THE FIGHTING SPIRIT OF THE GERMAN SOLDIER
The War was lost for Germany once it became a War of attrition with the Soviet Union and America--a war with which Germany with its more limited resources could not win. It was the spirit and ability of the German soldier that enabled Germany to continue the War. German veterans complain that in American movies that the Germans are commonly portrayed as stupid. The German soldiers were never stupid. They were highly competent and professional. The Germans were outnumbered and over powered, not defeated through superior battlefield tactics. The strategic decisions that brought defeat were imposed by the political leadership--the German Fuhrer Adolf Hitler. The German soldier continued fighting even against staggering odds. One reason was that after 1942 they were fighting to protect Germany. Many believed in the NAZI cause. Many also realized what Germany had done in the occupied countries and fully expected the Allies to do the same when they reached the borders of the Reich. Another factor was the bond developed in the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS, Luftwaffe, and Kriegsmarine among individual soldiers, airmen, and sailors. Given the odds, the German servicemen knew that their only chance of surviving was to depend on their comrades. There was a community esprit de corps that was more typical of elite formations in the Allied armies. This was a spirit that had been inculcated in the Hitler Youth. Most German soldiers under 28 had been Hitler Youth boys. German soldiers were convince they had a duty to Germany and each other. This in itself ws not unique, but the strength of the bond was the a key factor in the ability of Hitler and the Nazis to continue a dogged resistance in 1944 and early 1945. They fought more for each other than their Fuhrer.
Street fighting on the streets of Nemiroff, UkraineNAZIS AND THE WEHRAMCHT
In simple terms the difference between ordinary soldiers and Nazi's was that Nazi's were party members, people who were often fanatically loyal to Hitler. Ordinary soldiers who belonged to the German army during the Second World War may have been loyal to their officers and the Fuhrer, but not all of them were members of the Nazi party. This led to some rather interesting situations towards the end of the war. As the regime crumbled under the weight of defending itself on two fronts, control of the defense of the nation was wrestled between Hitler and those generals who were loyal to him, which included members of the SS and Gestapo, and Generals who simply wanted to avoid mass casualties in a tactically difficult position.
Source
These German para-troopers have landed into a soup, as they are cornered. Russian front.NAZIS AND THE WEHRMACHT
Many of the German officers in charge of the Army were from the German aristocracy and forged a different path to military service compared to the politically aligned SS. Resentment often arose between the groups due to the nature of the SS's unwillingness to surrender and desire to fight to the death regardless of circumstance. Antony Beever's work Berlin, which examines the fall of the German regime, highlights several incidents in which fanatical SS officers would shoot deserters from their own ranks and most definitely ordinary soldiers who retreated from the invading Russians.
Russia. A German soldier walks over to inspect a destroyed Soviet tank
Rudolf Vittsig - the legend of the German Airborne. Hero of the storming of the Belgian fort Eben-Emal, considered impregnable. Fort garrison with 1200 people and numerous artillery was suddenly attacked by 10 May 1940. The Germans landed into the fort by hang-gliders and took it over. German losses - 6 dead and 15 wounded out of the 85 soldiers and officers involved in the operation.
Wehrmacht men prepare dinner in Russia
The Germans are in a tight corner as Russian shelling makes life difficult for them
A gripping image of the war. Location: Somewhere in Russia. Russian soldiers wait as German soldiers and tanks approach them.
This is what remained of the German army after the battle for Moscow failed 
The first day of Operation Barbarossa. German soldiers enter the Polish town of Przemysl, which was occupied then by the Russians. The city was occupied by German troops on June 22, but the next morning was liberated by the Red Army and border guards and held until 27 June.
German soldiers in winter clothing in Russia in 1942. They were better clothed in the second year of the war in Russia.
This Soviet POW seems eager to tell all that he knows.RELATED....
Men of the Wehrmacht: German soldiers during WW2: Part 1
Wehramcht: Part 3
Wehrmacht: Part 4
