translation help please

Need help with translating WW1, Inter-War or WW2 related documents or information?
skrable
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translation help please

Post by skrable » 23 Dec 2003 17:22

...wurden die Feindkräfte, die der Kampfgruppe den Rückzugweg verlegt hatten, unter verhältnismässig wenig eigenen Verlusten zerschlagen.

In the sentence above I am having a problem with the verb 'verlegt'. What would be the correct English translation of verlegt in the above context?

ausweichen - my dictionary says this verb means "to evade". Can I translate this in a military context as "fall back"? For example: "den Befehl hatte, auf die Stellung auszuweichen" = "had orders to fall back to the position"

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Germania
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Post by Germania » 23 Dec 2003 17:26

verlegt in this case means blockade or I think abashed

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HPL2008
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Post by HPL2008 » 23 Dec 2003 17:34

"blocked" is right; I'd translate this fragment as:

"...were the enemy forces that had blocked the combat group's retreat path crushed with only relatively minor own losses."

As for "ausweichen": In this case "fall back" sounds appropriate. Depending on context, "ausweichen" could indeed also be translated as "evade".

skrable
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Post by skrable » 23 Dec 2003 17:41

That was quick. Thanks guys!

Have a Merry Christmas,
skrable

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Tony Slug
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Post by Tony Slug » 26 Dec 2003 04:15

As for "ausweichen": In this case "fall back" sounds appropriate. Depending on context, "ausweichen" could indeed also be translated as "evade".
Hm, isn't "evade" a little too strong of a word ? I'd opt for "yield".

Just $ 0,02 :P

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HPL2008
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Post by HPL2008 » 26 Dec 2003 10:02

Hm; I usually use "yield" as the translation for "nachgeben" or "weichen". (as opposed to "ausweichen")

Example:
In drei Fällen waren Teile seiner Kompanie durch starken Feinddruck gewichen. = In three cases, elements of his company had yielded to the strong enemy pressure.

Tom from Cornwall
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Re: translation help please

Post by Tom from Cornwall » 04 Mar 2021 20:47

Further to the original question, in the war diary for 26 Panzer Division in September 1943 there is a regular use of the expression "Ausweichen" - I've been translating this as "withdraw" although Google Translate keeps saying "evade". That doesn't sound right for a major military unit, such as in this sentence:
Bis zum Ausweichen der Kampfgruppe Krüger bleiben Aufträge für Kampfgruppe Pz.Gr.Rgt.9 und 67 bestehen.
I've translated that as:
Orders for Kampfgruppe Pz.Gren. Regt. 9 and 67 remain the same until Kampfgruppe Krüger withdraws.
Does that sound right?

Regards

Tom

GregSingh
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Re: translation help please

Post by GregSingh » 04 Mar 2021 23:48

zum Ausweichen may also mean to retreat, to pull back, to withdraw.

Tom from Cornwall
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Re: translation help please

Post by Tom from Cornwall » 05 Mar 2021 15:20

Greg,

That's great, thank you. I'll look out for the "zum" in front of the "Ausweichen" I've been translating and check that I've picked them out correctly.

Regards

Tom

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