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Thread ID: 87956	2008-03-10 03:07:00	Germany’s “Dunkerque.”	Roscoe (6288)	PC World Chat

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
648199	2008-03-10 03:07:00	I can’t imagine that there are too many people in this country, or in the English or French speaking world, that has not heard of Dunkerque – even if they don’t spell it correctly. It has been well documented and spoken of, in admiration, many times and so I won’t bore you by regurgitating that which has already been told. But have you heard of the evacuation from the Lithuanian Coast in early 1945, referred to in some quarters as Germany’s “Dunkerque”? By January 1945 the armies of the Reich were in full retreat and the Russian juggernaut had cut northwards to the Baltic. From Memel on the Lithuanian Coast, south past Königsberg and along the Bay of Danzig, beachheads had to be held at all costs because these last desperate footholds was where the German armies hoped to escape. Eight capital ships were just offshore – the Scheer, the Prinz Eugen, the Lützow, the Hipper, the Köln, the Emden and the aged battleships Schlesien and Schleswig-Holstein – training their guns on the advancing Russians. Every ship kept firing until its ammunition ran out and then it would steam back to Kiel or Swinemünde for more. The massive offshore fire-power helped to buy several months of reprieve for the collapsing Third Reich and allowed millions of soldiers and civilians to escape to the west. Admiral Karl Dönitz ordered that “every ship, every cruiser, every destroyer, torpedo-boat, merchant ship, fishing boat and rowing boat,” was to be pressed into service. (Sounds somewhat like Churchill.) The result was history’s biggest and most successful seaborne evacuation. Between late January and early May of 1945, nearly 550,000 soldiers (as opposed to 338,000 from Dunkerque) and perhaps as many as two million civilians were taken off the beaches. Staggering.:rolleyes: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life. – Winston Churchill.	Roscoe (6288)
648200	2008-03-10 03:37:00	I hope the Germans learned a lesson after coming second in two world wars	XRNZN (13406)
648201	2008-03-10 04:04:00	I hope the Germans learned a lesson after coming second in two world wars You would have thought they would have taken a hint after the first one, but they are a stubborn people.	wratterus (105)
648202	2008-03-10 21:59:00	... stubborn people. I can't disclaim this evidence. ;)	Mylin (13483)
648203	2008-03-10 22:36:00	@Mylin: You really mean evidence (Beweis)? Not claim or assertation (Behauptung)?	Crow1985 (6683)
648204	2008-03-10 22:46:00	Sorry. :o It is a long time ago that i have spoken or written english. Right i meant assertion.	Mylin (13483)
648205	2008-03-10 23:02:00	I can’t imagine that there are too many people in this country, or in the English or French speaking world, that has not heard of Dunkerque – even if they don’t spell it correctly . It has been well documented and spoken of, in admiration, many times and so I won’t bore you by regurgitating that which has already been told . But have you heard of the evacuation from the Lithuanian Coast in early 1945, referred to in some quarters as Germany’s “Dunkerque”? By January 1945 the armies of the Reich were in full retreat and the Russian juggernaut had cut northwards to the Baltic . From Memel on the Lithuanian Coast, south past Königsberg and along the Bay of Danzig, beachheads had to be held at all costs because these last desperate footholds was where the German armies hoped to escape . Eight capital ships were just offshore – the Scheer, the Prinz Eugen, the Lützow, the Hipper, the Köln, the Emden and the aged battleships Schlesien and Schleswig-Holstein – training their guns on the advancing Russians . Every ship kept firing until its ammunition ran out and then it would steam back to Kiel or Swinemünde for more . The massive offshore fire-power helped to buy several months of reprieve for the collapsing Third Reich and allowed millions of soldiers and civilians to escape to the west . Admiral Karl Dönitz ordered that “every ship, every cruiser, every destroyer, torpedo-boat, merchant ship, fishing boat and rowing boat,” was to be pressed into service . (Sounds somewhat like Churchill . ) The result was history’s biggest and most successful seaborne evacuation . Between late January and early May of 1945, nearly 550,000 soldiers (as opposed to 338,000 from Dunkerque) and perhaps as many as two million civilians were taken off the beaches . Staggering . :rolleyes: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ You have enemies? Good . That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life . – Winston Churchill . I will go to my grave still wondering why the normaly clever Germans did a dumb thing like invade Russia . Some French dude tried and failed . A dumbkoff must have worked out it was going to end in tears	XRNZN (13406)
648206	2008-03-10 23:03:00	@Mylin...Being stubborn can often be a good thing too, imagine if your engineers and car designers had the concentration and stickability of Italians! We wouldn't have BMWs, Audis or a bunch of other cars, and we wouldn't be able to look at some of the most amazing engineering feats in the world. :cool:	wratterus (105)
648207	2008-03-11 03:01:00	Yes I had heard of that evacuation. But the info on the ships firing all their ammo was interesting. By the way Germany invaded Russia in World War One and "won" that invasion as the Russians collapsed in two revolutions. So it was 2 out of 3 invasions that failed. (better odds than 1 out of 3 !) And you have to admire the German war effort, as their factories were pummeled into the ground and they were only finally defeated by three countries two of whom had huge resources in terms of manpower and munitions. I would prefer some of the Italian achievements eg Sophia Loren, Versace, and a spare Ferrari or Lamborghini would look nice in my drive.	Digby (677)
648208	2008-03-11 03:10:00	By the way Germany invaded Russia in World War One and "won" that invasion as the Russians collapsed in two revolutions. So it was 2 out of 3 invasions that failed. (better odds than 1 out of 3 !) Hmmm ... I was under the impression Russia and Germany signed an armistice in Dec 1917 because of the revolution and the lack of interest in the war by Russia. This freed up huge numbers of German troops for the Western Front. Ken	kenj (9738)
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