Listing Conference Memorandum Example: Fill & Download for Free

In late 1944 and into early 1945, it was increasingly evident to military planners that the eventual defeat of Germany was a matter only of time, resources and casualties. There was, however, no room for complacency. The Germans were far from beaten and showed no sign whatsoever of merely rolling over. The Ardennes offensive in the dying days of December 1944 rattled the Allies, not least because they had hoped to have won the war by Christmas of that year.Furthermore the threat of new terror weapons, such as the V-2 rockets being launched in large numbers at Britain and Antwerp, and even the feared deployment of chemical or nuclear weapons, was a very real consideration at the time. The Soviets had already lost huge numbers of men killed, and the Allies were facing mounting casualty lists as they fought their way into the heartland. Every means was therefore sought to shorten the war.The Allies and the Russians had accepted, as early as 1943, that the Strategic Bomber Offensive would continue to play a key role in operations against Germany. By the time of the Octagon Conference in September 1944, the British Chiefs of Staff considered that it might become ‘desirable in the immediate future to apply the whole strategic bomber effort to the direct attack of German morale’. They also agreed that attacks could usefully be undertaken in support of the Soviet armies.These discussions culminated in the formulation of a plan entitled Thunderclap. The Chief of the Air Staff, Sir Charles Portal, presented this to his fellow Chiefs of Staff in August 1944. This envisaged a massive attack on Berlin at about the time that the German Army had been defeated in the field. The strategic bomber force would then deliver the coup de grace ending further resistance.By 1945, the Air Staff considered that Thunderclap might well appear to the Germans as an excellent example of close co-ordination with the Soviets, thereby greatly increasing the morale effect. In January 1945, the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC) played down the possibility of German resistance crumbling, but highlighted the scope for confusion in the movement of reinforcements and refugees if critical points in German transport infrastructure were attacked.The JIC report coincided with preparations for the Allied discussions in Malta that were the precursor to the Yalta conference with the Soviets. In the meantime, Churchill had asked the Secretary of State for Air, Sir Archibald Sinclair, what plans the Royal Air Force had for ‘basting the Germans in their retreat from Breslau’. Portal’s advice was that Thunderclap would be both costly and indecisive. He recommended that oil targets should have absolute priority along with Me 262 factories and submarine yards. Portal also echoed the sentiments of the JIC report recommending attacks on Berlin, Dresden, Leipzig, Chemnitz, ‘or any other cities where a severe blitz will not only cause confusion in the evacuation from the East, but will also hamper the movement of troops from the West’.Sinclair replied to Churchill in a cautious tone on 26 January suggesting that oil targets should remain the priority with attacks on East German cities as a secondary option when the weather was too poor. The Prime Minister was obviously not satisfied that sufficient emphasis was being given to his wish that support be given to the Soviet advance. His blistering response is worthy of quotation in full:‘I did not ask you last night about plans for harrying the German retreat from Breslau. On the contrary, I asked whether Berlin and no doubt other large cities in East Germany, should not now be considered especially attractive targets. I am glad that this is ‘under examination’. Pray report to me tomorrow what is going to be done.’Without further ado, the Deputy Chief of the Air Staff, Sir Norman Bottomley, wrote to C-in-C Bomber Command formally instructing him to carry out these attacks. Sinclair confirmed this to Churchill on 27 January; this minute was acknowledged and elicited no further comment.After a series of meetings involving Portal, Bottomley, Tedder and General Carl Spaatz it was agreed that oil would remain the number one priority for strategic bomber forces operating from the UK. This would be followed in priority by attacks on Berlin, Dresden and Leipzig; destruction of communications feeding the respective fronts; and finally the Me 262 plants. In London, the Vice-Chiefs confirmed these priorities with the addition of a more sustained effort against tank factories.The plot now moves to Yalta where the debate over who said what to whom becomes complex. Cold War Soviet propaganda has emphasised that their delegation in the Crimea had no responsibility for the bombing of Dresden. The Allies were unequivocal in their inclusion of Dresden in the target list, in particular with its importance on the Berlin – Leipzig – Dresden railway. The Soviet Deputy Chief of Staff, General Antonov, submitted a formal memorandum to the Allies requesting that air attacks against communications should be carried out ‘in particular to paralyse the centres: Berlin and Leipzig’. The use of the wording ‘in particular’ makes it, at best, disingenuous for the Soviets subsequently to suggest that they had not requested action at Dresden.Germany’s seventh-largest city had escaped serious air raids until 7 October 1944, partly because of its distance from the bomber bases in the UK. The city and its environs hosted numerous targets of military and industrial significance. These included an optical factory, a glass works, two plants producing radar components, an arsenal and a poison gas factory: well over a hundred factories had allocated Wehrmacht production codes.