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Not every SS unit was elite, in fact most of them weren't.
In the beginning they were all elite but as the war dragged on they had to accept many soldiers without giving them the intense training that the original elite soldiers got.
While I agree that Hitler’s decision to invade the Soviet Union was driven by ideology, obtaining natural resources was a key factor as well
Hitlers decision to attack Russia was because he knew of the mass murders that were comitted by the Soviets and he knew that if they over ran Germany they would kill millions of Germans. He spoke about that many times before the invasion. And also the Soviets had openly stated that they wanted to over run Germany and bring the Germans into the Marxist orbit. After all communism is expansionist by its basic philosophy. But I agree that along with that Hitler had other things in mind also. But it can be stated that one of the main reasons for Hitlers rise in the first place was because of the communist threat.
I am not a Nazi, have never been one, never handed out Nazi material or went to pro Nazi demonstration. I am a self learned objective historian.
I didn't call you one, and you know it, so those are all straw men. I just pointed out that your every post related to the subject favors them or glorifies them.
The average German unit was just that, average. They certainly had their elite troops, but not every unit in the Wehrmacht was the equivalent of the 116th Panzer Division, the "Windhunds".
There was at least one other force that trained their troops to an even greater extent than the Germans, armed them with what are arguably the best weapon systems in the war and exercised an even greater degree of fire control and combined arms integration; the United States. Early in the conflict, the Germans had the edge since many of their troops were veterans and they were always on the defensive against the US, but as the American troops gained experience they were easily the equal of the German soldiers and their equipment and integrated fire support gave them an immense edge.
Just further evidence that wars are decided on logistics and resources. Something the US and Britain had in spades. It doesn't matter how good individual German units were, they were simply overwhelmed.
Even "supermen" have their weaknesses and all the training and indoctrination in the world weren't going to overcome the inherent weaknesses of the German war machine, resources and logistics.
NJ, there is something common between Russians and Germans, in spite of the fact that at the same time their national characters are quite opposite to each other. This "something common" is the depth of their beliefs and convictions; it's the inseparable part of their national characters to not to take anything lightly. They are very different in that sense from Anglo-Saxons (and French) as I've noticed.
NJ, there is something common between Russians and Germans, in spite of the fact that at the same time their national characters are quite opposite to each other. This "something common" is the depth of their beliefs and convictions; it's the inseparable part of their national characters to not to take anything lightly. They are very different in that sense from Anglo-Saxons (and French) as I've noticed.
I don't know where you get that idea. There were many russians fighting on the side of the Germans. Veslovs troops for instance. The Germans were out to put an end to communism, not the Russian people.
The Nazi ideology was pretty clear on the Slavic people's role in the Thousand-year Reich, and it was slavery. They might have been willing to at least temporarily reward whatever quislings would join, but the Russian people were Untermenschen, to be used as needed and disposed with when in the way. Or as one of their chief ideologues put it:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Heinrich Himmler
Whether nations live in prosperity or starve to death interests me only in so far as we need them as slaves for our culture: otherwise it is of no interest to me. Whether ten thousand Russian females fall down from exhaustion while digging an anti-tank ditch interests me only in so far as the anti-tank ditch for Germany is finished. We shall never be tough and heartless where it is not necessary, that is clear. We, Germans, who are the only people in the world who have a decent attitude towards animals, will also assume a decent attitude towards these human animals. But it is a crime against our blood to worry about them and give them ideals, thus causing our sons and grandsons to have a more difficult time with them. When somebody comes up to me and says: 'I cannot dig the anti-tank ditch with women and children, it is inhuman, for it would kill them,' then I have to say: 'You are the murderer of your own blood, because if the anti-tank ditch is not dug German soldiers will die, and they are the sons of German mothers. They are our own blood...
There was at least one other force that trained their troops to an even greater extent than the Germans, armed them with what are arguably the best weapon systems in the war and exercised an even greater degree of fire control and combined arms integration; the United States. Early in the conflict, the Germans had the edge since many of their troops were veterans and they were always on the defensive against the US, but as the American troops gained experience they were easily the equal of the German soldiers and their equipment and integrated fire support gave them an immense edge.
Blah. The U.S. troopes never fought the eastern front German troops. Many of the troops that americans fought were teenagers. The 12th SS division was comprised of Hitler youth.
Apparently you never heard of the Battle of the Bulge where the U.S. Army fought against elite S.S. Panzer Divisions. Get your facts straight.
Americans do fall behind though in mustache waxing, heel clicking, sharp uniforms and blind obedience.
I agree with this assessment lol.
The nation of poets, great musicians and thinkers that Germans are, the nation of scientists and indeed great engineers at the same time has rather dark side to it...
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