Comments by "Nicholas Conder" (@nicholasconder4703) on "What was the Point of Langermann's 24th Panzer Corps? (And more...) Stalingrad Addendum 4" video.

  1. Yes, but they're a bunch of stoners.
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  2. TIK, a quick question about the airlift to Stalingrad. Could part of the reason that the Luftwaffe didn't send as many flights to Stalingrad, at least initially. is that they did not have the supplies on hand at the airfields to begin with? After all, there is no point in sending an empty freighter, freight train or cargo plane if you don't need to, as it wastes fuel for no reason. I know that the Red Air Force played a big factor in throttling the air lift, but could the lack of supplies at the right place and time also have played a part in the failure of the airlift?
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  3. TIK, Oddball raised an interesting question. We know the Wehrmacht had trouble supplying their troops because they had to relay/replace rail lines to take German gauge rolling stock (which differs from the Russian gauge), had to make longer and longer round trips to and from Germany to army supply depots, etc. Why didn't the OKH and OKW spend more effort into taking Leningrad/Petrograd in 1942 and not only clear the Baltic of the Russian Navy, but also obtain a port from which they could more readily supply the northern half of their front in Russia? I know the terrain in that area is not really suited for armor, but it seems that they really did not put a concerted effort in after the winter of 1941-42.
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  4.  @oddballsok  Logistics always seems to have been an issue with the German Army, both in the First and Second World wars. Unlike the US Army, for instance, where the officer in charge of logistics (G or S4) was always present in staff meetings, and had equal say. I don't think they had equal footing in the Wehrmacht. Citino's "The German Way of War" is an excellent reference on this. And yes, given the logistical requirements, you raise a very good question as to why the Germans did not put more emphasis on taking Leningrad (Petrograd) and using this as a logistical base for supplying their army.
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  5. Works well until you hit a brick wall, like at Kursk and Medenine, or a properly executed flexible defense, like Alam Halfa or the Battle of the Bulge.
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