Steuben's contribution to the American Revolution were admirable. But they aren't the sole reason the colonists won the war. Nor was he the only foriegner to help the Americans out. There are famous Poles, and more notably Marquis de Lafayette.
Granted, without Steuben the Revolution might have collapsed. He is given his due in American history... and he was a great figure in the war. But even more important than his contribution was the entry of the French into the war on the side of the Americans.
Without the French Navy, and the soldiers then eventually landed at places like Yorktown, the Revolution may have failed.
The Blitz was initated in response to a British/american Bombing raid on Berlin. It's targets were civillian in London. Some military historians believe had the Germans consentrated on military targets in Souther England, which was in range of their fighter escorts, instead of London, which was in range of their bombers but not the protective escorts, then they maye have crushed the RAF and won the Battle of Britian.
In response to your claims that the firebombing of Europe was unrestricted- Thats perfectly true. The German Industrial Machine was enormous. If it was not damaged, then what chance did the Allies have at winning the war? I think, if situation were reversed, then the Third Reich would have done the same to America.
Also, let us not forget that the German Kreigsmarine was also fighting unrestricted warfare of its own- open submarine warfare on Allied shipping.
"All's fair in love and war." The allies did what was necessary to win.
I believe the main failing of The 3rd Reich was in being so hasty to open a second front against Russia before fully securing the first one. Hitler believed Britian would fall easily, and that was his mistake. Plus listening to Georing's advice that Britian could be crushed by the air, and also that the British Army could be destroyed by the Lutwaffe at Dunkirk. If Hitler would have allowed the Blitzkreig to smash the British Army at Dunkirk, and if he would have allowed naval and army assets to invade Britian, then things would have been very different.
I would like to think what would have happened if Japan and German cooperated a lot more, and if instead of invading China in 1937, Japan instead invaded Eastern Russia.....
I apologize not fer the gas chambrs or the Holocaust - their horrors speak for themselves. I only mention the death of my great grandfather and the others whon died with him in July and Augusft of 1944 to end such suffering. Not all Germans during the war were Nazis. We were germans - -the two terms are not indispensible.
As for the Kriegsmarine, I can only blame Grossadmiral Karl Doenitz. Grossadmiral erich Raedor opposed unrestricted submarine warfare - he was replaced because he ordered all u-boats to follow the conventions he himself had observed during the Great War - - to surface and debark all passangers then destroy or capture the ship.
The Luftwaffe - at the time, Generalfeldmarschal Albert Kesselring was a staunch supporter of remaining on military targets as he had done to such remarkable affect - -the RAF was virtually destroyed in his sector of command. It was Hitler and Georing who changed the targets to London.
The rules of war were observed by America with great admiration during the First World War - thuey were men of honour, and in some cases such as Patton, were honourable in the second. During the first world war, we saw Americans as true rivals and worthy opponents. That changed however.
Before one points a finger at germany, however, the Americans must remember while SS camps were surrounded by forests and controlled by black shirted Totenkopfsoldaten armed with MP 40s, the Americans were surrounded by desert and controlled by olive shirted soldiers carrying the Garand combat rifle. Yes, the Americans corralled Japanese into camps after the 7th of December, 1941 - - and not a few were killed trying to escape.
The Russians would probably have something to say about German 'honor' in WWII. And believe me, as an American citizen I have read time and time again about the Japanese American interment camps. The big difference, of course, is that they were not extermination camps.
I read in a book recently about the Rape of Nangking. I thought it had occured into WW2, but in fact it happened in 1937, when Japan first invaded China. Japan conquered the city, the Japanese General exclaiming that Imperial rule of the rising sun would now descend upon these citizens, and then the soldiers were cut loose, and in several days had managed to massacre 250,000 civilians, mostly through beheading by sabres, or bleeding through bayonets. Also using strapped explosives. It was also said that Hardened German Army Observers were even sickened by some of the sights. I wonder if Japan played a role model for Hitler.
