Role of Media in Society

Role of Media in Society Media is considered to be the 4th pillar of the society while the other three being legislative, executive and judiciary. It plays an important role in the welfare of the society, working as an informer, an educator, a form of entertainment and an opinion influencer. In Malaysia, media and politics are co-dependent because through this, democracy is formed. Mustafa (1999) stated that in this broad context of democracy, the mass media plays an important role by supplying media users with a platform to obtain information, exchange views and at the same time give feedback to the government; however this is overshadowed by the states official view that the media should be functioning as an essential tool to promote national development, national harmony and national security. The Mainstream Media and Politics The Malaysian mainstream press can be categorised as having gone through a major period of change since the early 1980s in terms of ownership and well as flourished amendments and policies that serves as a form of gate-keeping and control over the media. All forms of media introduced, newspaper, radio and television, directly went under the control of the government or companies that were aligned with the government. In Malaysia, obtaining information is often a tedious affair and can be frustrating applied not just for journalists but for the public because there are no Freedom of Information (FOI) laws. One of the events that aided towards a tight control over the mainstream media was during the 1969 elections, Barisan National while retaining a majority, lost many seats to extremist Chinese and Malay parties Yesudhasan Wong (2010) stated that Malaysia experienced one of the worst incident of ethnic violence in its history that came to be known as the May 13 incident. As part of the governments plan to sustain social order then, the government suspended the publications for all newspapers for two days starting from 16 May 1969, subsequently introduced a censorship law and banned the circulation of certain foreign magazines and newspapers that contained reports of the violence in Kuala Lumpur (Mustafa, 1999) Due to the incident, the government declared to have the rights to censor items that were deemed dangerous to national security. The Malaysian government appears to be misusing arguments of religious sensitive and cultural issues to manipulate the political system by limiting political freedom of the opposition and civil society which makes Malaysia a less democratic state (Azizuddin, 2008) Then, a new established body, the National Operations Council (NOC) was formed to resuscitate parliamentary democracy, rebuild public confidence and engender ethic harmony and a form contributing towards forming ethic harmony; an amendment was form whereby it prohibited any act, speech or publication that has a tendency to bring feelings of ill-will and enmity between the various ethnic groups (Zaharom, 1999) Thus the strong hold over the mainstream media begins. Many government leaders in the developing world justify their control over the media in terms of jealousy guarding and guiding its members towards the supposedly noble path of national development and to ensure that the media does not fall into the wrong hands or in other words, state control over the mainstream media has clearly been justified in the name of national development and national security (Mustafa, 2004) During elections, the media plays an important role in publicizing as well as plays a part in advertising politicians as well as their campaign. The mainstream media is fully controlled by Barisan Nationals needs to not only publicise but as Mustafa (2005) stated, flaunt to the whole country BNs achievements, particularly in the area of socioeconomic development. A wide coverage would done on the pro-government and minimal reporting would be done on the opposition. Media ownership generally plays in role in why Barisan national is constantly being flaunt and portrayed as the political party to vote for. After Malaysia gained independence in 1957, the mainstream print media was owned by private sector companies. Then the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) made a successful bid for the Utusan Melayu a few years afterwards. Over the years, the major English newspaper, The New Straits Times was also taken over by UMNO of the ruling National Front, while The Star was bought over by the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) and mainstream television channels like TV1, TV2 and TV3 were born, controlled by the government. According to an analysis on the coverage of Malaysias 2004 general elections by four mainstream newspapers (The Star, the New Straits Times (NST), Berita Harian and Utusan Melayu), the total number of news items that were positive towards BN among all four major newspapers were roughly 40% and above. The other part of the percentage went straight to new items that were negative towards the opposition. Only a slight number of news (4% and below) were negative new items towards BN. Mustafa (2005) also highlighted sample of headlines used by these newspapers that gave an idea of slant news reporting; Malaysians prefer Pak Lahs vision of Islam (NST, March 15 2004), Perlis merana jika pilih pembangang (Perlis suffers if opposition is voted) (Utusan Melayu, March 16 2004 ) This shows a high level of bias coverage within the highly influential mainstream newspapers during the 2004 general elections. Alternative Media and Politics With an obvious slant reporting and biasness from