The Wehrmacht Series 1: The Blitzkrieg Part 4 of 6

Hitler's army thundered through Europe from 1939 to 1945 and brought needless death and destruction to the continent. What was it like to serve in this army? What was it like to conduct one of the bloodiest wars in history? What was it like to occupy half of Europe and yet to suffer total defeat?




This five-part portrait provides long-awaited answers to questions such as these and sheds light on the Wehrmacht's complex bonds of loyalty, conscience and honour. It is a thought-provoking story of an army's evolution from defense troops to military force to exterminating power.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• wehrmacht
• wwii
• world
• war
• hitler

[TheHIV123]

@wardogmobius Though, the original German plan was the capture the Don and the Volga, and then, and only then were they to push on in the oil fields. Instead, Hitler ordered both objectives to be accomplished simultaneously for various reasons. So perhaps if the goals had be approached one after another, they maybe have won that particular campaign, and kept the initiative, which they had pretty much lost after losing Stalingrad, and it was totally gone after Kursk.

[TheHIV123]

@wardogmobius That may be. The only thing I would say though, if the oil fields were seriously threatened, you can bet that the soviets would put everything they had in trying to get them back. Perhaps, considering the favorable terrain, the Germans could have won that battle. Especially since I imagine that they would be so desperate to get that oil back that they might deploy their troops piecemeal .

[wardogmobius]

@TheHIV123 If Hitler concentrated all his forces on the rich oil fields southeast of satlingrad, and use its tanks superiority in the open fields around that city to engage the soviets. Maybe that will be the correct way to approach this situation. what do you think?Crossing the volga in a oncoming winter will be disastrous or a single massive push on the capital moskow is the alternative?

[TheHIV123]

@sheemsheem Actually, for the most part, the Germans were able to achieve local superiority, which helped them to overwhelm the Soviets. The same was achieved on the Volga for much of the Battle of Stalingrad. But you are right, Stalingrad never should have happened.

[sheemsheem]

@TheHIV123 Stalingard was hitlers fualt the army groups should have never been split up, and the city should have never been bombed completely...and outnumbered? Germany was outnumbered in every battle in the east...and the fluke was Hitler's 100 mistakes.

[TheHIV123]

@XXXpallisterXXX The Soviets could have beaten the the Germans by themselves. Also, look up the Battle of Arracourt. The Germans got their asses handed to them, and they outnumbered the Americans by close to 100 tanks. Or heck, look at Stalingrad. The Germans were often less than 100yrds from the Volga but they could never quite take the city. And then they lost more than 250,000 men. You know.... Its not like the Germans lost the war because of a fluke.

[azralandar]

Actually Hitler had a simular plan, but not fully worked out. Thats why hitler agreed with the plan in the first place. He was happy that another general ( manstein ) had the same viewpoints, Later he dismissed manstein, and von kleist ( eastfront 1944 ) they simply didnt follow orders.

[dominic150]

@simpleman1776 Ur name should be simplemind1776. Study Human Wave doctrine, then maybe you will understand why germany lost. Its all about the numbers.

[panzercat39]

@Awesomeduud and if I wasn't born with a penis I would be a woman,but i was and I am not.

[mathiehesse]

@Awesomeduud kidding? if the Command of the West , Gerd von Rundsetd, would have hear to what Rommel said (to let the panzer divisions near the coast and not near Paris) they would have defeated for sure the invasion :). but they stationated the panzer divisions thea paris and so they have to be transported to the coast after d-day and most of them were destryed by air force :)