmed to kill, it is not as easy to program men to neglect women.
Women on submarines
In 1985, the Royal Norwegian Navy became the first navy in the world to permit
female personnel to serve in submarines, followed by the appointment of a female
submarine captain in 1995.The Danish Navy allowed women on submarines in 1988,
the Swedish Navy in 1989, followed by the Royal Australian Navy in 1998 and
thereafter Canada and Spain, all operators of conventional submarines.
Social obstacles include the perceived need to segregate accommodation and
facilities, with figures from the United States Navy highlighting the increased cost,
$300,000 per bunk to permit women to serve on submarines versus $4,000 per bunk
to allow women to serve on aircraft carriers.
Recent United States Navy policy allowed three exceptions for women being on
board military submarines: (1) female civilian technicians for a few days at most;
(2) women midshipmen on an overnight during summer training for both Navy
ROTC (Reserve Officers Training Corps) and Naval Academy; (3) family members
for one-day dependent cruises.
In October 2009, the United States Secretary of the Navy, Ray Mabus
announced that he and the Chief of Naval Operations were moving aggressively to
change the policy. Reasons included the fact that larger SSGN and SSBN submarines
(The US Navy hull classification symbols for cruise missile submarines are SSG and
SSGN the SS denotes submarine, the G denotes guided missile, and the N denotes
nuclear-powered) now in the Fleet had more available space and could accommodate
female officers with little or no modification. Also, the availability of qualified
female candidates with the desire to serve in this capacity was cited. It was noted that
women now represented 15 % of the Active Duty Navy and that women today earn
about half of all science and engineering bachelors degrees. A policy change was
deemed to serve the aspirations of women, the mission of the Navy and the strength
of its submarine force.
In February 2010, the Secretary of Defense approved the proposed policy and
signed letters formally notifying Congress of the intended change. After receiving no
objection, the Department of the Navy officially announced on April 29, 2010, that it
had authorized women to serve onboard submarines
In the late 20th century and early 21st century, there have been a significant
representations of women warriors in popular culture, occasionally including
women in the military, such as the films G. I. Jane and Down Periscope.
Non-fiction
In 2007, author Kirsten Holmstedt released Band of Sisters: American Women at
War in Iraq. The book presents twelve stories of American women on the frontlines

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including Americas first female pilot to be shot down and survive, the United States
militarys first black female combat pilot, a 21-year-old turret gunner defending a
convoy, two military policewomen in a firefight and a nurse struggling to save lives,
including her own. Her second book, The Girls Come Marching Home: Stories of
Women Warriors Returning from Iraq details the lives of women who served in
combat after they come home.
Fiction
In the Peoples Republic of China, one of the Eight Model Plays was Red
Detachment of Women, which concerns female units in the Maoist military.
Science fiction
A notable tendency of science fiction since the 1940s is to place women in
dominant military roles. These are often command positions, in some cases for the
express purpose of having a woman in command (as was the case for Captain
Kathryn Janeway, where the ship having a female captain was used as a selling
point). In some cases, this is accompanied by a complete desegregation of the sexes,
such as in Starship Troopers, where no one showed any compunctions about
undressing, showering, etc. in front of the other gender.
Another example, from the Stargate franchise, is Major (later Colonel)
Samantha Carter, an air force officer who was placed in command of a front-line unit.
Women openly serve in both frontline infantry and special operations units in
Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Halo 3, and Halo: Reach, as well as the game series
Mass Effect.
In numerous games, such as Starcraft, women appear as fierce warriors.
Women in the American Army
In 1973 the male draft ended. The All Volunteer Force began and the percentage
of women among United States military personnel has increased dramatically, from
1.6 % in 1973, to 8.5 % in 1980, to 10.8 % in 1989.
Today, over 229,000 women serve on active duty in the military services of the
(Department of Defense): the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force. About 15 %
of these women are officers. This is about the same percentage as that of military
men overall. Only in the Marine Corps are the women noticeably less likely than the
men to be officers (7% vs. 10 %).
A substantial proportion of all military women are minority women. Minorities
account for a considerably larger percentage of military women than of military men
(38 % vs. 28 %). Minority representation is larger among enlisted women (41 %)
than among women officers (19 %). The disparity is less than for men (minorities
account for 31 % of enlisted men, 11 % of male officers).
The military population is an educated one. The standards for women are
generally higher than those for men. 99.8 % of the enlisted women are high school
diploma graduates. The percentage for enlisted men is slightly lower (98 %). Enlisted
women are noticeably more likely than enlisted men to have attended college (27 %
vs. 21 %).

