Posted on 12/29/2014 4:41:16 AM PST by Homer_J_Simpson
Compelling stuff.
Don’t forget the quote about the British Army in World War 1:
“Lions led by donkeys.”
And another quote by a German officer in Africa:
“American soldiers and British generals - the worst of both worlds!”
Patton fixed the American soldier problem in Africa in fairly short order. It appears the English never corrected their deep systemic problem. It took a woman, Margaret Thatcher, to show the English and the world what Britain COULD be with the right mindset.
If Germany actually had won WWII, they would have had all of Europe and Russia. That’s quite a bit more than dealing with the Eastern European block of the USSR.
The American soldiers Rommel talked about were green troops led by green NCOs and junior officers. Given a month of battle experience, most American divisions would fight as good as anyone else. Yes, we fought differently, with a tendency to maximize firepower and substitute it where possible for casualties. But at places like Guadalcanal, New Guinea, Saipan and Leyte in the Pacific, and Cassino, Anzio, Normandy and St. Vith in Europe, the American soldier proved he could fight where he stood. If necessary, he would die there too.
Airfields like railroads can be put back into operation quite rapidly.
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