Adolf Hitler's Mistakes In World War Two
Mistakes are a natural part of life, yet they rarely tend to make a significant impact on the world. Adolf Hitler demonstrated through his various blunders throughout World War Two, that mistakes, when significant enough, can affect an entire war. This was proven in World War Two, through his mistakes in The Battle of Dunkirk, The Battle of Britain, and Operation Barbarossa. Hitler’s failure to recognize the turmoil he caused in World War Two through his series of mistakes, caused the eventual downfall of Germany.
The Battle of Dunkirk marked one of Hitler’s first mistakes. As Hitler wanted to conquer France, it had taken less than two weeks for the German army to make it’s way across Europe, into France, and force the French and Allied troops …show more content…
into retreat. With nowhere to turn to, they were trapped at the beaches of Dunkirk. Victory looked bleak for the Allied forces, until Hitler made a wrong move. With Allied forces pinned down at Dunkirk, Hitler debated whether the German army or the the German air-force, the Luftwaffe should finish the attack. Hitler decided to halt his Panzer divisions for 36 hours, instead of letting them finish off the exhausted and outnumbered British. He explained to his generals why he had held them back: "It's always good to let a broken army pause, to create an air of fear and to show the civilian population what a beating they've had" (Lord 112). Hitler was overconfident that Allied troops would not be able to escape, however, luck was on the Allied side, as the British now had time to solidify their defenses. Using the time they had, the British quickly assembled their hands on any boat they could find including an armada of 800 fishing, pleasure and commercial boats. These boats along with 222 naval vessels were sent across the Channel to rescue the trapped soldiers at Dunkirk. Though German fighters bombarded the beach and destroyed numerous vessels, by not attacking the British and French forces at Dunkirk more than 30,000 men were able to escape, and fight another day against the invasion. Furthermore, another one of Hitler’s mistakes at Dunkirk was not harnessing sea-power. Hitler supported the use of U-boats but focused excessively on the Luftwaffe, as Hitler said, “Look how quickly an armored ship gets destroyed, and if it survives it becomes scrap metal in 10 years anyway. It will never have the power the Luftwaffe has” (Lord 121). Hitler’s overpowering faith in the air-force prevented him from realising that it was Allied sea power which saved the situation at Dunkirk. Hitler, consumed in his overconfidence, failed to recognize the importance of the British fleet as a significant threat, and thus did not have the sea power to stage the invasion of Britain. The Battle of Dunkirk demonstrated that the Nazi war machine was not invincible. If Hitler hadn’t made the decision to halt his Panzer troops, the entire British army would have been at stake, which would’ve caused Britain to negotiate a surrender potentially leading to a German victory. Therefore, the failure of Germany to defeat the Allied troops at the Battle of Dunkirk was the first of many failures which led to Germany’s downfall.
With the French ally toppled, Britain stood alone against Nazi Germany.
In May 1940, Hitler turned his attention towards the now vulnerable Britain, directing a force of 1,350 bombers and 1,200 fighters into his aerial campaign known as The Battle of Britain (Lee). Hitler had faith in his air-campaign against Britain, however, the Luftwaffe was no match for the RAF. The Luftwaffe unlike the RAF, was not prepared for the long range operations which became a vital part of battle. German General Franz Haldervon stated: “We have never faced planes, with such precision and brilliance in the war” (Foley 116). With an inferior air-campaign, the Luftwaffe ironically aided in the failure of the German’s mission. Still, Britain was losing the battle until Hitler made yet another fatal mistake. Hitler was aggravated at how Britain remained resilient in their fighting. He recognized the strength of the RAF and knew they could inflict severe damage if something was not done quickly. The final strike came when a German bomber accidentally bombed London, and in response the RAF bombed German capital, Berlin. Furiously, Hitler decided to redirect the attacks to London and other cities in Britain, attacking ports and warehouses instead, to try to prevent the exchange of food and vital materials. However, instead of crippling the RAF who were on the verge of collapsing, the diversion gave them time to breathe, recover and call in reinforcements. The British were now determined to hold their ground. British General Alexander King stated his memory from the attack, “We took a breath. Then, no time was wasted. We began planning right away how to counter back. Don’t let them win, don’t let them win. That was all that was playing in my mind” (Foley 122). While Allied reinforcements of pilots and replacement aircrafts kept piling in, it was apparent that fighter aircrafts and fighter pilots became more available on the British side than on the German side, as German fighters had the
difficult task of escorting the bombers, leaving them less free to fight the enemy. The Luftwaffe was losing ground and the Battle of Britain faded out. This marked the first official defeat of Hitler's military forces. German Army General Joseph Maltisch stated “Without air superiority, our army is powerless” (O’Neill 14). This defeat prevented Hitler from conquering all of Europe as Britain was unconquered and served as the staging point for the reconquest of Europe. Thus, the victory by the RAF created the conditions for Great Britain's survival, for the extension of the war and for the eventual defeat of Nazi Germany. Longing for a victory, Hitler decided to turn his sights to the Soviet Union.
