Seems to me that Halder’s estimates weren’t that far off the actual figures, either.
My God...half a million lives ended or ruined... and Halder was throwing out such high casualty estimates like they were just numbers in a ledger. He isn’t even counting projected Soviet losses, of which he cares not. Cougar, your post really shows the cold brutality of this war.
When you think of this estimate along with the BARBAROSSA directive I posted a few days ago calling for the execution of civilians who disobey German soldiers you really get the full effect of this “total war”.