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Originally Posted by Rockin Robbins
Isn't it amazing. The Germans and the Americans with the same problem because the Americans copied the German torpedo so faithfully that they copied the defects too.:rotfl:
In this corner, representing the common man, weighing 132 million people, dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal, one man one vote, open government, of the people, by the people, for the people. He's the world's all-time good guy and shucks! People just like him. The United States of America.
In this corner, representing the will of one man, weighing 63 million people, dedicated to the superiority of the German Aryan race, believing in the rights of no man, interest in politics is evidence of a weak moral fiber, the citizen's only right is to obey, military organization, command and control, just do what you're told and keep your head down but most likely die a glorious (or not) death for the Fatherland, heck! People just hate him. Nazi Germany!
(OK, we handed both parties a defective torpedo.)
"Shut up and do what you're told" Germany fixes theirs in under a year. Why? Because the darn goose-steppers respected their front line sub captains and just automatically investigated and solved the problem! Respect: isn't that supposed to be a trademark of the good guys?:rotfl:
"The land of equal opportunity" United States gets all hierarchical and command-obsessed. The equal people at the top get a severe case of "do what you're told or get squished like a cockroach." Blame the little guy becomes the battle cry in the land of the free. Abuse of power in the bastion of democracy! Hey you! THEY're the Nazis.
Unfortunately, this contrast permeated the military organizations of both countries. The German land forces were equal to three times the effectiveness of similar American units. American generals quickly learned that without achieving a three to one numerical advantage, action in a particular area was futile. Soon that was a requirement for any attack but the most desperate. This is perhaps the supreme irony of the war.
In the middle of 1943, after over a year and a half of impotence, the US finally got their torpedoes in order and started sinking Japanese shipping instead of cursing at lousy torpedoes.
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