It's over Jim, we won, let it go mate.
Why didn't the Germans anihilate us at Dunkirk?
Re: Why didn't the Germans anihilate us at Dunkirk?
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Re: Why didn't the Germans anihilate us at Dunkirk?
Some recent research indicates the stop order came about as a result of a power struggle between Hitler and his generals.
General von Rundstedt wanted to stop the advance on Dunkirk to enable his infantry to catch up with his panzers, and his panzers to get refuelled and rearmed. His superior, Halder, disagreed, and reallocated von Rundstedt's panzers without consulting the Fuhrer. As it happened, Hitler was actually there in France, and when he heard this he went ballistic, as was his wont, and countermanded Halder's order, not because he disagreed with it so much as to show that he was the supreme authority. After a few days, when things had been sorted out, and everyone knew that Hitler was always in charge, the advance continued, but not before the allied rear guard had been able to stabilise its defence line and enable the Dunkirk evacuation to take place.
If the panzers had kept rolling, it's hard to say what would have heppened, I doubt the BEF would have been destroyed, but it's unlikely so many men would have been rescued. I am confident that any theory that Hitler somehow "allowed" the BEF to escape so as to facilitate a peace treaty with Britain is quite incorrrect. Hitler's instinct was always to destroy his enemies if he had the chance.
General von Rundstedt wanted to stop the advance on Dunkirk to enable his infantry to catch up with his panzers, and his panzers to get refuelled and rearmed. His superior, Halder, disagreed, and reallocated von Rundstedt's panzers without consulting the Fuhrer. As it happened, Hitler was actually there in France, and when he heard this he went ballistic, as was his wont, and countermanded Halder's order, not because he disagreed with it so much as to show that he was the supreme authority. After a few days, when things had been sorted out, and everyone knew that Hitler was always in charge, the advance continued, but not before the allied rear guard had been able to stabilise its defence line and enable the Dunkirk evacuation to take place.
If the panzers had kept rolling, it's hard to say what would have heppened, I doubt the BEF would have been destroyed, but it's unlikely so many men would have been rescued. I am confident that any theory that Hitler somehow "allowed" the BEF to escape so as to facilitate a peace treaty with Britain is quite incorrrect. Hitler's instinct was always to destroy his enemies if he had the chance.
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Re: Why didn't the Germans anihilate us at Dunkirk?
And the mud, the T-34 tank and the fact that Goering mistakenly identified the million or so Russian soldiers being held in reserve in Siberia as polar bears! Well in his defence, the Russian soldiers did have their white winter coats on!