How Hitler Lost the War Essay

As an influential, forceful person, Adolf Hitler used his articulate speech to empower the Nazi political party. Hitler received complete power as the Chancellor of Germany, after passing the Enabling Act. He utilized the totalitarian power to create the Third Reich, and through military moves and a propaganda movement headed by Joseph Goebbels, he made a great impact on the Germany’s citizens. Hitler influenced the Germans into sharing a deep sentiment of nationalism, and the significance of the Aryan, or â€Å"master,† race. With this widespread attitude and the mobilization of the German military, Hitler spearheaded the second world war. Despite the positive contributors to the German force, Hitler’s many mistakes hindered the armies’ ability to win the war. This included his impulsive demeanor and irresolute tendencies, his errors at Dunkirk, France, and his attack on Ukraine. One significant error made by Hitler occurred when he chose to alternate from bombing the RAF, targeting civilians in British cities instead. This gave the RAF the time and space needed to recuperate, and they were able to recover. Hitler had lost a chance to beat the RAF, since they had been growing weak under the German attack, and would most likely have been done for if the bombing on the RAF had continued. The lack of rest of the Luftwaffe combined with the determination of the British forces brought the Battle of Britain to a stalemate. This terminated the might German air force, and prevented the Germans from completing Operation Sea Lion, a plan to invade England amphibiously, with minimal resistance. With the completion of the operation, the United States would have been less protected from a Nazi invasion. Another of Hitler’s most grievous mistakes was made in his decision at Dunkirk. The Allies experienced a great deal of fear about a German attack through Belgium after the downfalls of the Netherlands, Norway, Belgium, and Denmark to the Germans. The Allies dealt with the German 3-pronged attack, the main force traveling through the Ardennes Forest, the other two through Belgium and the Maginot Line. This surprise approach startled the Allies, mostly since the thought of massive tanks traveling through the Ardennes Forest was incredible. This German movement pushed the Allies to Dunkirk, a location on the English Channel. Hitler then commanded the German forces to turn around, deciding that the Luftwaffe were more suitable to finish the job and win the battle. The Luftwaffe had minimal success after a dense fog obstructing the vision of the Luftwaffe and making it possible for the British to escape to safety. This mistake was prodigious– Hitler’s decision prevented the Germans from wiping out the British army. If this had occurred, Germany would have had a great opportunity to invade Britain amphibiously. However, Hitler did not take advantage of the opportunity, and missed out. Hitler’s â€Å"Rape of the Ukraine† was his most critical of blunders. From the perspective of the Slavs, the Germans seemed to be liberators, come to save the people from the cruel jurisdiction of Stalin. If Hitler had used this to his advantage, he could have had more manpower in his attack of Moscow. Instead, he looked at the Slavs as mongrels, an inferior race. The Ukraines also had more experience dealing with the Russian winter and terrain. However Hitler was unable to look past his prejudice, and shipped the Slavs off to concentration camps to be exterminated. Hitler took their food and treated them uncivilly. Had he done right by these people, he would have gained troops to help in his attack in Moscow, and obtained an ability to use all of his men to defend the Western front, since threats along the Eastern front could have been removed. Adolf Hitler had an uncanny ability to influence immense crowds of people, but his lack of ability in the area of commanding military forces with well thought out strategy essentially led to the downfall of the Germans in World War II. Hitler’s execution of military movements was less then valiant. He made his biggest errors in the Battle of Britain, and his actions at Dunkirk and the Ukraine. This pushed the Germans to an eventual defeat. Hitler’s Third Reich lasted twelve years, and he was never capable of gaining access to the control and influence of the entire world.