The Military History Seminar SeriesMilitary History Center University of North Texas 17 November 2012 Eagle Student Services Center 8:30 AM to 1:30 PM "Death of the Wehrmacht: The Rise of American Combat Power and the Destruction of Hitler's Army" Download Flier | Reservation Form | Online Registration and Credit Card Payment
Professor Citino is the author of nine books, including Quest for Decisive Victory (2002), The German Way of War (2005), and Death of the Wehrmacht (2007). His book Blitzkrieg to Desert Storm (2004) was a multiple award-winner, taking both the American Historical Association's Birdsall Prize for best book of the year in military history and the Society for Military History's Distinguished Book Award. Professor Citino's most recent book is The Wehrmacht Retreats: Fighting a Lost War, 1943 (2012). In October 2007, his article "Military Histories Old and New: A Reintroduction" appeared in the American Historical Review, the first military history article to appear in the profession's journal of record in decades. He served as Book Review Editor for World War II magazine from 2004 to 2006, and has written the magazine's weekly online column, "Front and Center," since 2009 (www.historynet.com/magazines/world_war_ii/front-and-center). His review of Quentin Tarantino's war film, Inglourious Basterds appeared in Variety (January 2010), and in recent years he has appeared in the Washington Post, Atlantic Monthly, New York Times, "Anderson Cooper 360" (CNN), and The History Channel. Appearing repeatedly on the History Channel as a consultant on various related subjects concerning World War II, he notably headlined on Hard Target, where he discussed the failure of U.S. intelligence before the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944, and on HistoryCENTER where he discussed the fall of Japan in the last eight months of World War II. Throughout his career, Professor Citino has advocated changing the current nomenclature of German military tactics. Although he uses the word Blitzkrieg on the cover of his books, he has always espoused the view that it should be called by its proper German military term, Bewegungskrieg, or maneuver warfare. He has taught history classes for over two decades, mostly on German military history, stressing the doctrines of maneuver warfare to create a Kesselschlacht and the German doctrine of Auftragstaktik. Professor Citino has also taught classes about Adolf Hitler's Nazi Germany, the Holocaust, as well as American military history such as the Korean and Vietnam Wars. In 1993, he won Eastern Michigan's Teaching I Award for his enthusiasm in the classroom and his ability to inspire student interest in history. In 2007, he was named the "#1 Professor in the U.S." by ratemyprofessors.com, the online student rating service, and was interviewed nationally on MTV. During the 2008-09 academic year, he was invited to teach at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, NY, where he held the Charles Boal Ewing Visiting Professorship. Professor Citino traces his love for military history to his father, who served as a junior officer in the U.S. Army during World War II, serving with the "Americal" Division on Guadalcanal. In fact, he still remembers the day his father handed him a copy of Guadalcanal Diary by Richard Tregaskis and suggested that he read it. It was, Citino says, "a life-changing event at the age of 10," and the moment that he decided he wanted to be a military historian. Rob lives in Corinth, TX with his wife Roberta and youngest daughter Emily, and spends his free time writing, cooking, and playing his growing collection of guitars.
