Thing is, is that the Western Allies were never in such huge numbers--ever caught in a Kessleschlacht--unlike the Russians and Germans on the Eastern Front
I forgot one thing--I will change my mind and decide to serve with the USA--and Bob Hops troop a laugh a minute.
I would probably go serve Finland, I have great resect for this country and for the finnish people who fought back the russian juggernaut. I am a finnish neighbour(estonia) and I wish that my people would have been as brave as the finns and fought back. If I had lived in that time I would have voulenteered for the finnish army.
I would probabely serve in the unit that waited for me behind the recruiment office. Not much of a choice was offered to the majority of men who served.
German, Probably a panzer Division, maybe the 21st, so I could see action in both N Africa and the Western Front (The rest of ya can serve on the Eastern Front!). Brits, I guess the 7th Armoured, for much the same reasons as above, but I'm pretty sure I would have been pissed off at the little pop guns in the tanks. American, Carrier fighter pilot, Enterprise. Soviet, Deserter....running as far away from the NKVD as possible.
Why do you all make it sound like war is some sort of organized holiday instead of something terrible?
Nope, they were in the west all along. But hey, if they had been send to the east you could allways have stayed in your hotel and skip the guided tours there
21.Panzer-Division 8.41 DAK - - Libya 9.41 - 10.42 DAK Pz.Grp.Afrika - Libya 11.42 - 1.43 DAK Deut-Ital.Pz.Armee - Libya 2.43 - 5.43 - 5. Pz. Armee Afrika Tunisia 7.43 - 12.43 forming - D Rennes 1.44 - 4.44 reserve - D France (4.44 Hungary) 5.44 reserve - D France again 6.44 I. SS 7. Armee D Normandy 7.44 - Panzergruppe West D Normandy 8.44 no data 9.44 - 10.44 XXXXVII 5. Pz. Armee G Lothringen 11.44 LXIV 19. Armee G Lothringen 12.44 LXXXII 1. Armee G Saarpfalz 1.45 reserve 1. Armee G Saarpfalz 2.45 Friedrich 4. Pz. Armee Mitte Oder 3.45 Gross Deutschland 4. Pz. Armee Mitte Oder 4.45 rerserve OKH Mitte East http://www.feldgrau.com/heer21p.html
If Mustang flys an Allison powered P-51A,then anybody can shoot him down. Being a personell clerk at the pentagon would be a good job. You would have fantastic power and relatively safe.
Hmmm, for some reason I never considered those last battles as "The Eastern Front" On a sidenote, Felgrau mentions 21.PD as stationed in Hungary in 1944 but, despite being detached to Armeegruppe D, they never left France for the east.
Yeah, sorta what is the criteria for "EASTERN FRONT" battles in the final battles of 1945?? Was there a point when Russians were further to the west than the Americans in Germany before Hitler died/the peace agreement?
The criteria must be who they were fighting, in this case they were fighting against soviet troops. regards
Call me crazy but I would want to fight with the french army during the initial invasion in 1940 and then with the resistance or Free french forces for the battles at Gazalla and normandy to name a few.
Gerald, Which army, division or whatever would you be with in May 1940? I have a high regard for the much maligned French soldier in the battle for France...Easy to blame him for the faults of high command and a political system... and a major ally who was perhaps not as committed as they should have been to a land battle...One only has to look at Liddel Hearts ...spelling...view in the thirties to see my own countries views on any assistance the army should give on any war in mainland Europe..Easy to forget Lille and other examples of French soldiery..
I dont know that much about the french army to make an educated decision as to which unit i'd go with. The french lost mainly because she was betrayed by all of her allies in the inter war period. when germany missed a war reperation payment in the 30s and began to remilitarize the rhineland (strictly off limits) the french did as was agreed in the Versailles treaty, they occupied the Rhine land. But what did the allied powers do? they got mad at france and told her to back down, which she did under pressure from Britan, America and Italy. France was the ONLY country to see the danger of Germany in the 30s, but was turned on my her so called "allies"
July 1942-Camp Toccoa, Georgia. 2nd Platoon, Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division under Captain Herbert Sobel commanding, with Lt Richard Winters as Platoon leader. June 6, 1944-under Lt Richard Winters I would drop into Normandy and fight during the Brecourt Manor action, being relieved after 33 days in the line. September 17, 1944-after 3 months rest and refitting I am back into action dropping into Holland as part of 'Market Garden'. The duration would be spent on 'Hell's Highway' waiting for an armoured advance to end the European war. December 16, 1944-whilst on leave in Mourmelon-Le-Grand, the German Army throws an offensive into the Ardennes Forset, committing me again to battle in Belgium this time. In January 1945, my company takes the town of Foy and ends a bitter stalemate that had lasted since the beginning of the Bastogne seige. January 1945-we move into the town of Hagenau, France and stay there until we can consolidate our position and conduct a raid to capture some German prisoners for intelligence purposes. April 1945-liberation of Landsberg Concentration Camp. Begin fraternization, against US Army policy, with German women. May 7, 1945-we capture Berchtesgaden and Hitler's vaunted 'Eagle's Nest' after beating the French there under General LeClerc. The European war ends whilst we are staioned in Zell Am See, Austria soon thereafter. HAPPY V-E DAY... September 2, 1945-the Second World War ends with the capitualation of Japan. Regardless of wounds, medals or points, I am going home. In November of that year, the 101st Airborne is deactivated-Easy Company is no more... THATS WHERE I WOULD SERVE IN WORLD WAR TWO...CURRAHEE!!!
Panzerknacker, Truly remarkable career. Hmm, my English is not my native language so I might be wrong so apologizes beforehand in case, but I hope you did not beat the French in anything but time in Berchtesgarden. I was with my parents in Zell Am See in Sept 2001 as we went to see the Adler´s nest. Quite a nice little place, with the lake in the middle. And the huge mountains around. Of course there´s more action during the winter, I think. But I quite liked the place and will be back, definitely.