Seconded; it is a first-class book and a must-read.
Not true…this was Operation Spring Awakening - Wikipedia
What I’m thinking of is related to the German Tank problem but somewhat different. If I recall correctly, the mathematicians in hiding in Europe had access to German newspapers, but Germany had stopped reporting full casualty lists, only reporting a fixed number deaths in each edition, no matter what the truth was. But because the reports mentioned things like whether this was the (for example) Schmidts first or second son to have died in the war, the statisticians could make a good estimate of the true death rate. If I find a proper reference, I’ll let you all know.
If you were a 22 year-old German male in 1942, I suspect that you’d be drafted if you had two feet, flat or not. Maybe if you were an expert chemist or engineer in a war-related industry and had a boss with good connections who insisted the plant needed you.
Overall, 1943 when they saw the war was far from over after 3 years of blitzkrieging.