In August 1914, Europe went to war. The main rivals were Great Britain, France, and Russia versus Germany and Austria-Hungary. One nation after another declared war, and even nations that had been guaranteed neutrality, like Belgium, were drawn into the conflict. When the Belgian government refused to let German troops pass through its country, Germany invaded. The eyewitness account that I would like you to read (you can read it by clicking here; read pgs. 122-124), by American journalist Richard Harding Davis, describes the invasion of Belgium by the massive army.After reading the document I would like you to consider and discuss the following: What were Davis’s impressions of the German army? What forces of nature does Davis use to describe the German army? How are such descriptions appropriate to describe this army? What does Davis mean when he says the German army has “lost the human quality?” What does he describe as the German soldier’s “strongest weapon?” Why? What comparisons does Davis make between the German army and the United States’ army? What intimidation tactics are described in the document? What prediction could one make about German behavior and the nature of this new impending war based on reading this document? Your thoughts…
42 comments:
Davis was impressed with the German army due to their discipline. Davis uses tidal waves, avalanches, and flooding river to compare the German army to nature. They are approiate because they come crashing or flowing through Brussels like a storm. They were not human because they never took breaks and kept marching on. The Germans strongest weapon is their uniforms, making them almost invisible. He says that Germany is invisible, and the U.S. army is invisible when put next to Spains flag. I predicted based on his actions that Germany was taking this war as serious as possible. He used Germany's equipment and discipline as an intimidation technique.
Davis sees the army as a giant grey mass that moves so togetherly that oyu would never be able to pick a target. He describes is as a rolling fog and a tital wave. You can see the line of soldiers for miles and miles as if there were no end. They have lost the human quality in that, again, they are like a fog. They move so perfectly and quickly, hardly ever changing and they all look the same in their detailed uniforms. The strongest weapon is this likeness of uniforms. They alls look so much the same that it is intimidating and hard to pick a target.
Davis compares the German forces to forces of nature like "a tidal waves, an avalanche or a river flooding its banks." He called their marching "uncanny" and "inhuman" due to the extreme discipline. He recalled that they were continuously marching and he never saw any spaces, halting, or even breathing time. He compared it to an "unbroken steel column". At first he was quite interested and he continued to watch noting that their uniforms color were the color of "mist among trees" and proved as their greatest weapon, for it acted as a camouflage. The incredible organization and equipment they carried was unmatched by any other he had seen before. The stoic attitude and disposition of the army sends off quite a intimidating feeling. From the reports, the soldiers seem emotionally stolid and listen to commands without hesitation. I think that this is a sign of how serious Germany is about the war. The descriptions remind me of some kind of robotic army bent on one single purpose to fulfill.
Davis often compared the army to a river of iron. He said it never seemed to end. He says a lot about their unifmors and how they can create their own version of camoflage because of the fog that was constantly around the city. It amazed me at the size of this massive army. Even if he was wrong about it lasting 26 hours, it doesn't matter because the detailed discription in what he saw (the # of them) is unbelievable. He also says a lot about how they always stayed perfectly in line and there was never a hole or gap in those lines. It's unreal. It seems as if they would have some of the most advanced weaponry around.
Is this the first time we have video of the era we are studding?
Davis describes the German army as having machine-like precision an accuracy, without any uniform missing any piece or having any thing out of order. He describes it as a river overflowing its banks in the way that the German Army took up all space in the streets and had such continuity and consistency in its formations. Having human qualities means having human error, thus having weakness, so the loss of human characteristics is a plus when it comes to warfare. He almost overstates the uniforms in the document to reinforce the fact that the uniform was a strong physiological aid to the Germans because of its ability to blend in to its surrounding unlike most uniforms of this and previous times.This foreshadows the complete change of the nature of Warfare form this time on, which was all possible because of the "Greatest invention of all time" INDUSTRIALIZATION. How else could the German's Uniform be so...uniform and consistent.
He describes them like a tidal wave and an avalanche, meaning they were a force that couldnot be stopped, that went on forever. He describes them kind of like robots, just wave after wave after wave of them with no breaks at all.
He says their uniform color, grey, is their strongest weapen because it makes their enemies not be able to see them. He compares it to fog, and says you can't distinguish between individual men. He says that the U.S. army's uniforms are very visible compared to the German's uniforms.
Germany's army seems like a well working machine, with to screw ups at all.
Davis was awed by the sigh of the German army. He was fascinated by the way they were dressed and not one thing missing from anyones uniform, even though they have been walking for 3 weeks straight. He describes the army first as forces of nature such as floods and fogs that are advancing without taking so much as a rest. He says that the Germans picked their uniform a grayish color, which cannot be visible form miles away, therefore calling it there most strongest weapons.
