Toinen maailmansota, yleinen keskustelu

Erikoista juttua Nürnbergissä kuolemaan tuomittujen natsien teloituksista. Aika yllättävää että sangen moni hirttotuomio ei mennyt kuin Strömsössä. Kaikki eivät kuolleet heti ja yksi roikkui narun jatkona lähes puoli tuntia. Oli näet niin että jenkkiarmeijan teloittajat olivat kaikkea muuta kuin oman alansa ammattilaisia.

 
Löysin mielenkiintoisen tarinan joka oli itselleni aivan uusi, ranskalaiset olivat testanneet Saksan taktiikkaa etukäteen Ardenneilla...

"In 1938, Prételat was placed in charge of the French Second Army as part of a cadre exercise (involving only staff officers) imagining a scenario where an opposing force would launch a mobile attack through the Ardennes Forest with heavy air support.

Starting to sound familiar?

The exercise revealed that the opposing forces could not only cross the Ardennes but that they could do it in as little as 60 hours and without artillery support. This exercise didn’t sit well with the French Supreme Council of War, led by General Maurice Gamelin who thought the exercise was ‘excessive’ and Prételat to be ‘overly pessimistic.’ While Prételat attempted to rectify some of the issues he found, much to the chagrin of his superiors, they were hardly ready by the time war broke-out in September of 1939. The Germans would prove Prételat correct, crossing the Ardennes in 57 hours, just three shy of Prételat’s estimate.

Despite objecting to going to war, potentially a shrew move as the possibilities of 1939 France successfully invading Germany were dubious even if it was undertaken with the planned 40 divisions, he was placed in charge of the Saar Offensive. The offensive showed progress before being halted on the direct order of Gamelin who forced Prételat to withdraw his army to behind the Maginot Line. He would remain there until the Battle of France before withdrawing in the face of a total envelopment. His unit would fight until the collapsed completely, fighting even after France had surrendered. He would never again command."

 
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