What did German soldiers really think about American combat tactics during World War II, and why did they find them problematic?

Rommel is probably the best example as he fought the Americans both in Africa and in France.

Rommel respected the American troops, and said that while they were green, they fought hard and learned fast. He liked the American kit and deeply respected American logistics, viewing it as the greatest challenge to overcome. He liked that Americans adapted quickly, saying that it was much easier to teach a new soldier something new rather than a veteran, and that while it was easier to trick the Americans than the British, it was harder to trick them multiple times. He criticized Americans cautiousness, lack of initiative, and over reliance on logistics. He believed that Americans lacked the initiative and tactical understanding of fast mechanized combat and contrasted them with his own emphasis on maneuver warfare, reconnaissance, concealment, and rapid exploitation of breakthroughs.

Rommel had made a name for himself in France by ignoring logistics and making deep tank thrusts behind enemy lines. This tactic worked early in the war, as France lacked suitable anti tank weapons, but became less suitable as the war shifted into a war of attrition.

On D-Day, Rommel would recommend moving panzer tanks to the beach, believing that the US would be a major threat if it could get a beachhead established, and that tanks in reserve were vulnerable to aircraft. The best time to destroy the Allied invasion was on the beach. If the Americans could get the necessary logistics established in France, there was no way Germany could hope to beat them.

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The Last Judicial Hanging in The United States

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Holocaust victim

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