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Thread: What a German soldier of WWII thought of US soldiers.

  1. #41
    Site Supporter Tamara's Avatar
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    Especially funny are the Germans bitching and whining in their war memoirs about the unfairness of Allied air and arty supremacy and having to fight on two fronts, when if it weren't for air and arty supremacy and having to fight on two fronts, WWII would have ended in a stalemate somewhere near the Warta in winter of '39.
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  2. #42
    Member Wheeler's Avatar
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    I have a book floating around that details many of the actions of Iron Cross recipients during WW2. Most of it deals with The Eastern Front, with the last few accounts dealing with The Western Front and American and British troops. The one thing that struck me, and it was pointed out in the book that the new (at the time) of German NCO was taught to think for himself. That accounted for an immeasurable effect against allied troops. Not until they faced American troops did they have enemies with the same sort of training.
    Men freely believe that which they desire.
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  3. #43
    The Germans probably had more freedom to think for themselves at the regiment level and below than did American infantry units. Luckily for us, they has a supreme micromanager making most division and up decisions.

  4. #44
    This is a fascinating thread and I'll have to go back and do more than a quick skim of the posts. That said, I thought I'd add a couple of points to the discussion for your consideration -

    The American people had a long standing and justified suspicion against large standing armies. They knew their potential as tools for tyranny from experience with the Brits and from reading history. Citizen-soldiers and demobilzation after the conflict has ended is part of the American tradition. It is even embodied somewhat in the US Constitution - through the restriction regarding the quatering of troops.

    The second point regards the modern American way of war. I read somewhere that a German officer was captured and interviewed during WW2. He said that an American tank would come and the Germans would knock it out with an anti tank shell. The Americans would send another tank, and it would be knocked out. After awhile the Germans ran out of anti tank shells, but the Americans didnt run out of tanks ! There's a lot of truth in that officer's observations.

  5. #45
    Befriended a old Wehrmacht Colonel years back. He served on both eastern and western fronts. His take... Germans best on individual and small unit basis.... Russians hardiest... Brits best on Divisional basis. Americans shone on combined arms. Bottom line for him was avoid the Americans... Too much fire power. And most of all... Don't ever back Americans into a corner.


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  6. #46
    Member jondoe297's Avatar
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    We are a nation born out of war (revolutionary) and defined by war (war between the states). I'd say that's a major contributing factor in why we're so adept at kicking other nations' posteriors.

  7. #47
    Member JHC's Avatar
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    Skipping over to the Pacific theater where my father served in the Navy; he related a story from shortly after the end of the Pacific war where someone was interviewing a Japanese commander of some note. As he retold it; it went something like this:


    The question posed to this commander was "Who were the best jungle fighters?" To wit the Japanese commander answered "Australians."

    Well, who were the next best jungle fighters?" "That would be the Japanese."

    "Wait, what about the Americans? They just won this war."

    "The Americans don't fight in the jungle, they remove the jungle."
    “Remember, being healthy is basically just dying as slowly as possible,” Ricky Gervais

  8. #48
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    My old Dad was Army Air Corps, European theater. Waist gunner in a Martin B-26. I was fascinated by this growing up but he was very reluctant to tell stories and he flat out refused to ever fly again. As a young boy I asked what he did while flying and he replied; we dropped bombs on them and on the way back we shot them up.

    We should be very reluctant to ever go to war and do everything in our power to avoid it. But once committed we go into win, right now. But I'm preaching to the choir.

  9. #49
    Quote Originally Posted by Tamara View Post
    Especially funny are the Germans bitching and whining in their war memoirs about the unfairness of Allied air and arty supremacy and having to fight on two fronts, when if it weren't for air and arty supremacy and having to fight on two fronts, WWII would have ended in a stalemate somewhere near the Warta in winter of '39.
    I just finished “The Taste of War” by Lizzie Collingham, which is all about the importance of food, food policy, rationing, and food supplies in WWII. It is interesting how much the German push east was driven by a desire for farmland, as was the Japanese push into China. It also makes clear how vastly superior the US food supply was.

  10. #50
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    Quote Originally Posted by TGS View Post
    I'd like to read any references you have. My understanding was that it isn't really debatable. Besides the obvious effects, there was also an ancillary depreciating effect on equipment. Tanks, for example....you simply can't have a reliable tank if you can't heat treat the metal parts.
    https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a421958.pdf

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