Adolf Hitler: Strategic Vission



Figure 1.--Adolf Hitler made it very clear in 'Mein Kampf', years before seizing power in Germany that his strategic vission for Germany lay in the East. Not of course the Slavic people of the East, but the agricultural and raw material resources of the East. Hitler correctly calculated that with the resources of the East, Germany dminance of the Continent would be unassailable. The problem for Germany was how to seize those resources with its limited capabilities. Here we see German soldiers in the Ukraine (perhaps September 1941). Hitler wanted the resources of the East, but not the Slavic population of the East like thee boys polishing oots. Part of Hitler's strategic vission was to kill or dive the Slavs beyound the Urals where they would persish. Those allowed tolive would become the slaves of German settlers.

Adolf Hitler made it very clear in Mein Kampf, years before seizing power in Germany that his strategic vission for Germany lay in the East. Not of course the Slavic people of the East, but the vast agricultural and raw material resources of the East. The problem for Germany was how to seize those resources with its limited capabilities. Hitler is often described as mad because so many mostly liberl people can not conceive of such depravty possible in a sane man. Any study of history, however, shows that evil exists in the world, even in our advanced modern age. Hitler was very much sane and in control of his sence, at least in the early phases of the War. Hitler was evil, but very much sane. And thus as Chancellor he set out to seize the East wih Germny's limited capabilities. Germany had important strengths, but also major weaknesses. The overal strategic ballance meant that Germany was not prepared for another major European war, even after a massive rermament program. The country had serious weaknesses, one reason we believe that Primemnister Chamberlain believed he could reson with Hitler. Hitler understood Germany's weaknessess, he thus adopted a strategic vission aimed at taking full advantage of Germany's strengths and covering its weaknessess. There were several carefully calulated policies. First, Hitler pursued a moderate foreign policy while he ruhed forward a massie rearmament program. Second, he moved forward with small desrete steps, beginning un the Rhineland (1935). He calculated that none of these steps would be sufficent to cause the Allies, deperate to avoid another war, to react in force. Third, he cloked his initial moves in the desire to unite Germans within the Reich. There were no demads for trritory inhabted by non-Germans. He notably assured Chamberlain, "I want no Czechs." Fourth, he offered the Allies their greatest desire--peace. All they needed to do was grant Germany, its 'legitimate' goals. Fifth, he pursued one target at a time (Austria--1938, the Sudetenland--1938, Czechslovakia--1939, and Poland--1939. He believed that the Allies would not react for any one of his targets as theywere atahed at diiferent times. Sixth, he diided his potenial enemies. He divided Austria and Czechoslvakia from the Allies. His biggest coup of course was dividing the Soviet Union from the Allies with the NAZI-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact. The Soviet Union was his ultimate goal, but the Non-Aggression Pact allowed him to defeat Poland and the Allies before tuning East. Sixth, he attempted to avoid conflict with the United States. Central to his strategic vision was to conquer Europe before cnfronting either America or the Soviet Union. This was difficult because of President Roosevelt's relentless attacks, but he had powerful allies with the Isolationists. Seventh, his divide and conquer tactics set up the Wehrmact to gain one victory after another in short campigns. This played to Germany's strenghs and avoided a war of attrition like World War I. Eigth, having defeated the French Army, Hitler launched Barbarossa to destroy the Soviet Union (June 1941). He failed to subdue Britain, but the allure of the East was too stromg to constrain is avarice. This despite the oft-repated judgement that a two front war was Germany's big mistale in World War I. Hitler calculted correctly that with the resources of the East, Germany's mastery of the Continent was unasilable. He miscalculated, howevr, the Whermacht's ability to destroy the Red Army in a bref summer campaign. This strategic vision almost succedded. Ironically it was a war that Hitler coveted. His domestic successes had made him a towering figure in Germany. But it was a great war commanderv that he saw as his destiny. Hitler saw war as the greatest of all human endevors and benfeficial for the human species. And it was war that would bring about dissaster for Hitler and the German people who supported him. There was in Europe only one important political leader who desired a war--Adolf Hitler. Hhe saw war as an exhaulting human expeience. Even before he seized power in 1933 he began to see a war as the only way of creating a new European order. The only question in his mind was when and how to launch the war for maximum strategic advantage.







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Created: 3:33 PM 4/29/2015
Last edited: 3:33 PM 4/29/2015