Megellas fought in the Italian and Western European campaign, first as a platoon leader, then later as the Company Commander of H Company, 3rd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR). He first experienced combat in the mountains outside Naples, Italy, near Venafro, where he was wounded and hospitalized. In October 1943, while the remainder of the 82nd Airborne departed Italy to recoup before the invasion of Normandy, the 504th PIR remained behind and took part in Operation Shingle. On 22 January 1944, the 504th took part in an amphibious assault at Anzio. The fighting took a heavy toll, Megellas being wounded again, and it was not until April before the regiment was withdrawn. Due to the losses at Anzio, the 504th did not participate in the D-Day Normandy Landings. However, they did parachute into the Netherlands as part of Operation Market Garden, the airborne invasion of that country. Megellas took part in the crossing of the Waal River near Nijmegen, where the American forces crossed the river in flimsy boats while under heavy machine gun fire. During the day's fighting, Megellas single-handedly attacked a German observation post and machine gun nest. For these actions, he was awarded the U.S. military's second-highest decoration, the Distinguished Service Cross. In late December 1944, the regiment was rushed into the Battle of the Bulge. On 28 January 1945, First-Lieutenant Megellas's platoon was advancing towards Herresbach, Belgium. Struggling through heavy snow and freezing cold, they surprised 200 Germans who were advancing out of the town. Catching the Germans largely off-guard, the attack proved to be devastating, with the Americans killing and capturing a large number and causing many others to flee. However, as they prepared to assault the town, a German Mark V tank took aim at them. Megellas ran towards it, and disabled it with a single concussion grenade. Climbing on top of it, he then dropped another grenade into the tank, eliminating the threat to his men. He was nominated for the Medal of Honor shortly after, but the account of his actions was not included in the original battle reports, and he was instead awarded the Silver Star. He finished World War II with the occupation forces in Berlin and led his Company, the only Company he served with during the entire war, down 5th Avenue, New York City in the January 1946 Victory Parade. Megellas served in the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) for 23 years with work in Yemen, Panama, South Vietnam and Columbia. During his work with USAID, he served two years in Vietnam, leading 4,000 soldiers and civilians from Vietnam and other nations in civil-military relations. For this work, he received the National Chieu Hoi Medal, and the Psychological Warfare Medal from the South Vietnamese government. His book, All the Way to Berlin, released in 2003, provides a vivid and riveting chronicle of his first-hand heroic experiences as a young Infantry leader. At 95 years "young", Magellas recently visited his old outfit, the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment in Afghanistan along the Pakistani border three times in the past five years. Returning from Afghanistan Jim stopped in Holland and spoke at an event for the release of the second edition of his book All the Way to Berlin in the Dutch language. He continues to travel and lecture both in the United States and abroad. He holds a Master of International Public Policy, Johns Hopkins University and was an instructor of International Affairs at Florida Tech. On 7 September 2012, a world premiere was held in Fond du Lac, WI of the documentary film, "Maggie's War: A True Story of Courage, Leadership and Valor in World War II." Military History Seminar Topics and Speakers:
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Our morning speaker will be Dr. Robert M. Citino is a Professor of History at the University of North Texas and one of the world's most distinguished military historians. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, he attended St. Ignatius Loyola High School on the city's west side, received his B.A. in History from The Ohio State University, graduating Magna Cum Laude in 1978, and his M.A. (1980) and Ph.D. (1984) from Indiana University. He joined the UNT History Department and its Military History Center in the Fall of 2009 after teaching at Eastern Michigan University since 1991. He is fluent in German and is an expert on early 20th century German military literature, particularly the Militär-Wochenblatt, a professional German military periodical published from 1816 to1942.
Our luncheon speaker will be James Megellas, Lieutenant-Colonel US Army (retired). James "Maggie" Megellas was born and raised in Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin. The attack on Pearl Harbor occurred mid-way through his senior year at Ripon College. He participated in the school's Reserve Officers' Training Corps program and accepted a commission as a Second Lieutenant in the Infantry of the United States Army when he graduated in 1942. Megellas was originally assigned to the Signal Corps, but grew tired of the required additional schooling and volunteered to become a paratrooper in order to see combat. Four years later, he was one of the most decorated officers in the 82nd Airborne Division and was discharged from the Army with the rank of Captain. He continued serving as a citizen-soldier and retired with the rank of Lt.-Col. The most-decorated officer in the history of the 82nd Airborne Division, his awards include the Distinguished Service Cross, two Silver Stars, two Bronze Stars, two Purple Hearts, Presidential Citation w/cluster, the Belgium Fouragere, 6 Campaign Stars, and Master Parachutist badge. He was selected by General James Gavin, the commanding general of the 82nd Airborne Division to receive the "Military Order of Willhelm Orange Lanyard" from the Dutch Minister of War in Berlin in 1945, the first American so honored by the Government of Holland.