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Nearly all officers have at least a college bachelor's degree. An increasing

number of women are graduates of service academies. 1990 marked the 10th year
women have graduated from the military academies.
Women in the British armed forces
In total, there are 187,060 members of the British armed forces, 9.4 % of them
some 17,620 are female. Of those women, 3,760 are officers. The Ministry of
Defence describes the contribution of all women as essential, and says recent
awards of medals for gallantry to women during operational deployments show they
are serving in more demanding circumstances than ever before. Some reports suggest
about a fifth of the 8,000 service personnel in Afghanistan are female, even though
they make up just a tenth of total military numbers.

Woman in the British military

Some exclusions
Across the forces, the frontline roles women take on are many and varied. Some
work in policing, as medical and media staff, or as interpreters. Other are involved in
Civil-Military Co-operation, providing liaison between the armed forces and civilian
agencies, like charities, working in theatre. Women are excluded from joining the
Royal Marines General Service as Commandos, and cannot take on combat roles in
the Household Cavalry, Royal Armoured Corps, Infantry and the Royal Air Force
Regiment. They can still join these units, but must play administrative and support
roles. However, the nature of modern warfare means that in Afghanistan the front line
effectively starts just outside base camp. The BBCs defence correspondent Caroline
Wyatt said the Taliban and insurgents in Iraq before them were increasingly using
suicide bombs and roadside devices rather than engaging in battlefield combat. This
inevitably puts troops women among them in greater danger every day, regardless
of their specific role or proximity to any traditional front line.
Cultural reasons

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Overall, the Royal Air Force (RAF) offers the most opportunities to women,
with 96 % of all jobs open to them. The figures are lower for the other forces. In the
Royal Navy, 71 % of jobs are open to both genders and in the Army it is 67 %. In the
RAF, 14.7 % of officers are female, compared to 9.4 % in the Navy and 11.3 % in the
Army. The MoD said: The only time women might not serve would be if there was a
conflict in a country like Saudi Arabia for reasons of cultural sensitivity. Female
military personnel are entitled to 52 weeks maternity leave, 39 of them paid, and they
are not considered for deployment within six months of giving birth, unless they
volunteer. Where both parents in a family are in the military, all efforts are made not
to deploy them at the same time.
Heroines
Deborah Sampson Ganet (1760-1827) was an American woman who disguised
as a man in order to serve in the Continental Army during the American
Revolutionary War. She served 17 months in the army, as Robert Shurtliff, of
Uxbridge, Massachusetts, was wounded in 1782 and honorably discharged at West
Point, in 1783.

Deborah Sampson
Early life
Deborah Sampson was born in the town of Plympton, Massachusetts. She was
the oldest of six children of Jonathan and Deborah Bradford Sampson. Her mother
was a descendant of William Bradford, once Governor of Plymouth Colony. Her
family was poor, and when Jonathan Sampson abandoned them, Deborah became an
indentured servant. He died a pauper, having lost his land when it was granted to
someone else.
Deborah lived in several different households: first with a spinster, then with the
widow of Reverend Peter Thatcher, and finally, in 1770, she ended up an indentured
servant of Deacon Jeremiah and Susannah Thomas. There she lived from the age of
10 to 17.
Army
In 1778, she wanted to enlist in the army as a Continental soldier. Women were
not allowed to do this, so she disguised herself as a man. She had little difficulty
passing as a man because she was five feet seven inches in height, which was tall for
a woman at that time. In 1782, she successfully enlisted in the army, under the name
of her deceased brother, Robert Shurtliff Sampson.

