The Germans were forced back on the defensive that summer, under pressure elsewhere from the British-led attack on the Somme and Russia's Brusilov Offensive.The Germans and Austrians were much more concerned about the eastern front, because of the terrain. In the west the German forces and their allies would maintain their front with surprisingly few personnel, and when those large British/French offensives would begin, the Germans would give up the easy ground, typically with minimal losses, retreating to easily defended terrain and existing fortifications, dig in, and wait for the British/French assault. When the attack came, it was up slopes, against fortifications, across kill zones.
I have always wondered if he kept the style as part of his shtick that he was standing up for the WWI vets who were sold down the river by the Prussian aristocrats who agreed to the Versailles peace, but I have never found any discussion of it.
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