Re: Starting to build a tank [TANKS]

[Steve Edwards <sedwards-at-awger.net>]

Rick v100 wrote:

>I would think that multitudes of projects and no clear
>direction where the projects were kept going for
>politcal rather then project needs and the Germans
>overwhelming over complicating everything was there
>down fall. 
>

Hard to say if that's the cause or the effect. So much was micromanaged 
and ultimately done on Hitler's say-so that you can't tell if he created 
the cult or if the cult created him. Probably a combination of both.

>The Germans and there equipment have achieved near
>mythical status in the last 20 years. 
>

Not for me. They had some great stuff, but so did we (they had heavy 
tanks, we had heavy bombers, etc). And in the final analysis, would you 
rather have Me262s or penicilin?

>But lets face
>facts, this was WWII and right or wrong they started
>WWI and II. Rommel just like Robert E. Lee was blinded
>by duty and took the cause of the losing side. 
>

Actually, WWI was started by Austria -- they were first to declare war 
(against Serbia because the Serbians refused to hand over the guys that 
assassinated Archduke Ferdinand).  The rest of Europe was dragged in 
because of mutual defense treaties (not that they weren't interested in 
gobbling up somebody else's land under any convenient pretext, but the 
treaties did exist). The US joined in after the sinking of the Lusitania 
by a German submarine.

Germany "officially" kicked off WWII by invading Poland in 1939, but it 
very well could have started in 1938 when they annexed the Sudetenland, 
or even when Japan invaded Manchria in 1931, had the prevailing winds 
not been blowing appeasement and isolationism.

>Granted Rommel was a great commander but he still
>supported and furthered the aims of a madman. 
>  
>

Rommel wasn't one of Hitler's accolites (like, say, Goering) but he was 
a nationalist. That some of his goals coincided with Hitler's is 
undeniable, but Rommel was driven by something other than love of Hitler.

Here's an interesting telegram Rommel sent to Hitler that underscores 
the production aspects of warfare:
http://www.joric.com/Conspiracy/Memo-Rommel.html

    - Steve "getting pretty far afield" Edwards