Introduction
Despite losing both World Wars in the same century, the German military continues to be one of the most studied militaries in the history warfare. Not because of its ultimate failures, but because of its operational and tactical victories on the battlefield. The strategies of German General’s such as Heinz Guderian. Erwin Rommel and Erin von Manstein are among the names of those studied and considered some of the finest military general’s in the history of warfare. Guderian for his lightning success of the Polish invasion, Rommel for victories in France and North Africa and Von Manstein for France and his efforts on the Russian front. Despite amazing victories of the blitzkrieg, and clear tactical and operational success, Germany ultimately loses World War II, the Second World War it started in the same century. Many would argue that the chief reasons for Germany’s ultimate failure was the lack of strategic vision and thinking by Adolf Hitler as well as his micromanagement on the battlefield. This paper briefly examines this theory as well as other reasons laid out by scholars including the idea that Germany and the Axis power had no coordinating headquarters, weak alliances, and over used military power to achieve national goals. In its conclusion, this paper will attempt, if possible, to confirm the principal reason why Germany failed to win World War II.
Background
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Only coming into the world as a unified nation in 1867 after fighting wars of unification among itself. During this period, the Prussian empire unified hundreds of German tribes and serfdoms by engaging in wars against Denmark, Austria and France that resulted in the unification of the German people as a Nation. 1
For Germany, 1914 would witness the enthronement of Kultur in Europe and the fulfillment of Germany’s historic mission. As Thomas Mann saw it, “Germans . . . deserved to be the most powerful, to dominate, to establish a ‘German peace’” (311). The French, for their part, in the face of growing German militarism given voice by the Kaiser himself, “possessor of the least inhibited tongue in Europe,” stoked up their furor Gallicae and awaited the moment that had seemed inevitable ever since the Treaty of Versailles had amputated her eastern flank. Aside from nationalistic scores to settle, many other nations were simply “sore-headed and fed up” with “Germany’s clattering of the sword” and saw in the coming conflict hopes for the “moral regeneration of Europe” (312-313). Tuchman sees the parts as well as the whole, and her discussion of cause as it relates to individual battles and the generals involved is psychologically astute without being limiting. She offers plausible explanations for General John French’s lack of will in the defense of Belgium (218) and shows how the breakdown of Plan 17 in the first weeks of the war paved the way for a long and brutal struggle (262), as did the final failure of the Germans’ Schlieffen Plan for a double envelopment of the enemy. The ensuing deadlock
During World War II, Germany’s military was superior to anyone else in the world, with far more advanced technology, tactics, and weaponry. They had a fearless leader who would stop at nothing to make his country great again. Their closest rival, the Soviet Union, was almost out of the picture with a death toll of over 26 million. On top of that, Germany had nothing to lose, and would not conceivably stop. So how then, with all odds against them, did the Allies win the war? A combination of factors affected Germany’s downfall, such as lack of morale, unwieldy weapons, and failure to work with its so-called allies.
The Schlieffen Plan is commonly – though misleadingy – identified with the German western offensive at the start of the First World War in August 1914, which began as a campaign of rapid movement but ended in deadlock and trench warfare. The plan is generally seen as a desperate gamble almost certain to fail, and its recklessness is counted as part of Germany’s war guilt – the plan held out the false promise of a quick victory, and so it underpinned the “short war illusion” that led Germany into a long war of attrition, ending with her defeat and collapse in 1918. This analysis confuses two quite different moments in history. The Schlieffen Plan was not designed to meet the strategic challenge Germany faced in 1914,
The defeat of Germany in World War Two was due to many factors. All of these factors were influenced by the leadership and judgment of Adolf Hitler. Factors such as the stand fast policy, Hitler's unnecessary and risky decision making in military situations, for example when attacking the USSR, and the declaration of war on the US. Plus other factors, like Hitler's alliance with Italy, despite its obvious weaknesses, and the pursuit of the final solution, can all be attributed to the poor leadership and judgement of the Fuhrer, which would eventually lead to the downfall of the Third Reich.
