Difference in Gods involvement between WWI & WWII

[LDSVALLEY]

I am a big history buff especially military history. I saw a pattern over the last few years as my gospel knowledge grew, I've mentioned it to a couple of members but we've never gotten heavily into it.

During World War One the war was about two powerful groups of countries who wanted to fight. They went to war happily. As time went on other countries joined in. The Allies won in the end but it was close and the war could have gone either way. In all the reading I have done I can't point to any battles and say it was only by luck that this side one or that. Both sides made mistakes and lost opportunities. It was not a good vs evil war.

During World War Two however, a different pattern appears. It was more defined Good vs Evil. And the evil side missed dozens of opportunities to win.

Germany went to war 5 years earlier then they were supposed to.

Germany could have had the ME262 jet fighter by 1943 but passed on it.

Germany could have had the HE219 fighter in 1941 or 42 and was the equal of the Mosquito.

Germany should have wiped Britain out at Dunkurque but they stopped. First for a vital 24 hours that allowed the Allies to create a defense perimeter and then removed the panzers which were breaking through the defenses.

During the battle of Britain the German Airforce was a couple of weeks away from destroying the RAF radar net when they switched to the fighter fields. They were within three weeks of gaining air control over southern Britain when they switched to attacking London.

Germany was set to attack the Soviet Union six weeks earlier then it did. They missed capturing Moscow, the industrial, transportation, political hub of the Soviet Union by two weeks.

From 1940-1941 German army was not fighting but didn't use the time to even replace the losses from 1939.

The industrial leaders were prepared to increase military production 300% in 1940 the German military told them no thanks.

Japan ignored the submarine pens and fuel storage at Pearl Harbour.

Japan and Germany failed to create 2nd generations of aircraft for war.

During battles time after time the Allies would find a tiny loop hole that allowed them to win. roads left uncovered, Italian and German airforces backing off just before destroying Malta or convoys. U-boats changing battle areas just before breaking the allied convoys (twice). That little bit of extra luck always seemed to be around when it was needed.

I could go on and on with examples (some of you are thinking I already am!)

My point is that I can see no real pattern of involvement of God in the first war but the second which was clearly good and evil has, in my opinion, his hand in it very often.

Does anyone else see this or what?

[Moksha]

Is this confirmed by the I-Ching?

[dazed-and-confused]

Good for you, LDSVALLEY. I had noticed certain things just from a general knowledge of WWII, but you seem to have gotten into it deeper.

[LDSVALLEY]

Is this confirmed by the I-Ching?

??????????????????

Is what confirmed by the I-Ching? What does ancient Chinese texts have to do with this?

You lost me.

[LDSVALLEY]

Is this confirmed by the I-Ching?

??????????????????

Is what confirmed by the I-Ching? What does ancient Chinese texts have to do with this?

You lost me.

[volgadon]

What I find interesting about the German jet fighters is that Hitler was invited to a test-run, but the landing-gear malfunctioned mysteriously, which did not please Hitler, to put it mildly. He nearly scratched the project.

I do see the Lord's hand in WWI, especially in the eastern theatres.

The hold of the russian Orthodox Church on the people was broken, Israel was put on the path to independance and the massacre of the Armenians was shortened.

Edited July 12, 2009 by volgadon

[aspenmgy]

From my limited knowledge of WWII I have noticed many "close calls".

Great post.

[Just_A_Guy]

I wonder if part of the reason isn't because, as Americans, we tend to read American-produced war accounts; which will demonstrate a preference for American sources; and American involvement in WW2 was four times as long as American involvement in WW1?

[pam]

I just had to correct the spelling in the title of the thread. I couldn't sleep last night it was bothering me so bad.

[LDSVALLEY]

I wonder if part of the reason isn't because, as Americans, we tend to read American-produced war accounts; which will demonstrate a preference for American sources; and American involvement in WW2 was four times as long as American involvement in WW1?

If it helps I am not American I am Canadian. And for Canada World War One was the defining time in our countries history. It was then that we became a country on the world stage and not in the shadow of Britain.

In my 30+ years of studying military history and comparing those two wars I can see a pattern clearly.

During World War One both sides were very evenly matched. The war could have been one by either side and nearly was. No one side really got an advantage until the United States was able to provide millions of fresh if inexperienced troops. Even then Germany was not so much beaten as worn down, they knew they could not win so they gave up.

There were events that maybe had Gods hand in it or maybe was just poor planning. But I can't say I found any thing to suggest a constant and regular unseen hand that kept the balance tipped against one side.

World War Two was nothing but. Germany prides itself on its military abilities, they have produced some of the most outstanding military leaders through the centuries. If you study the military leadership of the Nazi era you will find some of the sharpest military leaders of that time. Yet they and the political leadership, constantly screwed up. The greatest military leaders from ancient times to the present preach maximize your forces and attack and attack and attack until the enemy is beaten. Yet Germany, Italy and Japan all diluted, scattered, and constantly shifted focus.

Even when things were pointed out to them, they chose tactics that would have gotten a cadet kicked out of command school. The allies did some very dumb moves as well yet something most often still broke for them.

The invasion of the Soviet Union provides one example. The Russians had planes lined up in neat rows without fuel or ammo an board and within range of the border. They knew Germany had recorded the location of supply depots etc yet did nothing to move them etc. The attack started in June 1941 by December they were just outside Moscow and manged to hold the line. But with what? Russia lost 2.5 million soldiers in those 6 months. Tens of thousands of tanks, artillery, fighters, bombers, millions of guns and thousands of miles of territory.

Just as the battle was about to start in May 1941 Yugoslavia overthrew the pro German government. And in spite the fact that there was no chance for them to scratch Germany Hitler postponed Russia for 6 weeks to take out Yugoslavia and Greece. In 1940 the army said they didn't have enough tank divisions to attack the soviets. The production people said they could heavily increase the production of tanks. Instead the Military simply split the amount of tanks per division in two to double the number. Which of course made them seem stronger but did nothing to increase their strength. By 1941 the airforce and army had not even made up for the loses they had from 1940 and yet were going to split forces to attack a huge country on the opposite side of their current enemy. Hitler had actually ordered an upgunning of the German tanks which was not done. The peoples of the Ukraine, Georgia and other groups looked at the Germans as liberators and wanted to help defeat the Soviets and the German SS turned them into bitter enemies.

Germany was driving deep for Moscow and having destroyed most of the Soviet field armies between them and the city had no problem in reaching it. At that point German leaders halted the tank spearheads and split them up sending them sideways to the north and south instead of toward Moscow. Two weeks later they changed their minds and sent them back to the center again. The hundreds of extra miles of wear on the German tanks cost thousands of available tanks. The four week delay caused them to never reach Moscow.

This was one campain but it applies to others. The Battle of the Atlantic, Battle of Britain, Midway, Malta, North Africa, India, Burma, China, Guadalcanal, on and on it goes.