Some moment from World War II. Interesting facts about the second world war

PLANE Grenade

During the defense of Sevastopol in 1942, the only one in the history of World War II and the Great Patriotic War a case when the commander of a mortar company, junior lieutenant Simonok, shot down a low-flying German plane with a direct hit from an 82-mm mortar! This is as unlikely as shooting down a plane with a thrown stone or brick ...

ENGLISH HUMOR PERFORMED BY TORPEDA

A curious incident at sea. In 1943, a German and British destroyer met in the North Atlantic. The British, without hesitation, were the first to hit the enemy with a torpedo ... but the rudders of the torpedo jammed at an angle, and as a result, the torpedo made a circular cheerful maneuver and returned ... The British were no longer joking watching their own torpedo rush towards them. As a result, they got it from their own torpedo, and in such a way that the destroyer, although it remained afloat and waited for help, did not participate in hostilities until the very end of the war due to the damage received. enigma military history only one thing remained: why didn't the Germans finish off the British? Either they were ashamed to finish off such warriors of the "queen of the seas" and receivers of Nelson's glory, or they neighed so that they could no longer shoot ...

POLYGLOTS

A curious incident occurred in Hungary. Already at the end of the war, when Soviet troops entered Hungary, as a result of battles and communication, most Hungarians were sure that “yo @ b your mother” is an accepted greeting, like “hello”. One day when Soviet colonel came to a rally to the Hungarian workers, and greeted them in Hungarian, he was answered in chorus “f @ b your mother!”.

NOT ALL GENERALS RETRACTED

June 22, 1941 in the strip southwestern front Army Group South (commanded by Field Marshal G. Rundstedt) inflicted main blow south of Vladimir-Volynsky along the formations of the 5th army of General M.I. Potapov and the 6th Army of General I.N. Muzychenko. In the center of the strip of the 6th Army, in the area of ​​​​Rava-Russkaya, the 41st Rifle Division of the oldest commander of the Red Army, General G.N. Mikushev. The division's units repulsed the first blows of the enemy together with the border guards of the 91st border detachment. On June 23, with the approach of the main forces of the division, having launched a counterattack, they pushed the enemy back beyond the state border and advanced up to 3 km into Polish territory. But, due to the threat of encirclement, they had to move away ...

Unusual intelligence facts. Basically German intelligence quite successfully "worked" in the Soviet rear, except for the Leningrad direction. The Germans sent spies in large numbers into besieged Leningrad, supplying everything necessary - clothes, documents, addresses, passwords, appearances. But, when checking documents, any patrol instantly revealed "fake" documents of German production. Artworks the best specialists forensics and printing were easily detected by soldiers and officers from patrols. The Germans changed the texture of the paper, the composition of the paints - to no avail. Any even semi-literate sergeant of the Central Asian conscription revealed a linden at first sight. The Germans never solved the problem. And the secret was simple - the Germans, a high-quality nation, made the paper clips that fastened the documents out of stainless steel, and our real Soviet paper clips were slightly rusty, the patrol sergeants had never seen others, for them the shiny steel clips sparkled like gold ...

FROM AIRCRAFT WITHOUT PARACHUTE

The pilot, who made a reconnaissance flight during the return, noticed a column of German armored vehicles moving towards Moscow. As it turned out -on a way there are no German tanks. It was decided to drop troops in front of the column. Only a completed regiment of Siberians in white sheepskin coats was brought to the airfield. When the German column was walking along the highway, low-flying aircraft suddenly appeared in front, as if they were about to land, dropping their speed to the limit, 10-20 meters from the snow surface. Clusters of people in white coats rained down from the planes onto a snow-covered field next to the road. The soldiers got up alive and immediately threw themselves under the caterpillars of tanks with bundles of grenades ... They looked like white ghosts, they were not visible in the snow, and the advance of the tanks was stopped. When a new column of tanks and motorized infantry approached the Germans, there were practically no “white jackets” left. And then a wave of planes again flew in and a new white waterfall of fresh fighters poured from the sky. The German advance was halted and only a few tanks retreated hastily. After it turned out that when falling into the snow, only 12 percent of the landing force died, and the rest entered into an unequal battle. Although all the same it is a terribly wrong tradition to measure victories by the percentage of dead living people. On the other hand, it is difficult to imagine a German, an American, or an Englishman voluntarily and without a parachute jumping on tanks. They wouldn't even think about it.

