what did german soldiers think of american soldiers ww2

The United States contributed several forces to the China Burma India theater, such as the 5307th Composite Unit . You can find the full document at the bottom. Allied senior leadership was, on the whole, not inferior to that of the Germans, hampered by the dead hand of Hitler. To the Germans, he says, Patton was just one of many threats. A leading historian of World War I picks the best accounts of the war among the hundreds he's consulted in his research. Specialist branches and lines-of- communication units had been permitted to skim off an absurdly high proportion of the fittest and best- educated men. In the last year of the war, great efforts were made within the U.S. Army to improve the ratio of teeth to tail; to divert high-quality manpower towards the infantry; to improve the level of infantry training and leadership. "The Germans were willing to act -- always," said the British Major- General Brian Wyldbore-Smith. Fighting Patton: George S. Patton Jr. Since the Americans have arrived the German people have learned to like them., 20. The citizens of Eich who were fined for having a dirty yard and premises claim that their trial was unfair, and that the fines were too heavy. Isnt she crazy?, 34. They are like children and find their joy only in playing and eating which they do the whole livelong dayof course there are exceptions as in anything else, but some of these men are so far beneath, that their origin from the ape can be plainly seen upon their faces. Stay up to date with what you want to know. With rivals facing each other head to head, there was intense destruction of properties and countless loss of lives. The accuracy of Americans war weapons needed improvement. His intelligence section was reporting enemy activity in the Ardennes, and Patton seems to have grasped its significance sooner than others. Zenith Press. Throughout our over one-hundred-year history, our work has directly led to policies that have produced greater freedom, democracy, and opportunity in the United States and the world. Patton saw tanks as upgraded cavalry, infinitely more powerful, whose deep penetrations could collapse enemy lines. Many of the girls have fallen deeply in love with them. Through Ultra, the greatest cipher- breaking operation of all time, the Allies possessed extraordinary knowledge of the German order of battle, deployments and often -- though not in the Battle of the Bulge -- German intentions. [21] ", Karl Schramem, Landstrumer of Zermullen, 18. . "The hope of driving the Americans back into the [English] Channel had already given way to a hoping of being able to hold our own against the invaders," the officer wrote. 3. German Leaflet for Black American Soldiers | Experiencing History According to postal censorship, most letters from German POWs were kudosfor the good treatment they were receiving. Neither had George Patton. As Yeide emphasizes, this not a biography but a meticulous recreation of Pattons campaigns seen from the German perspective. In short, writes Yeide, German officers were prepared psychologically for the Allied invasion of France. Among this group, Patton probably would have been merely above average.. If not I will send you a copy. Through the Eyes of his Enemiessets out to do. As the chapter heading Sicily: Empty Glory, indicates, Yeide, like others before him, is highly critical of Pattons race to beat Montgomery to Messina, especially the risky and bloody amphibious operation at Brolo which proved unnecessary and can only be ascribed to Pattons thirst for personal glory. How Methamphetamine Became a Key Part of Nazi Military Strategy - TIME 1. Paul Heinman, The Americans [prisoners] were the chief complainers when the food was bad, which was always. Pietro DParis, "[American] officers are not well dressed.All officers in the German army even when in active field service have one or more trunks and from time to time are allowed to leave for the purpose of obtaining uniforms. Michael Hoffman of Rech, The American army seems to me as fine a collection of individual physical specimens as I have ever seen. This reaction makes it more remarkable that for a generation after the moment of victory in 1945, so many myths were perpetuated not only by popular historians, but within the military institutions of the West. If generals knew less tactics, they would interfereless.. Liddell Hart is not alone in challenging the conventional wisdom about the war. The officer had this to say: It dawned on us that this opponent that had come to the beach of Normandy was of somewhat different form. Well heres a candid report generated in 1919 revealing the thought of German soldiers about American soldiers during WW2. We all know the