WWII tank talk!:):):):)

[visor_cap_collector]

I thought I could start a disscussion about soviet, rusian, german, and british tanks. "Trivia of the day!"-did you know that in WWII the germans used captured soldiers as workers in tank factories? there are stories of people breaking cogs and glueing them back together. One theory to why the germans used capured soldiers to work in factories s that the Allies wouldn't bomb factories i alliedsoldiers were at work there, although I'll bet a few did...

[Brian Childress]

Possibly that, or to free up more men for the fighting front. Stories are rife about the sabotage of the war industry by slave labor. Everything from slightly bent Kar98 barrels to V2 guidance systems. Many of these laborers paid for this with a painful death. I watched a program called tank overhaul and they were restoring a Panther. I don't recall if it was a transmission or engine part, but there was an obvious flaw in it and the restorers attributed it to sabotage.

[adlerfan53]

I saw the same episode. I am sure sabotage did occur in the factories. I don't think it was as widespread as some believe. The Germans were sticklers for perfection but I believe for some the perfection has reached mythical proportions. Even German factory workers made mistakes. (especially later in the war) I own a late pattern SA silver sports badge that I thought for sure was fake because the cleaning of the extra stamping material is still present. It is correct and just poor craftsmanship.
All major armies in the conflict used captured soldiers on the labor front. I believe it was for the shortage of manpower. Where I live there are many farms that were operated by captured German Soldiers. My Grandmother remembers talking to many of them when they came for break in her backyard to sit under the trees and have lunch. Heck, many of them stayed here and made this their new home.

[StuG III]

I was under the impression that German POWs were sent from England to Canada, not USA?? Regards Thomas

[soalebm]

I was under the impression that German POWs were sent from England to Canada, not USA?? Regards Thomas

No there were a lot of POW camps in the United States. Most of the large ones were down south. The German POWs regularly worked picking cotton, building roads, and harvesting other crops. My Great Uncle was an MP k9 handler during WWII and into Korea. He guarded German POWs

[adlerfan53]

If you do some research you will find many PW camps here in the US. I will see if I can get some of the items my grandmother recieved from the PW's she came into contact with. She has pictures and some things that they made for her. According to her they were all really nice and felt at home here in PA. In PA we have a large Amish community and many people speak German so the PW's were very comfortable and felt right at home sitting the war out.

[StuG III]

Thanks guys for clearing that up for me. Never stop learning on these forums. Regards Thomas

[Stewy S]

A lot of Cech factory workers sabotaged stuff,especially after the reprisals regarding Heydrichs assasination. Stewy S

[StuG III]

At the rate that the Germans were killing people in the occupied areas it stands to reason that towards the end of the war (more correctly from 1942-3 onwards) more people were willing to take the chance of reprisal from the Germans by committing sabotage and the like, in or out of the factories, because their eventual fate was always going to be the same anyway. Some just decided to start hitting back, any way possible. Regards Tom

[adlerfan53]

Of course there were workers willing to do damage to German material. I just think the Germans were not as production perfect as most believe. Of course compared to other nations, German material seems flawless. It would be interesting to find some literature on this topic.