New book says wrong clothing, not winter led to Hitler's 1941 defeat in Russia

ANI ^ | Jul 26, 2009 | Unknown

[decimon]

British historian Andrew Roberts has claimed in a new book -- The Storm of War -- that wrong clothing and not ghastly wintry conditions led to Germany's defeat in Russia in 1941.

In an extract from his new book, Roberts claims that Hitler's troops were fatally ill equipped for the 1941 invasion of Russia.

He also blames dictator Adolf Hitler for that defeat, saying the Nazi leader failed to take care of his troops' needs and was more proud of his hardiness in the cold, boasting how "having to change into long trousers was always a misery to me."

Prior to Operation Barbarossa, the Nazis were not so certain that their invasion of Russia, which began on June 22, 1941, would take place in a very cold winter.

The mistake that the German commissariat made was that they did not organize enough woollen hats, gloves, long johns and overcoats for use in Russia, reports The Telegraph.

[GeronL]

Attacking Stalingrad instead of going after the oil fields was a biggie

[cripplecreek]

Uh, is it just me or is this pretty much obvious?

Hitler should have just had summer weather that winter.

[1rudeboy]

I read a very interesting book that theorized Hitler attacked Stalin because Stalin was about to attack him. The Germans did not have the luxury of choosing the date.

[section9]

Best,

Chris

[1rudeboy]

I can’t remember the book’s name. It was written by a former Soviet military intelligence officer (who defected). He claims that Soviet intelligence was monitoring the wool market (and wool production) in Germany for indications the German military was asking for heavy clothing.

[Vaquero]

Adolf's biggie was canceling his non aggression pact with Stalin...it did many things...it turned American leftist against Hitler, while before they put up with the ally of their lord a master Uncle Joe Stalin...and the real biggie was that Hitler now had to fight 2 fronts.

He would have eventually beaten Britain...America would have stayed out of hitlers hair...and afterward he could have taken Soviet Russia at his leisure. No it was Hitlers massive ignorance of battle tactics that lost him the war...not clothing.

[JoeProBono]

[9YearLurker]

Once again, the importance of dressing for success.

[wally_bert]

The clothes make the man or winner/loser/POW/dead.

[coconutt2000]

I think being ill-equipped in the dead of winter after years of war have torn apart the continent is a good example of a ghastly winter condition.

[9YearLurker]

I guess!

[bert]

The truth is that Hitler was out generaled. He failed to grasp the depth of the Soviet army and attacked with an inadequate force.

Cold and clothes were inconsequential to the defeat.

[The Great RJ]

Kind of a chicken versus egg analysis. Hitler’s troops were unprepared for winter and lacked proper clothing or equipment. Russian winters are typically brutal. I could kind of see it both ways.

[Venturer]

Hitler’s biggest mistake was in attacking the Jews.

Jewish people were German patriots and his brain trust. They would have fought and worked for him. Instead they were rounded up and slaughtered.

No one can blame any one thing for the loss of a war, it takes many things working as a chain. Each link in the chain adds to the loss.

I often wonder what would have happened in Europe had Japan not attacked the US. Suppose Japan instead of attacking the US had gone to meet Hitlers Armies with their seapower and transported them across the Channel?

[Cheburashka]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Suvorov

[Vaquero]

Mercy is for the weak.

honk

[nathanbedford]

It was not just the absence of proper winter clothing, it was the length of the winter as well as the severity of it; it was the depth of the snow and the depth of the mud; it was the attenuated supply lines which ran through 1000 miles of territory made hostile by the local populations who became partisan in reaction to Hitler's brutal occupation policies; it was the wider treads on the Soviet tanks and vehicles which could better negotiate in the snow and mud; it was the unanticipated immense industrial capacity of Russia which came increasingly into play; it was the great disparity in numbers enjoyed by the Russians; it was that the Germans had to fight a three front war; it was the sheer brutality of the Soviets to their own forces as well as the Germans and an infinite capacity to absorb casualties.

[1rudeboy]

Yes! Here it is, I recommend the following book to everyone. It's a great read for those who prefer their war histories to have lots and lots of numbers:

Chief Culprit: Stalin's Grand Design to Start World War II.

I suspect Suvorov would make this author look like an idiot.

[calex59]

I read a very interesting book that theorized Hitler attacked Stalin because Stalin was about to attack him. The Germans did not have the luxury of choosing the date.

What ever book that was got it wrong. Not only did Germany choose the date, they caught the Russians(at least Stalin)totally by surprise. They spent months moving troops up to the Russian border. Stalin dismissed this because he believed Hitler to be a rational man, making a huge mistake by doing so.