cliches of World War II - that the German military was ruthless and brutal, for example, and Italian soldiers gave up without a fight. We learned a great deal less -- indeed, nothing at all -- about how the German soldier maintained an effective defense in Europe for 11 months under constant and unchallenged air attack, bombarded daily by devastating artillery concentrations, facing heavy odds, sustained by a fraction of the supplies and firepower available to the Allied soldier. Germany's titanic struggle with the Soviet Union from 1941 to 1944, which killed more than 2 million German soldiers -- arguably, the best 2 million -- provided the western Allies with an. The sluggish performance of his British formations in Normandy and after was principally attributable to war-weariness and reluctance to accept further heavy loss when final victory was within sight. May 16, 2020 And the reasons why can be found in the country's sinister past. Only 194 men walked out when they were finally rescued. Never-Before-Seen Document Reveals Nazi Soldier's Struggle Rape during the occupation of Germany - Wikipedia Rape during the occupation of Germany Territorial changes and occupational zones of Nazi Germany after its defeat. How Ordinary Germans Did It | Christopher R. Browning It is also a fact that since the Civil War, America has relied on overwhelming firepower to win its wars. . A group of 14 were brought in one day and when asked about their units refused to talk. It was found that 1944 infantrymen were an inch shorter than the army's average, a fair measure of general physique. "The American troops show much more consideration for the private rights of the inhabitants of the village than did the German troops. Locating records that have information about a German soldier may be trickybut not necessarily impossible. Through the Eyes of His Enemies. Translation:Where does one find it written, that one most love the Germans only? Yet an inevitable consequence of this transformation was a chronic shortage of high-quality, trained career leaders. Located on the campus of Stanford University and in Washington, DC, the Hoover Institution is the nations preeminent research center dedicated to generating policy ideas that promote economic prosperity, national security, and democratic governance. This had been our first experience with the 'Jabos' (Fighter bombers).". At least initially, Germans regarded British and American soldiers (especially Americans) as somewhat amateurish, although their opinion of American, British, and Empire troops grew as the war progressed. For decades, since the end of WWII (World War II) narratives have tainted the German Soldiers as unkind tools for Nazi ideals. ", Weekly Resume from the 3rd U.S. Army, Feb. 3 1919, 22. Complaints, coming especially from the smaller towns, accuse the Americans of immorality and drunkedness., 23. All male persons from 12-60 years old must give up their beds to the troops of occupation. Montgomery may have been cautious -- not least for the reason mentioned above -- but he was certainly not incompetent. The World War II service records of German soldiers can be of great genealogical value. Hoover scholars offer analysis of current policy challenges and provide solutions on how America can advance freedom, peace, and prosperity. Seventy years later, 90-year-old Frankemolle still has that report, which he stored in his Long Island home alongside photos and mementos from his period of service with the U.S. Navy Armed Guard. Most men of the Allied armies were openly contemptuous of the fantasies about themselves peddled by correspondents, with such notable exceptions as Bill Mauldin and Ernie Pyle. But one reason Patton was lucky was due to his meticulous planning; another was his intuition. He expressed his aversion to fixed positions in graphic fashion: After having found some slit trenches around a command post in Tunisia meant to protect it from air attacks, he asked the commanding officer, Terry Allen, to show him his, whereupon he promptly urinated into it. We will cover it according to different titles as follows: Opinion on American soldiers character during the battle: American officers and subordinate relationship: World War II was a brutal affair and thats why its end was met with joyous celebrations. If any, they received better treatments. The opinions expressed on this website are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Hoover Institution or Stanford University. Of 1942 army volunteers, only 5 percent had chosen infantry or armor. I may yet go with them. Thus when Patton was under a cloud for having slapped two shell-shocked soldiers in Sicily, the army sent him on the a well-publicized tour around the Mediterranean to Corsica, Malta, and