World War 2 Questions - Iraq War vs. World War 2 (continued)
Comparing Iraq and Germany Military Leadership.
In comparing the military leadership qualities of Saddam Hussein with those of Hitler, I use the old sports expression: "Saddam Hussein was not fit to carry Hitler's jock strap"
Hitler was not only a political genius (evil genius) who very nearly conquered all of Europe, he often had good military sense. Although Hitler was only an enlisted soldier in World War 1, he was a good observer and often had a better sense of strategy than did his more formally trained generals. Some very innovative military ideas, e.g., blitzkrieg and use of air power to support ground troops were largely developed by or approved by Hitler and his staff. No one exceeded Hitler in the ability to conduct psychological warfare.
Hitler had some fine generals on his staff. Three German generals - Guderian, Rommel, and Von Manstein - rank with the greatest generals ever to lead troops. And the German soldiers were excellent. Also, Hitler had some brilliant civilian leaders - Goering, Goebbels, Speer, Borman, and Himmler - under him (They were also ruthless leaders!!)
And what about Saddam and the Iraq military. I think General Schwarzkopf described Saddam best: Hussein, he said " is neither a strategist nor is he schooled in the operational art, nor is he a tactician, nor is he a general. A ringing indictment from a great general!
If Charley Chaplin, who did a great job playing Hitler in The Little Dictator, were alive and still acting, he would be ashamed to play the role of such a small-timer as Saddam Hussein.
Saddam was no budding Hitler!
When it came to the Iraq military units, except for the Republican Guard divisions and other special units, the Iraq soldiers did not seem too interested in fighting. The Iraq units were badly outgunned by their American opponents and it would have been virtually suicide for them to try to put up a fight.
The Iraq army had a large force of tanks but they were sitting ducks for the U.S. Air Force which went unchallenged by the pitiful Iraq Air Force.
The Germans, on the other hand, had mastered the ability to use tanks when World War 2 came and the tanks won many battles for them.
Who Dares Compare the Iraq War With World War 2.
It is clear to me that those who compare the Iraq War with World War 2 are either poorly informed or are blowing smoke up the skirts of anyone naive enough to be listening to them.
However, please be assured that there is an ulterior motive for spreading the nonsense that the Iraq War is equivalent to World War 2 or that Saddam Hussein was, in any way, comparable to the mad genius, Adolf Hitler. The people spreading this nonsense have their agenda!
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Monday, July 30, 2007
Is Iraq War Comparable to World War 2
Many conservatives justify the ongoing Iraq War by comparing it to World War 2. Their argument is that, if Hitler had been stopped in the 30's rather than being appeased, World War 2 might have been prevented.
So, the conservatives believe that, in 2003, Saddam Hussein was equivalent to Hitler in the 30's. If the U.S. had not acted in 2003 to unseat Saddam Hussein, then Saddam could have become a Hitler-sized danger to the U.S. and the rest of the world.
Like Hitler, like Saddam!! Like Germany, like Iraq!! Or so the logic of the conservatives goes.
Hence, the Iraq War which has been raging longer than the U.S. was in World War 2.
Summary: Saddam Hussein vs. Hitler. The above comparison equilibrating the threat of Saddam Hussein to the threat of Hitler is pure baloney in my opinion. In comparison to the great Satan, Hitler, Saddam Hussein was the great clown.
Even if you throw in Osama Bin Laden into the mix with Saddam, you don't have the threat of a Hitler. Although both Saddam and Osama are (were) bad dudes, neither Saddam nor Osama deserve the attention they have been given. The mad genius, Hitler, who was responsible for the death of 50,000,000 people, deserved every bit of the attention he received.
Germany & Iraq Comparison. And to compare the Iraq of 2003 with the Germany of the late 30's...Germany was one of the most advanced nations, technologically speaking, on the face of the earth. Iraq, while ahead of most third world nations, was not a technologically advanced nation. Motivation for war in Iraq was low in 2003 while Hitler's Germany was teeming with resentment over Germany's treatment after World War 1.
Population-wise, Germany had a population of 70,000,000 highly-educated, united people behind him while Iraq had a total population of only 25,000,000 and that population was relatively poorly educated and badly divided by religion.
And they compare Germany and Iraq!!
In the next post, I will cover the military elements of Germany compared to Iraq. Was Hitler a great military leader? Saddam was not!
So, the conservatives believe that, in 2003, Saddam Hussein was equivalent to Hitler in the 30's. If the U.S. had not acted in 2003 to unseat Saddam Hussein, then Saddam could have become a Hitler-sized danger to the U.S. and the rest of the world.
Like Hitler, like Saddam!! Like Germany, like Iraq!! Or so the logic of the conservatives goes.
Hence, the Iraq War which has been raging longer than the U.S. was in World War 2.
Summary: Saddam Hussein vs. Hitler. The above comparison equilibrating the threat of Saddam Hussein to the threat of Hitler is pure baloney in my opinion. In comparison to the great Satan, Hitler, Saddam Hussein was the great clown.
Even if you throw in Osama Bin Laden into the mix with Saddam, you don't have the threat of a Hitler. Although both Saddam and Osama are (were) bad dudes, neither Saddam nor Osama deserve the attention they have been given. The mad genius, Hitler, who was responsible for the death of 50,000,000 people, deserved every bit of the attention he received.
