Overall, the key to German success in 1939 and 1940 was the superiority of the Luftwaffe, not the Heer (army). I am a 48 year old German, born in 1968 and raised in the southern part of the free state of Bavaria. The entire Polish defensive plan was based around this. 16 km) up the tortuous Meuse from the German lines. 7. I've read that one of the reasons for Germany's demise was that the T-34 and Sherman could just be pumped out, so even if they were inferior to their German counterparts head to head they could still win the battle in the end just because they could just keep replacing them. For the western front. Rate. The Soviet army at the start of the war received more damage and losses than the German army, which retreated more smoothly and suffered significant losses equivalent to the Soviet only at the end of the war. By such means they appear hitherto to have secured general acceptance of the sacrifices required for the successful prosecution of a long and bitter defensive war. What about lack of effective air support / holding enemy air support in check with fighters etc? Gavin at … Required fields are marked *. By 1943 onwards the German war machine in general was up against superior numbers and production capacity. Considerable sections of the propertied classes, especially bankers, heavy industrialists and Junkers, appear already to regard defeat as probable, and are obviously anxious to reinsure with the Western Powers. Firstly, the Polish anticipated that the French and British would hold up their end of the treaties of protection and begin an offensive war against Germany (which they didn't). 23rd February 1943: British intelligence analyses German morale Generally speaking, German morale is passing through a much more critical stage than in any previous winter of the war. Such defeatist tendencies are not yet widespread, although there is now a general realisation that Germany can no longer expect to win a complete victory. In fact, the initial attempt to overrun Warsaw failed, which resulted in a siege having to take place, which lasted til almost the very end of the actual Battle of Poland. The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration American G.I. 8. We often hear about the war experiences of British veterans on Forces TV, but not so much those that they fought against... Until today. Yet there is no sign of a collapse in enemy morale. But casualty figures show the Blitzkrieg, a combination of rapid armored advance supported by air and followed with infantry support, was the one trick pony of the Wehrmacht. This was just one of many regular reports being made to the British War Cabinet: …From the British War Cabinet Minutes and Discussion Papers. British Intelligence was doing everything it could to monitor the state of German morale, picking up whatever it could from neutral foreign nationals who visited Germany, from interrogating prisoners of war and from critically examining Nazi propaganda messages. German president warns of racist 'poison' at Dresden WW2 bombing ceremony Back to video. US casualty figures put the number killed at about 190,000 with most of the rest POW and a few thousand actually unaccounted for (some of these were lost and wandering around France trying to make their way back to the German line others were killed by partisans and not reported). 187,000 Fren… While the French did lose the Battle of Arras, their counter-attack was strong enough to give the Germans pause and allow the British and French to withdraw. 7.7. In World War II, the German military brothels were set up by the Third Reich throughout most of occupied Europe, for the use by their soldiers in the Wehrmacht and for the SS officers. Rate. I wouldn't call them vulnerable- throughout the entire war the German army inflicted more casualties than they took, on all the allied armies but the Russians especially. In a mission to destroy civilian morale, British planes pounded Dresden with explosive and … Were they really that strong or did the Battle of Britain just break them? At the end of 1916, Robert Nivelle became Commander-in-Chief of the French Army. Large numbers of people have begun to compare 1943 with 1918, to ask whether the war has reached its turning point and to cast about for a third alternative open to the German people between Nazi victory and Russian vengeance. Generally speaking, German morale is passing through a much more critical stage than in any previous winter of the war. 3 Ar-234 aircraft are shot down before 129 He-162 aircraft intercept, 38 of the Hurricane II fighters are shot down with only 2 He-162 aircraft loss. Now mind you, this armored division had suffered severe casualties including almost half of its tanks. 1 Engineer Platoon. Repeatedly Polish, Dutch, Belgian, French, and British forces successfully counter-attacked, held strong on defense, or even overran German forces, but were repeatedly defeated due to air superiority, heavy attrition, or a planning or logistical failure. I'm guessing you're covering this part in your phrase about Hitler's unchecked leadership? During the Polish invasion, the Battle of the Bzura, a Polish counterattack actually pushed the Germans back several kilometers with heavy losses. What was the morale of the German people after World War 1? Rate. WWII Nazi German HJ Clothing Diamond W/ RZM Tag Removed From Tunic Click image to view item details. A list of strategic bombing over Germany in World War II includes all cities and towns in Germany attacked by RAF Bomber Command and the Eighth Air Force.. History Defence of Germany. This of course split Polish defenses causing them to abandon their initial defense plans. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Book review: What motivated German people during WWII? German World War II - Cloth Insignia & Patches. I was under the impression that the German military machine as a whole overextended itself - then suffered losses because of supply / manpower / air support problems. A reminder: Questions about the identification of items should be redirected to subreddits that are dedicated specifically for that task, such as /r/MilitariaCollecting. Rate. Germany and the Soviet Union were actually much more balanced though still favoring Germany throughout the remaining years of the war.For US British and allied forces in Europe (Free French Free Polish etc.) This figure of 650,000 is roughly equivalent to the total losses of all western allied troops in North Africa, Italy and the Western Front by the end of the war. Once the allies understood how to counter this, independently operating tank divisions combined with air support and distribution of anti-tank weapons like the bazooka, the Wehrmacht performed no better than expected of a good army. Here, he suggests that morale can be of more importance than weapons. Film has a solid plot yet has way to much Film Noir (not a fan) and in turn feels very 1960. During the Battle of Hannut, French and Belgian forces fought a strong delaying action against German forces and inflicted extremely heavy casualties on the Germans. Buy WWII German Helmets, Badges, Daggers, Uniforms Swords, Medals, Flags, Banners, Hats, Signs, Pennants, Photos and all other types of WW2 German Militaria for the fairest prices available. German opinion no longer displays, either at the level of the masses or among the privileged classes, that uniformity which has hitherto characterised it, and which may be regarded as the hallmark of a successful totalitarian state. Feb 17, 2017 - Explore Larry Bradley's board "Achtung, sturmpioniere! Repeatedly Polish, Dutch, Belgian, French, and British forces successfully counter-attacked, held strong on defense, or even overran German forces, but were repeatedly defeated due to air superiority, heavy attrition, or a planning or logistical failure. It was more difficult to determine how they might react. He had to find other ways to persuade Germans that the war was still winnable. I was under the impression that the Luftwaffe underperformed during the war, and may be considered one of the reasons for the Nazi downfall. I'm not saying that the Wehrmacht wasn't an amazing fighting force with an impressive record against great odds. The German soldiers of World War II have often been portrayed, both during the war and in the decades since, as simple-minded, unimaginative and brutish. Diamond W/ RZM Tag removed from Tunic Click image to view item details a quarter-ton World war II was. 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