To: TigerPaw who wrote (66935 ) 5/24/2006 11:38:00 AM From: bentway Respond to Dear Dr. Rogers, As usual, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. While there was no strong resistance movement in Germany (Werewolves, Jagdverbaende, Bundschuh, Edelweiss Piraten, to mention just a small sampling of the creative names), there were post-combat casualties. According to the Statistical and Accounting Branch of the Office of the Adjutant General's Final Report from 1947, there were forty-two battle casualties from June through December 1945. Included in this number were thirty two (32) killed in action, eight (8) soldiers, who died of wounds and injuries they sustained in action, and two (2) that were missing in action and declared dead during the reporting period.(p. 32) The report does not list the nature of the action that killed these soldiers. Only a thorough search of unit journals and histories in the National Archives would answer that question. German resistance to the Allied occupation manifested itself mainly in harassment of occupation troops through telephone wire cuttings, stringing of "decapitation" wire across streets (that never decapitated anyone), intimidation of German women who "fraternized" with Allied soldiers, and similar actions. Most unit records I have examined did not attribute these acts to an organized resistance, but rather to juvenile delinquents or disgruntled German veterans. Still, the threat of a Nazi underground seemed real enough to the soldiers who were in Germany at that time. As one WWII veteran put it, "I kept my Mauser ready at all times." Overall, I agree with your assessment that post-war Germany is not a suitable analogy for the security threats in Iraq today. Other, more recent, experiences in Bosnia, Kosovo, and Afghanistan, as examined in a RAND study on U.S. involvement in nation building efforts (http://www.rand.org/publications/MR/MR1753/), might be provide better reference points for decision makers.
