The Super Summary of World History

by Alan Dale Daniel

  [171] World War I, Keegan, 2000, Vintage Press. Keegan, excellent, as always, on WWI and its causes, and the importance of time.

  [172] “Everything” meaning the survival of the German nation.

  [173] The all-important factor to the involved nations, it seems.

  [174] See: John Keegan, The First World War, 2000 Vintage Press.

  [175] The disconnects are many: the jump from the German plan to the battle of the Marne is too attenuated—who knew a gap would open up? Also, push the argument to the extreme; if the Marne was most important battle, then the gap was the most important gap, and the aircraft flight spotting the gap the most important airplane and flight in history, and the pilot the most important pilot, and the gas in the tank the most important gas, and the truck that delivered the gas the most important truck, and the truck driver the most important driver, and his mom the most important mom, etc It get ridiculous very quickly.

  [176] The same thing happened in the American Civil War around Petersburg—and they were using rifled muskets.

  [177] “No man’s land” was the area between the two opposing trench lines, so called because neither army controlled it.

  [178] These figures are all approximate.

  [179] Literally. British posters depicted gorillas wearing German helmets grasping fainting women while their teeth dripped blood.

  [180] This was conditioned upon US entry into the war on the English and French side.

  [181] The two German generals had been promoted to head the entire German war effort because of impressive successes against Russia.

  [182] The previous Allied attacks had been on relatively narrow fronts; this allowed the Germans to shift reserves to the endangered area without having to worry about assaults elsewhere.

  [183] Some call this the Spanish flu. Earlier estimates of deaths were in the 50 million range, but newer estimates raise the total to 100 million.

  [184] If we multiply the 1919 dollar amount by forty to try and adjust for inflation since that year we get: (32 x 40 = 1,280 billion dollars. You can see the amount is gargantuan, especially when we recall Germany spent herself into bankruptcy during the war just like the Allies. Where was Germany going to get that amount of money? Why the multiple of 40? A new car in the 1920 era was about $500, and a new car today is about $20,000. 20,000 divided by 500 = 40. A very rough estimate and filled with assumptions . . . I know. It is just a way to get an idea of how much money we are really talking about.

  [185] USSR = the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

  [186] Europe was showing signs of recovery by 1932, and some recovery was underway in 1933. In the USA these years were among the worst of the depression era. See: p. 332 et seq, The Third Reich in Power, Evans, R., Penguin, 2005

  [187] The same year Hitler came to power in Germany.

  [188] Or anyone for that matter. In our world humiliation of nations doesn’t seem to matter so much; however, in 1919 Europe it mattered a lot. The war guilt clause in the Versailles Treaty infuriated the Germans. A popular song in Germany was Deutschland uber Allies (Germany over the Allies); now, that thinking comes from people seeking revenge. Be smart reader, do not humiliate anyone and your life will be much easier. And you were told history couldn’t teach you anything . . .

  [189] The Germans did not actually pay the repatriations. Loans from the US and England allowed the Germans to pay with the loans rather than their gross national product. The Germans received more in loans than they were required to repay. The amount of repatriations was also adjusted down several times.

  [190] Churchill was lord of the admiralty until the disaster at Gallipoli, which he had underwritten, and was then fired; later, rehired (appointed) head of munitions. As one can see, in 1900’s England the same leaders just stayed on in new roles. Recall the Versailles treaty said Germany could not have an army, an air force, or a navy of any size. IF the Allies would have prevented Germany from re-arming, no WWII. How hard would that have been? Once the Allies became aware that Germany was acquiring arms just go in and take over. After all, what would they stop them with?

  [191] After 1919, a fellow could be out of work AND sober. What could be worse?

  [192] Remember the abolition of slavery? This is the same concept.

  [193] For statistics on the 1920s through the Great Depression see http://www2.census.gov/; however, this site is hard to use as the data is simply in a list by year, and it is difficult to tell what you are calling up until it is on the screen. Typical government operation.

