Adolf
Hitler made one correct military decision during World War 2, the
others only attributed to the fall of the Third Reich. This decision
was to use the power of tanks and the surprise attack through the
Ardennes in may 1940. Guderian broke through after 5 days of fighting
and reached the coast within a week. German tankdivisions had
encircled the French and British forces. A daring manoeuvre, planned
and executed by a briljant strategist, Erich von Manstein.
In
the spring of 1941 Germany was at its highest military strength.
Another militairy genius Erwin Rommel, who commanded the
Afrika-korps, about one, armoured division strong, pleeded at Army
Headquarters (OKW) and personally to Adolf Hitler, for
re-inforcements. Operation Barbarossa had not begun yet and the Army
had 16 tankdivisions, doing nothing. The strength of the English was
equal to Rommel's. With one extra armoured division the German forces
would defeat the British, reach Cairo and block the Suez-canal. The
British Navy would have to leave the Mediterranean and Malta would be
lost. Nothing could stop Rommel to invade Palestine (and Jerusalem),
Jordan, Syria and Iraq. These were all French or British “colonys”
and they would welcome the Nazis as liberators. In one giant stroke
the shortage of petroleum of the Reich was solved. The whole
operation would take only months and success seemed garanteed.
England had hardly any troops in the area and had to retreat to
India.
Hitler
choose to invade Russia and when the Germans reached the Caucasus in
1942, a giant entanglement was still possible. But Hitler was
obsessed with communism and continued the attack on the Soviet-Union.
Maybe he had to attack. Stalin had secretely moved attack-divisons to
his border with Germany. This is the reason, why the Soviet-soldiers
were overrun. They had no time to fall back on defensive lines. The
millions Russian prisoners-of-war seem to illustrate Stalin
aggressive intentions. Erwin Rommel did not get the re-inforcements
he asked for and was finally defeated at El Alamein. Cairo and
Jerusalem stayed out of Rommel's reach. The chance to re-establish
the Roman, Mare Nostrum slipped through their hands. The
Mediterranean could in 1941/42 have become a fascist lake.
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