Question No. 4: Did General Guderian, the Brilliant Panzer General, Cause Germany to Lose World War 2 Because of His Egotism?
Answer: In late 1941, Guderian, the seemingly invincible German Panzer general, set off a series of events on the Russian front that some experts say cost the Germans World War 2.
Guderian, who never lost a battle, reported indrectly to General Halder, a far less brilliant but solid general. Their forces were moving to attack Moscow in late 1941. Guderian's Panzer divisions were to play a key role in the attack. But Guderian had had enough of the plodding General Halder. Guderian, Hitler's favorite general at the time, went straight to Hitler and talked him into letting him .take his powerful Panzer divisions on a lengthy diversion to the south away from Moscow and away from General Halder's other forces. Halder fumed (Guderian claimed Halder had a breakdown) but there was nothing Halder could do - Guderian was Hitler's pet.
Guderian's Panzer divisions wiped out about a million Russians and put entire Russian armies out of commission during the southern expedition.
But Moscow remained in Russian hands as winter approached.
When Guderian returned to the Moscow attack (with tracks virtually worn off his tanks according to some observers), the attack was out of phase and faltered. Winter caught the Germans in the open before Moscow, and the ensuing Russian counterattack in the frigid weather caused many German solders to be slaughtered when Hitler compounded his errors by refusing to allow the German armies to retreat to a safe defense line.
Early in 1942, Hitler summoned Guderian to his headquarters and relieved him of his command. Guderian was never allowed to return to effective combat duty for the remainder of the war. Germany's best "tactical" general had bitten the dust.
Had Moscow been captured, the Germans could have wintered in the city and, likely, would have forced the Russians from the war in 1942. Without Russia, the Allies would probably have been forced to settle for a draw with Germany.
Can a person be too brilliant?
(As you might suspect, Guderian, in post-war interviews told a somewhat different story of the incident. But the preponderance of evidence appears to be against him.)
Showing posts with label Guderian. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Guderian. Show all posts
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Did the French Fight Cowardly in World War 2?
Question 3: Did the French Fight Cowardly in World War 2?
Answer: Right away, I must admit that no question about World War 2 irritates me as much as this question. The reason is that the right wing, and most notably, Rush Limbaugh, has criticized the "poor" performance of the French as a way to punish them for not going along with former President George W. Bush's fiasco in Iraq.
I am also incensed because I live in Louisiana where at least a third of the population is of French heritage, and yet, I have had to watch these Louisiana descendants of France attack their French cousins as if the French were a mortal enemy of the U.S. They even talked of renaming the French Quarter of New Orleans to get rid of the "French" word. It hurts me to see people deny their heritage and it really hurts to see how fellow Louisiana citizens are naive enough to listen to the likes of Rush Limbaugh.
But to return to the question. There is no doubt that the French fought poorly in World War 2. But they were not cowards. Time and time again, the French prepared to face frontal onslaughts by the German forces only to find thmselves outflanked and outsmarted and were forced to retreat, again. The Germans under brilliant generals like Guderian and Rommel, were too smart to make frontal assaults unless it was absolutely necessary. They preferred to attack weak points rather than strong points.
The old French generals, experienced only in World War 1 trench warfare tactics, never knew what hit them.
Answer: Right away, I must admit that no question about World War 2 irritates me as much as this question. The reason is that the right wing, and most notably, Rush Limbaugh, has criticized the "poor" performance of the French as a way to punish them for not going along with former President George W. Bush's fiasco in Iraq.
I am also incensed because I live in Louisiana where at least a third of the population is of French heritage, and yet, I have had to watch these Louisiana descendants of France attack their French cousins as if the French were a mortal enemy of the U.S. They even talked of renaming the French Quarter of New Orleans to get rid of the "French" word. It hurts me to see people deny their heritage and it really hurts to see how fellow Louisiana citizens are naive enough to listen to the likes of Rush Limbaugh.
But to return to the question. There is no doubt that the French fought poorly in World War 2. But they were not cowards. Time and time again, the French prepared to face frontal onslaughts by the German forces only to find thmselves outflanked and outsmarted and were forced to retreat, again. The Germans under brilliant generals like Guderian and Rommel, were too smart to make frontal assaults unless it was absolutely necessary. They preferred to attack weak points rather than strong points.
The old French generals, experienced only in World War 1 trench warfare tactics, never knew what hit them.
No, the French were not cowardly - they simply got the crap beat out of them by a much smarter military force. The French were prepared for a World War 1 trench warfare-type fight. They were unprepared for the German Blitzkrieg assault which featured mobility and quickness.
The French lost badly but they were not cowardly. They were just stupid. There is a difference. See France in World War 2 for more on the French defeat in World War 2.
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