At the beginning of October 1941, Stavka Supreme High Command I learned about the defeat of three of my fronts in the Moscow direction from messages from the Berlin radio. It's about about the environment near Vyazma.

AND ONE WARRIOR IN THE FIELD

On July 17, 1941 (the first month of the war), Lieutenant of the Wehrmacht Hensfald, who later died near Stalingrad, wrote in his diary: “Sokolnichi, near Krichev. Russian was buried in the evening unknown soldier. He alone, standing at the cannon, shot at a column of our tanks and infantry for a long time. And so he died. Everyone marveled at his bravery." Yes, this warrior was buried by the enemy! With honors ... Later it turned out that it was the gun commander of the 137th rifle division 13th Army Senior Sergeant Nikolai Sirotinin. He was left alone to cover the retreat of his unit. Sirotinin, took an advantageous firing position, from which the highway, a small river and a bridge across it were clearly visible. At dawn on July 17 they appeared german tanks and armored personnel carriers. When the lead tank reached the bridge, a gunshot rang out. With the first shot, Nikolai knocked out a German tank. The second shell hit another, closing the column. There was a traffic jam on the road. The Nazis tried to turn off the highway, but several tanks immediately got stuck in a swamp. And senior sergeant Sirotinin continued to send shells at the target. The enemy brought down the fire of all tanks and machine guns on a lone gun. A second group of tanks approached from the west and also opened fire. Only after 2.5 hours the Germans managed to destroy the cannon, which managed to fire almost 60 shells. At the battlefield, 10 destroyed German tanks and armored personnel carriers were burning down. The Germans got the impression that a full battery was firing at the tanks. And only later did they learn that a single gunner was holding back the column of tanks. Yes, this warrior was buried by the enemy! With honors...

ENGLISH HUMOR

Famous historical fact. The Germans, exposing the supposedly impending landing on the British Isles, placed several fake airfields on the coast of France, on which they "planned" a large number of wooden copies of airplanes. Work on the creation of these very dummies-aircraft was in full swing when one day in broad daylight a lone British plane appeared in the air and dropped a single bomb on the "airfield". She was wooden...! After this "bombardment" the Germans abandoned false airfields.

BEWARE, UNFORMED!

fought on eastern front the Germans completely refute the stereotypes that have developed in our films about the Second World War. As the German veterans of the Second World War remember "UR-R-RA!" they have never heard and do not even suspect the existence of such an attacking cry of Russian soldiers. But the word BL@D they learned excellently. Because it was with such a cry that the Russians rushed into the attack, especially hand-to-hand. And the second word that the Germans often heard from their side of the trenches - “Hey, go ahead, fuck @ m @ t!”, This booming cry meant that now not only infantry but also T-34 tanks would trample on the Germans.

05/08/2017 05/28/2017 by Mnogoto4ka

During the Second World War, trained dogs actively helped sappers to clear mines. One of them, nicknamed Dzhulbars, was discovered when demining areas in European countries in Last year war 7468 mines and more than 150 shells. Shortly before the Victory Parade in Moscow on June 24, Dzhulbars was wounded and could not pass as part of the military dog ​​school. Then Stalin ordered to carry the dog across Red Square on his overcoat.

• In some Hollywood films about World War II, you can see American soldiers of different races fighting side by side. This is not true, since racial segregation in the US Army was only abolished in 1948. Racial division also played a role in the construction of the Pentagon, which took place in 1942 - there were built separate toilets for whites and blacks, and total There were twice as many toilets as needed. True, the signs "for whites" and "for blacks" were never hung thanks to the intervention of President Roosevelt.
• Leonid Gaidai was drafted into the army in 1942 and first served in Mongolia, where he rode horses for the front. Once a military commissar came to the unit to recruit reinforcements for the army in the field. To the officer’s question: “Who is in the artillery?” - Gaidai answered: "I!". He also answered other questions: “Who is in the cavalry?”, “In the fleet?”, “In reconnaissance?”, Which caused discontent of the chief. “Yes, you wait, Gaidai,” said the military commissar, “Let me announce the entire list.” Later, the director adapted this episode for the film "Operation" Y "and other adventures of Shurik."

