POINTS OF DIFFERENCE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 27 July 1943, Page 2

POINTS OF DIFFERENCE

BETWEEN BRITISH & AXIS SOLDIERS . STATED BY MONTGOMERY. BATTLE-WINNING FACTORS. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, July 2a. “The chief difference between the British and German soldiers is that the German laughs at other people s misfortunes, while the Briton laughs at his own." said General Montgomery. Commander of the Eighth Army, in a speech. “The German cannot stand up to really heavy and concentrated artillery fire, combined with air bombing, and that is the way we can do him in.” "The German is inclined to become a little stupid through over-indulgence in 'sun-bathing: he is not the strong, robust man that people think. The sick rate among Germans is always far higher than in the Eighth Army; he has suffered a great deal of rheumatism and is nothing like as fit as the average British soldier. “Of all soldiers of any nation fighting in this great war on any front none can beat the fighting man of the British Empire. The British soldiers respond to leadership very easily. Why the fighting man of the British Empire is easily the best soldier is because we have the best corps of officers in any army in the world. The German officer does not look upon his men as the British officers do. Theie have been several cases of many Italian officers being captured in their pyjamas. In a battle you would never find a British officer in his pyjamas. "A big battle-winning factor is the morale and the side whose troops possess the higher morale will win, other things being equal. I will say this for the British soldier: you. can work him up to a high pitch of' enthusiasm in battle, and I think that of all types in the Eighth Army one of the first to work up to the greatest pitch of enthusiasm is the Scottish soldier of the Highland Division. “The morale of the soldiers of the Eighth Army is quite amazing. It is so terrific as to be almost dangerous. They look upon themselves as an invincible army that can do nothing wrong.”