[Six Nifty .50s]

Originally Posted by Sylvester Stadler

On 4 June 1940 Winston Churchill basically states that the success of the Wehrmacht in the battle for France (and Holland and Belgium) was based on superior numbers. This argument still is alive and well in the U.S. and the United Kingdom, and other countries.

I see a problem with your manifesto. You assume that every British reader who measures the words of the Prime Minister will believe anything he says. Churchill was later voted out of office, wasn't he?

Originally Posted by Sylvester Stadler

The facts are much different than Churchill likes to portray them. Also the halt order from Hitler is well known and this alone prevented Guderian from reaching Dunkirk and prevent the evacuation of over 330,000 troops.

Maybe not. The German army was mainly horse-drawn. The Nazi propaganda films always tried to conceal that fact because their Napoleonic-era transport system was embarrassing to Hitler and his generals. German troops also walked a lot, and if you know anything about the physical endurance of horses, you know why.

Based on the motorized forces and upfront supplies available, are you sure that if Hitler countermanded this halt order it would change the outcome?

Originally Posted by Sylvester Stadler

During the time I was in U.S. Army intelligence. I heard a NCO state his opinion that the ordinary German soldier lacked the necessary skills of initiative, knowledge, and drive that if the German officer commanding the unit were killed or otherwise incapacitated, the soldiers would not be capable of further action. This is the type of German soldier often portrayed by Hollywood

Had you served in "US Army intelligence" you would have quickly learned that German soldiers were guilty of making the same comments about American soldiers.

Nationalism and xenophobia are pervasive worldwide, so what is your point?

Originally Posted by Sylvester Stadler

Hollywood portrays is often taken as fact and truth by even intelligent people. Many university professors also express such thoughts.

This seems to be a common view of European journalists. They sometimes give opinions that suggest his/her understanding of Americans arises not from personal contact, but from watching too much television.

The Hollywood portrayal of German soldiers is no less accurate than the highly-cliched characters portrayed in German-made films like STALINGRAD. The political correctness and unlikely situations put in the script were not very convincing.

Thanks to novelists like Karl May, Luftwaffe pilots were more fascinated (some say obsessed) with American Western films than were American pilots. Today, not many Germans are aware of this and their ignorance makes me smile whenever I read about references to Cowboys and the Wild West in news reports from Germany.

Achtung Indianer!