I saw this documentary on the History Channel that pretty much attributed Germany’s defeat on the Eastern front in WWII to Russia’s climate. As the Germans were about to take over Moscow in 1941, winter caught them almost by surprise. They then realized their troops were not equipped to fight or neutralize an attack amidst such a terrible cold. German soldiers who survived depicted horryfying scenes. Most of their comrades were dead-frozen in the position they fought. The documentary made particular emphasis on the might of the German army in comparison to the Russian, which was rather weak by all standards. Stalin even forced the prisoners deported to Siberia to put on a uniform and fight at all costs or else they’d be shot.

Is there an expert on the topic who can offer more information? What are the other theories as to why Germany lost WWII?

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MARGO

Rachael B asked:


He was in the Grenadier Guards during WW2. His army number was 2617178 and we believe he was in the 5th Battalion. We have sent for his army records from the MOD and they sent us information that was completely wrong! Eg. the details of the person they sent had the wrong DOB, marriage details etc. We have no trace of him after the war. He did have a son, also called William. However, his first wife went off with someone else while he was away fighting and no one can remember her name/have conveniently forgotten it!

What would you do next? Re-apply to the MOD for information requesting they check their records? I cannot find his death registered anywhere. So, keep trawling the death registers? How can we locate his young son Billy? Can anyone help?

NB: I’m aware we can’t examine the census data post 1901 in the UK. Is it possible to request info from the 1941 census? Where would we request it from? What documentation would we need?
Thanks in advance for any useful replies.

TYMON