Blitzkrieg is indeed a tactical option. And in that way always useful. Part of the strategy but not the strategy itself. Fall Gelb and Fall Weiss were not wars, but short campaigns.
I remember Manstein’s Kharkov raid as late as in winter 1943 too… There is no reason why a defensive couterattack can’t be organised within blitzkrieg ideas.
The Mainstain raid was just an exception after fall of Zitadel,( BTW the quick advance of Red Army to Kharkiv was also kinda Blitzkriege) the just cautch the moment for counterattack due to his hight professional experience.But it can’t work all the time. In a case when the defence side has equal strenght and ready the Blitzkreig might be very risky.
You will never win a chess game with a “super-queen piece.” Or at least not alone.
There is no replacement for leadership, wit and intelligence.
Blitzkrieg is in a nutshell a tactical game of poker and deception and mostly short term concentration of force, counting on highly mobile mechanized troops, air support and fast communication. It works, if intelligent used and having logistics to do so.
wittman111
This thread is a discussion of which German Division people think was the most effective and normally with reasons, not yet another thread to try and throw off topic.
I like the Penal unit in Hassel’s book White Wheels of Terror.
Would that be the one that was equipped with Tiger I tanks? 
I guess they had ONE booty T-34:)
http://nnm.ru/blogs/vidokss/shtrafnoy_batalon_vermahta_999_strafbataillon_999_1959_dvdrip/
Which shows what you know about the division :rolleyes:
“Strafbataillon 999” was a classic - contrary to that Hassel rubbish.
I really don’t mind you boosting about British division. I guess it’s only normal if you are British. And I don’t know anything about Wessex. I am talking about entire British Army. Churchill himself said that whenever Germans and Allies met in anything like equal odds it is Germans who prevail. That quote is from Battlefield series - Invasion of Caen.
What bothers me is that you didn’t take into account that your division was victorious only because of much sturdier stuff embodied in 62Army and few crazy but able commanders. This army is Russian Army, and commanders are Chuikov and Zhukov. Millions of Red Army soldiers are heroes who fought with pure heart in -30 degrees 2 meter snow, who hadn’t eat for days like their German counterparts and who ultimately died in millions to whom your Wessex can thank it’s victorious status. And to whom I here show utmost respect and commemoration for their belief and sacrifice. Mamev Kurgan really is historical and epic landmark.
Sadly, it is me acknowledging this - who looks at things from German point of view rather than you who looks from “Allied” British point of view.
But I guess that says enough.
That has a great deal more to do with German theories of command (specifically, the way their junior commanders were given instructions on what to achieve, rather than how to do it) than anything else. It is notable that this is now pretty much standard in Western armies - but wasn’t in WW2. Furthermore, in the majority of such cases the Germans were on the defensive - and so with equal numbers would be expected to prevail.
Wittman111
Sadly, it is me acknowledging this - who looks at things from German point of view rather than you who looks from “Allied” British point of view.
But I guess that says enough.
Unfortunately looking from that point of view you also fall into the trap of being blinkered, even Stalin and Zhukov admitted that without Western aid the Soviet Union probably could not have continued, without Britain there would have been no lend lease.
The Cold War made all sides look to themselves as being the victor, forgetting it was a united effort to defeat the Axis Powers.
Meaningless, pithy quotation. An army in defense should be able to stuff up attackers outnumbering it. Secondly, German forces undertaking offensive operations after the later half of 1944 were almost always stomped, especially in the Battle of the Bulge, where quit clearly Heer and SS infantry had forgotten the basic principles of fire and movement. And I’m talking instances where they heavily outnumbered American defenders and launched frontal attacks so horrid that the follow up infantry couldn’t get over the bodies in the snow of their predecessors…
Honestly, never seen such an amazing German:)
Nevertheless thanks for kind words to my countrymans.
Strategically the Britain , as a customer of lion’s part of lend lise just bothered to SU to get full military support from USA. Endeed the Lend lise didn’t played such a sugnificant role in the first , most dramatical period of war in 1941-42. But of course it had contributed much to the mechanized strategical offencives of 1944-45.
The Cold War made all sides look to themselves as being the victor, forgetting it was a united effort to defeat the Axis Powers.
But Cold war, in this sense, never stopped in the west, doesn’t it?
Who does still believe that ALONE won the Japane?
And equally one can argue the Western Allies efforts on the the western front took away manpower and resources that would have been deployed to the Eastern front, it cuts both ways. I have nothing but admiration for the Russian soldier, he is one tough cookie.
What I don’t like is SS fanbois, who like to go on about how great the particular SS division they have a hard on for. Mostly due to their ‘cool’ uniform or the fact they were really disciplined (if you want to see real smartness and discipline then look no further than the Grenadier Guards). The fact is the SS had their arses handed to them on several occaisions are weren’t that good. If they were they would have stopped the Russians and the Western Allies. I would suggest, if you haven’t already, joining your country’s armed forces, it’ll be good for you.
Be careful not to drown your opinion in ridiculity.
Most anti-SS feelings are caused by the inherent nazi belief and mentality and brutal ways of warfare / treatment of POW / civilians, Jews …
Simple devotion to a “cool uniform” is the last thing I would put on trial in Den Haag. :mrgreen:
(if you want to see real smartness and discipline then look no further than the Grenadier Guards).
ever heard of the real Scotsman?
The fact is the SS had their arses handed to them on several occaisions are weren’t that good. If they were they would have stopped the Russians and the Western Allies. I would suggest, if you haven’t already, joining your country’s armed forces, it’ll be good for you.
The Allied air superiority was devastating. The Western Allies won with their airforce.
The least you can say is that most SS divisions were, as was seen in the Wehrmacht, not deeply routed into desertion. Most German soldiers did suffer from low morale…
Well if that’s not a good reason not to like the SS I don’t know what is. My problem is that fanbois will often say 'I Like their uniforms not their politics etc. The uniforms are a symbol of their crimes, you get oddballs who like to go to the War & Peace show in the UK and dress up as SS Untersturmfuhers. Very strange individuals whom should be avoided at all costs.
Or princes that dress up as an SA trooper …? :lol: