Post by ∬: Erhard Strumfelder on Dec 18, 2008 13:58:50 GMT
After Hitler steeped into power in 1933, Germany stared a process of militarization, where large amounts of time and money were spent investing in the military. In 1936, the older Reichswehr was scrapped, and a newer, more modern armed service known as the Wehrmacht was created. The Wehrmacht was equipped with new tanks, artillery, and training, and overnight it became modernized.
For the average soldier, this meant better discipline, and training to be tougher, but weapons didn’t really change. A semi-automatic rifle was requested, but it would take years to produce, so instead they used the same bolt action rifle employed during WWI. Although this weapon seemed out of date, no other army on the planet had a semi-automatic rifle at the time, and with better training, the Kar 98k worked fine. In 1938, the arms company Erma Werke produced the MP38, a very modern sub-machine gun. Its only rival was the Thompson, but seeing as Hitler didn’t plan to go to war with the US for several years, it gave the Wehrmacht a huge advantage. Over a million units were produced. The MG34 was also produced in the same decade, which was a revolutionary device. Other countries used large and heavy water cooled weapons which required considerable time to set up. The MG34 could be deployed in seconds, and the whole weapon could be operated by one man. It was also the first suppressive weapon, with some units firing up to 1,700 rounds per minute (28 rounds a second).
The German also used the tactic of Blitzkrieg (lightning war). The same tactic was employed in the 2004 invasion of Iraq. It makes use of armoured, and mechanized divisions, backed up by self propelled artillery and dive bombers. The idea was, that a small section of the front line would be weakened by a quick bombardment of heavy artillery, before a spearhead of tanks and mounted infantry burst through it. Their job was to push as deep as they could, effectively surging forward until they run out of fuel or ammunition. If they came across a fortified enemy position, which neither the artillery or tanks could bring down, dive bombers would be used for precise bombardments. If they still couldn’t destroy it, they would by-pass it and move on. A few days later, as the enemy was pulling troops back to stop the rapid attack, a huge infantry assault across the length of the front would begin. The ferocity of the attack would completely destroy any resistance, and the enemy forces wouldn’t have a clue which units were destroyed, which units had been captured, and which units could still fight. It was very clever indeed.
The Wehrmacht tactic in battle was to use elite troops to attack specific points, and bringing the enemy to his knees. The German troops were the best in world at their height, but when poorly supplied, they fell to pieces.
For the average soldier, this meant better discipline, and training to be tougher, but weapons didn’t really change. A semi-automatic rifle was requested, but it would take years to produce, so instead they used the same bolt action rifle employed during WWI. Although this weapon seemed out of date, no other army on the planet had a semi-automatic rifle at the time, and with better training, the Kar 98k worked fine. In 1938, the arms company Erma Werke produced the MP38, a very modern sub-machine gun. Its only rival was the Thompson, but seeing as Hitler didn’t plan to go to war with the US for several years, it gave the Wehrmacht a huge advantage. Over a million units were produced. The MG34 was also produced in the same decade, which was a revolutionary device. Other countries used large and heavy water cooled weapons which required considerable time to set up. The MG34 could be deployed in seconds, and the whole weapon could be operated by one man. It was also the first suppressive weapon, with some units firing up to 1,700 rounds per minute (28 rounds a second).
The German also used the tactic of Blitzkrieg (lightning war). The same tactic was employed in the 2004 invasion of Iraq. It makes use of armoured, and mechanized divisions, backed up by self propelled artillery and dive bombers. The idea was, that a small section of the front line would be weakened by a quick bombardment of heavy artillery, before a spearhead of tanks and mounted infantry burst through it. Their job was to push as deep as they could, effectively surging forward until they run out of fuel or ammunition. If they came across a fortified enemy position, which neither the artillery or tanks could bring down, dive bombers would be used for precise bombardments. If they still couldn’t destroy it, they would by-pass it and move on. A few days later, as the enemy was pulling troops back to stop the rapid attack, a huge infantry assault across the length of the front would begin. The ferocity of the attack would completely destroy any resistance, and the enemy forces wouldn’t have a clue which units were destroyed, which units had been captured, and which units could still fight. It was very clever indeed.
The Wehrmacht tactic in battle was to use elite troops to attack specific points, and bringing the enemy to his knees. The German troops were the best in world at their height, but when poorly supplied, they fell to pieces.