“Anyone who knows Dresden only as a cultural city, with its important architectural monuments and unique landscape environment, would rightly be surprised to be made aware of the extensive and versatile industrial activity, with all its varied ramifications, which make Dresden one of the foremost industrial locations of the Reich.” (1942 Dresdner Jahrbuch)Dresden had become a key nodal point in the German postal and telegraph system, and was a key point in the transport infrastructure for the region; it was the hub connecting the two major rail lines between Berlin and Leipzig and accordingly was a major troop concentration area.There was therefore no logical reason – other than its distance from Lincolnshire – for it to have been exempt from air attack. The USAAF Eighth Air Force first visited Dresden on 7 October 1944 with an attack against the industrial areas. This attack was followed with a raid on the marshalling yards on 16 January 1945.Having been ordered to hit Dresden hard, Harris planned carefully and elected to use a double blow. The first wave would convince the Luftwaffe that it was the main raid, and their fighters would be back on the ground refuelling when the second and larger raid would have unfettered access to the target. The gap between waves was to be three hours, during which time the defences and rescue services would be swamped, and still in the open when the main raid arrived. Over 800 aircraft were launched on the two raids with devastating effect. These were followed the next day by the USAAF with over 200 sorties against the marshalling yards. (In terms of precision targeting, ‘marshalling yards’ have been used by the USAAF as a euphemism for area bombing)Considerable areas of the city were devastated by the ensuing firestorm with its attendant hurricane force winds. Most public buildings along with all of the Old Town were gutted. The armament plants were reduced to about 20% of their earlier capacity. Casualty figures have been extremely contentious, but it is estimated that some 25,000 people were killed and at least the same injured.German propaganda massively exaggerated the casualties and sought to portray Dresden as a pacific, demilitarised open city bombed by the evil Allies purely to cause terror and mass murder, leading to Churchill questioning Portal whether the policy of “terror bombing” should be reviewed.Portal invited Harris to reply, who shot back in characteristically trenchant style that the suggestion that the Bomber Offensive had been conducted for the ‘sake of increasing terror’ was an insult both to the Air Ministry policy and to the crews that had carried it out; pointing out that ‘Dresden was a mass of munition works, an intact government centre and a key transportation point to the East. It is now none of those things.’

Happy New Year! Here are what I think are my all time best Quora answers:MiscellanyWhy are email scams written in broken English?How is being a billionaire better than being a millionaire?How come no one has been able to figure out or leak the formula to printing money?What is something that is common knowledge in your industry/company about a well-known person that works there that would be mind-blowing to the rest of us?What is it like to be an American?What places are really worth all of the hype?PersonalWhat was it like to be on the Internet during the 1980s?Why does David S. Rose spend so much time and energy answering questions on Quora?What is the worst thing you've ever spent money on?What is the most impressive non-computing related hack you have ever done?What is Bill Clinton like in person?What foolish or cute beliefs or misconceptions did you have as a child that seem ridiculous or silly now?Do you dislike the fact that you are getting older?What was your first job experience like?How is David S Rose such a workaholic?What is the stupidest thing that you have ever done?What is the best advice your father ever gave you?BusinessWhat are the top five most important lessons learned in Business school?What are the five most important lessons NOT learned in business school?What are the basics of the art of negotiation?What is the best swag gift you've ever received at a conference?How do the startups that offer free web services make money?What is the difference between discounted and undiscounted cash flows?Do competing companies ever distribute their losses to make an industry still appear worthy to venture capitalists?PhilosophyShould I drop out of college?What is one thing we can learn from David S. Rose?What's the best way to deal with setbacks like a man?I am extremely confident, smart, attractive, and wealthy. Why am I so special?EntrepreneurshipWhat would be David S. Rose's advice for a 21 year-old starting a company?Who is the most important person in a tech/web startup (visionary, programmer, etc.)