the mainstream media, cyber news is slowly taking over, becoming a more focused, better written, more informative and alternative to the mainstream newspapers and media. Like in the case of Marina Mahathir with The Column that wasnt; this piece was spiked by the Star because it touched in issues that were sensitive but since The Malaysian Multimedia and Communication Acts of 1998 promises that No censorship would be applied on Internet content, Marina published her column online together with ranting on why her column was spiked. What would stop the public now from reading that column online and have the same reaction if it was published in the mainstream newspaper? A study conducted by Zentrum Future Studies Malaysia in 2008 involving 1, 500 respondents between the age of 21 and 40 showed that the alternative media holds a big influence on young Malaysians. In the study, 64.5% of those ages from 21 to 30 years old trusted blogs and online media for reliable information. Those between 31 and 40 years old, 61.7% believed that information in blogs and online media are true. (Study Shows Why BN Lost the War, 2008) Yesudhasan Wong (2010) said that the young readership in Malaysia believes that the mainstream media are under the control of the government, always working continuously to ensure that the news are pro-government and has no or limited reports on sensitive issues. Various alternative news portals such as Malaysia Today, Malaysian Insider, Harakah Daily and MalaysiaKini provide media users with the alternative source to obtain political news or for those who have generally lost faith with the mainstream media. The parliamentary elections in 2008 brought the alternative media to a different level when weblogs, text messages and copies of Internet-streamed videos became the most influential information sources for voters ahead that resulted in a surprise blow to the Barisan National (BN) party, which has ruled the country for more than 50 years. After BNs worst election showing, in which it lost its two-thirds majority in the parliament, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi acknowledged March 25 that his coalition certainly lost the Internet war, and added that it was a serious misjudgement for his party to rely solely on government-controlled newspapers and television in its efforts to attract voters, (Kaufman, 2008). The alternative media gave media users a chance to hear what opposition parties have to say as it is not controlled by the government. Due to this, the government realize that the new media or alternative media is an important impartation in the political scene. Now, politicians are looking into the internet to gain communicate and display information to the mass society of internet users. Parti Keadilan Rakyat, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is in the blogspere at www.anwaribrahim.com, with regular updates on PKR as well as him opinions on what Malaysian the government should be doing. SMS is also another form of alternative media, in fact; it is a rather powerful form of communication tool if used wisely. Generally, there has been a passive use of SMS for politicians to pass on messages as well as information to voters from a national voter database, as well a more interactive use of it for politicians to communicate with party representatives, voters or the media (Kaur and Halimahton, 2004) A research done by Kaur and Halimahton (2004) analysed contents of several election-related SMS for the 2004 general election sent from the nomination date until a few days after the election ended that were being sent among 238 respondents. This number was the final sample for the pilot study. According to research, 51 general election-related messages sent by friends, colleagues, family members, political party members and NGOs were collected between nomination day, 13 March 2004, and polling day, 21 March 2004. Only one message could categorized as informative, provided by communication provider MAXIS, informing voters that they should check their voting status and voting location through SMS. Only a few proved to be informative and useful in helping voters with information on the general election. 19 out of 50 were shown to be ridiculing or condemning messages towards Barisan National. 60.5% of the respondents found the election-related messages to be useful and informative. 27% found the messages to be funny where as about 6% found the messages to be a nuisance. Thought most found the SMS to be useful and informative, only 31.9% were influenced to support a party of individual base on what they received. Data collected showed that the public primarily uses SMS to for jokes or to criticize certain candidates or political parties, no serious discussion was found among the sample of SMS messages to persuade voters to vote in a certain way. Another form of alternative media, Al-Jazera English (AJE) believes in their mission to provide voice to the voiceless. In a survey done by AJE on how AJE is perceived by participants, the respondents of the survey gave a ranking of more positive than negative, showing the respondents had a favourable perception of AJE with regard to how it performed the conciliatory media functions (Mohammed and Power, 2010) Among the points that participants agreed on was that AJE provided a public place for politically underrepresented groups, AJE provides multiple view points on a diversity of controversial issues and that AJE represents the interests of the international public in general rather than a specific group of people. During the protest that broke out