Outlined in the Non-Aggression pact, the Soviet Union and Germany agreed not to wage war on one another for the time being. Stalin signed the agreement in order to buy his army more time to prepare. So it was inevitable that immediately after the Battle of Dunkirk and the Battle of Britain, Hitler was ready to launch his attack on the Soviet Union. Hitler had grown overconfident in his own military judgement and Germany’s dominance in Western Europe. By mid-July 1941, Hitler had complete control of Europe. Germany expected that the Soviet Union would not put out a fight, highlighted in Hitler’s statement, "We have only to kick in the front door and the whole rotten Russian edifice will come tumbling down, it will barely be considered a fight” (Eubank 19). However, Hitler’s expectations were greatly proven wrong. Despite the heavy losses of troops and supplies, Russians were persistent. Germany discovered that they had greatly underestimated the strength of the Red Army, “Instead of 200 divisions, the Russians could field 400 divisions when fully mobilized. This meant there were three million additional Russians available to fight” (The History Place). Under Stalin's direction, he managed to mobilize his army to successfully fight against Germany. They arranged new defensive positions and sneakily started to plan counter-attacks against the unsuspecting Germans. As a result of Hitler’s underestimation of Russia’s resilience, his army was poorly prepared. The German Army expected the battle to be an easy win, however they were greatly unprepared for the unexpected winter warfare they now faced. In a letter to his wife, German Colonel-General Guderian, stated “We have seriously underestimated the Russians, the extent of their country and the treachery of their climate. This is the revenge of reality” (Lee). The Germans were not used to the severity of the freezing weather. Many soldiers suffered from frostbite; some even froze to death. The severe cold, clogged tanks, truck engines and artillery. The damage was so ferocious that,“Thousands of frostbitten soldiers dropped out of their frontline units. Some divisions fell to fifty-percent of their fighting strength. Food supplies also ran low and the troops became malnourished.” (The History Place). Though the German army was not progressing in capturing the Soviet Union, the final blow struck harshly through Hitler’s reluctance to give up, “I would rather lay on my deathbed than give up. We will win, I know it!” (Stanton). Turning a blind eye to his suffering troops, Hitler ordered them to make a final attempt for victory. On December 1, 1941, Germany began their final attack (Eubank 24). However, what the Germans failed to recognize, was that the Russians were poised and ready. Due to the harsh weather delays, reinforcements were able to be brought over to the Soviet Union’s side. Under the Red Army’s direction, a counter-attack was carried out against the advancing Germans all around Moscow. German soldier Joseph Halder stated, “Had I known they had as many tanks as that, I’d have thought twice before invading” (Stanton). Ironically, Germany suffered defeat under the strategy that they had originally created, as planes, tanks and artillery overpowered them in the blitz. The result was shocking. By mid-December 1941, German forces in Moscow were wounded, freezing and fatigued, “A quarter of all German troops in Russia, 750,000 men, were either dead, wounded, missing or ill” (The History Place). Finally coming to the terms of reality, Hitler ordered the immediate shutdown of Operation Barbarossa. In the brutal winters of Russia, Adolf Hitler stood appalled. Germany had been defeated.
