tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5354591394765306254.post478483105029882326..comments2022-12-11T01:32:04.557+13:00Comments on Around the World in Flightless Ways: Staying in a Prussian fortressUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5354591394765306254.post-38434863615310104552010-10-20T23:07:56.377+13:002010-10-20T23:07:56.377+13:00Having said that of course the French were just as...Having said that of course the French were just as bad in 1870, and arguably in 1914, it's just they weren't very good at it ...James Wilsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05200860773221870979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5354591394765306254.post-1975017728451058892010-10-20T22:33:07.596+13:002010-10-20T22:33:07.596+13:00The Prussian military tradition was very strong, a...The Prussian military tradition was very strong, and as a result has a lot to answer for. The rout of France in 1870 and the grab of Alsace & Lorraine were important antecedents of the First World War; more importantly, so too was the increasing militarism of industrialised Germany - again put that down to the Prussians. <br /><br />One question that long bothered me about the Second World War was why career generals in the German army - many of whom were distinguished, highly intelligent soldiers - were disposed to follow Hitler so blindly, when he was a jumped up Austrian Corporal. Partly this is due to the Nazi system, whereby telling Hitler what he wanted to hear was the best career move. Partly of course they didn't - though there was no successful Generals' revolt - Von Manstein for example was very embittered about Hitler's refusal to follow his ideas on the Eastern Front. But to the extent they did follow him against their better ideas, I think it is fair to say that the Prussian tradition of following orders had some influence.James Wilsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05200860773221870979noreply@blogger.com