How did the Germans try to confuse the Americans during the Battle of the Bulge?

In a now-famous ruse, Skorzeny outfitted English speaking German soldiers with captured American weapons, jeeps and uniforms and had the men slip behind the U.S. lines and pose as G.I.s. The German pretenders cut communication lines, switched road signs and committed other small acts of sabotage, but they were most …

Why did German soldiers keep fighting?

Ultimately, Kershaw argues, the most significant reason why Germany kept fighting was that Hitler’s system of charismatic rule remained in place, ensuring that, until his suicide, he alone, a leader who refused to countenance capitulation, determined all war policy.

What did German soldiers fight for in ww2?

Critically, Neitzel’s research underscored that for most German soldiers the Second World War was in the main a continuation of the First World War: bigger, probably more brutal, but in the end the same war for the same reason, which was defence of the Homeland against foreign aggression.

How many German soldiers died for desertion in WW2?

That rule was taken seriously during the lead up to World War II and the conflict itself. At least 15,000 German soldiers were executed for desertion alone, and up to 50,000 were killed for often minor acts of insubordination.

What was it like to be in WW2?

WW2 was a war of hatred. No rules were followed. No basic decency and courtesy generally shown by competing soldiers was shown. Men from the Waffen SS were especially picked out for”special treatment” by both the Red Army as well as the American soldiers. The Russians simply tortured and killed any SS soldier they captured.

What happened to the German military after WW2?

When the war ended, the Allies assumed control of Germany and decommissioned its entire military. It took a decade for Germany—now split in two—to regain a military, and in 1955 a new Bundeswehr was created. The new German armed forces were a different beast than their predecessors.

How were German prisoners of war treated during the war?

These books describe how German prisoners were collected in groups, placed against a wall and methodically machine-gunned by American soldiers while some were still standing, hands raised in surrender. American soldiers casually climbed over the still twitching bodies, killing the wounded.