Mistakes don’t usually leave a lasting imprint on the fate of a country, however the mistakes made by Hitler lead to the downfall of Germany. The German’s failure to extinguish the Allied Powers at Dunkirk, Hitler’s disastrous attempt at claiming air-superiority in Britain, and the humiliating defeat Germany suffered at the hands of Russia, resulted in Hitler’s loss of valuable time, resources and soldiers. Therefore, the weight of Hitler’s catastrophic mistakes costed Germany’s success in the war.
The Battle of Dunkirk marked one of Hitler’s first mistakes. As Hitler wanted to conquer France, it had taken less than two weeks for the German army to make it’s way across Europe, into France, and force the French and Allied troops …show more content…
into retreat. With nowhere to turn to, they were trapped at the beaches of Dunkirk. Victory looked bleak for the Allied forces, until Hitler made a wrong move. With Allied forces pinned down at Dunkirk, Hitler debated whether the German army or the the German air-force, the Luftwaffe should finish the attack. Hitler decided to halt his Panzer divisions for 36 hours, instead of letting them finish off the exhausted and outnumbered British. He explained to his generals why he had held them back: "It's always good to let a broken army pause, to create an air of fear and to show the civilian population what a beating they've had" (Lord 112). Hitler was overconfident that Allied troops would not be able to escape, however, luck was on the Allied side, as the British now had time to solidify their defenses. Using the time they had, the British quickly assembled their hands on any boat they could find including an armada of 800 fishing, pleasure and commercial boats. These boats along with 222 naval vessels were sent across the Channel to rescue the trapped soldiers at Dunkirk. Though German fighters bombarded the beach and destroyed numerous vessels, by not attacking the British and French forces at Dunkirk more than 30,000 men were able to escape, and fight another day against the invasion. Furthermore, another one of Hitler’s mistakes at Dunkirk was not harnessing sea-power. Hitler supported the use of U-boats but focused excessively on the Luftwaffe, as Hitler said, “Look how quickly an armored ship gets destroyed, and if it survives it becomes scrap metal in 10 years anyway. It will never have the power the Luftwaffe has” (Lord 121). Hitler’s overpowering faith in the air-force prevented him from realising that it was Allied sea power which saved the situation at Dunkirk. Hitler, consumed in his overconfidence, failed to recognize the importance of the British fleet as a significant threat, and thus did not have the sea power to stage the invasion of Britain. The Battle of Dunkirk demonstrated that the Nazi war machine was not invincible. If Hitler hadn’t made the decision to halt his Panzer troops, the entire British army would have been at stake, which would’ve caused Britain to negotiate a surrender potentially leading to a German victory. Therefore, the failure of Germany to defeat the Allied troops at the Battle of Dunkirk was the first of many failures which led to Germany’s downfall.
With the French ally toppled, Britain stood alone against Nazi Germany.
In May 1940, Hitler turned his attention towards the now vulnerable Britain, directing a force of 1,350 bombers and 1,200 fighters into his aerial campaign known as The Battle of Britain (Lee). Hitler had faith in his air-campaign against Britain, however, the Luftwaffe was no match for the RAF. The Luftwaffe unlike the RAF, was not prepared for the long range operations which became a vital part of battle. German General Franz Haldervon stated: “We have never faced planes, with such precision and brilliance in the war” (Foley 116). With an inferior air-campaign, the Luftwaffe ironically aided in the failure of the German’s mission. Still, Britain was losing the battle until Hitler made yet another fatal mistake. Hitler was aggravated at how Britain remained resilient in their fighting. He recognized the strength of the RAF and knew they could inflict severe damage if something was not done quickly. The final strike came when a German bomber accidentally bombed London, and in response the RAF bombed German capital, Berlin. Furiously, Hitler decided to redirect the attacks to London and other cities in Britain, attacking ports and warehouses instead, to try to prevent the exchange of food and vital materials. However, instead of crippling the RAF who were on the verge of collapsing, the diversion gave them time to breathe, recover and call in reinforcements. The British were now determined to hold their ground. British General Alexander King stated his memory from the attack, “We took a breath. Then, no time was wasted. We began planning right away how to counter back. Don’t let them win, don’t let them win. That was all that was playing in my mind” (Foley 122). While Allied reinforcements of pilots and replacement aircrafts kept piling in, it was apparent that fighter aircrafts and fighter pilots became more available on the British side than on the German side, as German fighters had the
difficult task of escorting the bombers, leaving them less free to fight the enemy. The Luftwaffe was losing ground and the Battle of Britain faded out. This marked the first official defeat of Hitler's military forces. German Army General Joseph Maltisch stated “Without air superiority, our army is powerless” (O’Neill 14). This defeat prevented Hitler from conquering all of Europe as Britain was unconquered and served as the staging point for the reconquest of Europe. Thus, the victory by the RAF created the conditions for Great Britain's survival, for the extension of the war and for the eventual defeat of Nazi Germany. Longing for a victory, Hitler decided to turn his sights to the Soviet Union.
