Quote:
Originally Posted by tater
I'm with August since you're talking organizational structure, not just equipment. That means if you pick German armor, you get their logistical train, too. No picking and choosing. Ditto german infantry—crappy logistics.
US tanks were not as good, but they were easy for us to keep running (the fact that most americans were familiar with their own cars or farm vehicles didn't hurt—US car ownership was grossly higher than anywhere else on earth, so the lads all knew about keeping their jalopies running).
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Exactly.
The resources at hand, manufacturing capabilities, the skill and temperament of the troops, the vision of it's leaders, what it takes to transport troops and materiel out to the battlefield, it all has an effect on the type and quality of the weapons an Army or Navy fields and therefore what combat tactics are employed.
If we'd have fielded tanks similar to the German heavies it would have meant we'd have fielded far less tanks than we did. Even if you apply our manufacturing capabilities they'd still have to be transported thousands of miles across the ocean. That means less of them, and less of the other things that could have occupied the cargo space, that reaches the far off battlefields of Europe and the Pacific. It also means we advance slower. The Sherman's speed and reliability go a long way to trump armor thickness and firepower (and optics).
In short Tigers and Panthers may have been the best choice for the Germans but not necessarily for us.
As for troop comparisons, I don't really think there is such a thing as "the best" troops.
I'd put our top divisions up against any ones, friend or foe. For example Fraus boyfriend Dicky Winters took a half dozen men up against an entire Infantry company defending an artillery battery and kicked their butts. Who fields the better Soldier again?
The true picture is however that there was no shortage of guts or fighting ability on
any side during the war. American, German, British, Aussie, Soviet, Chinese, Japanese and the rest, even the Italians, all have distinguished themselves on the battlefield.
When men are sufficiently trained, motivated, and led they can achieve great things. Nationality is immaterial except in the degree a nation can supply those things to their troops when they need them.