Davis was disillusioned by the mass and mysterious nature of the German Army. The army is described as a flood and as a layer of infinite fog. The German soldiers marched through the whole city, disrupting all traffic. The march through the city lasted over 27 hours. Davis described the German uniform in detail, and he noted its color. It was greyish-green, and blended with the backdrop, hence the comparison to a layer of fog. Davis describes the army as being robotic, intimidating,highly organized, and equipped with many weapons. The strongest weapon is the uniformity of the soldiers, which was very imtimidating. The German army, according to Davis was more organized and more intimidating than that of the U.S. Intimidation was achieved through organized formation, singing national songs, the sheer number of soldiers in the army, and the length that it took to march through Brussels. This war would be unlike any war in that it would be a war between societies in which orginization, economics, and nationalism were key. Davis exaggerates, but the video of Germans marching through brussel is truly intimidating.
Never in history could there have been an army like this before this Great War. I was amazed at how the man described the military. Proabably would have been speechless at the sight of it. A river of silver, scary. i still understood most of the terms, like: Uhlans- cavalry, Dragoons- awesome cavalry.
Because Germany was an industrial society with prominent cities established, their uniforms were disigned grey in order to blend in with buildings and polluted areas. The United States, on the other hand, are accustomed to a more traditional style of warfare which took place in wooded areas. Therefore the US uniforms were designed to look more natural, with military green pants, jackets, and helmets, and tan stockings. The US uniforms were not designed to encounter urban combat situations.
Wow, this is completely unbelievable. I have never seen/heard the German army being this mobilized. Right away, Davis shows that the German army has lost its human qualities. He made me visualize this massive army just pouring through the city of Brussells, like a giant river or a fog. "Like a river of steel it flowed, gray and ghostlike." And their uniforms. such GENIUS!!!! I mean, they were the perfect shade of grey, so that they were practically invisible in the fog and right before dawn. They also blended in perfectly with the cobblestone streets, which would probably would be extremely useful. Davis even goes as far as to say that he could see the horses that people were on, but he could not see the officers themselves. THAT is frightening, especially for the opposing forces. I mean, the Americans had YELLOW khakis, and so they stood out! This uniform is, once again, genius. He also states that they have an even stronger weapon than what meets the eye. The "strongest weapon" is their ability to assess any military situation, and their uniforms played a major part in it as well. This army was so organized, prepared, and united, I believe von Bismarck would be proud.
Davis is very impressed with the german army. he described them as invisible, due to their uniform of complete grey a grey described to be the grey just before daybreak, the grey of unpolished steel, of mist among green trees. they come in through brussels without permission and keep flowing in with no hesitations, and the organization of the german army is very impressive. he compares them to the us which he says you can see the americans like if it was the spanish flag. what he means by they have lost human quality is that they are like the fog, and disguise themselves to almost everything so you can only see the horses, but not who is riding them, and the sparks of the metal boots on the stone, but not who is wearing them. he says the most effective weapon is this of their uniforms making them an almost impossible target to pick out.
Davids said that the germans best weapon was thei uniform, they looked like a grey fog rolling, hard to shoot at. He described them to natural disasters such as a tidal wave, an avalanche, or a river flooding its banks, this showed the power. The are compared to the u.s in how the confederates wore a blue-grey while germans wore a green-grey.
Davis described how Germany was the most invisible and how their uniforms are their most important weapon because it makes them so invisible. He talks about how they don't take breaks and march endlessly. Uniforms looked much alike and it make it harder for each side to pick a target.
That's a scary descrption, of unhumanness of germans
Davis compared the marching German infantry to a flowing river; he describes them as a perfectly organized marching people who are not shifted or moved in any ways to the point were it seemed inhuman and probably more robotic and mechanical. Their best weapon is their clothing or uniform because they camoflouged into the background unlike that of US. This implies the seriousness and power of the Germans becuase they did this because the Belgians did not let them pass through the country. I think it is almost arrogant because the Germans march trought Brussel sort of just to tell the Belgians not to mess with them.
Germans most defined weapon that they took advantage of was their grayish green uniforms. He compares them to the confederate uniforms which were blue and gray. The army was extremely robot like almost and everyone sang in sync and having exactly 3 steps between each phrase of the song. They are compared to nature, mostly of destructive phenomena like floods, and avalanches sync they basically destroyed things in Brussels, the city they marched through.
