We discuss a lot of things on the War History Online Forum, from the War of Secession motives to the best (or worst) fighter plane of World War II.
This week we are going to look at one of my favorite subjects, “Why did Nazi Germany lose the war?“. In his original question, member Stephen N Russell gave a list of possible reasons and zoomed in on the Death Camps and genocide of the Jews and others that the Nazis deemed to be undesirable.
It is safe to say that the resources spent on transporting millions of man, woman, and children from all over occupied Europe to concentration and death camps. However, the consensus on the Forum is that this is not the main reason that they lost the war.
You do not need to use combat troops to guard camps so it would not be a drain on that kind of manpower.
The_MadMan said about this:
“Yeah agreed, you don’t use crack troops to guard (or gas) woman and children. Anybody who knows how to handle a machinegun will do just fine for that. “
Philip Winehouse focusses more on the overall situation:
Because they got themselves into the ridiculous situation where they were at war with the USSR, the USA, and the British Commonwealth simultaneously.
Per Christian Veberg sees some merit in the question about the death camps:
The Nazis lost WW2 because Hitler, (a bloody incompetent corporal), insisted on detailing the specifics of campaigns. While the plans laid down by Wehrmacht’s general staff won them, France Hitler insisted on letting the British expeditionary force escape when he let Göring take the lead in bombing them. Not only did they botch the plans Luftwaffe had for reducing British defenses when they reordered to bomb cities as petty revenge, but they insisted on a two-front war with operation Barbarossa, nay, a three front war when they went to the aid of Mussolini before Barbarossa.
Then there were the grandiose schemes. Building giant guns and giant tanks. While at the same time Hitler stopped the production of assault rifles and jeg fighters. Last but not least, spending logistical resources on cruel and cowardly genocide against civilians. I repeat: Hitler lost the war all by himself.
Lyle Zerla thinks that Hitler had to call it quits earlier and walk away with some prizes:
Hitler had the 262 jet fighter but chose to make heavy tanks instead. He ran out of men because of his three front war. Hitler did not understand how European wars were fought. “Take as much territory as you can then sue for peace.” He would have kept Alsace, Lorain, The Sudetenland. Austria, 1/2 of Poland. His generals knew how European war were fought, but Hitler ignored them.
Chris Hazell writes:
The Nazis lost the war because they had very little natural resources outside there own borders and failed to gain control of those they sought to capture. Their supply lines became over stretched, and their manpower dwindled in the face of two fronts. Had the Germans been able to defeat Great Britain in 1940 then we could be looking at a very different Europe, North Africa, and the middle east would have yielded oil to drive the Axis into Russia.
The USA may not have entered the European theatre without access to bases on British soil meaning they would have only fought back at Japan in the Pacific region. British empire forces may still have influenced far east combat under Australian command giving America an allied force in the far east. Just my opinion so please don’t hang me out to dry, a lot of lucky breaks for the Allies and misguided Nazi leadership made victory for the Allies possible.
Take a look for yourself here War History Online forum and share your thoughts and opinions with like-minded members!
We will see you there.