Germanys Defeat in WWII

Germanys weakness and miscalculationsGermanys Defeat in WWII

Germanys MISTAKESIneffective command structureInappropriate use of resources and military fundsHeavy reliance on petroleumWar on two fronts

Ineffective command structure

Ineffective command structureConfusing system of overlapping authorityHitler insisted on making important decisions which frequently proved to be mistakes

e.gConcentration of forces at Pasde Calais instead of NormandyShifted military divisions from Moscow to attack other placesSome historians believe that if Hitler had not intervened in SU, Germany would have taken Moscow and SU

VideoThe turning point of Deception Top secret tactics for D-day

Inappropriate use of resources and military funds (pg149)Ineffective military tacticsInvested in battleships instead of U-boatCompetition of funds amongst military leaders

Large number of different equipmentsMany different spare parts needed

Lack of proven weapons and equipmentsSuitable clothing for soldiers to cope with Russian winter

Lack of adequate personnel for armament production

Recall womens role in Nazi Germany

Womens role in USA during War

Heavy Reliance on petroleumLack of natural resourcesChief resource petroleumSeized oilfield from occupied land

Heavy Allied bombing of oilfieldsPloesti oilfields in Romania put out of operation by SUGerman war machine came to a haltHowever, by 1943.

War on two frontsRecall: Nazi-Soviet Pact

Hitler went against it

War on two frontsProbably the biggest mistakeInvaded Soviet Union opening up an Eastern FrontDeclared war on USA believing USA would concentrate on Japan

Why did Hitler launch Operation Barbarossa?In 1941, Hitler was at the height of his power. Almost all of Europe was under his control. Only Britain stood defiant in the West. Russia remained independent, and potentially threatening, in the East. In attacking Russia, Hitler sought to fulfill his lifes mission (one that he spelt out in Mein Kampf). He hoped to destroy communism, win lebensraum (land) for the German master raceAll of Germanys military leaders thought that the Red Army was incapable of fighting a modern war. British and American experts also thought that the Russians would be defeated between 1 to 3 months.

Germanys weakness and miscalculationsIneffective command structureInappropriate use of resources and military fundsHeavy reliance on petroleumWar on two fronts