HE thinks that this army is very powerful. They are also very hard to see because of their uniforms which gives them an advantage. Also, they are very well organized and put together. The author describes them as almost inhuman because they are so determined.
Wow. That is so creepy. The German army sounds very impressive. The ghostlike way they move and how they are perfectly in sync sounds very intimidating. I was surprised at how he said that their strongest weapon was their uniforms. If that's the case, why'd we invent guns? Hahaha...
Sapp.
By the way, if we took notes for the documents, can we use them on the quiz please?
Davis was impressed. Very much so because of the level of organizzation the Germans showed, not a single soldier took a step out of place. He compared the Germans to a tidal wave, and it's approiate. Tidal waves don't stop for anything. They keep going and destroy anything in their path, which is the impression that I got of the Germans. Davis meant that the German soldiers had become so robotic in their actions that they didn't even act human. The Germans strongest weapon is actually their uniform, they were virtually impossible to see because the grey of their uniform combined the colors of the grey right before daybreak and that of mist. It's right near impossible to hit a target you can't see. Davis also said that he had never seen an army as well equipped (weapon wise & organization wise), not even the US or England. The main intimidation factor is the sheer size of the army and the fact that the entire army moves like oine unit. I could see the Germans being devastating in the war coming up due to sheer size and their extreme organization.
this junk is crazyy.
davis talks about how the german army just marches and marches, what seems like without stopping. they have major discipline order and they dont step out of line. their uniforms make them look like a mist coming in and just taking over the grounds, thus making their uniform their strongest weapon.. the army seems to have lost human like qualities in ways such as they march without taking breaks or sleeping through the night.
this really shows how much control countries have over their armies now.
The main thing Davis focuses on are the uniforms and how they remove all human characteristics from the soldiers and gives a sense of industrialization with the reference to steel and always moving forward in an unceasing manner.
He seems to be in total amazment at the Germans. He says their greatest weapon is their gray uniforms and how the uniforms disguise them with the environment. And with the gray uniforms he sees them as a fog. He also describe how they were extremely organized and disciplined. This made it appear that they were not humans. Everyone acted the same in perfect rhythm, no gaps in the ranks.
Davis says that the soldiers are like a giant river and don't stop coming. he focuses a lot on the uniforms and to me for him that symbolizes how great the German army was and that they really didn't miss out on a thing. Davis also says that they have the best weapons out there and that they don't seem to have anything out of place.
He seems to think that the army had no human qualities and appeared to be very robotic. The simile he uses for the army is a tidal wave, with the number of soldiers going on and on and on. The inhuman quality of the army was the fact that there was no mistakes, which making them is a very human thing to do. He describes the German uniform as the strongest weapon, as it is very useful on attack to sneak up on your enemy, and on defence, as a way to hide. He says that the American army will stick out on a battlefield, leaving them at a disadvantage. The intimidation that the Germans could be using is the fact that they appear to have a much larger and more organized army than their enemies.
He likened them to a tidal wave, a raging river, and an avalanche. They seemed almost robotic in how they moved, all looking the same, all in line. Their uniforms, because the uniforms help them blend in to the morning fog.
Davis says that the Germans strongest weapon is their uniform.I think that it is for a good reason because their uniform is gray, or looks like unpolished steel and the fog makes it unable to see them in the war.Davis also said that not even an expert could hit his target. The forces of nature were a tidal wave, avalanche and flooding river. I agree with that because they are just walking through the city and he says that it looks like unbroken steel columns; because nobody is separated.
davis doubted the ability of our allied forces against such a determined german army. he equates the germans to a fog rolling in. this is extremely accurate because everything about them was quiet but deadly. something that could choke the life out of another army. they were dressed to blend in with everything, and trained to work in unison as to not draw attention to any one part. the uniforms are the germans' strongest weapons. they allow the germans to not be easy targets, whereas the u.s. army and those of the british are dressed in the traditional 19th century valiant style of dress.
Davis had mixed feelings about the german army. At some points he said that they were impressive, and at others he said that they were disgusting. Davis describes the German army as a Tidal Wave, an Avalanche, and a Flood. He says this to describe how the army is rolling through the city and nobody can do anything. The German army is so perfect in everything they did, they seemed to be far from human. Davis says that the soldier's strongest weapon was his uniform, because they were able to blend in well with most of their surroundings which will give them an advantage. The Germans are coming in very confident.
