patrick.net

It makes him eminently qualified for CNN. No wonder they gave him the award.

there's a pretty good film with exactly this plot called "Shattered Glass"

Relotius lied about every aspect of Minnesota town:

That the Town Administrator was an Incel who carried a 9mm Barretta and rooted for the New England Patriots and has never seen the Ocean(every one of these is completely false: He's 27, has a fiance, doesn't own a Barretta, and is not a Pats Fan at all.)
That the local UPS Driver who also owned a Fitness Center, was a Coal Plant Worker. There is no Coal Plant, and the Driver never worked for one.
That the local Mexican Restaurant Owner's kid was the High School Victim of Racism (Never even talked to the Owner, Kid was in 2nd year of College, Kid is very popular in town)

https://medium.com/@micheleanderson/der-spiegel-journalist-messed-with-the-wrong-small-town-d92f3e0e01a7

But, Relotius confirmed every suspicion of a rural town that Leftists hold, so it was "Truthiness"

Der Spiegel is a rag and the people working there hate us. Fuck them all.

The Germans never can get over that despite their superiority to feeble, stupid, undisciplined classless Americans we kicked their ass in WWII.

clambo says

The Germans never can get over that despite their superiority to feeble, stupid, undisciplined classless Americans we kicked their ass in WWII.

I wonder how it would have gone if we’d had to fight them alone and without them having exhausted themselves in an epic overreach. Also their leader was clearly losing it by that point.

Germans are smart and tough and driven and pragmatic as well as being hard workers. You can’t beat that combination for nation building. There’s a reason they basically own the EU even though they have only had their country all the way back for 29 years.

Update: Relotius not only invented "Syrian Kids" who probably don't exist, but he directed donations to his own bank account. Has been referred for criminal prosecution to German Authorities.

https://www.france24.com/en/20181223-spiegel-file-criminal-complaint-against-cheating-reporter

Fake News and Social Justice IS Profitable

clambo says

Der Spiegel is a rag and the people working there hate us. Fuck them all.

The Germans never can get over that despite their superiority to feeble, stupid, undisciplined classless Americans we kicked their ass in WWII.

The Germans were defeated by the Red Army in WWII. I hate the whole concept of the Soviets, but let us give them their due. The Germans were defeated by a Soviet army that after a major retreat, took three years on a holding position, then counter attacked with 360 divisions including 105,000 T-34 tanks. (the Germans used 190 divisions in their initial invasion of Russia). The US defeated Japan, but were really only a bit player in Europe compare to the Eastern Front.

TwoScoopsOfSpaceForce says

Update: Relotius not only invented "Syrian Kids" who probably don't exist, but he directed donations to his own bank account. Has been referred for criminal prosecution to German Authorities.

Awe look here Mr. SJW Man, I'm sorry we had to bust up your scam and all. But you was messin with the USA and Donald Trump... You Dig?

HeadSet says

The Germans were defeated by the Red Army in WWII. I hate the whole concept of the Soviets, but let us give them their due. The Germans were defeated by a Soviet army that after a major retreat, took three years on a holding position, then counter attacked with 360 divisions including 105,000 T-34 tanks. (the Germans used 190 divisions in their initial invasion of Russia). The US defeated Japan, but were really only a bit player in Europe compare to the Eastern Front.

I recall that about 80% of German military deaths were on East front, and only about 20% on Western front/Africa/Italy. However, US and Britain did supply Soviets with vast amounts of raw materials (rubber, metals, gunpowder) and armaments, without which Soviets would have probably lost the war. Also, German industrial centers were reduced to rubble by British and American bombing.

HeadSet says

clambo says

Der Spiegel is a rag and the people working there hate us. Fuck them all.

The Germans never can get over that despite their superiority to feeble, stupid, undisciplined classless Americans we kicked their ass in WWII.

The Germans were defeated by the Red Army in WWII. I hate the whole concept of the Soviets, but let us give them their due. The Germans were defeated by a Soviet army that after a major retreat, took three years on a holding position, then counter attacked with 360 divisions including 105,000 T-34 tanks. (the Germans used 190 divisions in their initial invasion of Russia). The US defeated Japan, but were really only a bit player in Europe compare to the Eastern Front.

Without lend lease, raw materials, and US Army Airforce destruction of German factories they could have broken the USSR.

d6rB says

Also, German industrial centers were reduced to rubble by British and American bombing.

Agreed with everything but this. Bombing was a joke, the 1943 attacks by the "Invulnerable Bomber Boxes" had to be called off because of 1% Daily Op Losses. The secret to knocking out a flying fortress was to go straight at 'em, the early models had no forward firing guns and lots of glass up front. And flak. Too high and all the bombs missed, too low and torn to threads by AAA.

What slowed down German industry was increasing lack of access to resources, and interdiction of roads and rails by single and twin engine bombers flying from France, not heavy bombers taking off from the UK.

Like when the Germans bombed the UK, factories we bombed were usually back in full swing in 48 hours. The Germans hit the Southhampton Spitfire factory, swore in after action recons it was 100% destroyed, it was producing Spitfires again within 24 hours.

Only the massive firebombing of cities really did any serious national-level industrial damage, along with the civilian population being incinerated.