  [194] Devaluation means their money was worth less than it was before the change.

  [195] This screed remains popular today (2010) in Muslim nations, probably because of its anti-Jewish statements.

  [196] When the United States buys foreign goods money leaves the US system, thus lowering the money supply. It is the same when immigrants send money out of the United States back to the home country.

  [197] p.127 The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Great Depression and the New Deal, Murphy, Regnery, 2009. Note: if a nation sets its price on gold redemption at 20 dollars per ounce, then the amount of money it can print is limited by its supply of gold. If a nation has 1 ounce of gold, it can print twenty dollars worth of paper money. With no gold standard (or silver or other precious metal that holds a stable value) a nation can print all the money it wants, and the money’s value with rise and fall with the amount printed and the strength of the nation’s economy. How the money men figure a nation’s economic strength vs the amount of money in circulation is beyond me, and, naturally, there are other factors.

  [198] During the 1930’s in Germany, inflation became so bad that a wheelbarrow full of money would not buy a loaf of bread. This happened because the German government printed too much money. When there is a lot of something, like air in an open field, it has little value. When you have very little of something, like air in a collapsed mineshaft, its value rises dramatically. Of course, the item must be wanted or needed. Who cares about an abundance of cockroaches?

  [199] This is an often misunderstood point about capitalist economies. Corrections must take place if the capitalist system is to work. Irregularities are shaken out by periodic corrections so the economy can continue to expand. If the irregularities are allowed to go on, they can cause depressions and a lot of economic hardships. Andrew Mellon, secretary of the Treasury under Coolidge, believed this and adjusted his economic program accordingly with excellent results.

  [200] The US Constitution does not say how many justices are on the Supreme Court. It just establishes the court. Roosevelt was threatening to add enough justices to the court to overcome the rather conservative majority that was striking down his New Deal programs.

  [201] P. 187, Against Leviathan, Government Power and a Free Society, Higgs, Robert, 2004, The Independent Institute.

  [202] War economies are hard to judge because the employment and production are skewed; however, when the production is being blown apart in some far away land it cannot really add to the domestic product. How to measure a war economy is still up for debate, but many economists say WWII was not a period of economic recovery.

  [203] The Forgotten Man, A New History of the Great Depression, Shlaes, Amity, 2007, Harper Perennial.

  [204] The Forgotten Man, Shlaes, Amity.

  [205] p. 110, 111, The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Great Depression and the New Deal, Murphy, Regnery, 2009. Fun book to read, easy for the non-economist.

  [206] We are all captives of our theories. Theories set the framework for analysis of various problems, and a lack of theories—or faulty theories—can hamper the ability to respond to events effectively. When Keynes came up with his monetary theories about how to end the depression they presented the decision makers with a new way of looking at events, and new ways of solving the crisis.

  [207] p. 166, The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Great Depression and the New Deal, R. Murphy, Regnery, 2009.

  [208] Stalin suppor
ted the spread of communism to China and planned and supplied the North Korean invasion of South Korea, among other violent acts perpetrated throughout the world. We are talking total deaths, not percentages. Mao might be able to claim more murders, but it is hard to tell. The current count is Hitler killed 21 million, Mao killed 34 million, and Stalin killed 62 million. These numbers are from a study by the University of Hawaii in 2008.

  [209] This was the combined arms doctrines developed by the British on the Western Front in WWI.

  [210] Japan was fighting in China right up until the end of World War II in 1945, because that was a major focus of the military government—winning in China.

  [211] Japan’s War: The Great Pacific Conflict, by Edwin Hoyt.

  [212] See: John Keegan, The First World War, 2000, Vintage Press.