• In Nazi Germany, Jews were considered people who had at least three grandparents who were Jews. They were deprived of citizenship, the right to occupy government posts and serve in the army. However, if there were only 1 or 2 Jewish grandparents, the person was considered a half-breed and was called the term "mishlinge". Thousands of Mischlings served in the German army as soldiers and officers, some of them were part of the generals. At one time, German newspapers published a picture of an ideal German soldier- a blue-eyed blond in a helmet. This soldier was Werner Goldberg, whose father was Jewish.
• In 1942, the Soviet submarine Shch-421 was blown up by a German anti-submarine mine, losing its course and the ability to dive. So that the ship would not be blown to the shore of the enemy, it was decided to sew a sail and raise it on the periscope. However, it was no longer possible to sail to the base, just as it was not even possible to tow the submarine with the help of other ships. After the advent of the German torpedo boats the crew was evacuated, and the submarine was flooded.

• It is known that in the wars of the 19th century, the First and Second World Wars, many countries used armored trains. However, in addition to this, they tried to fight with the help of individual combat units - armored rubber. They were almost like tanks, but limited in movement only by rails.
• The reports and messages of Levitan during the Great Patriotic War were not recorded. Only in the 1950s was a special recording of them organized for history.
• The French singer Edith Piaf during the occupation period performed in prisoner of war camps in Germany, after which she was photographed for memory with them and German officers. Then, in Paris, the faces of prisoners of war were cut out and pasted into fake documents. Piaf went to the camp for a second visit and secretly carried these passports, with which some prisoners managed to escape.

• In 1944, junior lieutenant Japanese army Onoda Hiro was ordered to lead partisan detachment on the Philippine island of Lubang. Having lost his soldiers in battle, Onoda managed to survive and fled into the jungle. In 1974, Onoda Hiro was found on the same island where he had been partisan until now. Not believing in the end of the war, the lieutenant refused to lay down his arms. And only when the direct commander of Onoda arrived on the island and ordered to surrender, he left the jungle, recognizing the defeat of Japan.
• Nazi Germany banned the adoption Nobel Prize after the 1935 Peace Prize was awarded to the opponent of National Socialism, Karl von Ossietzky. German physicists Max von Laue and James Frank entrusted the custody of their gold medals to Niels Bohr. When the Germans occupied Copenhagen in 1940, the chemist de Hevesy dissolved these medals in aqua regia. After the end of the war, de Hevesy extracted the gold hidden in aqua regia and gave it to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. They made new medals and re-handed them to von Laue and Frank.

• During World War II, the Germans occupied the Netherlands and The Royal Family was evacuated to Canada. There, the current Queen Juliana had a third daughter, Margriet. The chamber in the maternity hospital where the birth took place was declared outside Canadian jurisdiction by a special decree of the Canadian government. This was done so that Princess Margriet could claim the throne of the Netherlands in the future, because having received someone else's citizenship at birth, she would have lost this right. In gratitude to the Canadians, after returning to their homeland, the royal family of the Netherlands sends thousands of tulip bulbs every year to Ottawa, where annual festival tulips.
• In 1942, a German submarine sank a British merchant ship. The sailor of Chinese origin Pun Lim, who served on it, managed to jump overboard in a life jacket, and then found a free raft in the water. The small supplies of water and biscuits on the raft quickly ran out. Sailor drifting on a raft Atlantic Ocean, collected rain water and ate raw fish, which he caught with a makeshift fishing rod, and once he managed to catch a seagull and suck the blood out of it. So he sailed for 133 days until the raft washed up on the Brazilian coast. Lim lost only 9 kg and was immediately able to walk without assistance.
• In 1942, Stalin invited the US ambassador to watch the film "Volga, Volga" with him. Tom liked the film, and Stalin gave President Roosevelt a copy of the film through him. Roosevelt watched the film and did not understand why Stalin sent him. Then he asked to translate the lyrics. When a song dedicated to the Sevryuga steamship sounded: “America gave Russia a steamboat: / Steam from the bow, wheels behind, / Both terrible and terrible, / And terribly quiet running,” he exclaimed: “Now it’s clear! Stalin reproaches us for a quiet move, for the fact that we still have not opened a second front.
• On August 6, 1945, Japanese engineer Tsutomu Yamaguchi was among those in Hiroshima during atomic bombing cities. After spending the night in a bomb shelter, the next day he returned to his hometown, Nagasaki, and was affected by the second atomic explosion. Yamaguchi until the beginning of 2010 remained the last living person officially recognized as a victim of the two mentioned bombings at once.
• As part of Hitler's army there were several compounds made up of Muslims. The most exotic was the ‘Free India’ (‘Freies Indien’) legion, most of whose soldiers were from the Muslim parts of India and the territories of modern Pakistan and Bangladesh, who were captured by the Nazis in North Africa.

