PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum - View Single Post

t walgamuth · #20 02-11-2009, 05:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hatterasguy

I think the scale of the Russian front and the size of the battles was driven home to me when Guderian talked about there counter attacks. No longer could the panzer divisions slice and dice like they did in France and Poland, the Russians were so persistant they could only move forward with infantry divisions in support. The attacks were often strong enough that his entire army had to change its direction of attack to meet them...the forces designated to protect the flanks...entire infantry divisions were over whelmed.

France was a vacation compared to this.

The carnage on the eastern front was unbelievable. It could be argued that the russian strategy could only have been used in a dictatorship. Twenty million dead IIRC. The movie about the russian and german sniper battle includes scenes of the behind the line action on the russian front.....they sent men into battle lined up behind each other, when the guy in front was killed the next one would pick up the rifle and advance, they were lined up ten deep. Retreat was impossible as there were machine guns placed behind the lines, to shoot anybody who ran.

The germans apparently had no clue what they were getting into when they took on Russia.