This passage tracks very closely what Speer has to say of Hitler. He
was lucky enough to face fools and weaklings early, but not good
enough leader to recognize that he was faced with a better and more
determined enemy.
Erinnerungen wrote:
> On 20th December 1941 a very worried Guderian flew to East Prussia to
> see Hitler at his headquarters. He wanted to persuade him to take the
> German front line back to more favourable positions, if necessary over
> a considerable distance. The five-hour interview was of historic
> importance. It showed the Fuehrer irritable, tormented by anxiety, but
> resolved to fight fanatically; it revealed a powerless and obsequious
> High Command, resembling courtiers in uniforms; and it showed
> Guderian, alone but courageous, passionately arguing his case and
> fearlessly giving Hitler his frank opinion on the situation at the
> front.
> The first time the word retreat was mentioned Hitler exploded. The
> word seemed to sting him like the bite of an adder. It conjured up for
> him the spectre of the Napoleonic disaster of 1812. Anything but
> retreat!
> Passionately Hitler tried to convince Guderian: "Once I've authorized
> a retreat there won't be any holding them. The troops will just run.
> And with the frost and the deep snow and the icy roads that means that
> the heavy weapons will be the first to be abandoned, and the light
> ones next, and then the rifles will be thrown away, and in the end
> there'll be nothing left. No. The defensive positions must be held.
> Transport junctions and supply centres must be defended like
> fortresses. The troops must dig their nails into the ground; they must
> dig in, and not yield an inch."
> Guderian rejoined: "My Fuehrer, the ground in Russia at present is
> frozen solid to a depth of four feet. No one can dig in there."
> "Then you must get the mortars to fire at the ground to make
> shell-craters," Hitler retorted. "That's what we did in Flanders in
> the first war."
> Guderian again had to put Hitler right on his facts. "In Flanders the
> ground was soft. But in Russia the shells now produce holes no more
> as iron. Besides, the divisions have neither enough mortars nor,
> what's more important, any shells to spare for that kind of
> experiment. I myself have only four heavy howitzers left to each
> division, and none of them has more than 50 rounds. And that is for a
> front sector of 20 miles."
> Before Hitler could interrupt him Guderian continued: "Positional
> warfare in this unsuitable terrain will lead to battles of material as
> in the First World War. We shall lose the flower of our Officers Corps
> and NCOs Corps; we shall suffer gigantic losses without gaining any
> advantage. And these losses will be irreplaceable."
> There was deathly silence in the Fuehrer's bunker at the Wolfsschanze.
> Hitler too was silent. Then he stepped up close to Guderian and in an
> imploring voice said, "Do you believe Frederick the Great's grenadiers
> died gladly? And yet the King was justified in demanding of them the
> sacrifice of their lives. I too consider myself justified in demanding
> of each German soldier that he should sacrifice his life."
> Guderian realized at once that with this bombastic comparison Hitler
> was merely trying to evade the issue. What Hitler was talking about
> was not sacrifice as such, but useless sacrifice. He therefore said
> calmly, "Our soldiers have proved that they are prepared to sacrifice
> their lives. But this sacrifice ought only to be demanded when the end
> justifies it. And I see no such justification, my Fuehrer!"
> From the horrified expressions on the faces of the officers present it
> was clear that they expected Hitler to explode. But he did not. He
> said almost softly, "I know all about your personal effort, and how
> you lead your troops from in front. But for this reason you are in
> danger of seeing things too much at close quarters. You are hamstrung
> by too much compassion for your men. Things look clearer from a
> greater distance. In order to hold the front no sacrifice can be too
> great. For if we do not hold it the Armies of Army Group Centre are
> lost."
> The argument continued for several hours. When Guderian left the
> situation room in the Fuehrer's bunker late at night he overheard
> Hitler saying to Keitel, "There goes a man whom I have not been able
> to convince."
>
> .....Hitler Moves East by Paul Carell
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