Such as these?
Posted on 05/09/2002 8:42:27 PM PDT by PsyOp
*bump* for the reading list.
Such as these?
Pacifists would do well to study the Siegfried and Maginot Lines, remembering that these defenses were forced; that Troy fell; that the walls of Hadrian succumbed; that the Great Wall of China was futile; and that, by the same token, the mighty seas which are alleged to defend us can also be circumvented by a resolute and ingenious opponent. In war, the only sure defense is offense, and the efficiency of offense depends on the warlike souls of those conducting it. - General George S. Patton, Jr., War As I Knew It. 1947.
What about the Colt M1911, and the Thompson sub-machine gun - both of which were considered prize war trophies and much feared by the Germans? The Willis Jeep was considered the best all-round utility vehicle of the war. In the ari you can add the B-17, the P-47, the P-38 and even the B-25 and 26.
American armor, while initially out-gunned and out-classed in terms of armor protection was far more mechanically reliable, more manueverable and faster than German heavy tanks. Most knocked-out american tanks were returned to service within days, often more than once, while a knocked out German tank tended to stay that way. Once fitted with high-velocity 76mm and 90mm cannon and improved armor protection, American tanks were much better able to take on German Armor if they worked in teams. The biggest problem with American tanks was actually their gasoline engines, which, though reliable and producing more power to weight than a diesel, burned readily when hit.
The only area in which American equipment was inferior to German equipment was in tank technology. In almost every other area, our equipment compared favorably or proved superior to German arms - with a few notable exception that are always pointed to as proving the rule.
German intelligence critiques of most American equipment during the war were quite favorable. Nothing scared the German infantryman more than the sound of a Thompson or an M2 nearby, and they tried whenever possible to get hold of Colt .45 pistols because of their reliability and stopping power.
One of the comparisons that is always made is between the Bazooka and Panzerfaust. The Panzerfaust packed a real wollop, but had only half the range of a bazooka and presented the problem of Ammo supply because they were single shot and rather bulky if you tried to cary more than one. A bazooka team, however, carried a reusable launcher and could carry more bazooka rounds. While the bazooka was not effective against most german tanks, it proved quite the bunker-buster and proved to be such a useful infantry weapon that the Germans copied it late in the war with the introduction of the Panzerschreck.
Engineering: Far better then the anyone else.
A-Bomb: No one else was able to make one during the war.
Logistics: We fought and won a two front war with each front on the other side of the world (Hitler could not even cross the Channel), oh yea we also supplied the Russian Army.
To be continued....
We do. We just don't have enough politicians that understand the proper and violent application of force.
Only the greatest fighter ever built!
Fire for effect! Germans actually feared American artillery more than the Russian Arty. While Russian arty was used in great volume, It was most effective in pre-planned fires ast the start of an offensive operation, or as part of a defensive plan, but was not very flexible. American artillery, while not achieving the volumes of fire that the Russians could produce, was accurate and could respond quickly to German action on the ground in support of any American with a radio or field phone.
What about the Italians?
Maybe the German JU 88 or HE 111 was better then a B-17/B-24/B-29?
I know!!! ... you believe that Aryan crap(and myth)that the Germans were better then we were ... well the Germans had worse leadership ... poorer equipment ... and they could not fight as well as US!!!
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