Germanys declaration of war on the USA was never as stupid as is commonly assumed.
They were certain it was only a matter of time before the USA declared war (the incidents in the Atlantic and Roosevelts actions made this a quite logical descision), at which point they would have to counter (at the least) the US Air forces.
If the USA is at war with Japan, the US moves onto a full wartime production footing. The Nazis were quite capable of working out what that meant (granted, they underestimated the US production, but they were in the right area). So after Japan gets stomped the US has massive armed forces available. If they then decide to declare war, Germany is in a major mess.
So it is in fact logical to attack now, before they get ramped up, and do as much damage as possible while the going is good. If enough damage is done, the US may sue for peace (noone realised at the time just how PH would affect America resolve), and even if not, the benefits of attacking an unprepared US may buy them enough time to finish off Russia and build western defences.
Hitlers DOW wasnt a good descision, but it was quite possible the best decision under the circumstances (real and apparant)
They were certain it was only a matter of time before the USA declared war (the incidents in the Atlantic and Roosevelts actions made this a quite logical descision), at which point they would have to counter (at the least) the US Air forces.
If the USA is at war with Japan, the US moves onto a full wartime production footing. The Nazis were quite capable of working out what that meant (granted, they underestimated the US production, but they were in the right area). So after Japan gets stomped the US has massive armed forces available. If they then decide to declare war, Germany is in a major mess.
So it is in fact logical to attack now, before they get ramped up, and do as much damage as possible while the going is good. If enough damage is done, the US may sue for peace (noone realised at the time just how PH would affect America resolve), and even if not, the benefits of attacking an unprepared US may buy them enough time to finish off Russia and build western defences.
Hitlers DOW wasnt a good descision, but it was quite possible the best decision under the circumstances (real and apparant)