The Detroit River International Crossing Bridge: A Stakeholder Analysis Of How One Wealthy Individual Could Exercise His Will Against Many

This case discusses the only privately owned bridge between Canada and the United States and the legacy of the billionaire owner, Matty Moroun, who engaged in a number of unethical and ethical tactics to stop construction of a competing publicly owned bridge. Over the last 10 years Matty Moroun did everything within his power to stall and stop construction of a new bridge, maintaining his near monopoly on the busiest border crossing in North America. With a crucial vote on the fate of the public bridge the night of the presidential election in 2012, with the vote favouring the public bridge, it is now very likely the new bridge will be built. The case begins and ends with Moroun contemplating his legacy, and wondering if a number of his tactics crossed the line between protecting his own self-interest at the cost of his personal character and integrity, and how others might now perceive him

The Experience of the 756th Tank Battalion in World War Two: A Microcosm

December 7, 1941, a day which will live in infamy, was the moment that the United States was plunged into the largest conflict that the world had ever seen. The sovereignty of the United States was being threatened at two ends of the globe by tyrannical leaders on the continent of Europe and the islands of the Pacific. In the years to come, the U.S. would have to fight to stop the spread of Emperor Hirohito\u27s army in the Pacific and Hitler\u27s Nazi Wermacht in Europe. It would take all the resources our mighty country could muster and the fighting spirit of the nation\u27s youth to conquer the enemy that was before us. The U.S.\u27s fighting spirit was displayed in battlefields the world over, but no more so than in the European Theatre of Operations by the 756th Tank Battalion. The wide and varied experience of the 756th Tank Battalion in its conquest through the European Theatre can be used as a microcosm that mirrors the experience of the soldiers who fought in the different sectors of that theatre. To trace the 756th from its roots in the Pacific Northwest to its final battle in Salzburg, Germany, helps one to better understand the experience of the American G.I. in the Second World War. To understand how the experience of the 756th Tank Battalion differed over time, location, and unit attachment in each facet of the European Theatre of Operations is to better understand how the characteristic American soldier\u27s experience differed over the same locations

Bridging the Gap: Canadian Engineer Operations at Canal du Nord–Bourlon Wood, 1918

During the last hundred days of the Great War, the Allied armies swept eastward past the Hindenburg Line with hammer-blow offensive warfare. Performing their work under intense machine gun and shell fire, engineers erected bridges and constructed roads, allowing infantry and artillery units to pursue the retreating enemy. These combat engineers played a vital role in battle tactics and logistical services of open warfare. Their versatile formations contributed to the Canadian Corps’ rapid victories, which included the successful Canal du Nord crossing leading to the capture of Bourlon Wood in September 1918

TRAVEL ADJUSTMENTS AFTER ROAD CLOSURE: WORKINGTON

The closure of all roads links between south and north Workington following the floods of November 2009 produced an unusual travel situation. Provision of a frequent and free train service and the erection of a footbridge brought good access between both parts of the town by foot, cycle and train, but a heavily congested 18 mile detour by road. This paper describes the findings of a survey of over 400 Workington residents about how they adapted and how that has affected the way they travel now that road connections have been restored. Adaptations included changing mode, time of travel and changing destinations. Many respondents report personal hardships, including loss of job, health impacts, reduced family visits to relations and the stress caused by extra travelling time. The paper also describes adaptations by organisations and authorities such as providing feeder bus services, opening a temporary supermarket and offering different worksites or changed hours to help their employees. The paper considers how the severing of connections required services to be rethought. The discussion questions whether the findings are relevant to more predictable changes such as rising fuel prices and climate change mitigation measures

Crossing the Canal: Combined Arms Operations at the Canal Du Nord, Sept–Oct 1918

The crossing of the Canal du Nord stands as one of the most impressive Canadian tactical operations of the First World War. Incorporating a risky battle plan, emphasizing combined arms operations and utilizing the recently re-organized Canadian Engineers, the battle stands as benchmark for the evolution of 20th century combat. Although sustaining high casualties, the Canadian Corps overcame one of the strongest German defensive positions along the Westner Front in an operation that foreshadowed the mobile, combined arms doctrine of the Second World War

Memories and Reflections on the Dieppe Raid of 19 August 1942

Editor’s Note: John S. Edmondson was born in Estevan, Saskatchewan in 1919. He joined the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry in 1938, and then served with the South Saskatchewan Regiment during the Second World War in the Defence of England, on the Dieppe Raid and in the Normandy Campaign until wounded during the capture of Falaise. After the war, he was transferred to the Black Watch (RHR) Regiment of Canada. He served in Canada in many roles, and as an exchange officer with the British 4th Division in West Germany as part of NATO. In addition, he served with the UN Military Observer Group in Kashmir, India and Pakistan. He served until reaching the mandatory retirement age in 1971. John, with the assistance of his son Doug, wrote this account of his experiences at Pourville in 1993, revising it in 2003

Airborne Communications in Operation Market Garden

Operation Market Garden, Field Marshal B.L.M. Montgomery’s grand attempt to end the war in 1944, has been ceaselessly analysed in an attempt to understand the reasons for its failure. Factors such as the distance of the drop zones from the objectives in Arnhem, the delay in resupply, the presence of strong German forces in the area, as well as the slow progress of XXX Corps in linking the airborne bridgeheads, are some of the main reasons cited for the failure of the operation. Another element often raised has to do with the failure of communications equipment at Arnhem. Peter Harclerode, in his book, Arnhem: A Tragedy of Errors, puts it bluntly: “Much of the blame for 1st Airborne Division’s demise has been laid at the door of signals failure as well as the unsuitability of radio equipment issued to the division as well as its failure to work satisfactorily under the condition in which it was employed.” Lewis Golden, the adjutant of Divisional Signals during the operation argues that this was not the case. Signals actually worked better than could be expected and that communications failure was not the principal reason for defeat at Arnhem. This article attempts a comprehensive survey of the role of communications and answers the question, “How far were poor communications responsible for the failure of Market Garden?” In particular, how far did poor communications contribute to the failure of 1st Airborne Division to consolidate a bridgehead at the Arnhem road bridge

Russian-Estonian Relations After 2007: Current Status and Development Prospects

The article highlights the major points that have influenced relations between Russia and Estonia after 2007. These relations were rather poor during the post-Soviet period. The number of Russian people who lived in Estonia after gaining independence in 1991 exceeded 30%, which resulted in the very keen interest of Russia in Estonian politics. April 2007 created a new reality for relations between the countries. The decision to move the statues of Second World War Soviet soldiers from main squares to cemeteries provoked negative reactions from Russians living in Estonia, but also infuriated leaders of the Russian government. As a consequence there were harsh verbal attacks from Moscow, the Estonian ambassador to Moscow was harassed, cyberspace attacks took place and traffic over the bridge in Narva, which is a key highway from Russia, was blocked. The Estonian authorities know there is no point in maintaining conflict with Russia. The President of Estonia, Toomas Hendrik Ilves, has stressed that Estonia's relationship with its biggest neighbour, Russia, can only get better. Russia plays an incredibly important role in the Estonian economy and tourist industry, according to Andrus Ansip, the Prime Minister of Estonia