Quote Originally Posted by Marquis of Roland
That is so true!

In fact I asked a few people at the office on whether they knew anything about the Eastern front in WWII and the general kind of reply was either:

1) "Eastern front? Whats that?"
2) "You mean USA fighting Japanese?"
3) "You mean USA fighting Russians?" (no joke)
4) "Well, the USA did most of the fighting with Germany anyway, so whats the big deal?"

Well, at least I had a good laugh at work


Who to blame? The education system? Hollywood? Both probably... Also, the fact that the USSR quickly became the enemy after the war most likely made their contribution to the effort an unpleasant reality.

It constantly amazes me when American and Commonwealth people act as if their campaigns and battles with Germany were the quintessential struggles in the conflict. North Africa, Italy, and even D-Day paled in comparison to operations conducted in the East. That is where the German military was defeated.

Rommel's North African campaign is especially over-hyped. The scale of the entire operation was quite small and the numerical superiority the allies wielded toward the end reduced the role military skill played in the outcome.

It seems to have worked for Rommel's legacy though. I fear Manstein and the others would do even worse if this poll wasn't taken at the .org.