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Interesting article on “We Are The Mighty” about D-Day, and specifically the units who opposed the Allied landings on the beaches.<\/p>\n
I imagine most of us have the same images, Rommel cruising the front beforehand, steely-eyed Germans atop the slopes dug in modern pillboxes, wielding MG-42 “Hitler’s Buzzsaws” with inexhaustible supplies of ammo. The reality was apparently a lot different than what we commonly see and hear.<\/p>\n
Germany’s static divisions occupy a muddy place in history. Some members volunteered to fight for fascism, and screw those guys. But many were older or younger German conscripts or even Europeans from conquered countries forced to fight for Germany.<\/p>\n
That’s because the static divisions were the lowest of the low when it came to resource requests. They often had few vehicles and a motley mix of captured equipment. So the average static soldier had to walk everywhere he needed to go rather than ride with the blitzkrieg, hence the name static. And in a serious fight, they couldn’t fall back or withdraw.<\/p>\n
Germany did try to shine the turd, sometimes by referring to them as “fortress” units. You know, because fortresses don’t typically move but are relatively easy to defend.<\/p>\n
But then, fortresses typically had top-quality weapons and sufficient vehicles to move their defenders around.<\/p>\n
In an Imperial War Museums comparison between German army field divisions, Luftwaffe parachute divisions, and static divisions, IWM wrote:<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\nThe more numerous \u2018static\u2019 coast divisions were much less effective. These had little in the way of transport, and were merely expected to man fixed defences and hold their ground. They contained older troops, the medically unfit, and men recovering from wounds. Some also had contingents of Osttruppen, conscripts or volunteers from the Soviet Union and other eastern territories occupied by Germany. Many were former Soviet POWs and were generally regarded as having little value. \u00a0<\/em>The German Response to D-Day, IWM.org<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n
When the Allies came ashore, nine divisions with months of preparations, naval superiority, and air superiority attacked three divisions, two static and one field infantry division. Only at Omaha Beach did a group of infantry from the 916th Grenadier Regiment seriously threaten to stop the Allied advance.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n
\nBut with two static divisions taking the brunt of the hit, there weren’t enough mobile forces to push the Americans back even there. And so the Allied waves came on, overpowering German and other Axis defenders.<\/p>\n
For the 716th Static Division, that meant they were quickly surrounded and fighting for mere survival.<\/p>\n
But they did hold on until the afternoon when a sudden, concentrated counterattack by the 192nd Panzergrenadier Regiment made it all the way to the beach…and temporarily brought real firepower to defend the 716th.<\/p>\n
But the German counterattack had worked by exploiting a seam in the Allied assault between Canadian and British forces. If the tanks turned left or right, they would expose their sides to naval gunfire and their rears to one Ally or another.<\/p>\n
And so the old men, young boys, and conscripts of 716th saw a panzer regiment come to their rescue…and then turn around to head right back.<\/p>\n
The 716th suffered mightily and limped out of Normandy. It was so badly battered that the Germans pulled it from the line on July 10. From 1944 to 1945, it was reconstituted and beaten multiple times before surrendering a final time in May 1945.\u00a0 WeAreTheMighty.com<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n
\nSounds a lot like being in a KGB battalion. And we complain… on the bright side though, in the long run I’m happy our fathers (and grandfathers for some of you) WEREN’T facing top-flight German troops. Imagine the carnage if, say, all of the defenders were Waffen SS. Be thankful.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"