  [213] There are large problems defining fascism. Most of their economic programs were socialist as the government controlled industry and tried to ensure the populace made a decent living; however, the fascists were militarists and ardent nationalists advocating expansionist policies. Fascism in Italy was much different than Germany where racism was a key element of the mix. Socialism is not automatically expansionist; however, Communism is expansive in nature. All these interlacing ideas make fascism difficult to pin down

  [214] In Eastern Europe, two similar dictatorships struggled for triumph. Ironically, this totalitarian clash determined if democracy would survive in Western Europe. The purpose for war was clear in the Persian Wars also. Maybe I should say the modern purpose for war was never clearer.

  [215] See: Winston Churchill, The Gathering Storm.

  [216] When I say violence as a part of government control, I do not mean some police officer kicking a rioter. The kind of violence adopted included executing or forever imprisoning people who were opposed to the government. If a person even talked about disliking an official in the regime they could be, and often were, executed.

  [217] Ultra: the British broke the German Enigma code, a machine code which the Germans believed unbreakable; thus, seldom changed. Magic: the United States broke the main Japanese code, a traditional “book” code that was often changed, thus destroying the US ability to read the code until new keys were found. One might say the invasion of the USSR was the most important event of the war, but that was a decision by Hitler and thus absorbed into the first reason given in the list.

  [218] We must acknowledge Adolf Hitler’s brilliance as a politician. He went from a corporal in the army, to the leadership of a penniless Nazi Party, to ruler of all of Germany, and then ruler of Europe in a very short time. One must also acknowledge it was Hitler’s support for the new tactics of Blitzkrieg—the use of tanks and aircraft in massed formations—and the development of the tanks and aircraft themselves, that allowed this to happen. Hitler’s ready acceptance of the new ideas changed warfare.

  [219] The USSR occupied Poland after WWII and covered up their murders of the Poles until the fall of the USSR in 1989-1991.

  [220] By mining the coastal waters, the English would force ships out of neutral waters into the North Sea where the Royal Navy could intercept them.

  [221] They were using motorcycle messengers, just as they did in World War I.

  [222] Just another very bad decision by the Fuehrer. Why he gave the order is unknown. Lots of speculation, but no one knows because he did not write it down or tell anyone that a historian could trust. He left a will and Mien Kampf but no diary as such.

  [223] Royal Air Force

  [224] Vichy France named for its capital city.

  [225] ON WAR, 1833. Clausewitz’s book was the primer on war and its execution—at least prior to 1970. Some today argue it is out of date, others think it is still relevant and anyone ignoring its precepts is going to face hardships or outright defeat. I think it is still THE primer on war.

  [226] Killed in Action

  [227] In fact, they would have sailed in without any air support if necessary (my opinion)

  [228] I know others, even German generals, have said otherwise; but I still hold my opinion. Also, remember logistics. How could the Nazis get supplies to their troops once they were on the beach? The British navy could easily have cut the sea supply line through night actions alone.

  [229] Most of the material in this section comes from: Hitler’s U-boat War: The Hunters, 1939-1942, by Clay Blair, Modern Library, 2000; and Memoirs, by Carl Doenitz, Da Capo Press, 1997 . . . note the author of this book.

  [230] One-third at sea, one-third in transit, and one-third in for repair and resupply. SEE DONITZ, Memoirs.

  [231] Similar ship construction was accomplished in WWI as well.

  [232] Seventeen knots underwater speed which was faster than the Type VII surface speed.

  [233] The designer of the AK-47( Kalashnikov ) denies he took the design from the German model; however, he does admit the idea came from the German gun. In my opinion, looking at both weapons, they are very similar. The Panzerfast was another German weapon, and was developed into the RPG (rocket propelled grenade) that is widely used and extremely deadly.

  [234] The Sherman does get an undeserved bad reputation because people do not understand it was not supposed to fight other tanks. The tank destroyer was designed for that task. In pre-war doctrine, the Sherman would punch a hole into the enemy infantry line (trenches and the like), the Germans would then counterattack with tanks. The tank destroyer was to move in and deal with the counterattack. After the tank destroyer defeated the counterattack, then the Sherman would be on its way once more and exploit the breakthrough. These pre-war ideas were brought into Europe in 1944, and, unfortunately for the US and UK, the Sherman was often forced into tank to tank combat with superior German tanks.