Outlined in the Non-Aggression pact, the Soviet Union and Germany agreed not to wage war on one another for the time being. Stalin signed the agreement in order to buy his army more time to prepare. So it was inevitable that immediately after the Battle of Dunkirk and the Battle of Britain, Hitler was ready to launch his attack on the Soviet Union. Hitler had grown overconfident in his own military judgement and Germany’s dominance in Western Europe. By mid-July 1941, Hitler had complete control of Europe. Germany expected that the Soviet Union would not put out a fight, highlighted in Hitler’s statement, "We have only to kick in the front door and the whole rotten Russian edifice will come tumbling down, it will barely be considered a fight” (Eubank 19). However, Hitler’s expectations were greatly proven wrong. Despite the heavy losses of troops and supplies, Russians were persistent. Germany discovered that they had greatly underestimated the strength of the Red Army, “Instead of 200 divisions, the Russians could field 400 divisions when fully mobilized. This meant there were three million additional Russians available to fight” (The History Place). Under Stalin's direction, he managed to mobilize his army to successfully fight against Germany. They arranged new defensive positions and sneakily started to plan counter-attacks against the unsuspecting Germans. As a result of Hitler’s underestimation of Russia’s resilience, his army was poorly prepared. The German Army expected the battle to be an easy win, however they were greatly unprepared for the unexpected winter warfare they now faced. In a letter to his wife, German Colonel-General Guderian, stated “We have seriously underestimated the Russians, the extent of their country and the treachery of their climate. This is the revenge of reality” (Lee). The Germans were not used to the severity of the freezing weather. Many soldiers suffered from frostbite; some even froze to death. The severe cold, clogged tanks, truck engines and artillery. The damage was so ferocious that,“Thousands of frostbitten soldiers dropped out of their frontline units. Some divisions fell to fifty-percent of their fighting strength. Food supplies also ran low and the troops became malnourished.” (The History Place). Though the German army was not progressing in capturing the Soviet Union, the final blow struck harshly through Hitler’s reluctance to give up, “I would rather lay on my deathbed than give up. We will win, I know it!” (Stanton). Turning a blind eye to his suffering troops, Hitler ordered them to make a final attempt for victory. On December 1, 1941, Germany began their final attack (Eubank 24). However, what the Germans failed to recognize, was that the Russians were poised and ready. Due to the harsh weather delays, reinforcements were able to be brought over to the Soviet Union’s side. Under the Red Army’s direction, a counter-attack was carried out against the advancing Germans all around Moscow. German soldier Joseph Halder stated, “Had I known they had as many tanks as that, I’d have thought twice before invading” (Stanton). Ironically, Germany suffered defeat under the strategy that they had originally created, as planes, tanks and artillery overpowered them in the blitz. The result was shocking. By mid-December 1941, German forces in Moscow were wounded, freezing and fatigued, “A quarter of all German troops in Russia, 750,000 men, were either dead, wounded, missing or ill” (The History Place). Finally coming to the terms of reality, Hitler ordered the immediate shutdown of Operation Barbarossa. In the brutal winters of Russia, Adolf Hitler stood appalled. Germany had been defeated.
Mistakes don’t usually leave a lasting imprint on the fate of a country, however the mistakes made by Hitler lead to the downfall of Germany. The German’s failure to extinguish the Allied Powers at Dunkirk, Hitler’s disastrous attempt at claiming air-superiority in Britain, and the humiliating defeat Germany suffered at the hands of Russia, resulted in Hitler’s loss of valuable time, resources and soldiers. Therefore, the weight of Hitler’s catastrophic mistakes costed Germany’s success in the war.