in November 10, 2007 organized by BERSIH with the aim of reforming the electoral process, up to an estimated of 40,000 protestors came with force to draw attention from the government. What began as a peaceful protest, the Malaysian police tried to vanquish protestors with tear gas and fire hoses. The image of such going ons were shocking and while, the mainstream broadcast and print failed to cover the protests but obtain minimal coverage, AJE covered the whole thing live and in detail (Mohammed and Power, 2010) The coverage done by AJE was then placed online, on YouTube, receiving more than 250,000 viewers within the first week of the protest resulting in a largely stated influenced media resulted in the Malaysian mainstream medias largest credibility crisis to date (Mohammed and Power, 2010) Media, Politics and the Public Sphere The role of the media is to act as a safety valve to release any pent-up emotions on any issue or combination of issues facing our country; with the heavy ownership by government, the credibility and reliability of our mainstream media might die out one day. The media also acts as a public sphere that is critically important for modern societies as it serves as a forum whereby the public can communicate collectively on relevant issues as well as allowing citizens to inform or update themselves on societal developments to observe and control political, economic and other elites (Gerhards and Schafer, 2010) However, due to the hold back and tight gate-keeping from the mainstream media, Mustafa (2005) stated that the public sphere in Malaysian society has been further constrained so that ordinary citizens and concerned civil have not been able to fully express their views and to directly participate in the countrys democratic process. Earlier this year, NTV7 producer resigned in protest over his companys decision to stop his talk show from commenting on the upcoming by-election at Hulu Selangor, following pressure said to have emanated directly from the ruling coalition. A TV2 documentary on the controversial Bakun Dam and the forced relocation of Sarawaks natives was forced off the air, just before the Sibu parliamentary by-election took place. It is clear that open debate has little room to flourish in Malaysia, (Yeoh, 2010) Malaysiakini, an example of a alternative publication that flourished tremendously after the 2008 general elections. Steele (2009) stated that it is not the Internet that challenges the Barisan Nationals stranglehold power but it is actually the norms and values of independent journalism that have made MalaysiaKini such a threat to government authorities. This ideology of creating independent journalism with the alternative media not only changes those who work within the public sphere but also creates a democratic space for public discourse, one that the Malaysian society lacks. It not only gives voice to the voiceless but concrete prove or forms of information through video, audio and feedback tools. It shows media users sides of stories that they may not see. The seemingly mechanistic tools of fairness and balance, did you get the quote from the other side? become a means of guaranteeing that all voices will be heard (Steele, 2009) Conclusion The media plays an important role in the welfare of the society, working as an informer, an educator, a form of entertainment and an opinion influencer. With the current media ownership that poses credible threat and questions the credibility to the role of the media; media users need to consider, who to trust now? Political issues are highly dependent on the media as it is highlights what is important and is highly influential thus it works as a form to influence the political mind-set of media users. With the mainstream constantly bombarding pro-government issues towards society, media users now yearn for a different point of view, shifting to the alternative media to abstract that diverse opinion. In sight of how the media and politics are inter-wined, it is important that the opinions and comments of the public take place to form a democracy, in the words of Abraham Lincoln; for the people, by the people and of the people. Thus, the public sphere is important in the role to colle ct or obtain the voices of the public. The alternative media has already taken the role in proving that space for the public to take part in forming the countrys democracy; it is now up to the mainstream media to do the same, for a better political constitution of the country.

Imperialism in the late 19th century Essay

In the late 19th century Americans fully embraced the concept of American exceptionalism, believing the â€Å"United States had a destiny unique among nations to foster democracy and civilization.† With this ideology, Social Darwinism, Anglo-Saxon, naval expansion, and the need for market promoted the rise to imperialism in the United States. When the Americans moved west and defeated the Native Americans they felt matchless because of all the technological and social developments they had over the Native Americans. Americans were able to trade and exchange guns, agriculture, and animals with Europe and Asia. The Americans thought God was making room for them but Social Darwinism is what vindicated the Whites ruling over weaker races. The wealthy used a scientific theory as a comparison to validate their greedy behavior and avoid paying taxes. There were 14 hour days for employees, no annuities, healthcare, or education. They believed the poor should work their way out of poverty. Darwinists assumed some races were inherently determined and that nature should be allowed to eliminate the unfortunate. Their way of thinking is what initiated the Holocaust. They believed that the assassinations of the Jews in World War ll meant they were cleaning out mediocre heredities. Darwinism, not to be addressed so much to Charles Darwi n, but Herbert Spencer, came up with the expression â€Å"survival of the fittest.