Germany & Iraq Comparison. And to compare the Iraq of 2003 with the Germany of the late 30's...Germany was one of the most advanced nations, technologically speaking, on the face of the earth. Iraq, while ahead of most third world nations, was not a technologically advanced nation. Motivation for war in Iraq was low in 2003 while Hitler's Germany was teeming with resentment over Germany's treatment after World War 1.
Population-wise, Germany had a population of 70,000,000 highly-educated, united people behind him while Iraq had a total population of only 25,000,000 and that population was relatively poorly educated and badly divided by religion.
And they compare Germany and Iraq!!
In the next post, I will cover the military elements of Germany compared to Iraq. Was Hitler a great military leader? Saddam was not!
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Joseph Goebbels, Hitler's Propaganda Minister
World War 2 Question No. 11: After Hitler, Who was Most Fanatical of the Nazi Leaders?
Answer. Joseph Goebbels was a highly educated (Phd) individual and very intelligent (probably a genius). He was also a workaholic who stayed up late at night dictating his voluminous diary, The Goebbels Diary, which described in infinite detail the events of the war and what was happening on the home front. The Goebbels Diary is highly recommended reading for World War 2 buffs.
In addition to his great abilities, Goebbels was probably the second most fanatical Nazi (next to Hitler).
Goebbels was a smallish man born with a crippled foot which caused him to be turned down for military service. These stigmas were a constant source of embarrassment for Goebbels as he preached the philosophy of the Nazi master race. The stigmas may also be responsible for at least some of his fanaticism.
Goebbels first opposed Hitler and even tried to have him ejected from the Nazi Party. Then, he suddenly changed his mind and Hitler became his idol.
In May 1933, Goebbels became infamous around the world when he organized the book-burning event in which thousands of library books written by "undesirables" were publically burned. I recall that this event was later shown on American newsreels many times to show how fanatical the Nazis were.
Goebbels used all sorts of media in his propaganda campaigns but stressed radio (Is Rush Limbaugh an ancestor of Goebbels?)
Goebbels had an excellent idea that the war was not going well and that a greater effort from the German people was needed. He and Albert Speer formed an alliance to convince Hitler of this but the effort fell apart when Goering, who had joined them, fell into a lethargy (drug-induced?). They needed a leader of his stature to influence Hitler.
Goebbels was married to a beautiful women, Magda Goebbels, who bore him 6 children. Their marriage became a sham, however, because of the unfaithfulness of Joseph and, later, of Magda. Goebbels was a ladies man and carried on numerous affairs. He attempted to divorce Magda but the unmarried Hitler, who had sort of adopted the Goebbels family as his own, would not allow it.
Near the end of the war Joseph and Magda Goebbels retreated to the Bunker with Hitler. They had themselves shot after Magda had poisoned the 6 children. The Goebbels could not stand to live in a world that would be without Hitler!
Speer, who was a friend of Magda's, documented his conversations with Joseph and Magda in his book, Inside the Third Reich. An excellent reference!
Answer. Joseph Goebbels was a highly educated (Phd) individual and very intelligent (probably a genius). He was also a workaholic who stayed up late at night dictating his voluminous diary, The Goebbels Diary, which described in infinite detail the events of the war and what was happening on the home front. The Goebbels Diary is highly recommended reading for World War 2 buffs.
In addition to his great abilities, Goebbels was probably the second most fanatical Nazi (next to Hitler).
Goebbels was a smallish man born with a crippled foot which caused him to be turned down for military service. These stigmas were a constant source of embarrassment for Goebbels as he preached the philosophy of the Nazi master race. The stigmas may also be responsible for at least some of his fanaticism.
Goebbels first opposed Hitler and even tried to have him ejected from the Nazi Party. Then, he suddenly changed his mind and Hitler became his idol.
In May 1933, Goebbels became infamous around the world when he organized the book-burning event in which thousands of library books written by "undesirables" were publically burned. I recall that this event was later shown on American newsreels many times to show how fanatical the Nazis were.
Goebbels used all sorts of media in his propaganda campaigns but stressed radio (Is Rush Limbaugh an ancestor of Goebbels?)
Goebbels had an excellent idea that the war was not going well and that a greater effort from the German people was needed. He and Albert Speer formed an alliance to convince Hitler of this but the effort fell apart when Goering, who had joined them, fell into a lethargy (drug-induced?). They needed a leader of his stature to influence Hitler.
Goebbels was married to a beautiful women, Magda Goebbels, who bore him 6 children. Their marriage became a sham, however, because of the unfaithfulness of Joseph and, later, of Magda. Goebbels was a ladies man and carried on numerous affairs. He attempted to divorce Magda but the unmarried Hitler, who had sort of adopted the Goebbels family as his own, would not allow it.
Near the end of the war Joseph and Magda Goebbels retreated to the Bunker with Hitler. They had themselves shot after Magda had poisoned the 6 children. The Goebbels could not stand to live in a world that would be without Hitler!
Speer, who was a friend of Magda's, documented his conversations with Joseph and Magda in his book, Inside the Third Reich. An excellent reference!
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