Saturday 26 October 2013

German "Efficiency"

Lots of people attempt to use total casualties of the enemy as some kind of excuse for eliteness of SS divisions. They shouldn't, and this is why.


During the "Winter Magic" operation, between February 25th and March 5th 1943, these 3 German units managed to kill...one partisan. And captured a gas mask. In order to do this, they expended 2000 rounds of ammunition and suffered no casualties.

But what is a military operation without trophies and collateral damage? In order to accomplish their lofty goal of killing a single partisan, they also managed to kill 633 civilians and deport 234 (including 54 children). And steal 3.3 tons of grain, and 500 units of livestock. Also they burned down 31 villages, many singular buildings, and one brick factory.

For a partisan and a gas mask.

4 comments:

  1. Bonus points if they only found out that the guy they just killed was a partisan AFTER searching his dead body.

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  2. ...wasn't stealing grain and suchlike pretty much an official policy anyway? German logistical planning went kinda Thirty Years' War in some respects rather early IIRC.

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  3. Oh noes, rape, stealing, burning, murder, whatever. All sides did it in WW2 so...

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    Replies
    1. Some did more so than others. And what separated them from themselves were ones tried to have their criminals punished, while the others encouraged the criminals to commit more atrocities.

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