re: How were German armored divisions so much more elite than their US counterparts

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Meh. There was nothing left of the spirit of Napoleon by 1940.

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You mentioned Prussia's history dating back 8 to 10 centuries as being relevant to Germany's military resistance in WWII, which is why I mentioned even more recent French and British military traditions to point out that these traditions were in fact NOT pertinent to their attitudes and conditions in WWII. And that if one could make such an argument for Germany's traditions dating back centuries, then the exact same argument would actually be stronger and far more applicable to the French and British. I reject the argument all together.

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Rolled up in 6 weeks is all you need to know.

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I disagree with this simplification of the French effort in WWII as well. Their military defeat was largely due to strategic error and a very new style of warfare of which their enemy was highly skilled and they were not. Their troops were in poor position once the thrust through the Ardennes occurred and they were effectively dead in the water with the concentrated German mechanized drive to the coast.

French military tradition and spirit was high, though domestically they were in a bit of turmoil. Had the British been geographically located in France and vice versa, the British would have been crushed as well and the French likely would have prevailed given the same course of American/Soviet entry into the war. The dismissal of French effort or ability in WWII is a common misconception.

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And little was left of British ground capability, whether that was a recoil from WWI, or the continued over-reliance upon the Royal Navy - they were little better than we were in N. Africa, and we quickly passed them despite less combat experience.

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Again, I was pointing out French and British recent military tradition and culture to counter your reference to Prussian military culture and tradition, not as some argument for British ground superiority. Germany and France were always the land powers in Europe. Always.

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That's a truism, but belies the fact that Prussia was the driving force in the creation of Germany in the first place. For the most part, they did not merge the armies into a German army in 1871, but, rather the Prussian army absorbed the others and changed names.

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I understand the significance of Prussia to Germany's military organization and leadership. It's well documented and established, particularly with the officer corps. My rejection was of the notion of Prussian historical militarism as the reason for Germany's performance and remarkable spirit of effective resistance against what became insurmountable odds.