How did the German Army manage to keep itself from disintegrated towards the last days of war in WW2?

Question

Particularly after Stalingrad till the last few months of 1944?

Answer 1

They were, like the Japanese, totally fanatical. They really believed in what they were fighting for, and many thought Hitler was the next thing to God, right up until the end. Plus, they were still angry about their defeat in WW I , and the humiliation and suffering they had to endure under the Treaty of Versailles, during the worldwide Depression. Many Germans believed that France started WW I, and that the Depression was caused by Capitalism, mainly the Jews, and Americans. Plus, many of the Soldiers were taking some really powerful Drugs, like Crystal Methedrine, among other things. Plus, they thought they had the Technological edge, with the V I and V II Missiles, and the ME 262 Jet Fighter, plus the promised Atom Bomb. Look, I don't agree with any of their insane Logic. But, I think that's what kept them going, right on up to May 1945.

Answer 2

Why should it disintegrate then? It was still a large and disciplined force.
It is true that at a superficially similar point in World War I, ie in 1918, the German Army disintegrated, and the Allies were hoping for a similar event, but they overlooked the strength of the German economy and the hold Hitler had on the population and the army, which got even tighter after the 1944 bomb plot.

Answer 3

After Stalingrad, the German Army still had enough strength to launch the major battles of Kursk and Kharkov. There was no disintergration. In fact, at the 3rd Battle of Kharkov, Hausser's II SS Panzer Corps beat a Red Army 7 times its size and stabilized a sagging front after Stalingrad. The results of the Kursk catastrophe spelled the end to the German's strategic initiative, however, as the flower of the Waffen SS Panzer divisions were decimated. Of course the last gamble on the Western front threw away the last reserves that could've slowed the Red Army tide in the East. Then, in the first 3-4 months of '45, the German Army did disintergrate. Division organization was lost and small fighting units were named after their commanders..."Combat Group...such and such." Tigers rolled into battle right off the production line. Hitler, in his delireum, however, still had massed armies on his maps in the bunker. It didn't help matters when he sent what was left of the II SS Panzer Corps to Hungary to help save an already hopeless situation...

Answer 4

Because German officers were taught to think for themselves. So even as the German world fell apart they could adapt. Also they just kept on fighting in an organized way with a lot of fighters. So, there really wasn't a reason for the German army to disintegate.

Answer 5

A good question. A couple of thoughts come to mind:

How numerous were the Waffen-SS troops at this time? They were the most fanatical of the German troops in the field. (This assumes that your 'German Army' includes all troops in the field)

In the last months of the war, they were fighting in Germany, protecting the homeland and their loved ones. There's a good reason to keep from disintegrating.

Discipline. From beginning to end, the Germans were probably the most disciplined of all troops. Discipline = cohesion.

Answer 6

Some did, but German society was very disciplined and ordered. For the most part they did as they were told. That played a big part in not only keeping them together, but in their ultimate defeat.
Plus, if you're a German soldier that wants to run...where do you go? Your country is surrounded by the enemy, and if you're an able-bodied man going home will just mean that they would probably put you back in the army...or execute you for desertion.