I am sorry to say it but that is not a correct statement (if just said that way without explanation).Zeal said:
The way how you describe it is seen today at least from a historical point as obsolete. The reasons why Germany loost the battle in WW2 have been plenty. One has to make a difference though between indidividual battles and the whole war though. When seen on the whole war the conditions of the weather just threated the Soviets and Americans just as much as it did the Germans (see the Battle of the Buldge for example). Its not like The Germans have been the only ones loosing tanks, locomotives and men to the cold conditions the same issue was counted many times on the soviet side the important point is just that when the German force was loosing a tank it had a different effect on them as when the Soviets or US loost one tank or plane or what ever particularly since most of the German equipment was complicated in manufacture and had to be moved across half of Europe. It is a old view in history about WW2 that the "General Winter" tourned the tide of the war, actualy most historians today blieve that Germany loost already the opportunity in 1941 completely after the first day of attack on the Sovietunion particularly when looking about the German financial situation in Germany itself and its economy. Germany was past 1933 extremly indepted the war was the only thing that saved Germany from totall economical colapse and that just in time (which Hitler knew) hence why They started attacking Poland in 1939 since already a few months later Germany would have been bankrupt and not even the annexion of Austria and Czechoslovakia before the war saved them from it.
41 proved to be a fatal situation for the German Military but so did it for the Soviet union, they loost many men and equipment cause of the winter. But it did not caused a colapse of the German efforts and war which had many different reasons (which one was more important is today still a matter of debate). Infact between 41 and 43 Germany had its bigest territorial expansion in the east. Serious historians today even say that if Germany would have attacked Russia 5 weeks earlier like the original date was set and eventualy avoided the Winterwarefare of 41 without the delay in Greece caused by the Italian looses against the British forces Germany would still have loost the War in the east.
The winter in 41 was also not a unusual early or strong one, for the time and area it was a pretty common weather. A lot of things are exagerated about it. That doesnt mean the looses have not been heavy, the Germans loost on a daily basis more people cause of coldness then to enemy fire, but one should also remember that in conditions of -40° the russians did not attacked everyday. The russians just had as much trouble like the Germans to keep their tanks runing in such cold conditions for example.
5/5
