The Germans were fighting the Russians on one side and the US, France, GB and the rest of allies on the other. And they were more than holding their own for awhile. They fought the Soviet Union AND the United States simultaneously. Who's to say they wouldn't beat either of us 1 on 1?
Right. But my point is the US wasn’t fighting them at their peak because they had to be split up.
Thats the thing though.
The French hear that rebel yell and the white flag goes right up
Being the Father of a History Major (second Son).... learned much about WWII.. one of the turning points/blunders of the German's was Dunkirk... won the battle but lost capturing over 300k Allied forces allowing them to return to defeat the Germans in other places.....
Yes, but the US military was also split in half fighting on two completely separate fronts with a MUCH longer supply chain to both than the Germans had. Imagine the entire might of the US Navy, Marines, and Army, PLUS the logistics from the Pacific added to the forces in Europe.
My first response to you does mention that on page 1. That’s fair. I get it. But the fact of the matter is, we, the US, haven’t fought a global power at their height.
Cool!
To a great degree, every US private was expected to be able to take over for a corporal, every corporal for a sergeant, every sergeant for a LT, every LT for a Captain, and so on without a dropoff in effectiveness. One US general said that you didn't have to tell the US soldier what to do. You told him what needed to be done then got the hell out of his way. US units were expected to be self-sufficient, able to adapt on the fly, think for themselves, and so on. The Germans were so top down that they had a bad reputation for just stopping and having no idea what to do or being scared to do anything without direct orders when they lost a commanding officer.
Without a doubt, the German 'Leaders' had no say without hitl*r's 'stamp of approval'....
Why wouldn’t Japan be considered a “global power” at their height in 1941?
They were also more worried about their 'Social Status' and parties as well. Basically - everything was left up to hitl*r as far as battle/war commands and advances.
Exactly - Japan was defeating and acquiring most of South Asia before/during this time... and believe it or not, in the early to mid 30's, a good amount of facilities was given to the Japanese Government by the United States not knowing they would use these against us later in '41.
I think that also, to a great extent, the Germans didn't train their soldiers to the degree that the US did. They were so desperate for troops at the front, at least by '42, that they rushed basic & advanced training. Get them in a uniform, teach them the basics, throw them into the line. They got most of the rest of their training from their unit after they reached the front. OTOH, the US had the luxury of a larger population and distance from the front, and we put our soldiers through a year or so of training before most of them ever reached a front line combat unit. They'd typically spent months playing war games, practicing assaults, becoming experts on multiple weapons, and so on. When they got into combat, they felt experienced and little was surprising to them. Because of that, we had guys seeing their first combat on D-Day, for instance, who fought like seasoned veterans and weren't overwhelmed by the moment.
As I stated in my first response to this thread, they were already feeling the effects of being stretched too thin by 1942 (Pearl Harbor happening in December negates anything about 1941).
The carriers being out training on the 7th was a big miss for Japan as well.
Arrogance and what you said - 'spread thin'.... the Japanese leadership didn't realize the importance and the significance of the US Navy and Midway.
The old adage - "There's a difference between Chess and Checkers".........
Crimean War
The 30th best general from the Napoleonic wars was better than the second best rebel general.
Would be an odd move to yell and immediately surrender!
Hitler knew eventually he would have to deal with America - not full invasion but essentially force them into submission and to sue for peace. The "wonder weapons" - hit America's big cities and key industrial points put in jeopardy to force them out of the war. Fort Wayne was home to a massive International Harvester truck plant. Hitler didn't want the West past France...he wanted Russia, but he knew that he didn't "take care" of Britain and the US he would never be able to go East.
No doubt there is division but I think this country could do it again. Both Germany and Japan didn’t think the American people had the stomach for a major conflict back then. Could Losing your freedom to protest be enough incentive?
Patton is a great example. He actually took things a little too far a few times.
