My family too has a fairly long military history, first as Colonels in His Majesty's Royal Army (17-18th Century). More recently, my grandfather was an army surgeon in WW II and his father was a Corpsmen in WW I.

I suppose I must trump my own familial history for the new ones.

My great grandfather was Generalleutnant Baron Kurt von Chill who, as commander of the 122te Infanterie-Division in Russia earned his Knight's Cross. Later he was involved in the plot of 20 Juli and was put to death in August for his role - one of his divisions was to head south and eliminate all SS and Gestapo command in Paris. He had, byt then, handed the Canadians their hat in Holland.

His daughter - my grandmother was a Heer-Krankenschwesterleutnant (Army nurse lieutenant) during the war. Her future husband was an Oberleutnant in the 8th Panzer Division.

His brother, who we dont speka of, was a Hauptsturmfurher in the Waffen SS - his name is on the lists of the fallen at Stalingrad.

My grandfather and dad both served in the Bangladesh army and wittnessed our civil war and struggle for independence first-hand. But that is neither here nor there.

Instead ...

SIEG HEIL !

Darkwolf -- just so you're aware, I'm the person who randomly makes posts wishing Hitler happy birthday and such. Yeah.

Did you know that phrase has been around - like the German style of marching - since Frederic the Great? It actually means - literally - Victory and Hail! Or Hail Victory depending on whom you have translate. It was uttered in the streets of Berlin after Rossbach and Leuthen, after Metz and Sedan, then after Tannenburg and the Masaurian Lakes - Hitler simply bastardized it. It has NOTHING TO do with Nazis.

[/history lesson][/german defense]

My great grandfather Arkady Michael Krisinowski was a White Russian Officer.White Russians served under Hitler.He did it because it would keep him and his family safe from the nazis.He had 7 boys and 2 daughters and ended with one Michael Arkady Krisinowski.He sent his only son my grandfather to Austria and he fought there.Arkady was a rich man so he sent his son to the United States where it would be safe.Arkady died in a horrible Concentration camp where they pulled out his teeth one by one. Then they cut his kneecaps off.Then they cut his stomach open while he was still alive and pulled out his intestines then the stabbed his stomach.Then my mom started crying after that.

That is horrid. The Russians - Tsarists, not Communists - are excellent people.

Hitler was evil - this we know. But we were not speaking of atrocity, we were speaking of military merit.

Hmm, well Hitler may have been evil, but at least he did something with his life, and if nothing else, you should at the very least respect his ability as a leader. RESPECT HIM!!!!

In that case we should spit on his grave. His leadership ability is worse than any other leader I've seen in recent times. After rallying his nation and organizing the goverment, he should have step down and let someone else run the war, although the chances of that happening are nil. Honestly, finish the front your on before opening a new one.

Lol, you make a great point. He was smart, but you forget about his paranoia.
His paranoia was the major cause of the majority of his mistakes. It is with that I give you all the Permission to call him a DUMBASS.

I do not recall anyone needing a newbie's permission to do anything.

In any case, I think few people deny that Hitler was a great orator; especially in a time when there was no strong leadership in Germany. Aside from Kraken's comments, I think Hitler had a few delusions of grandeur and of reality as a whole.