?What are common misconceptions of becoming an entrepreneur?I'm terribly scared of getting into trouble if I launch a business. How can I overcome this?What are some must reads according to David S Rose for aspiring entrepreneurs?Raising Money for a StartupCan I sell a new tech idea?If a startup's valuation is $x, how much larger should its cap on a convertible note be?I'm from Los Angeles and want to raise my first outside $500K - $1M. What is the best way to organize my first fundraising trip to Silicon Valley?An investor in a startup trades cash for equity and is given 20% of a company. At the end of the year if the company nets a profit of $100,000 is that investor entitled to 20% of that?How would you break down the process of raising an angel round of investment in 5-10 steps?Is there a difference between getting equity, stock, shares?How does someone get a meeting with angel investor David S. Rose?As an investor, what are the most important items that a startup must have for you to invest?What is the range of capital you can expect from an Angel vs VC?What materials or software should I use to pitch a VC?How does Convertible Debt work?If someone buys half my stake and joins my venture, isn't that money mine?Is it OK for my 55-year-old CEO to pitch to VCs, or should we send in someone younger?What is an "offering memorandum" for a startup company?Working at a StartupHow fair is it to offer a job with a non-negotiable salary?I have a strong feeling that HR people won't hire me because of jealousy. What do I do?Is it unreasonable to ask for a $150K salary for a software engineer position if you have 14 years of experience and 9 in the specific fields they're asking for?What are the qualities of people who are great to work with?How does one work in a startup?What habits should a 27-yr-old inculcate to become successful in all aspects of life?Managing a StartupHow good of a programmer does one need to be to found a startup?How much money could a medium sized business save by not providing free coffee to their employees?Why would anyone want to be an employee and not an entrepreneur?How do I find a startup mentor?What are some questions that people hate being asked?Angel InvestingAngel investor's halo effectAngel Investing hits New York Times Best Sellers list!If I want to invest $5,000 as a new angel investor, what chances do I have of making a profit in 5 years?What are the VC industry's most colorful colloquialisms?As a VC or angel investor, how has your approach to investing changed over time?What is it like to be an angel investor?Why do some angel investors not respond to emails?TrainsWhy are there crushed stones alongside rail tracks?How do cable cars work?What are the best Amtrak route(s) between the East Coast (either Boston/Providence/New York) and Los Angeles?New York CityWhat did New York do to build up its startup environment?What's the most interesting conversation you've ever had with a New York City taxi cab driver?What are the advantages of stationing your startup in New York City opposed to Silicon Valley / SF?How do they shoot movies in the busy streets of New York?GustWhat tech companies in New York have a 4 day work week policy, or some other policy that improves work-life balance?What are the best companies to work for as a software engineer in NYC?What is Gust's business model?Books and PrintingWhat phrases commonly used today are derived from obsolete technologies?I never read books anymore. Do you still read books?ParentingHow should I raise a 12-year-old girl to be a successful entrepreneur?Am I wrong to ask my 13 year-old-son to give me his password before allowing him to use Facebook?Social ClassHow do I know in which social class I am?What is the difference between being raised upper class and upper-middle class?How do the wealthy stay wealthy?What do rich people do for fun?Construction and PlanningHow long does it take to pay off a skyscraper?What are some specific examples of how buildings are designed to produce certain patterns of behaviour in their occupants?

The stages could be as follows:Team and strategy formulation. Great CVs with example of past work and explanation or a rationale for involvement and using the precise strategy that had been agreed. If you can’t show that at this stage, you are wasting your time.Preparation of marketing document describing the project – several pages at most. Depending on the type of the project it might make sense to have the idea about the pipeline – few names perhaps, well researched projects that will be used to illustrate the strategy and the process that you are to employ once the fund is ready to invest.Search for a cornerstone investor, a party that, in exchange for better deal and often a stake in management company will act as overseer and introducer, and to some extend a guarantor of the right quality of the product to investment community. Professional investors do like somebody they can point a finger at if things go wrong. “We invested because ABC invested. Since ABC is the expert in the subject matter, it seemed the right thing to do”.Let cornerstone investor reshape the strategy and the team if they believe it make sense, that also include legal advisor. Preparation of the legal structure – agreements, entities, statutes, memorandum and articles of association that are likely to be accepted by professional investors. Intensify efforts to have the pipeline, depending on whether the project type allows for it.Prepare private placement memorandum (in-depth description of the project) and lighter “teaser” (a presentation aimed at getting interest) and kick of the marketing effort, supported by CI and any brokers that you decide to hire. At this stage you may want to begin attending investor conferences and speak to decision makers directly and see how they react.Once the list of initially interested parties is ready, prepare for a road show.Get initial commitment and use that commitment to try to convince those “on the fence”.CLOSEBegin the project. Ready pipeline should help but be prepared to react to conditions. If the bear market just started, it makes no sense to invest, as the sellers (projects) expected valuation might not be at appropriate level for instance. Sometimes you may just be unlucky despite completeing all labour-intensive and costly steps above.I hope this helps.