Hitler did not understand, likely due to his spotty education, that historically Britain had never allowed anybody to assume preeminence on the continent and that it would go to whatever length it might be requiered (even committing imperial suicide) to prevent anybody to attaining this status.
Hitler should have made a serious anti-british alliance with Soviet Union (perfectly doable, almost happended IOTL) and crush Britain into submission before thinking of anything else.
This. It was a stupid move by Mussolini. Should have followed the Spanish example of German-friendly neutrality.Italy joining the war
I voted Barbarossa because Dunkirk is not listed.
Barbarossa isn't a mistake. Hitler and Stalin probably both understood that war between the two of them was inevitable. Stalin didn't think Hitler would attack until he had finished off Britain- which would give Stalin time to build up his forces
Hitler's decision to strike first makes a lot of sense from a military point of view. There are things that Hitler could have done to improve his performance during Barbarossa- stripping the occupation forces in France and Norway for example or taking Leningrad before her defenses are ready
The biggest mistake is not realizing that to bring down the Soviets he would need a collapse from within- a "we've come to liberate you from the Jewish cabal that is Marxism" would have been in keeping with both Hitler's own racist ideology and traditional Russian attitudes
A defeat of the Soviets in 1941 is possible. Coupled with a disavowal of Japan's actions in the Pacific and relatively mild peace terms towards the British, Hitler could have survived
Voted for Hitler's declaration of war on the US.]
This would be my second worst mistake. The USA was already at war with Germany. It just had not been formally declared.True, the US was assisting the UK and Soviets but by nothing like as much as they would once they cam in in earnest - and the Japanese attack would, but for Hitler's absurd blunder, have focussed their attention in the Pacific. How much harder for Roosevelt to get Congress to take Germany seriously when the US now had its own war? It's not even as if there was any meaningful Axis Grand Strategy, unlike that which the Allies were able to develop (again, to Hitler's cost).
I voted for Pearl Harbour. The Japanese knew that if they did not get a quick knock out the larger US economy would stomp them into the ground. So they tried a quick knock out, but did not finish the job properly. Result: they got stomped into the ground.
At least Hitler had an alibi in that he thought that he would win. OK, so he was delusional, but at least he could plead ignorance.![]()
Barbarossa isn't a mistake. Hitler and Stalin probably both understood that war between the two of them was inevitable. Stalin didn't think Hitler would attack until he had finished off Britain- which would give Stalin time to build up his forces
.
By contrast, his declaration of war on the US was both completely pointless and massively counterproductive.
True, the US was assisting the UK and Soviets but by nothing like as much as they would once they cam in in earnest - and the Japanese attack would, but for Hitler's absurd blunder, have focussed their attention in the Pacific. How much harder for Roosevelt to get Congress to take Germany seriously when the US now had its own war? It's not even as if there was any meaningful Axis Grand Strategy, unlike that which the Allies were able to develop (again, to Hitler's cost).
The course that Japan has followed for the past ten years in Asia has paralleled the course of Hitler and Mussolini in Europe and in Africa. Today, it has become far more than a parallel. It is actual collaboration so well calculated that all the continents of the world, and all the oceans, are now considered by the Axis strategists as one gigantic battlefield. In 1931, ten years ago, Japan invaded Manchukuo—without warning.
In 1935, Italy invaded Ethiopia—without warning.
In 1938, Hitler occupied Austria —without warning.
In 1939, Hitler invaded Czechoslovakia- without warning.
Later in 1939, Hitler invaded Poland- without warning.
In 1940, Hitler invaded Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg- without warning.
In 1940, Italy attacked France and later Greece—without warning.
And this year, in 1941, the Axis powers attacked Yugoslavia and Greece and they dominated the Balkans—without warning. In 1941, also, Hitler invaded Russia—without warning.
And now Japan has attacked Malaya and Thailand—and the United States—without warning.
It is all of one pattern.
Your Government knows that for weeks Germany has been telling Japan that if Japan did not attack the United States, Japan would not share in dividing the spoils with Germany when peace came. She was promised by Germany that if she came in she would receive the complete and perpetual control of the whole of the Pacific area—and that means not only the Far East, but also all of the islands in the Pacific, and also a stranglehold on the west coast of North, Central, and South America.
We know also that Germany and Japan are conducting their military and naval operations in accordance with a joint plan. That plan considers all peoples and Nations which are not helping the Axis powers as common enemies of each and every one of the Axis powers.
That is their simple and obvious grand strategy. And that is why the American people must realize that it can be matched only with similar grand strategy. We must realize for example that Japanese successes against the United States in the Pacific are helpful to German operations in Libya; that any German success against the Caucasus is inevitably an assistance to Japan in her operations against the Dutch East Indies; that a German attack against Algiers or Morocco opens the way to a German attack against South America, and the Canal.
On the other side of the picture, we must learn also to know that guerrilla warfare against the Germans in, let us say, Serbia or Norway helps us; that a successful Russian offensive against the Germans helps us; and that British successes on land or sea in any part of the world strengthen our hands.
Remember always that Germany and Italy, regardless of any formal declaration of war, consider themselves at war with the United States at this moment just as much as they consider themselves at war with Britain or Russia. And Germany puts all the other Republics of the Americas into the same category of enemies. The people of our sister Republics of this hemisphere can 'be honored by that fact.
The idea that the US would just ignore Germany is just so stupid.Interviewing Date 12/12-17/41
Survey #255 Question #6
Which country is the greater threat to America's future — Germany or Japan?
Germany........................... 64%
Japan.............................. 15
Equal threats........................ 15
No opinion......................... 6
The idea that the US would just ignore Germany [if Germany didn't declare war] is just so stupid.
Not going to war means defeat in the Battle of the Atlantic and the failure of the strategy to force the UK from the war. Going to war inflicted six months of severe damage to the weak link in US power - shipping, the ability of the US to project power.
Just because it failed doesn't mean that it was the wrong strategy.
No. Whilst the Holocaust tied up trains and manpower on an unproductive activity it did not really impact tank, aircraft, U Boat, etc production.But could there be a grain of truth in that if the Holocaust didn't happen that Hitler could have won?
All the same, priority couldn't be given to the fight against Germany if the US wasn't at war against it and it was already in an all-out fight with Japan. It was the Hitler's declaration that made the Allied Grand Strategy possible.
And whether the US DoWs at the end of 1941 versus first half of 1942 (and that will be the latest, because Hitler isn't going to refrain from torpedoing American ships thereby focusing the US public's rage over Pearl Harbour on Germany) won't change that. It won't even change lend-lease priorities, as that was largely excess war production anyways.I take the point about the Atlantic but the war in Europe was always going to be won or lost in the east.
No. Whilst the Holocaust tied up trains and manpower on an unproductive activity it did not really impact tank, aircraft, U Boat, etc production.