Cairo: The idea was to mask the fact that the Seventh Army was being transferred from Sicily to England, but there are no indications that German intelligence attached any great significance to these visits. Coinciding with the Battle of Kursk was the Allied invasion of Sicily. Like Field Marshal Erich von Manstein, Germanys most skillful World War II commander, Patton would also carefully monitor performance. Had that been a sign of things to come? We are supposed to sleep on the floor., 24. Our Americans are very good. And even though theyve suffered defeat, theres no nation besides the US that can conquer them in war. This confidence was a fatal delusion. A spirit of military narcissism, nourished by such films as "The Longest Day," "A Bridge Too Far" and "The Battle of the Bulge," has perpetuated mythical images of the Allied and German armies. Gen. George S. Patton wrote: "It is an unfortunate and, to me, tragic fact that in our attempts to prevent war, we have taught our people to belittle the heroic qualities of the soldier." They begrudge our monopoly of the dance. 1. I fought in campaigns against the Russian Army, the Serbian Army, the Roumanian Army, the British Army, the French Army, and the American Army. Moreover, the overwhelming majority of battlefield memoirs published in Britain and America concern, not surprisingly, Allied battlefield experience. During WWII, the US Army did a massive survey to get soldiers' uncensored opinions here's what they said. What Germans Said About American Troops Right After WWI - Mental Floss All told in this war I have participated in. And as Yeide himself points out, the Third Army headquarters was the only Allied headquarter to begin planning for its eventual role in the Battle of the Bulge. We will be in a position to meet whatever happens, Patton noted. "Spouts of fire flicked along the column and splashes of dust staccatoed the road. The German officer found a regrouping area away from the destruction. Frankemolle believes he may have one of the last copies of that forgotten document, which his family agreed to share with Business Insider. In early May 1945, American and German soldiers fought. Nazi racial ideology considered Black people a racially inferior threat to so . In Yeides view, Faragos assertion that the Germans concentrated on Patton as the general likely to command American forces in the invasion of France is mainly based on a misinterpretation of an entry in the German High Commands war diary and on a routine Air War Academy paper entitled Invasionsgenerale. And a bit further on, Just as Patton strode onto the stage of the European theatre, the other fellow in Normandy was reeling backward and out of Pattons way; off balance, running out of men and equipment, and looking for a way to extricate himself from an alreadylosing fight (italics mine). Ukraine war latest: US to send Kyiv controversial weapon banned by more Martha Strodter is engaged to an A-----. O f the allied world War II generals, George Patton may be considered the most "German." He had carefully studied the early Blitzkrieg campaigns against Poland and France and shared the conviction of the Wehrmacht commanders that that a war of movement short, sharp, and furious . Thus many of the commanders Patton was to meet in France had participated in Mansteins retaking of Kharkov, a brilliant move designed to straighten out the German line, and in the subsequent Battle of Kursk, the largest tank battle in history, which resulted in irreplaceable German losses of materiel. German propagandists were well aware of widespread racism in the United States and in the US Army, as shown by this Nazi leaflet aimed at Black soldiers. A century after the guns fell silent along the Western Front, the work they did there remains of incalculable importance to the age we inhabit and the people we are. Karl Diehl of Selters, I fought in campaigns against the Russian Army, the Serbian Army, the Roumanian Army, the British Army, the French Army, and the American Army. Kyiv has made "steady gains" around the Russian-held city of Bakhmut as Moscow's soldiers struggle with "poor morale . Their first months in the land of their former enemy were marked by a number of surprising observations and interactions. By May 4, 1945, Hitler had been dead for five days and the war in Europe was winding down. Du sollst nur Deutsche lieben? This led to a major defeat for the Germans, with 400,000 soldiers trapped in the Falaise pocket, and the capture of Paris on 25 August. as well as other partner offers and accept our, The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. I spoke to a Frenchman a few days ago, who stated that the working men in France demand 25 francs per day. The American liberating