† Darwinism was a feuded rivalry between social groups creating a dog-eat-dog world. The Anglo-Saxon race felt different and that they were the superior and higher ones that were predestined to rule the world. Josiah Strong, a Congregationalist minister, believed â€Å"The Essence of Christianity is Love.† In order to even consider yourself an Anglo-Saxon, you had to love civil liberty. You had to be a strong spiritual Christian and have a brain for colonizing. You also had to possess a great liveliness toward your own kind. Strong insisted that the Anglo-Saxons spread Christianity and share their material godsends throughout the world. The group was predestined by God. Strong believed that in order to spread out, there needed to be form of connection between the United States and the Philippines. The United States would bring the gospel of Jesus to the unfortunate races. To gain supremacy in the Pacific, they needed to build a  canal across Central America. The Anglo-Saxons needed to obtain power over the Pacific to complete the works of God and the United States needed the islands because Russia’s effect on Korea was growing rapidly. In 1901, expansion became a certainty. Mahan believed the United States economy would be incapable of receiving the vast amounts of industrial and commercial goods being manufactured locally. He then guaranteed the United States an assured access to international markets. Securing access would cause for a stronger navy, a navy that could carry out American commodities across the great highway and high seas. They needed a battleship navy to extinguish opposing navies and a system of naval bases proficient enough to provide fuel and supplies for the expanded navy. Mahan suggested the idea that the countries with the largest navy would attain the world. He was very adamant about the importance of the navy and trying to overcome the world. This was believed to be even truer once Hawaii, Cuba, and the Philippines were acquired. William Seward then strived to endorse an agreement with the Colombian Government to allow the United States to build a waterway through the Panama territory. After the Spanish-American War, the United States attained power over territories that could function as coaling stations and naval bases. The foreign market for American redundant products caused economic expansion to those nations. America was manufacturing way more than they could use. The markets of oil, steel, and agriculture were in major favor of the American expansion. Most demands for expansion were met by large commercial farmers. Vast amounts of raw materials were needed to properly preserve a strong industrial economy. Machinery became a large industry and all kinds of machines were established. Businesses were able to maneuver over wide areas creating chain stores everywhere. The invention of the steamship cut the travel time for shipping goods. The faster shipments arrived, the faster they could take advantage of supplies and sell manufactured goods. Oil was discovered in western Pennsylvania and used as lubricants and kerosene for lamps. Steel mills flourished in places where coal and iron elements could be brought together to produce steel. The American labor movement began to create unions. The unions began negotiating with possessors for higher earnings and  better working environments. The wi de-ranging knowledge of industrial development and scientific development helped enable perception for the creation of new businesses and technologies. Advanced technology strengthened the power and control of industrialized countries. The convenience of prosperity, progression by the unrestricted market of controllable canals, and coastal waterways, the large quantity of natural resources aided cheap withdrawal of goods. This strengthened the power and influence of industrial countries and allowed them higher advantage in war and economic growth. Contribution in the war overwhelmingly reformed the economy, governments, and society of the nation. This created a lucrative report creating work places for large immigrations. The United States had taken its place as the leading world supremacy. Works Cited Henretta, A. James, https://spider.georgetown.college.edu/htalent/border/bs1/berge.htm

Max and Liesel; How Max Plays an Important Role in Liesel’s Life

The idea of a Jewish male and a German girl becoming good acquaintances is an unimaginable, punishable thought in the time that The Book Thief is written. However, Max Vandenburg and Liesel Meminger went against this abomination during this time and during their friendship Max Vandenburg gave many things to Liesel: purpose through strength, purpose in knowing that Jews are humans as well, and purpose in knowing the power of words. Max and Liesel are two similar but very different characters in The Book Thief. These two characters although conflicted find comfort in each other through seeing things in color and words, which gives Liesel a different view on varying prominent things in her life, in Germany. By better understanding how Max and Liesel compare and differ in character a reader can determine how Max’s life gives Liesel purpose through making her stronger, showing her the brutality of the Nazi’s, and showing her