Was there a difference between the German army and the SS?

The two main constituent groups were the Allgemeine SS (General SS) and Waffen-SS (Armed SS). The Allgemeine SS was responsible for enforcing the racial policy of Nazi Germany and general policing, whereas the Waffen-SS consisted of combat units within Nazi Germany’s military.

Was Germany allowed to have an army after WWII?

After World War II the responsibility for the security of Germany as a whole rested with the four Allied Powers: the United States, the United Kingdom, France and the Soviet Union. Germany had been without armed forces since the Wehrmacht was dissolved following World War II.

Why did the Wehrmacht fight to the end?

Short answer: because the German High Command ordered the Wehrmacht to fight on, & Hitler ordered the German High Command to issue those directives. The Field-Marshals obeyed Hitler; & the soldiers obeyed the Field-Marshals. Long answer: The Allies’ overall insistence on “unconditional surrender.”

Did ww2 soldiers have a choice?

Even so sadly, with or without consent you did not have much of a choice. Every man that was capable had to fight this war even if they liked it or not.

Did Germans want to fight in ww2?

Though Germans overwhelmingly longed for the war to end, few wanted foreign occupation, least of all by the feared Russians. In fighting to their utmost to fend off the enemy, Germans were, however much they might have hated the regime, actually helping it to continue functioning.

Why did the German army keep fighting?

Ultimately, Kershaw argues, the most significant reason why Germany kept fighting was that Hitler’s system of charismatic rule remained in place, ensuring that, until his suicide, he alone, a leader who refused to countenance capitulation, determined all war policy.

How effective was the German Army in WW2?

While the German army was well organized and efficient, it was not the war machine it could have been. While an innovative and outstanding force early in the war her enemies made improvements, using hard won time to make changes and apply what they had learned, while flaws in the German war machine became more apparent.

How did the Germans feel about the Western Allies?

As for the western allies, the Germans had a great respect for them. To the Germans, the western powers were culturally and ethnically the same. They were seen as honorable opponents and potential allies. It was every German’s hope that the west would recognize the danger posed by the Soviets and would join them in protecting Europe from them.

What was the first German city to fall to the Allies?

In the spring of 1945, British and American forces fought their way into the heart of western Germany. Although the first German city to fall to American forces, Aachen, had been captured in October 1944, the invasion of the Third Reich began in earnest in March 1945 when the western Allies crossed the Rhine River.

How did American soldiers first impressions of Germany change during WWII?

Courtesy of US Army. In the seven months that American GIs fought on German soil, they formed their initial impressions of Germany, a country most soldiers previously knew only through wartime propaganda and interactions with captured German soldiers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ot30yRK7YM8