My interest lies alot closer to the allied [auto-censored]nal but my guess on that would be that the German did produce some outstanding armor for its time. Not to mention some does have a bit of a grunty look and feel to it. Also the other guess i would make is that the likes of Tamiya and even Academy are companies that were on "the other side" being Japanese and Korean. It easier to acquire reference material of their own army than it is to cross the oceans for the allied references.

Im more fascinated by the Japan's warships however.

I haven't read a fraction of your stuff--my poor eyes-- so at the risk of duplicating some of you, here is my input. Some of the statistics may not be 100% but I believe they are close. I will also avoid considering political exigency "what-ifs".

Things I've read:

Germany's Fallschirmjaegers were initially formed by recruiting experienced troops; NCOs were made privates. I don't recall if officers were reduced to NCOs. Thus, their paratroopers were all pretty experienced, motivated soldiers.

In a recent issue of Military History or a similar magazine, there was an article made up of a 1944 US Army survey of captured Germans, the survey was of Germans who were experienced fighting against the Soviets and Western Allies. The purpose was to see how they rated the US Army VS the Russians and the British, the strengths and weaknesses. It was a pretty interesting article. IIRC, the Germans feared the Red Army for the racial/cultural factor, but would rather fight them than the Western Allies because they were easier. They did not seem to find the American troops to be armatures, as so often depicted. Our problem was that the bulk of the US Army was green at the time of D-Day. Rommel or another highly regarded German remarked about the US troops 'no other troops were so bad at their first battle, and so good for their next.'

I read in the book Brute Force: Allied Strategy and Tactics in the Second World War (postulate--the Allies only beat the Germans by overwhelming them) that man for man, throughout the war, whether attacking or defending, the German soldier inflicted more casualties than they received. True? I'll leave that for number-crunchers. FWIW: WWII Timelines, Maps, Statistics, Trivia, and Glossary

However, there is no denying that many US and UK forces went eye-to-eye with the Wehrmacht on equal terms (and often at a disadvantage) and beat them, at all stages of the war. The pre-war doubt that Western Democracy could produce warriors on par with Fascism turned out to be wrong.

Now, demographics. Populations & Casualties

The Wehrmacht started the war with a country of 69.3M people. Add Italy's 43.8M (I do not consider Germany's minor allies as I believe they turned out to be insignificant, or an actual detriment to Hitler's war) and Black Fascism attacked the world with a population of 113.1M people. With this they warred against 120M people of France's 41.7M and UK's 78M, totaling 137M if you include Holland and Belgium. Already the Axis was inferior in resources.

I do not know of any way to figure slave labor and the input of occupied countries, but after Greece fell, UK was practically alone until Barbarossa added Soviet Red Fascism's 168.5M people. With that the Axis were outnumbered 246.5M to 113M. The Soviet population's men of military age already outnumbered Germany's about 2.5 to 1.

Consider that after 1943 Germany lost most of Italy's 43M, and faced UK, USA and USSR total of 312.5M Allies (accounting for about 40% of USA directed against Japan) with 69M.

I think the fascination with Nazi Germany is that despite those numbers, and considering Germany really had no resources other than coal and wood, that they came close to succeeding with their war of conquest. By 1945 the UK was exhausted, Stalin was facing manpower shortages, and the USA experienced approximately 2/3 of her total casualties in the 9 months after D-Day.

Add to that the Nazi products of war. They created weapons of sheer genius and incredible stupidity, and employed many of both.

Also consider that much of what the Third Reich developed and perfected (original to them or not) was adopted by all sides for the Cold War.

I think this accounts for the popularity of German military subjects.

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In the 1940 Blitzkrieg, both Franch and Britain, individually, had more AFVs than the WH. The average French tank had thicker armor and a more powerful gun. Yet the Panzerwaffe trounced them both. Not always by nose-to-nose shootouts, but by superior tactics and employment borne of superior doctrine.

Same for the Royal Tank Rgmts in North Africa.

Definitely against the Red Army. How could it be that the Soviet armored units, increasingly equipped with the excellent T-34 which [at normal combat ranges] was almost impervious to the fire of the KwK 50mm of the PzKfw III (the most numerous AFV until 1943) were defeated by the WH?

This is valid in that units with inferior equipment and numbers have demonstrated time and again, that properly lead/trained/motivated, they can defeat units that are superior--on paper.

Hi,
I, for one am glad to see this thread started.

Okay, first of all the German had better looking stuff than anybody else during the war. Second, things sound so regal and militaristically different in the German language. Third, why is so much attention paid to Napoleon and the Confederacy, they both had their butts handed to them. Fourth, Allies stuff is UGLY , all khaki and olive drab- BORING!

Just an opinion on my part, please take no offense.

Chris- Waffen-SS Aesthetic Society and Clique, Inc.

...the Confederacy, they both had their butts handed to them.

I have noticed a misplaced admiration of some of the german figures of the time as well -Micheal Wittman and the waffen SS...
Keep in mind that the Waffen SS was run by a freak - Henrich Himmler who was responsible for the deaths of 6- 12 millon unarmed civilians

John and Fred, why so negative?

To me, history is a hobby and so is modelling. I did not get into it to have arguments and have people rip on everything I say.

You do not know me, if you did you would not say such demeaning things.

Don't give me this Nazi crap, it is well known that they were as bad as the Soviets.

And we are not innocent either, ever heard of Manzanar and other concentration camps we put the isei and nisei into.

Or with our expansion west, killing the Native American and putting them on reservations.

I know my history. Let us leave it their.

Did not mean to rant, but do not say callous things unless you know me. OKAY!