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Sampson was chosen for the Light Infantry Company of the 4th Massachusetts
Regiment under the command of Captain George Webb.
Sampson fought in several skirmishes. During her first battle, in 1782, outside
Tarrytown, New York, she received two musket balls in her thigh and an enormous
cut on her forehead. She begged her fellow soldiers to let her die and not take her to
the hospital, but they refused to abandon her. A soldier put her on his horse, and they
rode six miles to a hospital. The doctors treated her head wound, but she left the
hospital before they could attend to the musket balls. Fearful that her true identity
would be discovered, she removed one of the balls herself with a penknife and
sewing needle, but her leg never fully healed because the other ball was too deep for
her to reach. In 1783, she was promoted and spent seven months serving as a waiter
to General John Paterson. This job entitled her to a better quality of life, better food,
less danger, and shelter.
After the peace treaty was signed, everyone thought the war was over. However,
on June 24, the President of Congress ordered George Washington to send a fleet of
soldiers to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to aid in crushing a rebellion of several
American officers. During the summer of 1783, Sampson came down with malignant
fever and was cared for by a doctor, Barnabas Binney. He removed her clothes to
treat her and discovered the cloth she used to bind her breasts and, thus, discovered
her secret. He did not betray her; he took her to his house, where his wife and
daughters housed and took care of her.
After Sampson recovered, she returned to the army, but not for long. In
September 1783, peace was assured through the signing of the Treaty of Paris.
November 3 was the date for the soldiers to be sent home. When Dr. Binney asked
her to deliver a note to General John Paterson, she thought that her secret was out.
However, General Henry Knox never uttered a word; instead, she received an
honorable discharge from the service, a note with some words of advice, and a sum of
money sufficient to cover her expenses home. In 1783, General Knox honorably
discharged her from the Army at West Point, after a year and a half of service.
Marriage
Deborah was married in Stoughton, Massachusetts to Benjamin Ganet, a farmer
from Massachusetts, in 1785. They had three children, as well as Susanna Baker
Shepard, an adopted orphan.
Later life and death
Eight years later, in 1792, Sampson petitioned the Massachusetts State
Legislature for pay which the army had withheld from her because she was a woman.
Her petition passed through the Senate and was approved, then signed by Governor
John Hancock. The General Court of Massachusetts verified her service and wrote
that she exhibited an extraordinary instance of female heroism by discharging the
duties of a faithful gallant soldier, and at the same time preserving the virtue and
chastity of her gender, unsuspected and unblemished. The court awarded her a total
of 34 pounds.

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Ten years later, in 1802, Sampson began giving lectures about her experiences
in the army. These speeches were initiated because of her financial needs and a desire
to justify her enlistment. But even with these speaking engagements, she was not
making enough money to pay her expenses. She had to borrow money from her
family and from her friend Paul Revere on many occasions. The soldiers in the
Continental Army had received pensions for their services, but Sampson did not
because she was female.
In 1804, Paul Revere wrote to Massachusetts Representative William Eustis on
Sampson's behalf. Revere requested that Congress grant her a military pension. This
had never before been requested by or for a woman, but with her health failing and
her family destitute, the money was greatly needed. Revere wrote, I have been
induced to enquire her situation, and character, since she quit the male habit, and
soldiers uniform; for the more decent apparel of her own gender...humanity and
justice obliges me to say, that every person with whom I have conversed about her,
and it is not a few, speak of her as a woman with handsome talents, good morals, a
dutiful wife, and an affectionate parent. In 1805, Congress in Washington obliged
the letter, and placed her on the Massachusetts Invalid Pension Roll. This pension
plan paid her four dollars a month.
In 1806, she found herself in even more financial trouble, so she wrote once
more to Revere asking for a loan of ten dollars. Part of her letter read, My own
indisposition and that of my sons causes me again to solicit your goodness in our
favor though I, with Gratitude, confess it rouses every tender feeling and I blush at
the thought of receiving ninety and nine good turns as it were, my circumstances
require that I should ask the hundredth. He sent the ten dollars.
In 1809, she sent another petition to Congress, asking that her pension as an
invalid soldier, given to her in 1804, commence with the time of her discharge, in
1783. Had her petition been approved, she would have been awarded $960, to be
divided into $48 a year for twenty years. However, it was denied until 1816, when
her petition came before Congress again. This time, they approved her petition,
awarding her $76.80 a year. With this amount, she was able to repay all her loans and
take better care of the family farm. She died in 1827 at the age of 66 of yellow fever
and was buried in Rock Ridge Cemetery in the town of Sharon, Massachusetts.
Her long and ultimately successful public campaign for the American
Revolutionary War pension bridged gender differences in asserting the sense of
entitlement felt by all of the veterans who had fought for their country.
The town of Sharon, Massachusetts now memorializes Sampson with Deborah
Sampson Street, a Deborah Sampson Statue, Deborah Sampson Field, and the
Deborah Sampson House.
Ecaterina Teodoroiu
Ecaterina Teodoroiu; born Ctlina Toderoiu; (January 15, 1894 September 3,
1917) was a Romanian heroine who fought and died in World War I.