Davis seems intregued by the army and has a natural curiosity, yet a bit reprochful feeling towards them. He describes them as fog,a great tidle wave, an avalanche, and a flooding river, all of which are great disasters to human populations. The men all looked the same, an eeriely grey tone which was fascinating. He mentions this grey shade of the uniform as being the best weapon for them, becasue it is so difficult to see to shoot at. Wheras, others, like the American army, have lighter colors which stand out more. The soldiers match completly together and have a deep rhythm in their singing songs of home, and they also did not lost a single item that could distinguish an individual or any bit of untogtheress. That is intimidating.
Davis mentions how a large mass of men in gray uniforms appears in Brussels. They looked so tightly wound and uniform that it was practically "inhumane." He goes on to say that their strongest weapon is their gray-green uniforms because they're under a "cloak of invisibility" due to the bland coloration of the uniforms making the men hard targets to shoot at in battle.
Davis compares the Germans to many things such as fog and tidal waves but the way he talks about them seems to take away all of their human qualities. He says their best weapon is their uniform because it is so colorless and meshes with all the other color. Wars up until this point in history have generally consisted of two armies marhcing toward each other to fight with the winner being the side with the most men or the best tactics but now warfare has become a race to see who can develop the most deadly weapons the quickest.
Davis was impressed by the Gearman army and their strong weapons which were the heavy duty guns etc. They were compared to the US by their uniforms saying they were "invisible" next to the United States. The men continually came and sang and marched into brussels acting as a true force with discipline that Davis was not sure if this went on through the entire night. extreme intimidation.
Davis was pretty impressed with the army, he kept going off on how their uniforms gave them ridiculous camouflage and that when they were a block away they disappeared. He said that that was their biggest weapon, since even the best marksman can't hit a target he can't see. He compares the army to a fog rolling in a lot because of their grey uniforms.
I think that the document shows that the Germans were doing everything they could to get every last advantage, trying to get every single factor they could, on their side.
Davis was impressed with the clothing the German army wore. He described them as practically invisible to the point where not even the most skilled marksman can spot his target. When they walked, they blended with the stones on the streets. He described them as a river flowing of steel when walking the streets. Their invisibility was their perfect weapon and Davis is fascinated by their discipline. The "loss of human equality" is due to their rhythm and endlress marching
Davis was seriously fascianated by the German army. Although, he did think they had no human quality, he was still impressed with their discipline style and the way they marched and moved. He is especially fascinated by their uniform. Infact, Davis describes a German uniform as the storngest weapon of a soldier.
Davis was pretty impressed. I guess the Germans were really well trained. He describes them as like a giant gray mass or wave of people in a never ending line. He actually makes them look really good with their perfect gray uniforms. Then he says that the US is not as good as the Germans. He says the the blue uniforms of the US will give the US a disadvantage.
and that video is pretty ba. i would be petty scared if i saw that right outside my window or door. But i don't see anyone trying to stop the movement. i know Belgium didn't like them coming in so where where they?
it is absolutely insane to me that germany marched through belgium because if they had gone another way to get into france, most likely they would have not had the british involved in the war. im not saying its a bad thing that germany went thorugh belgium because i guess its obvious that the allies win the war, but maybe they should have thought that one through because they may have had a better chance in winning the war if they had not stepped on some peoples toes
Davis was awestruck by the German army. He was fascinated with the discipline of the German soldiers. They were synchronized with every step they took and kept pouring in. He uses tidal waves and avalanches to emphasize the mighty power that was felt as the soldiers passed by. He was also admiring the color of their uniforms. He described their main weapon was in fact their ability to blend in with their surroundings. He then compared them and their camouflage to the U.S.
Davis decribes the intrusion of the German army in Belgium like a tidal wave or a thick fog rolling in. This was because the German grayish-green colored uniforms made them resemble fog rolling over the hills. Davis even says how individuals in the mass of men are unable to be recognized because of their uniforms, making it difficult for the opposition to spot them. This is what Davis says is their strongest weapon. When he says that the army has lost their human quality, he is referring to their robotic-like marching and disciplined behavior. It is obvious by the German's arrogant intrusion of Belgium, which reflects all of Europe's attitude towards the war, that nationalism will spur an easy, quick win.
The way they cam right through Belgium to me it was described as a tidal wave of soldiers that were described as being gray and ghostlike. I almost get the impression that he described them as being emotional less, just toy soldiers or robots, mindless towards war. He calls the "inhuman" portraying the fact that they were so disciplined and orderly in rows and lines rhythmically marching through the streets of Brussels.
He describes the germans as inhuman with their perfectionist movements such as marching and such. Their uniforms were their key weapon due to the fact that it was almost like camoflauge when in a mass group.
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