• During the years of the Great Patriotic War Saint Isaac's Cathedral has never been subjected to direct shelling - only once a shell hit the western corner of the cathedral. According to the assumptions of the military, the reason is that the Germans used the highest dome of the city as a reference point for shooting. It is not known whether the city leadership was guided by this assumption when they decided to hide valuables from other museums in the basement of the cathedral, which they did not manage to take out before the blockade began. But as a result, both the building and the values ​​were safely preserved.
• When the Allies were preparing to land in Europe, they seriously considered the project of building a fleet of huge aircraft carriers from ice in the face of a shortage of metal. It came to a real prototype - a smaller copy of an aircraft carrier from a frozen mixture of water and sawdust, but such large ships were never built.
• Vitamin A found in carrots is important for healthy skin, growth, and vision. However, there is no direct link between eating carrots and good eyesight. This belief began in World War II. The British have developed a new radar that allows pilots to see German bombers at night. To hide the existence of this technology, the British air force circulated publications in the press that such a vision is the result of the carrot diet of pilots.
• August 6, 1945, when it was dropped on Hiroshima atomic bomb, in the suburbs there was a game of go for one of the most honorable Japanese titles. blast wave knocked out the glass and brought the room into disarray, but the players restored the stones on the board and played the game to the end.
• In both world wars, the Americans used Indians of various tribes as radio operators. The Germans and Japanese, intercepting radio messages, could not decipher them. In World War II, for the same purposes, the Americans used the Basque language, which is very little spoken in Europe, with the exception of the Basque country in northern Spain.

How was camel dung used against German tankers?

While in the North African theater of World War II, German tankers started a tradition of moving heaps of camel dung “for good luck”. Seeing this, the Allies made anti-tank mines disguised as these piles. After several of them worked, the Germans began to avoid untouched manure. Then the allies made mines that looked like heaps of manure with traces of caterpillars that had already run over them.

In 1940, the British, fearing a possible land invasion of the Germans and their multiple superiority in tanks, were looking for everything possible ways resist them. In one of the instructions, the militias were advised to use a hammer or an ax to fight tanks. The fighter should choose an elevation, for example, a tree or the second floor of a building, and wait for an enemy car there, and then jump onto it and start hitting the tower with a hammer. And when the head of a surprised German appears from there, throw a grenade inside the tank.

On July 17, 1975, the docking of the Soviet spaceship Soyuz and the American Apollo. It was planned that at the time of docking, the ships were supposed to fly over Moscow, but the calculations were not entirely correct, and the astronauts shook hands while flying over the Elbe River. It is symbolic that 30 years earlier, a meeting of Soviet and american soldiers, allies in World War II.

landing operation allied forces in Normandy in June 1944 was prepared in strict secrecy. Shortly before her, British intelligence was greatly puzzled by crossword puzzles in the Telegraph newspaper, in which the code words of the operation appeared every now and then. Among them were Utah and Omaha - code names the beaches where the landing was planned, as well as Mulberry, Neptune and even Overlord - the code name for the entire operation. The crossword editor during interrogation stated that these were ordinary words, and their choice was not dictated by any special circumstances. Later it turned out that the editor was part-time teacher and often asked his students what words they would like to include in the crossword puzzle, and the boys heard these five words in the conversations of American soldiers stationed near the school.

In August 1943, American and Canadian troops conducted Operation Cottage to liberate the Japanese-occupied island of Kiska in pacific ocean. Intelligence reported that the Japanese garrison on the island could be up to 10,000 people, but the Americans did not know that the entire garrison had been evacuated under cover of fog two weeks before the start of the operation. More than 8,000 participated in the landing Marines who, after nine days of exploring the island, were convinced that it was empty. Despite the lack of resistance, the loss of Americans and Canadians amounted to more than 300 people - most of became victims of friendly fire, the rest were blown up by mines.

