Morale 10. The attempted coup d'etat against Hitler appears to have had no appreciable effect on the fighting spirit of German troops in the West, many of whom were either ignorant of or sceptical of this development. 11. On the Eastern front some entire divisions, led by their commanding officers, have surrendered en masse. Large bodies of troops have thrown away their arms and fled. The most ruthless disciplinary measures have been adopted. The application of these methods in the East was promulgated in the West before the recent debacle.