I British Corps and the Battle of the Scheldt: A Reassessment

This paper will demonstrate that I British Corps’ operations were critical to the opening of the port of Antwerp. By examining the impact that I British Corps had on the operational and strategic levels of command within Twenty-First Army Group, it challenges the narrative that their operations were supporting in nature. Anchoring the centre of a three corps operation designed to open the port of Antwerp, clear the Scheldt Estuary, and push German forces out of southern Holland, I British Corps faced the bulk of Fifteenth Army and was decisive in undermining its strategic concept of operations. In fact, I British Corps’ actions ensured the operational success of 2nd Canadian Division and the strategic success of First Canadian Army and Twenty-First Army Group

Do High School Football Recruit Ratings Accurately Predict NFL Success?

This paper explores the correlation between the recruit ratings of football players coming out of high school and their future levels of success in the NFL. Specifically, I look at a player’s star rating, numerical rating, and overall rank within his high school graduating class, according to 247Sports’s Composite Rating system, as the key variables for a player’s recruit rating. I measure NFL success by a player’s position in the NFL draft specific to both round and overall pick, average games played per season over his NFL career, highest annual cash earnings during his NFL career, and average Approximate Value per season in the NFL. Results indicate a significant relationship between recruit ratings and NFL success only when considering NFL draft selection as the measure for success. Broadly, recruit ratings don’t appear to correlate with success in the NFL