Nazi Germany spent large resources on the development and production of the world's first ballistic missiles long range V-2, but their combat effectiveness was very weak. The rocket factories widely used the labor of concentration camp prisoners in difficult conditions, and it was found that more people died in the production of V-2 rockets than from bombing with these weapons.

Aircraft carriers are not only surface ships. There were projects of submarine aircraft carriers, the Japanese were especially successful in their creation during the Second World War - the aircraft took off from the surface position of the vessel. It was from one of these submarines that the Japanese carried out the only bombing of the continental United States during the war. Another unusual type- this is an aircraft carrier, that is, an aircraft carrying other aircraft. They were used in the First World War by the Germans, in the Second World War - by the Soviet and Japanese troops(in the latter, carried aircraft were delivered to the target by kamikaze). In addition, the Americans had two aircraft-carrying airships in the 1930s. Aircraft carriers have lost relevance as refueling aircraft have developed.

During World War II, German sailors carried a cat aboard the battleship Bismarck. The battleship was scuttled by the British squadron 9 days after going to sea, only 115 of the 2200 crew members were saved. The cat was picked up English sailors and took on board the destroyer "Cossack", which was torpedoed after 5 months German submarine and sank. Subsequently, the cat, nicknamed Unsinkable Sam, transferred to the aircraft carrier Ark Royal, which also sank. Only after that they decided to leave Sam on the shore, and he himself lived until 1955.

1. A good illustration of the hysteria about the equal responsibility of the USSR and Germany for WWII. But the independence of Austria was guaranteed by the League of Nations and directly by England and France under the Stresa agreements. And so they merge Austria with Germany, strengthening it and pushing it to subsequent aggressive actions.
Well done Mexico!
2. Well, only the author of the post did not know about this Japanese.
3. yeah, 80 percent. Do you want 96?
4. Is this a fact about the war or about track record citizens of Elizabeth?
5. Well, all non-Jews know about this too.
6. This is exactly what all the Jews have forgotten.
7. Few people really know about this. Because the "defense of Vizna" in the form in which it is presented in today's Poland is a propaganda cranberry.
And the real defense lasted only a day and a little (from the morning of September 9 to noon 10) - the order to expand the breakthrough zone east of Lomza was transmitted only on the morning of September 9th.
And the defenders of Vizna did not really fight with the whole 19th army corps of Guderian (two of his three divisions - the 3rd tank and the 20th motorized divisions) were generally on the sidelines - and they began to advance already in the morning of the 10th.

And the advancing units - two motorized infantry battalions of the 10th tank and a battalion of the Letzen brigade were, in fact, freshly formed units, moreover, understaffed, which especially affected artillery support. The Germans had it frankly miserable against pillboxes - a total division of light 105-mm howitzers (according to the state tank division relied on an artillery regiment of three divisions of such howitzers).

Well, and, finally, by the evening of September 10, all three divisions of Guderian's corus had advanced 30-35 kilometers from the Vizna line, i.e. the real delay was no more than a day (and then rather it was associated with the need to force Nareva)
8. Yeah. Authors!, don’t project your ignorance of elementary history onto your audience, please!
9. Also not the first news about this lucky guy.
10. This is the most important thing to know about World War II. What self-sacrifice! Accept a plaster Oscar! Maybe the authors will also be able to name a couple of names of the plaster Oscar winners? Without looking at the wiki?
11. At the same time, Germany had its own night vision devices. So if anyone was misled by the British conspirators, it was their gullible population.
12. Well, this is certainly interesting, but after reading the essay on the book "The Riddle of Japanese Power", I am not surprised at this. After it is stated there that the Japanese fleet attacked Pearl Harbor without much agreement with the government and other emperors ... This is a fact about the Second World War - all the facts are a fact, and I give my hand to cutting off, the authors did not hear about it.
13. Well, that's all the snakes buzzed. And how many children of the Slavs were killed? Gypsy? It is not at all clear what is the second World War if only Jews were killed.
14. What finally moved the beginning of World War II at the time of the issuance of an ultimatum by Germany and its friends - England, France, Poland to the Czechoslovak Republic? And then everything is "the first of September, the first of September ..."
15. see the last sentence of paragraph 13
16. Well, at least someone in Western Europe resisted Hitler.
They handed over the country, the capital, handed over the notorious Jews, but the elevator to the tower was broken. What a national disgrace it would be if he went up in an elevator over Paris. Now, if on foot ... Maybe they also shot a thread of a heroic mechanic there?
17. Who would doubt that the Pindos first throw satellites into hell.

