Clams Canino wrote:

I could make the argument that Hitler defeated himself.

He didn't do himself (or the rest of Germany) much good as a strategist, that's
for sure.



1. The "miracle at Dunkirk" Hitler let the English all get away to fight
another day - on purpose.

That wasn't Hitler's call and IMHO they did not let the English (and a large
number of the French also) get away on purpose. From what I've read it was a
sort of turf battle between Von Runstedt and Goering, thrown on top of mixed up
communications, plus a good bit of logistic snafu as the Germans had advanced a
long long way in a short time, and their supply lines had not caught up.



2. Attacking Russia when he did.

yep, one of the classic blunders. "Never get involved in a land war in Asia."


Also failing to consult with or get
support from his Ally Japan in going after Russia. Russia wasn't a player
till he made them a player. Russia could have waited, it was *imperative*
however that he either take England or force it into a treaty.

Agreed. It would have been smarter for Hitler to bargain with the Sovets for oil
rather than attack them. However, if he'd been smarter the war would have been
longer and costlier for all.




4. The battle of Britian. He could have won it - had he not concentated on
London. He had a RAF almost to it's knees and didn't follow through. Having
Britain as a staging area was a big factor in the Allied victory.

I disagree here as well. The Germans did not have such good long range fighter
aircraft, nor strategic bombers. For one thing, they didn't have the industrial
capacity to build such aircraft *in addition to* what they were already
building, and which they very much needed. Consider this, Boeing started work on
the B-17 Flying Fortress in 1934. The Germans certainly had the know-how to
build planes of similar capability, but they didn't have the time to jump-start
a bomber project when they realized they needed one. Big strategic boo-boo....
remember, always pick a job you have the tools for!




And the list goes on. Hitlers psychopathic arrogance cost him WW2, that and
IMHO a subconscious "need to fail" he was quite self destructive.

He certainly was arrogant, and a psychopath. It's a damn shame that he ever rose
to a position of authority at all. For him to try and form war plans from
wishful thinking and pipe dreams must have really frustrated a lot of the German
generals.

IMHO the Allies had a big edge all the way along in WW2, from manpower to
industrial capacity to oil reserve to strategic planning. We still might have
lost, it was not a "sure thing".... very little really is!

DSK