troops had a policy of forcing German civilians to view the atrocities committed in the camps. Results of WWII Survey of US Army Soldiers Opinions - Business Insider Concerning Pattons thirst for glory, of which Yeide views his race with Montgomery across Sicily as a prime example, Martin Blumenson, the leading Patton specialist, sees a less suspicious motive: British Field Marshal Alexander, mistrustful of American prowess on the battlefield, had relegated Pattons forces to a secondary role, acting as shield to Montgomerys sword. In Normandy, the Germans were again defending. For 70 years, American Heritage has been the leading magazine of U.S. history, politics, and culture. . He even improved on Napoleons basic tenet activit, vitesse vitesse. Harry Yeide. Minor American front. This he did by sending out his staff officers to the front line units. So Pattons presence in Kent was not the decisive factor in the German miscalculation. Again and again in northwest Europe, much inferior German forces equipped with a handful of Tigers, Panthers or 88mm guns were able to halt a major setpiece Allied attack in its tracks. The Battle of the Bulge was Adolf Hitler's last major offensive in World War II against the Western . One dogface or one tommy was worth three wooden-headed krauts. Much of the art was preserved, but three paintings by old masters somehow ended up in a poker game won by an American tank commander, Maj. William S. Oftebro, who quietly mailed them home. By the winter of 1944 and the Battle of the Bulge, Gen. Omar Bradley's forces were performing far more effectively than during June and July in Normandy. In reality, the German soldier almost invariably showed far greater flexibility on the battlefield than his Allied counterpart. 1 Their goal was not to convert Black Americans to Nazism, but rather to convince them to desert or surrender. But thank God that they can at once recognize the difference between a 'decent' and a 'common girl.'". There, he rounded up stragglers and deserters from other units and forced them to join the ranks of the beleaguered SS division as replacements for all those lost. . By that phase of the war, American and British technology had created a host of miracles: superb combat aircraft, antisubmarine warfare equipment, radar, the amphibious DUKW, the proximity fuse and the Jeep. About 45 percent of the Wehrmacht was committed to combat divisions, against 21 percent for the U.S. Army. It is a fact that while the Germans had long prepared for war, the Roosevelt administration had to scramble to build an army in a hurry. Where was the Luftwaffe, and why had it not been committed during the past few days? ", 5. [I] had been told by other soldiers that the American infantryman was reckless to the point of foolishness. Add skilled public relations and a press hungry for heroes, and you had the circumstance so propitious that even Montgomery and Patton could seem like great commanders. Fighting Patton: George S. Patton Jr. 63. September 15, 2009 From 1942 through 1945, more than 400,000 Axis prisoners were shipped to the United States and detained in camps in rural areas across the country. The main combatants were the Axis powers (Germany, Italy, and Japan) and the Allies (France, Great Britain, the United States, the Soviet Union, and China). Henrik Bering on Fighting Patton: George S. Patton Jr. Montgomery was repeatedly warned by his superiors in London about the scarcity of manpower. The notion that Patton could be used to deceive the Germans appears to have arisen from a presumption about German thinking in Washington rather than any evidence that the Germans had a particular interest in the generals activities, Yeide writes. But the officers and General are boasting scoundrelsin our house 10 men and 2 officers are quartered. On the benefits of this method, Yeide quotes British military historian Basil H. Liddell Hart: It is different in one important aspect from looking at it through the opposite end of the telescope. American officials are accepting that a legacy of civilian casualties is a risk but counter it by arguing that more civilians are at risk by allowing Russia to occupy Ukrainian land. The problem is, notes Yeide, that there does not appear to be an iota of fact behind this claim.. However, it serves them right. The subordinate soldiers lacked iron discipline when it comes to their officers. His operations impressed us enormously, probably because he came closest to our own concept of the classical military commander. This important first-person narrative candidly details the difficulties that Wilson faced in what Hoover called the greatest drama of intellectual leadership in all history..
Heritage Hills Bluegolf, Fort Carson Elementary School, Articles W