WW2 Daily Pic
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American infantrymen of the third U.S. army, camouflaged in snow suits, advance through a street damaged by shell and bombs in Wiltz, Luxembourg
Patton. An American general that even the Germans admired. Some say if he had been in Eisenhower's place, Allied troops would have entered Berlin six months earlier. And may be the American army would have soon after fought the Red Army......
Patton foresaw that Soviet Russia would become a threat to America. He wanted to ally with the Germans (not Nazi) to fight the communists. He had a major 'flaw' in the then prevailing conditions; he was anti-Semitic.
At the end of World War II, one of America's top military leaders accurately assessed the shift in the balance of world power which that war had produced and foresaw the enormous danger of communist aggression against the West. Alone among U.S. leaders he warned that America should act immediately,while her supremacy was unchallengeable, to end that danger. Unfortunately, his warning went unheeded, and he was quickly silenced by a convenient "accident" which took his life.
Thirty-two years ago, in the terrible summer of 1945, the U.S. Army had just completed the destruction of Europe and had set up a government of military occupation amid the ruins to rule the starving Germans and deal out victors' justice to the vanquished. General George S. Patton, commander of the U.S. Third Army, became military governor of the greater portion of the American occupation zone of Germany.
It was only in the final days of the war and during his tenure as military governor of Germany -- after he had gotten to know both the Germans and America's "gallant Soviet allies" -- that Patton's understanding of the true situation grew and his opinions changed. In his diary and in many letters to his family, friends, various military colleagues, and government officials, he expressed his new understanding and his apprehensions for the future. His diary and his letters were published in 1974 by the Houghton Mifflin Company under the title The Patton Papers.
Several months before the end of the war, General Patton had recognized the fearful danger to the West posed by the Soviet Union, and he had disagreed bitterly with the orders which he had been given to hold back his army and wait for the Red Army to occupy vast stretches of German, Czech, Rumanian, Hungarian, and Yugoslav territory, which the Americans could have easily taken instead.
On May 7, 1945, just before the German capitulation, Patton had a conference in Austria with U.S. Secretary of War Robert Patterson. Patton was gravely concerned over the Soviet failure to respect the demarcation lines separating the Soviet and American occupation zones. He was also alarmed by plans in Washington for the immediate partial demobilization of the U.S. Army.
Patton said to Patterson: "Let's keep our boots polished, bayonets sharpened, and present a picture of force and strength to the Red Army. This is the only language they understand and respect."
Patterson replied, "Oh, George, you have been so close to this thing so long, you have lost sight of the big picture."
Patton rejoined:
"I understand the situation. Their (the Soviet) supply system is inadequate to maintain them in a serious action such as I could put to them. They have chickens in the coop and cattle on the hoof -- that's their supply system. They could probably maintain themselves in the type of fighting I could give them for five days. After that it would make no difference how many million men they have, and if you wanted Moscow I could give it to you. They lived on the land coming down. There is insufficient left for them to maintain themselves going back. Let's not give them time to build up their supplies. If we do, then . . . we have had a victory over the Germans and disarmed them, but we have failed in the liberation of Europe; we have lost the war!"
Patton's urgent and prophetic advice went unheeded by Patterson and the other politicians and only served to give warning about Patton's feelings to the alien conspirators behind the scenes in New York, Washington, and Moscow.
The more he saw of the Soviets, the stronger Patton's conviction grew that the proper course of action would be to stifle communism then and there, while the chance existed. Later in May 1945 he attended several meetings and social affairs with top Red Army officers, and he evaluated them carefully. He noted in his diary on May 14:
"I have never seen in any army at any time, including the German Imperial Army of 1912, as severe discipline as exists in the Russian army. The officers, with few exceptions, give the appearance of recently civilized Mongolian bandits."
And Patton's aide, General Hobart Gay, noted in his own journal for May 14: "Everything they (the Russians) did impressed one with the idea of virility and cruelty."
