In his book, Mein Kampf, Adolf Hitler would write that the causes of the majority of problems in Germany were rooted in this era. By calling to mind the time of Bismarck, an era still vivid in the minds of Germans, Hitler set a feeling in his opus of an expectation to power and victory of Germany. Hitler first praised the German military strength, and then condemned the political leaders who took its strength away. The organization and leadership of the German army were the mightiest that the earth had ever seen.
Their deficiencies lay in the limits of all human adequacy in general. The collapse of this army was not the cause of our present-day misfortune, but only the consequence of other crimes, a consequence which itself again, it must be admitted, ushered in the beginning of a further and this time visible collapse. (Hitler Volume 1, Chapter 10) By placing the blame of the woes of the German people on the heads of its own leaders, Hitler was able to set the stage for his eventual take over the German Parliament, and then the nation.
World War Two began with the invasion of Poland by Germany on September 1st, 1939 (known to the Germans as Operation White, or Fall Weiss) with the initiation of lightening attack or Blitzkrieg. Shortly thereafter France and Britain joined the war. Germany quickly began its domination of Europe with its war machines in not only Western Europe but also the northern deserts of Africa and the hinterlands of Russia. While the war was at its beginning defined by artillery it quickly became a war based more on industry and mass production. Without Russia on the side of the Allies, World War Two would have had a very different outcome.
The Research paper on Pre-World War II Germany and What Led to Holocaust
... his goal for their annihilation; complete power over Germany and the German citizens. With Hitler firmly in power sustained by popular support, ... Germans to follow the organized plan of Hitler. The incredible amount of organization present in the Nazi party in pre-World War II Germany ... loss of World War I and the loss of the German empire brought poverty and humiliation to Germany. These two events ...
Hitler had a great prejudice against Russians whom he considered Eastern European; he did not have any pretense about liking Stalin and he also hated communism. Germany and Russia had signed a peace pact in August, 1939 stating that for ten years neither country would go to war with the other, but this pact was a facade. Both countries simply wanted to buy time in order to build up their military forces before commencing in battle with their opposing countries. Thus, in June, 1941, World War Two was privy to the greatest attack of the world in war history (History Learning Site, 2006).
Operation Barbarossa was a Blitzkrieg on the Russian army by Nazi forces. Hitler wanted Russia because of its farm land which he believed Germans could farm better than the Russians. As such, the German force that moved upon Russia centered its equal components of military troops into Moscow, Leningrad and Stalingrad. The Germans were practices in military techniques and as such, on the German side, the battle consisted of 3 million troops, 3,580 tanks, 7,184 artillery guns, 1,830 planes, and 750,000 horses (History Learning Site, 2006).
Hitler’s one fatal flaw in this military tactic was he did not expect the Russians to put up much of a fight and thus, Germans would be home before the harsh European winter set in. This however, was not the case. The Germans did not expect the Russians to act the way they did in their retreat; Russian troops did not simply fall back, but burnt bridges, factories, poisoned the water, burnt the crops, all so that the German army had a more difficult time traveling or finding food, and water. Then, the harsh winter came soon. Supply lines for German troops traversed across Russia, and Poland and into Germany.
This was too many miles for supplies to be given to the troops quick enough. The men were not prepared for winter as Hitler had not sent the troops their winter clothing. Some soldiers froze to death while many others died of starvation (History Learning Site, 2006).
The Essay on Operation Barbarossa Hitlers Russian Offensive
The Russians Would never have joined the war if it werent for the German invasion of 1941 Operation Barbarossa. This parallels the USA intervention they only joined because the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbour. Operation Barbarossa commenced on the 22nd June, 1941. Just over 3,000,000 German troops invaded the USSR. Stalin doubted the country ability to perform well on the battlefield since the ...
Russia was a devastating blow for Germany.
Bibliography
History Learning Site. World War Two. 2006. (Online).
Available: http://www. historylearningsite. co. uk/WORLD%20WAR%20TWO. htm Hitler, Adolf. Mein Kampf. Hitler. org. URL: http://www. hitler. org/writings/Mein_Kampf/