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Ecaterina Teodoroiu
In Romanian history, Ecaterina Teodoroiu is placed in the context of the Great
War on the Eastern Front, on the same pedestal as Queen Maria of Romania.
She was born in the village of Vdeni, in the region of Oltenia. After studying
for four years in Vdeni and Trgu Jiu and graduating from the Girls School in
Bucharest, she was to become a teacher when the Romanian Kingdom entered World
War I on the Entente side, in 1916.
In October 1916, Ecaterina joined the Romanian Army during the first Jiu battle
when General Ion Dragalinas 1st Army rejected the 9th German Army offensive.
A Scouts member, she had initially worked as a nurse but she subsequently decided
to become a front-line soldier, being deeply impressed by the patriotism of the
wounded and by the death of her brother Nicolae (Sergeant in the Romanian Army).
It was an unusual decision for a woman of that epoch, so she was sent to the front
rather reluctantly. However, soon she proved her worthiness as a symbol and as a
soldier. She was taken prisoner but managed to escape by killing two, or perhaps
three German soldiers. In November, she was wounded and hospitalized, but came
back to the front where she was soon decorated, advanced in rank to Sublocotenent
(Second Lieutenant) and given the command of a 25-man platoon.
For her bravery she was awarded the Military Virtue Medal, 1st Class.
On September 3, 1917, she was killed in the Battle of Mreti, where she was
hit in the chest by German machine gun fire. According to some accounts, her last
words before dying were: Forward, men, Im still with you!
She was buried in the city center of Trgu Jiu, and her grave is honored by a
monument.
3. Practice
a) Fill in the gaps in the sentences with the most suitable variant of the ones
provided.
1. health could drain your retirement savings.
a. Failing
b. Falling
c. Diving
d. Depressing

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2. the military is a decision that should not be taken lightly.

a. Entailing
b. Enjoying
c. Dipping
d. Joining
3. After the Revolutionary War, the American Congress . the army
through the fall of 1783.
a. depleted
b. declared
c. discharged
d. dismembered
4. Because of the lice many soldiers . with typhus.
a. came up
b. fell with
c. came down
d. fell down
5. The rebellion was . by the army.
a. crushed
b. killed
c. murdered
d. destroyed
6. Researchers say that more and more young people nowadays are.
binge drinking.
a. angry in
b. prone to
c. interested about
d. worried with
7. The rules regarding the participation of women in active combat are
being . in many armies.
a. distorted
b. destroyed
c. bent
d. blended
8. In the past women were not allowed to . active duty.
a. serve
b. enable
c. make
d. participate

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9. Hundreds of thousands of innocent people were killed during the war in

Rwanda. It was a real . .
a. slaughter
b. fair
c. sentence
d. masquerade
10. After coming back from the war, my grandfather was a(n) . for
four years. He could not walk and my grandmother had to take care of him.
a. dandy
b. mason
c. diver
d. invalid
11. In the military, a .. officer may be the main way to communicate
between two units and he or she can coordinate activities to protect these units
from collateral damage.
a. correlation
b. liaison
c. link
d. connection
12. A massive military . was led against the enemy last night.
a. destruction
b. weapon
c. party
d. offensive
13. For the courage . on the battlefield he was awarded the Purple
Heart.
a. mentioned
b. appeased
c. exhibited
d. deployed
14. Much information was . from the reporters for fear the enemy
would find out the position of the friendly troops.
a. withheld
b. disseminated
c. spread
d. given
15. The positioning of troops in readiness for combat is called . .
a. arrangement
b. deployment
c. delaying
d. assertion