  [235] Suicide attacks in which the pilot stays with the aircraft and rams it into the target. In essence, this is a (man) guided missile.

  [236] The Third Reich in Power, Evans, 2005, Penguin Books. Section 4: pages 352-454, esp pages 410-411.

  [237] Remember Kesselring from the Battle of Britain? He was one of the Luftwaffe team who designed the assault on RAF airfields that nearly succeeded.

  [238] For a while, the Germans did have critical information on convoy sailings through insurance companies in Switzerland that kept records of the sailings

  [239] The Suez Canal allowed the transport of oil, men, and material to and from India (the key British colony), Iran, and Australia. Closing it would mean the ships carrying these key supplies would have to round Africa to reach England. This voyage would be longer, use more fuel, and expose the ships to German attacks for a longer time.

  [240] Kesselring knew of the supply problems all over the Axis theaters of war, and he knew logistics would be a key factor in victory or defeat everywhere.

  [241] Montgomery had fought in WWI, and this is definitely a WWI attitude. Plus, such overwhelming force is difficult to come by since most nations cannot field that kind of army.

  [242] The German general staff had sent General Von Paulus to Africa, and he recommend an immediate withdrawal. Rommel decided against this, but it was one of his worst decisions. Von Paulus would surrender the German Sixth Army at Stalingrad.

  [243] Three hundred of these tanks were American Sherman’s with its new 75mm gun that outclassed most of the German tanks available to Rommel’s men and all the Italian tanks

  [244] So why attack? Politics mostly. This was the last pure English victory of the war. Well . . . kind of pure. They used American equipment.

  [245] Some argue there was no two-front war since Britain had no forces on the continent; however, Hitler had troops in France, the United Kingdom was bombing the continent, the war at sea required a large number of resources (submarines), and North Africa was an active front; thus, many resources were committed to the contest with Britain.

  [246] This is an important process whereby the generals set up their cardboard units and the supposed enemy units to fight one another over the same terrain the battle (s) will be f
ought on. Generals take sides and then fight it out with referees watching the game. In this way, armies are able to discover flaws in their plans before implementation. Interestingly, German logistic experts predicted the limits of the invasion with good accuracy before it was launched.

  [247] Hitler did not realize the code breakers read the German codes and warned the defenders of the impending attack; thus, surprise, a key element in any airborne assault, was totally lost. Was this the reason Hitler did not want to attack Malta? No one knows.

  [248] Page 138, The Great Crusade, Willmott, 2008, Potomac Books

  [249] “Lost” in the sense that the USSR would not be conquered. Many German generals thought the Soviets could still be fought to a standstill, and Germany could achieve a stalemate and a truce which would release German units to fight in the west.

  [250] After the advance on Moscow failed, German generals wanted to retreat to better defensive positions and prepare for possible counterattacks; but Hitler refused to give up any ground even for tactical advantages.

  [251] Japan’s War: the Great Pacific Conflict, Edwin Hoyt.

  [252] Some think 260,000 civilians died in Nanking. Estimates at the time put the death toll at 50,000.

  [253] Poor planning and thinking on Japan’s part. Japan signed the Tripartite Pact to keep the United States from interfering with Japan, but in fact it convinced the Americans that Japan had to be stopped. This was a major foreign policy blunder.

  [254] Japan’s War: the Great Pacific Conflict, Edwin Hoyt

  [255] Yamamoto was the commander of Japan’s Combined Fleet.

  [256] The movie Tora, Tora, Tora does this, but the viewer must have enough knowledge to appreciate the magnitude of the Japanese errors.

  [257] At Dawn We Slept: the Untold Story of Pearl Harbor, Prange, Gordon., 1981, McGraw-Hill, The Pearl Harbor Papers: Inside the Japanese Plans, Prange, Gordon W. (1999), Brassey’s, ISBN 1574882228