the power of words. Liesel becomes stronger emotionally through having a shared feeling of abandonment between Max and her from their past experiences. After she and Max Vandenburg share their nightmares in the basement of the Hubermann’s, Liesel begins to deal with her nightmares by herself and to not let them envelop her. Liesel also realizes through these stories of Max’s experiences that if he can fight for his life everyday and live by running then she can persevere through her nightmares and be stronger. By keeping some emotions inside her, like fear and love, she helps adjust to relying on just herself which is shown in the ending of the book, â€Å"Hot tears fought for room in her eyes as she would not let them out. Better to stand resolute and proud† (Zusak 512). Having strength also gave her a voice allowing her to stand up to different people and change people’s minds in very intricate ways. As Liesel became stronger it led her to have more of a purpose in different ways and she finds new reasons to live. One of the most prominent of differences between the two characters is physical; Max is Jewish and Liesel is German. As the book is set during the time period of World War II in Germany, the separation between the Jews and the Aryan race is an outstanding factor in people’s lives. Liesel overcame the sense of being hypnotized to the Furher’s words through Max and their friendship. Beginning to realize the brutality of the Nazi’s and the nature of the Jews, Liesel changes her mind about the Nazi government, allowing her to not be as easily swayed by the propaganda of the dictator of Germany. People begin to realize the innocence and the lack of prejudice in a child especially through Liesel as she grew older, â€Å"She was a Jew feeder without a question in the world on a man's first night in Molching† (Zusak 532). This gives Liesel purpose to show other Germans the same realization that both those of the Aryan Race and the Jewish people are human and they can share the same interests as each other. Through Max’s and Liesel’s shared love of books and writing Max gives Liesel the extensive knowledge of the power of words. For the rest of her life she cherishes this knowledge, â€Å"She was still holding onto the words who had saved her life† (Zusak 499). Words not only helped her and Max, but she found her true calling in comforting people through reading to them. â€Å"The Standover Man† and â€Å"The Word Shaker† allows Liesel to see the effects of words on her through someone else’s eyes as well as the effect of her words on someone else. Max shows her that she too has made him stronger and he accepts several troubles in his life. Through recognizing this it gives Liesel purpose and eventually led her to write a book on her own called â€Å"The Book Thief†. Soon after Max leaves the Hubermann household Liesel finds out the reason she steals books and why they mean so much to her, giving her stealing a purpose as well. The knowledge of words from Max really contributes to Liesel’s purpose in life and allows Liesel to grow as a person by knowing the effect of words on people. Max gives Liesel a different outlook on different things in her life like her bad experiences, the German government, and words. Liesel becomes stronger as she begins to realize that compared to Max she is without struggle in her life. She sees that before she met Max Vandenburg she was devoted to the ways of the Nazi’s and now seeing what they have done to those like Max, she changes her ways. Also, the biggest thing Max has bestowed on Liesel is showing her the power of words; this gives Liesel true purpose in giving her the power to comfort and harm people through both reading and writing. The relationship between Max and Liesel is a great marvel in Markus Zusak’s, The Book Thief, and is a huge turning point in the book as well.

Operation Cobra in World War II

Operation Cobra was conducted from July 25 to 31, 1944, during World War II (1939-1945). After the Allied landings in Normandy, commanders began to formulate a plan to push out from the beachhead. Initial efforts were hampered by the need to take the city of Caen in the east and the dense hedgerow country in the west. Seeking to launch a major breakout, General Omar Bradley sought to focus the Allies efforts on a narrow front west of St. Là ´. Moving forward on July 25 after the area had been heavy bombed, American troops achieved a breakthrough. By the third day, most organized German resistance had been overcome and the speed of the advance increased. Coupled with assaults by British and Canadian forces, Operation Cobra led to the collapse of the German position in Normandy. Background Landing in Normandy on D-Day (June 6, 1944), Allied forces quickly consolidated their foothold in France. Pushing inland, American forces in the west encountered difficulty negotiating the bocage of Normandy. Hampered by this vast network of hedgerows, their advance was slow. As June passed, their greatest successes came on the Cotentin Peninsula where troops secured the key port of Cherbourg. To the east, British and Canadian forces fared little better as they sought to capture the city of Caen. Grappling with the Germans, the Allied efforts around the city succeeded drawing the bulk of the enemy armor to that sector (Map). Eager to break the deadlock and begin mobile warfare, Allied leaders began planning for a breakout from the Normandy beachhead. On July 10, following the capture of the northern part of Caen, the commander of the 21st Army Group, Field Marshal Sir Bernard Montgomery, met with General Omar