Germany became a unified country in 1871 under the leadership of Otto Von Bismarck. The separate states up until this time were independent, Prussia being the strongest and most influential, followed by Austria. There are several contributing factors to the unification of Germany, the most influential of which being the leadership of Otto Von Bismarck. The three wars that Prussia fought with Denmark, Austria and France also played significant roles in the unification of the German states. Another factor to consider is the increase in support of nationalism around Western Europe at the time, and the changes in German society. Through an evaluation of these factors and relevant sources one can
Why did the Allies win World War II? (Roark 854) In this paper we will be discussing the reasons behind why the Allies were able to defeat the Axis powers in World War II. (Roark Ch.25, p. 792) During the era of World War II technology developed largely during this time. (History Net Where History Comes Alive World US History Online RSS) The improvements in technology helped the Allies win World War II, because of technological advances it helped the Allies be more ahead of the Axis powers, but this was not the only reason the Allies won World War II. (History Net Where History Comes Alive World US History Online RSS) World War II is known greatly for Pearl Harbor in the United States, but in Europe it is know for Adolf Hitler’s need for what he called the “superior race” (Adolf Hitler) that he believed everyone should be and the holocaust. (Hughes, Britannica, WWII) World War II was also the war that included almost every country in the world and caused the most deaths of all time, even today it still holds the record for most deaths especially for a six-year period of time. (Hughes, Britannica, WWII)
The Allies used Ultra greatly throughout the course of WW2. As mentioned earlier, Ultra benefited the Allies as it provided them with information about the Axis’ powers such as locations of where they would attack next or even supply lists. The Battle of the Atlantic was an event where the use of Alan Turing’s work paid dividends. At this point, Alan Turing and his crew were now dealing with the Naval Enigma, which had been more difficult to decrypt as the naval enigma developed over the course of the war. There were several instances where the Allies were able to capture Naval Enigma settings, which benefited Turing and the code breakers as they would not have to waste time using the bombes to acquire the key settings. The Allies captured a German ship called the Krebs, which contained naval Enigma machines, and codebooks, which provided the key settings for the previous month. It was suggested that the Allies
Germany was unified by “blood and iron” in the Prussian wars before Germany was one nation. The Prussia war campaign against Denmark, Austria, and France led to the creation of the German Empire. After each victory against these countries the German Empire gained more and more territories and continuously expanded. The idea of nationalism was not only used to fuel these wars, but also afterwards in creating a limited government. In fueling these wars, the citizens were promised that a unified German Empire will lead to prosperity and peace. They were only too happy to go on the offensive and try and claim new lands in the name of their great nation. Once they had conquered these lands and claimed a small piece as a prize, they set up Kaiser Wilhelm as the Emperor on July 18, 1871. After this the Reichstag was formed as the limited government with the illusion that they could make a difference. In truth, Kaiser Wilhelm would shoot down any bill he seemed to disagree with. Also they all reported to Wilhelm and could easily be fired for causing too much trouble for them. With the German
The summer of 1944 had been a catastrophic one for Hitler and Germany. Loses at Normandy had greatly depleted equipment, manpower, and had lost ground to the invading Allied Forces (Keegan, 440). On September 16, Hitler made a “momentous decision” to make a counteroffensive out of the Ardennes to capture the Belgian
In about 1763, the Germans were experiencing many problems. With the seven years war just behind them, much of the land had been destroyed. Crops were trampled, and properties were decimated, making the living conditions in Germany very difficult. On top of that, the war had left the political system in a state of chaos. At that time, Germany was not together as a nation but was rather divided into forty-two different states. Unified Germany as we know it today did not come about until much later, in about 1872.
June 6th, 1945, Adolf Hitler stepped down from the plane that brought him from Berlin to Washington D.C. In the oval office, Harry Truman signed the document that brought on the unconditional surrender of the United States to Nazi Germany. Some might call it crazy, but Adolf Hitler could have won World War 2 if it had not been for the death of one man. The man who could have ensured a Nazi victory was General Walther Wever, an unwavering advocate for large bomber aircraft. So, if such a man who could have ensured Hitler’s victory had lived, how would this have changed modern history?
Did Hitler lose World War II because it was destined or due to his strategical mishaps? Did Bill Gates become the richest person in the world due to his astrological horoscope or due to his smart thinking? Did J. K Rowling become famous due to God’s divine powers or due to her literary skills? President Truman once said “Actions are seed of fate deeds grow into destiny”. Well, this applies to Macbeth; he is a character that falls to his temptations and ambitions. This happens when Macbeth comes across three witches that prophesize that he will become king. Tempted by this prophecy, he and his wife plan and plot to Kill King Duncan and usurp the throne. But when Macbeth achieved his aspiration, he is not content he wants to solidify his power.
In the beginning of World War II, Germany seemed to be on a path to dominating Europe. Our world could be vastly different politically, technologically, and socially if this had happened, but it didn’t. Why is this? While Germany led many campaigns during World War II, it seems like one caused it to lose the war: Germany's loss of North Africa in 1943 eventually led to its downfall. This is because the North African failure was a massive loss of resources and morale and because it gave the Allies a geographic advantage. It started Germany on a slow decline that lasted until it finally surrendered in 1945.
Germany was not able to claim victory during World War II due to poor military guidance. Hitler’s military tactics led
Why Germany lost the war (despite its early tactical successes) is a simple question with a complex answer. And, over the years since Germany’s surrender at Reims, France on May 7, 1945, scholars and historians have provided a number of arguments to warrant their perspective answers. Consequently there are a