The Second World War is told in high school in history lessons. Everyone knows about the tyranny of Hitler, the Holocaust, the attack on Pearl Harbor. But there are also such facts about the war, which are known only to those who are seriously engaged in the study of the history of this period.

1. The German army was significantly inferior in size to the French army

Damaged German tanks in North Africa

Many believe that the German army in 1940 significantly outnumbered and outgunned the enemy. Although, it would seem, the German armed forces were very modern and mechanized, in terms of numbers German army outnumbered by the French army.

When the Germans attacked France on May 10, 1940, they only had mechanized transport in 16 out of 135 divisions. The rest used horses, wagons, and even moved on foot. France had 117 divisions, and all of them were ready for modern war. France also had more artillery pieces (more than 10,700 versus Germany's 7,378). And that's not to mention more French tanks.

2. Britain had almost no infantry

British Spitfire

The British armed forces were mostly concentrated in the air and maritime units. But after the fall of France, it turned out that the British needed more infantry. However, until the spring of 1944, most of the British armed forces were still concentrated in navy and aviation. Although the UK never had more than 750 infantrymen at one time, the country built as many as 132,500 aircraft.

3. Losses of allied ships amounted to about one percent

Aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal and flight Swordfish

The number of Allied ships during World War II was approximately 323,090 ships. Of these, about 4,786 ships were sunk, 2,562 of which were British. Thus, the loss of allies between the North Atlantic, the Arctic and inland waters accounted for 1.48% of the fleet. This number seems all the more surprising given the number of casualties on other sectors of the front.

4. There was no famine in England

Line for rations, London, 1945

After the outbreak of the war in England and France there was no food rationing, in contrast to Germany. Germany, on the other hand, was constantly faced with hunger throughout the war, not only civilians, but also the armed forces. Therefore, when the Germans defeated France in June 1940, they began to export food from the occupied territories, which led to famine and food rationing in many parts of France. In 1940, rationing began in Great Britain as well, but the British never really starved like people in other countries.

5 The Japanese Had Kamikaze Rockets

Yokosuka MXY-7 Ohka.

Not only the Germans had rockets. The Japanese also had their own human-guided rockets. They were called Ohka, which translates as "cherry blossom". The Japanese military had less advanced technology than the US or Britain, so they used kamikazes. Although such missiles managed to sink several Allied ships, this was all.

6 Forgotten British Marshal

Campaign in North Africa, 1940-1943

Field Marshal Alexander (fhjkml) was one of the main figures in the war, often personally leading troops. He was a combat commander during the First World War, commanded troops in Nowshera in 1930, in France in 1940 and even in Burma in 1942. Today about he is hardly remembered, but his successes were simply amazing.

7. The Luftwaffe had high requirements for pilots.

German aces were more likely to win

The Allied and German fighter aces had a very different number of downed aircraft. The German Luftwaffe had much higher requirements for pilots. The German pilots had much more flying time. In this regard, the German aces had a much better chance of achieving more high results than their counterparts. While the leading aces of the Luftwaffe shot down more than 350 opponents, the best allied fighter ace shot down only 38 aircraft.

8 The Luftwaffe Had The Best Planes

He 112 in flight

The Luftwaffe had the development of the most modern aircraft for that time, but they were not put into service. Messerschmidt's main aircraft was the Bf109 fighter, while rival Heinkel had its own version of the fighter, the He112 all-metal monoplane. Both aircraft were fast, reaching speeds of over 560 km/h mph, and their climb speed was excellent. However, the He112 could reach a height of 6 km in just 10 minutes and had an unparalleled flight range of up to 1150 km.

However, because Heinkel allegedly had Jewish connections, the Heinkel fighters were not put into mass production.

9. The famous Parsons jacket

Soldiers in jackets

The most widely known tunic, the Parsons, which was used by the U.S. field army, became the standard attire for the army. It gained its popularity due to its combination of comfort and durability, unlike other types of uniforms that were offered at the time. The simple short jacket was perfect for all seasons.

10. Germany had very little technology

German horses stuck in the mud