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WWII discussion forum / Re: Greatest Axis Blunder
« on: February 10, 2006, 01:02:28 PM »
I think the following blunders contributed to the German defeat:
- Not -capturing- the pocket at Dunkirk. This would have given Germany a big negotiation position with Britain. 300.000 troops captured.... that's much.
- Starting to bomb London instead of British airfields in the Battle of Britain. This way Germany might have won the air war, or at least prolong the eventual allied air superiority.
- Not winning the early desert war in Egypt when the Italians were on the offensive there. Hitler should have committed more troops to the African front from start on along with the Italians.
- Not getting Turkey involved in the war on the Axis side like in WWI. This way Germany could get a better grip on oil resources in the Causasus and the Middle-east by attacking from Turkish soil. Also remember Iraq had a pro-axis coup in april '41.
- With operation Barbarossa, the biggest mistake the Germans made was to not win the hearts of the Belarussians and Ukrainians, but instead destroying them.
- Second point is that Germany maybe should have waited for a year before attacking Russia: crippling the UK in africa, and by air on the main island even further in '40 and '41 might have been a better choice, and go to war against Russia in early '42.
- Japan should not have attacked the US (pearl harbor). The US economic machine would have entered the war eventually on allied side, but much later in time.
In the end, looking at all these blunders, I think the main flaw is that Hitler didn't let his generals do at what they were best. Hitler was a politician, not an army general. I voted for Dunkirk anyway, as it was the first mayor flaw Hitler made, along with the bombing of London.
From jan '42 and on, the axis would have lost eventually, with the US involved and the Soviets able to hold back the german army. So all this people saying Stalingrad or D-day were decisive in WWII, I disagree.
- Not -capturing- the pocket at Dunkirk. This would have given Germany a big negotiation position with Britain. 300.000 troops captured.... that's much.
- Starting to bomb London instead of British airfields in the Battle of Britain. This way Germany might have won the air war, or at least prolong the eventual allied air superiority.
- Not winning the early desert war in Egypt when the Italians were on the offensive there. Hitler should have committed more troops to the African front from start on along with the Italians.
- Not getting Turkey involved in the war on the Axis side like in WWI. This way Germany could get a better grip on oil resources in the Causasus and the Middle-east by attacking from Turkish soil. Also remember Iraq had a pro-axis coup in april '41.
- With operation Barbarossa, the biggest mistake the Germans made was to not win the hearts of the Belarussians and Ukrainians, but instead destroying them.
- Second point is that Germany maybe should have waited for a year before attacking Russia: crippling the UK in africa, and by air on the main island even further in '40 and '41 might have been a better choice, and go to war against Russia in early '42.
- Japan should not have attacked the US (pearl harbor). The US economic machine would have entered the war eventually on allied side, but much later in time.
In the end, looking at all these blunders, I think the main flaw is that Hitler didn't let his generals do at what they were best. Hitler was a politician, not an army general. I voted for Dunkirk anyway, as it was the first mayor flaw Hitler made, along with the bombing of London.
From jan '42 and on, the axis would have lost eventually, with the US involved and the Soviets able to hold back the german army. So all this people saying Stalingrad or D-day were decisive in WWII, I disagree.