Strategic Bombing didn't work, but the USAAF had the highest casualty rate of any Allied Force. Strategic Bombing never works, WW2 or Vietnam.

US and Britain did supply Soviets with vast amounts of raw materials (rubber, metals, gunpowder) and armaments, without which Soviets would have probably lost the war.

This lend/lease only amounted to about 2% of the Soviet war material.

Also, German industrial centers were reduced to rubble by British and American bombing.

Soviet industrial centers were lost altogether. Those T-34 tanks I mentioned were built in open air factories.

The big help to the Soviets was the Studebaker. That allowed them to supply their offensive campaigns.

They also loved the P-39 Airacobra because it had a tank busting 37mm gun.

Lend-lease definitely helped, but wasn't the key component the West wants to believe, nor was it as negligible as Russians argue. Truth is somewhere in the middle.

HeadSet says

This lend/lease only amounted to about 2% of the Soviet war material.

Some statistics on Lend-Lease to the USSR. Delivered: Over 400,000 trucks, more than half of which were medium and heavy trucks, Soviets themselves produced a fraction of those; 60% of the Soviet wheeled vehicles in 1945 were Lend-Lease trucks. 22,800 armored vehicles (tanks, half tracks, etc.) delivered, including more than 12,000 tanks. 40% of these arrived in 1941 when the USSR most needed them, and as far as I know Soviets produced a little more than 100K tanks during war.

Delivered also: 11,000 freight cars and 540,000 tons of rail; 14,798 aircraft; 4,111 20mm and 40mm AA guns; 434,000 trucks; 28,000 jeeps ;5,500 artillery tractors ;330,000 field telephones; 2,670,000 tons of petroleum products including 476,000 tons of aviation fuel; 1,045 locomotives; 8,260 wagons; 1,200,000 tons of steel.
Soviet explosive production - 600,000 tons explosives, obtained via LL - 317,000 tons.
Soviet toluene (key ingredient in TNT) production - 116,000 tons, Toluene via LL - 103,000 tons.
Increasing Soviet explosives production by roughly 40% is extremely significant. Artillery, tanks, aircraft etc are useless without sufficient explosives. About 8,000 armored vehicles arriving in 1941 made a huge difference at a critical moment.
Seems pretty obvious that the USSR could not have sustained their military effort in 1941 and 1942 without Lend-Lease. I am not saying that West won the war, but it is fairly clear that without Western help Adolf might have defeated USSR.

TwoScoopsOfSpaceForce says

Only the massive firebombing of cities really did any serious national-level industrial damage, along with the civilian population being incinerated.

That helps a lot - someone has to work in factories. Lubeck was incinerated as early as 1942.

HeadSet says

Soviet industrial centers were lost altogether. Those T-34 tanks I mentioned were built in open air factories.

In Stalingrad, the T-34s rolled out the back of the Red Oktobr Factory while Soviet Troops and Militia were shooting at the Wehrmacht from the front windows.

d6rB says

About 8,000 armored vehicles arriving in 1941 made a huge difference at a critical moment.

Most of this was obsolete pre-1939 British Tanks, totally undergunned, slow, rivet armored, and mechanically faulty like the early Cruisers and even a few Vickers Mk II, mostly with machine guns or a wayyyy too light 3 pounder gun. It says something that the British, who themselves had very few tanks after Dunkirk, gave these to the Soviets. What really saved the Soviets were the endless pockets of resistance and the constant counter attacks, plus their own shitty infrastructure, which did a job on German Vehicles. Winter took care of some more. Hitler didn't give the go-ahead for all out 3-shift production until 42-43.

However, they helped a little. But the T-34 was THE Tank of WW2, Fast, adequately gunned, and strong frontal armor. Easy to build, very reliable, too. Whereas the Sherman was nicknamed the Ronzon, after the lighter. One hit from anything over 40mm from any angle and poof! up in smoke. The original 75mm gun was also inadequate.

German tanks were great, but like any German Vehicle, you had to take it half apart just to get at basic repairs. As a result, many more were lost than should have been, particularly once the Germans were on the Defensive and had fewer windows of opportunity to recover damaged vehicles.

The wonder weapon of the eastern front was the Katyusha rocket, mounted on Studebaker trucks. After the War, Stalin's "Ministry of Truth" confiscated from circulation all pics of the Katyushas mounted on Studebakers and had photographers create new photos of them mounted on Soviet Trucks.

TwoScoopsOfSpaceForce says

It says something that the British, who themselves had very few tanks after Dunkirk, gave these to the Soviets.

Yep. Churchill was not stupid -- he understood that if Soviets were defeated, he has little chance against Germans. Also, Germans in 1941 had no heavy tanks themselves and very few medium tanks - Pz I-III were not too different from supplied British tanks.

Overall probably YUUGE raw material supplies were more important than tanks in Lend-lease.

Total German WW2 Tank production was pretty low, just shy of 50,000. Russian production was at least double.

Churchill was not stupid -- he understood that if Soviets were defeated, he has little chance against Germans.

Do remember though, that the Battle of Britain was over before Hitler invaded the USSR. But I will agree that there is no way Britain and the USA could have invaded Europe had Hitler not been busy in the East.

FAKE NEWS BUSTED!!!! HAHAHAHAHA!!!!! TOO FUNNY!!!!!

TRUMP WAS RIGHT!!!!!