Did the German High Command believe that Operation Wacht Am Rhein (the Ardennes Offensive) would succeed, despite the human resources and materiel being needed elsewhere?
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There are few people around these forums, so I’ll throw in my two cents for the heck of it.
By that point in the war, I believe German officers, even senior ones, would be punished if they did not display the required level of “fanaticism” towards their leader and the war. Senior officers could be fired and replaced, but junior officers could face summary judgement and execution. On a personal level, I don’t think many of them believed they could win the war; but many still believed they could get a negotiated settlement.