From: (robert arndt)
Date: 12/26/2003 10:26 AM Central Standard Time
Message-id:

(B2431) wrote in message
...
From: (robert arndt)

snip

Germany was also hit by 1.3MT of bombs,
far more than the Japanese atomic bombs, and survived intact.

Apples and oranges. The number of atomic bombing targets was exactly 2
versus
how many targets in Germany?

The firebombing of Dresden alone is estimated greater than at least 1
(if not both) of the atom bombs (225,000 killed) and the firebombing
of Tokyo in the March '45 raid killed over 100,000- more than
Nagasaki.

As for surviving "intact" Germany was a shambles. The infrastucture at all
levels was destroyed or severely damaged, the Nazi bureaucracy was gone
etc.
Face it, the German state was in a coma and on life support.

Yes, the cities and much of the industry was destroyed but Germany
didn't seek surrender after the firepower displayed by the Dresden
bombing nor other 1000 bomber raids. Germany was in the process of
moving its remaining capabilities into the forests and huge
underground facilities in Thuringia that were immune from Allied
bombing when news came of Hitler's suicide and the reality of the end
came. Still, large parts of the German forces didn't surrender until
after VE day or took months to get them back to Germany. In the end
Germany still held Norway, Denmark, British islands, Helgoland, parts
of northern/central Germany, Austria, and what was Prussia. There were
literally thousands of aircraft under construction underground and
thousands of missiles stored at various depots. U-boats were still
being launched and crewed.
Japan, OTOH, didn't have the industry of the Third Reich and had to
protect its islands independently. The construction of housing in
Japan was also largely wood which burned easily in conventional
bombing raids let alone the atomic bombs. And Japan was also facing
the Soviet invasion which IMO was the final straw that broke the
camel's back.
Germany continued to fight until ordered to by Donitz. But the
Japanese would have continued to fight until the death under its
military leadership because the Japanese Council could only surrender
if the vote was unanimous- which the military would not agree to. Only
the direct intervention of Emperor Hirohito ended the war.

Rob

Dan, U.S. Air Force, retired

Look, your admiration for the Nazis doesn't change the fact that Germany was
not "intact."

The fuel that should have been used training new pilots was used by front line
aircraft which were being flown by increasingly fewer experienced pilots and
dropping out of the skies in huge numbers. Those "thousands" of aircraft being
built underground, actually dozens, had no hope of ever saving your beloved
Reich. Had they gone into service many would have been destroyed in accidents
or by air strikes before ever seeing combat.

Your observation that Germany still occupied territory beyond its borders is no
different from Japan at the time they surrendered.

If Germany was so "intact" why was the Marshal Plan needed?

Admire those Nazi pigs all you want, but at least be honest with their actual
track record.

By the way, those late war submarines were a waste of money and resources.

Dan, U. S. Air Force, retired