Feldgrau.net

For lwd: I think we both acknowledge: We have drifted so far off the originating question as to be in another ocean. We agree our answer to "Was it due to Italy Germany lost the war?" is an emphatic "No". We have opened up new cans of worms, and debate the flavours. The problem o...

For lwd: 1. Re: Poland. How could Poland ultimately have fared even worse had it chose the wiser course and allied with Germany in 1939? Consider Finland, the Baltic states, Hungary, Rumanian, Bulgaria, Slovakia and Croatia. All were collaborators of Germany. How much worse off can you fare than who...

For lwd: I had just written a lengthy reply to the issues you raised. One of our cats came trotting across the keyboard and sent if off to who knows where? As we agree on the fundamental premise, the reply was purely informational, so I WILL re-write it. But right now it's pushing 0200. When I', awa...

For lwd: The view on what Poland's gov't. should have done is hardly MY hypothesis. In fact, it seems to have been a seerious consideration by many authors I have read. Let's just leave it that, as an absolute minimum, Poland would sure have fared no worse than it did. What the French fleet would ha...

Re: 1st Canadian (Inf.) Div. being sent to Brittany in June 1940. You can find more detail about this in the "Official History of the Canadian Army in WWII." Apparently, some men were landed and then re-embarked after spending less than 12 hours on shore. They were told that a German armou...

Re: Kelvin's reply. Had Poland's "Three Colonels" been wise, they would have allied with Germany in 1939. There would not have been war with Britain and France. That would have meant no need for any westward action by Hitler. There would have been NO Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact. Whethe...

P.S.: I think the Ballantine series was published in the U.K. by Parnell. Also find scant mention in "Kursk: The Clash of Armour" by Martin Caidin and "History of the Second World War" by Capt. B.H. Liddell Hart - both published c. 1970 and in "Lost Victories" by Field-...

All of this comes from memory, so it may be a bit thin on detail: If you can find the old Ballantine Books "Kursk" by Geoffrey Jukes (printed c. 1970), he identifies "Operational Group Kempf" in the area of the middle Donets R. from Kharkov in Jan. 1943. Thrown into the nearly 24...

Germany lost the war mostly because of an almost non-existent grand strategy. Hitler did not expect that Britain and France to fight over Poland. He had a hard enough time understanding why Poland's government would resist him. It could/should have allied to Germany in 1939. That would have added ab...

My wife and I are friends of Lale Andersen's youngest son, so I MIGHT be biased, but I think her version of "Lili Marlene" is the definitive version of the song. Never cared for Marlene Dietrich - a mediocre actor, a poor singer, and her much-vaunted legs were very ordinary. My wife's legs...

Actually, it is reductionist to simply label this fellow as a "nut" or "madman". Look back to Hanna Arendt's writing on "The Banality of Evil." This man is shockingly ORDINARY in so many ways. He seems to be a devilish stew of the frustated views of too many people in o...

I first read Mein Kampf (an English translation) in the summer of 1971. It took me more than three months to get through. It contains a lot of dubious autobiography. I had to do a great deal of research to follow up on his ideas. In doing so, I learned a very great deal of German and European histor...

Dear Jerry and John: Gentlemen: Please forgive me for not understanding the protocol of using this forum. I am always grateful to anyone who gives their time and effort to help me in life. I try to be that sort of person myself. As you are both aware, I did promptly send a personal message to Jerry ...

Lieber Herr Doktor: I am quite grateful for your information, and do apologise on taking so long to thank you. I have recently been busy like a one-legged man in a posterior-kicking contest. Dr. Bingler signed the certificate awarding "die Ostmedaille" to my wife's uncle (and adoptive fath...

Any information on "Hornbaum", Generalleutnant commanding XVIII (Geb.) Armeekorps of 20 (Geb.) Armee on and about 1 September 1944 is much appreciated. Full name, any history, etc.