Why Did the Germans Lose WWII?

1. Why Did the Germans Lose WWII?

2. 1. A three front war: Russia, France, and Italy • German army stretched across Europe • Ran out of soldiers and used children and old men One of the last pics of Hitler – April 1945

3. 2. Major Blunders • Allowed Britain to remain in tact after Battle of Britain. Did not defeat Britain at Dunkirk • Invasion of the Soviet Union, and the later decision to engage the Soviets at Stalingrad • Hitler’s declaration of war against the US immediately after Pearl Harbor. The US and Britain would focus on defeating Germany before Jpan

4. 3. Industrial Capacity not Equal to Allies • US out-produced all of the Axis nations combined. • Allied bombing of German cities destroyed industry. • Use of Slavs and Jews as slave labor was not effective • Much energy spent on the Final Solution • Germany did not shift the economy to “total war” until 1943. By that time

5. 4. The Axis Alliance was a liability • Italy failed to defend the Balkans which drew Germany into Southeastern Europe. • Italy had to be defended by the Nazis as the Allies attacked the peninsula • Japan drew the US into war after it attacked Pearl Harbor • It could not stand up to the “Grand Alliance” of 40 Allied nations