Theses

Date of Award

2023

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

History

First Advisor

Robert Valentine

Second Advisor

Amanda Wunder

Abstract

German soldiers who were in the Wehrmacht during World War II faced many different experiences from the beginning of the war when it seemed they were in control to later parts of the war were they were being driven back by the Allies. Along with the different experiences from different times of the war, they also faced different experiences when it came to what front they were fighting on. Fronts and theaters that stretch from North Africa and the Mediterranean Campaign to Eastern Europe and Russia to Western Europe. When it comes to the troops that were fighting in the German Army in North Africa, it saw different conditions than those in the Russian front or the Western European front due to the fact that they were fighting in the desert. Battles like the first at El Alamein and Gazala saw the troops from the German army fighting in extreme weather conditions not seen anywhere else in the war. Fighting in the extreme heat with very little supplies due to the thinning of the supply chain and bombing by Allied bombers caused many casualties for the German army in this region and this theater of the war. Fighting in the Balkans caused many different atrocities and fighting with partisan groups who fought in a guerilla style type of warfare. When talking about the Eastern Europe and Russian fronts of the war, it becomes a stark contrast to that of those who were fighting in North Africa and the Mediterranean. The brutal winters differing from the brutally hot deserts of North Africa give a different perspective into what battle was like for those soldiers fighting in Soviet territory. Some similarities can come from this as due to an over extension of supply lines it was a struggle for German forces to continue to push into Soviet territory and get past Stalingrad and the Battle of Moscow. As for the War in the West, Blitzkrieg was the name of the game for the German Army and this caused many different problems for those who were on the front lines continuing this form of attack, which saw great success for the Germans at the start of the war.

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