Bradley, commander of the US First Army, and Lieutenant General Sir Miles Dempsey, commander of the British Second Army, to discuss their options. Admitting progress was slow on his front, Bradley put forward a breakout plan dubbed Operation Cobra which he hoped to launch on July 18. Lt. Gen. Omar Bradley (center) with Lt. General George S. Patton (left) and General Sir Bernard Montgomery (right) at 21st Army Group HQ, Normandy, 7 July 1944. Public Domain Planning Calling for a massive offensive to the west of Saint-Là ´, Operation Cobra was approved by Montgomery who also directed Dempsey to keep pressing around Caen to hold the German armor in place. To create the breakthrough, Bradley intended to focus the advance on a 7,000 yard stretch of the front south of the Saint-Là ´Ã¢â‚¬â€œPeriers Road. Prior to the attack an area measuring 6,000 Ãâ€" 2,200 yards would be subjected to heavy aerial bombardment. With the conclusion of the air strikes, the 9th and 30th Infantry Divisions from Major General J. Lawton Collins VII Corps would move forward opening a breach in the German lines. These units would then hold the flanks while the 1st Infantry and 2nd Armored Divisions drove through the gap. They were to be followed by a five or six division exploitation force. If successful, Operation Cobra would allow American forces to escape the bocage and cut off the Brittany peninsula. To support Operation Cobra, Dempsey commenced Operations Goodwood and Atlantic on July 18. Though these took substantial casualties, they succeeded in capturing the remainder of Caen and forced the Germans to retain seven of the nine panzer divisions in Normandy opposite the British. Armies Commanders Allies Field Marshal Bernard MontgomeryGeneral Omar Bradley11 divisions Germans Field Marshal Gunther von KlugeColonel General Paul Hausser8 divisions Moving Forward Though the British operations commenced on July 18, Bradley elected to delay several days due to poor weather over the battlefield. On July 24, Allied aircraft began striking the target area despite questionable weather. As a result, they accidentally inflicted around 150 friendly fire casualties. Operation Cobra finally moved forward the next morning with over 3,000 aircraft striking the front. Friendly fire continued to be an issue as the attacks inflicted a further 600 friendly fire casualties as well as killed Lieutenant General Leslie McNair (Map). Advancing around 11:00 AM, Lawtons men were slowed by surprisingly stiff German resistance and numerous strong points. Though they gained only 2,200 yards on July 25, the mood in the Allied high command remained optimistic and the 2nd Armored and 1st Infantry Divisions joined the assault the next day. They were further supported by VIII Corps which began attacking German positions to the west. Fighting remained heavy on the 26th but began to wane on the 27th as German forces began retreating in the face of the Allied advance (Map). Breaking Out Driving south, German resistance was scattered and American troops captured Coutances on July 28 though they endured heavy fighting east of the town. Seeking to stabilize the situation, the German commander, Field Marshal Gunther von Kluge, began directing reinforcements west. These were intercepted by XIX Corps which had begun advancing on VII Corps left. Encountering the 2nd and 116th Panzer Divisions, XIX Corps became embroiled in heavy combat, but succeeded in shielding the American advance to the west. German efforts were repeatedly frustrated by Allied fighter bombers which swarmed over the area. U.S. tanks pass through a wrecked street in Coutances, Normandy in their drive to the sea beyond the town. National Archives and Records Admininstration With the Americans advancing along the coast, Montgomery directed Dempsey to begin Operation Bluecoat which called for an advance from Caumont towards Vire. With this he sought to hold German armor in the east while protecting Cobras flank. As British forces rolled forward, American troops captured the key town of Avranches which opened the way into Brittany. The next day, XIX Corps succeeded in turning back the last German counterattacks against the American advance. Pressing south, Bradleys men finally succeeded in escaping the bocage and began to drive the Germans before them. Aftermath As Allied troops were enjoying success, changes took place in command structure. With the activation of Lieutenant General George S. Pattons Third Army, Bradley ascended to take over the newly-formed 12th Army Group. Lieutenant General Courtney Hodges assumed command of First Army. Entering combat, Third Army poured into Brittany as the Germans attempted to regroup. Though the German command saw no other sensible course than to withdraw behind the Seine, they were ordered to conduct a large counterattack at Mortain by Adolf Hitler. Dubbed Operation Luttich, the attack began on August 7 and was largely defeated within twenty-four hours (Map). Sweeping east, American troops captured Le Mans on August 8. With his position in Normandy collapsing rapidly, Kluges Seventh and Fifth Panzer Armies risked being trapped near Falaise. Beginning on August 14, Allied forces sought to close the Falaise Pocket and destroy the German Army in France. Though nearly 100,000 Germans escaped the pocket before it was closed on August 22, around 50,000 were captured and 10,000 killed. In addition, 344 tanks and armored vehicles, 2,447 trucks/vehicles, and 252 artillery pieces were captured or destroyed. Having won the Battle of Normandy, Allied forces advanced freely to the Seine River reaching it on August 25.