Nevertheless, Patton knew that the Americans could whip the Reds then -- but perhaps not later. On May 18 he noted in his diary:
"In my opinion, the American Army as it now exists could beat the Russians with the greatest of ease, because, while the Russians have good infantry, they are lacking in artillery, air, tanks, and in the knowledge of the use of the combined arms, whereas we excel in all three of these. If it should be necessary to fight the Russians, the sooner we do it the better."
Two days later he repeated his concern when he wrote his wife: "If we have to fight them, now is the time. From now on we will get weaker and they stronger."
PATTON ON THE SS
SS means no more in Germany than being a Democrat in America -- that is not to be quoted. I mean by that that initially the SS people were special sons of bitches, but as the war progressed they ran out of sons of bitches and then they put anybody in there. Some of the top SS men will be treated as criminals, but there is no reason for trying someone who was drafted into this outfit . . ."
PATTON SAID THAT......
"Today we received orders . . . in which we were told to give the Jews special accommodations. If for Jews, why not Catholics, Mormons, etc? . . . We are also turning over to the French several hundred thousand prisoners of war to be used as slave labor in France. It is amusing to recall that we fought the Revolution in defense of the rights of man and the Civil War to abolish slavery and have now gone back on both principles."
"Actually, the Germans are the only decent people left in Europe. it's a choice between them and the Russians. I prefer the Germans."
"What we are doing is to destroy the only semi-modern state in Europe, so that Russia can swallow the whole."
ON DESTROYED BERLIN....
After a visit to ruined Berlin, he wrote his wife on July 21, 1945: "Berlin gave me the blues. We have destroyed what could have been a good race, and we are about to replace them with Mongolian savages. And all Europe will be communist. It's said that for the first week after they took it (Berlin), all women who ran were shot and those who did not were raped. I could have taken it (instead of the Soviets) had I been allowed."
----------------
"It is my present thought . . . that when I finish this job, which will be around the first of the year, I shall resign, not retire, because if I retire I will still have a gag in my mouth . . . I should not start a limited counterattack, which would be contrary to my military theories, but should wait until I can start an all- out offensive . . . ."
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A German sniper captured with his comrade by soldiers of Gen. George S. Patton’s Third Army in Germany, March 26, 1945. The sniper in the foreground was wounded in an exchange of rifle fire.
If they were snipers they are probably lucky to be alive.
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If they were snipers they are probably lucky to be alive.
Exactly.
These guys were so hated that allied troops didn't thought twice about using heavier guns on their positions if they were around.
Posts: 559
Dropin into battle...
U.S. Paratrooper-helmets left on the fields in Normandy.
Gliders at landing.
Facing Omaha Beach - the most popular picture of D-Day.
Rescueing survivors.
Lucky to be alive.
The 38th Infantry Regiment of the 2nd Infantry Division exiting through the E-1 Draw from Easy Red.
American Liberty Ships at Omaha Beach.
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My next request is for photos of the Spanish Blue Division
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Division of Soviet sappers walking down the street burning the German city of Insterburg (Insterburg) in East Prussia. 3rd Belorussian Front. The city of Insterburg (now – Chernyahovsk Kaliningrad region of Russia) was captured by Soviet troops on 21-22 January 1945.
Carriers and other vehicles including ambulances near a ruined windmill during the advance in Holland, January 1945.
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Posts: 1042
Real WW2 volks
Dude, can you not trivialise their suffering?
At least show some respect.
Posts: 559
Real WW2 volks
Haha you´re kidding? This is a picture taken from the german movie "Die Brücke" - The bridge (1959) by Bernhard Wicki.
Posts: 559
Dude, can you not trivialise their suffering?
At least show some respect.
Don´t trust him! Here is a YouTube Vid! At 2:07min you can see the scene the picture was taken! He´s making fun of us!
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Oh blimey, haha.
Anyway, given their age, wouldn't they be more the volksturm type?
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Posts: 559
Didn't that get a later remake?
Yapp! It was featured first time 1949 (East Germany), 1959 (West Germany) and finally in 2008 again.
2008 Version
Posts: 559
Oh blimey, haha.
Didn't that get a later remake?
Enjoy! Version of 1959 with english subtitles!
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