Figure 1.-

Suggesting the War was lost in NAZI Germany was enough to get you arrested and sent to a concentration camp. In the later months of the War it could mean summary execution. At the end of the War in his Berlin Bunker, Hitler actually addressed the subject (February 1945). And his faithful scribe, Martin Bormann, took notes so that prosperity would not be denied his leaders wisdom. [Genoud] Of course his assessment is primarily to absolve himself from the failure, although because he made all the decisions he aludes to him, the blane falls fully on his shoulders. His reflections are interesting for two reasons.

Interest

Of course his assessment is primarily to absolve himself from the failure, although because he made all the decisions he aludes to him, the blane falls fully on his shoulders. They are interesting for two reasons.

Insight into hitler's thinking

First, to provides some insight into the workings of his demented mind. Notice that he does notsay thAt any of the enormous crimes and atrocities of National Socialism were a mistake.

Importance of the War in the West

Second, because of his focus on the War in the West rather than the Ostkrieg which Russians today are convinced was the only campaign of importance and the War in the West was a 'side show' of little or no importance. iterestingly, pme of these items are issue we see mentioned by Western historins. This is a topic we hve addessed in some detail. We think that the issue has to be comsdidered in a more nance aporoch and not just looking at just manpower terms.

Hitler's View

In assessing Hitler's rambling thoughts, there seem to haven six major reasons that he believed caused Germany to lose the War. Some re overlpping. Note that the Ostkrieg is not one of them. Several of these mistakes are shared by historians, most notably a two front war. Not notably Czechoslovakia and the Jews are not. `

Czechoslovakia (1938)

First was Czechoslovakia (1938). He particularly contemptuous of Prime-Minister Chanberlain. He believed that he should have kept his nerve and invaded Czechoslovakia, defying Britain and France. He convinced himself that such a demonstration of German military power would have caused Britain and France to have backed away from any further military confrontation with Germany. Germany could have then concentrated on preparing the Ostkrieg without any distractions from the West. Interestingly, many in the West believe that Britain and France should have defied Hitler at this point and backed the Czechs. The generl concensus is that the Munich Conference was one of Hitler's great suceeses, destroying s opotentially serius militasry threat and seizing the Czech arms industry wuthout firing a shot.

Mussolini

Second was his cultivation of fellow fascist, italian dictator Benito Mussolini. He told Bormann, "anything would have better than having [Italians] as comrades in arms." This was especially related to the the Balkans. It was Mussolini who drew Germany into both North African the Balkans when the greatest priority was the Soviet Union. Mussolini invaded Greece without consulting Hitler. (Partly out of pique because Hitler never consulted him regarding German invasions.) Hitler had to rescue Mussolini because of the disasterous Italian military performance. It was this that Hitler was allkuding to here, not Mussolini personally.

The Balkans (1940-41)

Third was the Balkans Campaign. Hitler said that the the Balkans Campaign delayed Operation Barbarossa (June 1941). Hitler indcated saw that he should have launched Barbarossa in May which would have bought 5 more weeks of dry weather, very important for the Panzers. We have seen authors claiming that the Balkans Campaign (April 1941) did not delay Barbarossa and there was never an intention to invade in May. Hitler's comments here suggest that the Balkans (and Britain's intervention in Greece) actually did dely Babasrossa.

Two Front War (1941)

Fourth was fighting a two-front war. He placed an emphasis on this. Here he blamed Britain's 'stupid chiefs', meaning primarily Churchill. And by implication President Roosevelt who sustained Britain in the War. Of couse he had always empohasized that this was the Kaiser's great mistake in World War I and one he would never commit. It was why Stalin was so convinced that he would never attck as long as Britain was still in the war. Yet Hitler did just that. notice that Hitler does not say that the invasion of the Soiviet Union was a mistke which many historians insist was his ftal mistke, but a two-front war, meaning invading the Soviet Union before defeating Britain which we hear less commonly and virtully never by Russian authors.

Operation Felix (1941)

Fifth, Hitler began to think that Adm. Raeders's Mediterranean strategy Opersation Felix) should have been given more thought, beginning with Gibraltar and sweeping east to the oilfields of the Middle East to undermine British resistance. He mention that Stalin might have taken advantage of this. The Middle East at the time was not a huge producer, most world oil production came from the United States and contries inflenced by the United States or had any way to export to Germny because of the British Royal Navy blockade (Mexico and Venezuela). That said, there was oil production in Iraq and Iran. While production was not huge at the time, it would have been more than enough to have provided the Wehrmacht all the oil it needed to procecute the War.

The Jews

Sixth, of course Hitler ultimately blamed Germany's failure on the Jews He saw America as the 'bastion of the Jews', and President Roosevelt as 'the elect of the Jews'. He told Bormann that "If we lose the War it will mean that we have been defeated by the Jews." Notice the 'if', still in February 1945. One can't help but wonder how it must have felt to be defeated by the people he so viciously targeted. Also interesting to consider is that if the German military had done better, the Reich would have ultimately have been subjected to atomic attack, made possible by the very people he saw as worthless and drove out of the Reich and into Allied hands.

Sources

Genoud, F. Ed. Testament of Adolf Hitler: The Hitler Bormann Documents, February-April 1945. (London: 1961).

Created: 1:35 AM 7/11/2022
Last edited: 1:36 AM 7/11/2022