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b) Group the following descriptive words according to the category they

belong to:
tubby; blond; fair; dark; spunky; freckles; brown; red; highlights; long; short; straight;
curly; wavy; boastful; frizzy; trustworthy; angered; short; laid-back; beehive;
moustache; beard; fringe; happy; moody; rebellious; sad; devoted; tired; angry;
thoughtful; grumpy; braids; sick; ill; stupefied; shocked; excited; fat; anorexic; openminded; underweight; overweight; thin; plump; slim; stocky; slender; shrewd; bonny;
almond shaped; hazel; unassuming; blue; self-confident wrinkles; spots; warts, beauty
spots; kleptomaniac; birth marks; ambitious; bossy; broad-minded; clumsy; conceited;
conscientious; courageous; long; bun; courteous; debonair; dedicated; devout; diligent;
easygoing; gregarious; slant; haggard; hard-working; hypochondriac; industrious;
skinny; judgmental; light-hearted; loyal; manipulative; meticulous; nave; obedient;
ponytail; obnoxious; grey; perfectionist; personable; placid; plucky; poised;
reasonable; reliable; resourceful; rude; crows feet; selfish; sensible; sensitive; sharpwitted; dreadlocks; scar; stubborn; thrifty; pigtails; unbiased; wise; acne; zany; medium
length.
Disposition

Build

Hair

Eyes

Other
features

Personality

c) Say whether the following statements are true or faulse:

1. The Amazon women warriors are a myth as there is no evidence that they
existed.
2. Queen Boudicca won the war against the Romans.
3. Women have begun to be given a more prominent role in contemporary
armed forces.
4. From the beginning of the 1980s, most Western armies began to admit
women to serve active duty.
5. The womens bodies can handle g-forces better than those of mens.
6. It is cheaper to accommodate military women on aircraft carriers than on
submarines.
7. Starting with the 1940s, many science fiction works placed women in
subordinate military roles.
8. An insignificant proportion of military women in the American army are
minority women.
9. In the British army it is the Royal Air Force (RAF) that offers the most
opportunities to women.
10. Ecaterina Teodoroiu was a military female hero who fought during the
Second World War.
d) Present the roles the women can have in the Romanian Army.
4. Production The teacher asks the students to organize themselves in pairs.
They prepare a comparison between a Romanian female military hero and a foreign
one. The students have to observe the following steps: identify the two women to be

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described, the appearance of the two persons, their personality, relations with others,
their historical importance.
pair work
5. Closing
What roles will the women have in the army in the future?

lockstep

6. Reserve Activity
What is your opinion about the role of women in the Romanian army as
compared to the roles of women in other armies?
individually
Bibliography:
The information in Women in the Military was taken and adapted from the
following sources:
Presentation
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_the_military (04.08.2011)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecaterina_Teodoroiu (15.12.2011)
http://sunstone40.tripod.com/womenwarriors/id1.html (17.05.2013)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jan/23/pentagon-overturn-ban-womencombat (18.05.2013)
http://www.armyparatrooper.org/dropzone/showthread.php/27001-CSTCultural-Support-Teams (17.05.2013)
http://feminism.eserver.org/workplace/professions/women-in-the-military.txt
(4.11.2011)
Bone, Victoria, Women in the British armed forces, http://news.bbc.co.uk/
2/hi/uk_news/7463636.stm (18.05.2013)
http://www.cenusadetrandafir.ro/ecaterina-teodoroiu-eroina-de-la-jiu
(15.12.2011)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecaterina_Teodoroiu (17.05.2013)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cruise_missile_submarine (17.05.2013)
The photos in Women in the Military were taken from the following sources:
http://sergeypopovichenko.blogspot.ro/2012/12/venator.html (06.09.2013)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deborah_Sampson (20.05.2013)
http://www.mostwantedblog.org/2012/09/21/romania-este-wanted-13-ecaterinateodoroiu/ (20.05.2013)

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