Prior to World War 2 many developments in technology occured which made World War 2 the first "modern" war. Planes zoomed through the skies at speeds reaching 600 mph - tanks and armoured transport carried forth the banner of many militaries and massive aircraft carriers sailed the oceans bringing with them a new era in naval warfare. But what would these massive leaps in military might achieve without the infantry? Nothing.
Infantry is the oldest military "machine" from cavemen beating each other with clubs to, well whatever the future may hold. Infantry is the one arm that cannot and will not be replaced. It can be modernised changing from march to motorised infantry but the man with the club, spear, sword, pike, musket, rifle or assault rifle will always be the man raising the flag above a captured position.
So, in World War 2, who had the supreme infantry formations? Individual natural talent does exist among soldiers but which nation trained their infantry to a point of excellence beyond all others? Which infantry formations inside the nations were the best? Who was the best at what?
Personally, I believe the German infantry to be the best. I have read a lot about their training and their combat actions which lead me to believe they were the supreme combat troops. For anyone who has seen Band of Brothers - imagine the combat prowess of Easy Company in almost every company of the Army, and you've just about got what the Wehrmacht had. The Germans gave better than what they received during World War 2 in terms of losses - with little over 4 million deaths on all fronts. When in equal numbers no Soviet, British or American force on battalion level could hope to defeat the German force.
However the Wehrmacht did have something missing by late 1944 - men. Germany had suffered massively during the war and lost many of it's experienced veterans and able bodied men. So, by the time the Red Army reached Berlin they were fighting old men of the People's Guard or young children of the Hitler Youth - hardly the experienced, well-trained and combat capable men of the yesteryear. Imagine a Berlin defended by the élite infantry that stormed across Poland, France and the Lowlands and Russia in 1939-1941...
...you could count on the Soviet losses being much-much higher.
Infantry is the oldest military "machine" from cavemen beating each other with clubs to, well whatever the future may hold. Infantry is the one arm that cannot and will not be replaced. It can be modernised changing from march to motorised infantry but the man with the club, spear, sword, pike, musket, rifle or assault rifle will always be the man raising the flag above a captured position.
So, in World War 2, who had the supreme infantry formations? Individual natural talent does exist among soldiers but which nation trained their infantry to a point of excellence beyond all others? Which infantry formations inside the nations were the best? Who was the best at what?
Personally, I believe the German infantry to be the best. I have read a lot about their training and their combat actions which lead me to believe they were the supreme combat troops. For anyone who has seen Band of Brothers - imagine the combat prowess of Easy Company in almost every company of the Army, and you've just about got what the Wehrmacht had. The Germans gave better than what they received during World War 2 in terms of losses - with little over 4 million deaths on all fronts. When in equal numbers no Soviet, British or American force on battalion level could hope to defeat the German force.
However the Wehrmacht did have something missing by late 1944 - men. Germany had suffered massively during the war and lost many of it's experienced veterans and able bodied men. So, by the time the Red Army reached Berlin they were fighting old men of the People's Guard or young children of the Hitler Youth - hardly the experienced, well-trained and combat capable men of the yesteryear. Imagine a Berlin defended by the élite infantry that stormed across Poland, France and the Lowlands and Russia in 1939-1941...
...you could count on the Soviet losses being much-much higher.