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1. The military
2. The economy
3. Genocide
1. Responsibility for the holocaust

4. The Civilian struggle
5. Resistance and repression
6. Defeat

 Not a surprise to readers of Mein Kampf
 From 1935-38 Germany made overt moves to prepare for
European War
 Most of this was tolerated by Britain and France on the
grounds of averting another ‘Great War’
 The actions on September 3rd were unexpected, not least so
by Germany.
 Hitler’s plan intended War for the mid 40s
 As result we witnessed ‘The Phoney war’
 Despite this Germany was militarily superior at first- Blitzkrieg
 Not until 1943 was Germany reversed
 However defeat was never inevitable!

 Blitzkreig opened up a mass of Lebensraum
 With it came an abundance of raw materials
 The Nazi-Soviet pact enabled
 A war on one front
 Material aid from the USSR
 Hitler wanted to push on to France in late ‘39
 His Generals urged caution
 The Phoney war ensued and there is a
defacto freeze on hostilities till May 1940

 Initial victory over Belgium and the
Netherlands (the Low Countries) and France
was due to Hitler's skilful military and
economic planning.
 Third Reich is bordered by three neutral /
friendly countries.
 Hitler rules in
Berlin, Paris, Oslo, Vienna, Prague and
Warsaw.
 The war was ‘as good as over’

 Did Germany lose or Britain win?
 British self interest was put aside, it would
not settle with Germany as Hitler hoped.
 Hugely significant strategically, tactically and
politically for Germany.
 Germany failure to force Britain to capitulate
during the BoB resulted in a change of
direction for Hitler
 Russia!

 18th December 1940 |Hitler's Directive No.21
 A strategic failure from the outset?
 Promised a quick campaign
 Hitler embarks upon this ‘new crusade’ before the surrender
/ defeat of Britain.
 Hitler had become convinced that Blitzkrieg tactics
would work against the USSR
 Delays in securing the German flanks (Greece and
Balkans) delayed the start till 22nd June 1941.
 Initial success was reversed at Leningrad and
Stalingrad
 From Nov 1941 Blitzkrieg turned into Sitzkrieg.

 France and Britain failed to realise the intent of
Germany and lacked initiative at the vital moment(s).
 F&B were unable to counter Blitzkrieg tactics
 French strategy was based upon the Maginot Line. Its
total failure stripped away the military and political
will to resist.
 British efforts were based upon containment and
appeasement, backed up by the military strategy of
WW1.
 German expansion opened up immense resources
 The USSR was taken by complete surprise

 December 7th 1941 – Pearl Harbour
 Despite under no obligation Hitler allied himself with Japan –
Globalising the conflict.

 Resultantly;
 USA joins Atlantic War
 Germany faces another enemy
 Still no victory over Britain or USSR

 Context
 No strategic impetus to fight USA
 Evidence that Hitler had lost grip on military and diplomatic
developments
 British Victory at El Alamein – Nov ’42
 German encirclement at Stalingrad Dec 42 - Jan 43

 From 1943 Germany essentially fought a
defensive war to protect ‘Fortress Europe’
 Hitler was diverging more and more from the
reality of the situation
 His personal ideological prejudice over race and
communism dictated policy.
 Assuming the Allied-USSR pact would not last
 Allied bombing continued to grow in reach and
severity
 Italy proved an unreliable ally and by 43 the
Allies had control over Africa and Southern Italy.

 Unconditional surrender the only viable option
 The reality of this prompted assassination
attempts on Hitler
 However German resistance did not collapse
 Serious opposition in the break out from Normandy
 Battle of the Bulge
 Soviet Advance was hard won
 Hitler's suicide on 30th April 45
 German surrender 7-8th of May 45

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