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Originally Posted by Charge_7 My point was only partly to do with the youth and juniority of these leaders in terms of rank - it was even more to do with the fact that our military allows such leaders latitudes of control and direction that The Third Reich (and other countries still today) did not. Our captains could make decisions that no _colonel_ in the German Army could make. |
This isn't true at all. Don't confuse the political nature of the Third Reich with the way in which the German Army was run. After the Versailles Treaty had basically restricted the German Army to 100,000 strong, Germany had to maximise what resources they were allowed and think outside the box. This included introducing revolutionary new tactics for war and also by fostering empowerment and encouraging soldiers to 'step up' when required and think for themselves.
One of the reasons why the Wehrmacht was such a good army in WW2 was it's ability to adapt very quickly to changing tactical situations. Junior NCOs and Officers were very much encouraged to make decisions so long as they matched the operational/strategic plans for the units they were attached to. This became even more important after 1942 when Germany began to feel the strain of replacing their combat losses and also true in prolonged fighting where junior NCOs and Officers had to and indeed did 'step up' and take command.