Grog Q - Did Hitler's "Stand Fast" Order...

[fluidwill]

...really save his army in Russia during the winter of 1941?

Its often trotted out as the trigger for further stand fast orders in the remainder of the war as it prevented the retreat turning into a rout but was it the stand fast order or the small unit cohesion of the German forces that saved the day?


Opinions?

[Ricky B]

I don't think the Germans truly "stood fast", as there was plenty of retreating that first winter. So I think there were a lot of factors that played a role, and the order may have stiffened some defenses up, but I don't believe it directly did anything except limit the extent of the retreats.

Rick