Why did Hitler Invade so many Countries so Fast?

SdoowSirhc wrote: »

Well as you probably know already, nobody really tried to stop Hitler from invading countries around Germany under the policy of appeasement. The Brits and French wanted to keep Germany sweet after the turmoil they caused in the Great War and didn't want to kick up a fuss. Hitler was pretty much welcomed into Austria by the Germanic majority (probably not the correct way of phrasing this..) and the Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia. It wasn't until he invaded Poland that the British/French had enough of appeasing him and went to war on Germany but they still did little or nothing to stop German expansion (see "the phoney war") Hitler's use of blitzkrieg meant his troops could quickly move into and neutralize the next country in line to be taken and had to keep moving quickly to keep the Allies guessing. They had no need to rest and "re-arm" as such because they had a huge supply of troops and the resources/infrastructure to keep fueling the war effort. The reason they didn't fare so well by the time they got into Russia they were nearly too far away from these new troops/resources/infrastructure and hence suffered.

Just my opinion but I really haven't much knowledge on WWII, I'm only 15..

:P

well done lad.....you have done wonderfull...

people see the germans in the movies and see all the trucks, tanks etc....

the german army was mainly horsedrawn.........which meant the mass of soldiers (except by train) could only move as fast as a horse could walk......

HavingCrack wrote: »

Austria wasn't occupied exactly, more absorbed, the majority of Austrians appear to have been willing participants in Anschluss, however the Dolfuss referendum on a free and independant Austria was never carried out so we don't really know for sure.

Czechoslovakia was slightly different, the Sudetenland was never invaded, it was given to Germany at the Munich conference. The remainder of the country was pretty much defenceless when Germany threatened to launch air raids on Prague so that was an easy victory for Hitler.

Germany signed the Nazi-Soviet Pact which meant an invasion of western Poland in 1939 seemed perfect. The fact that the western Allies had done nothing about the Spanish Republic, Austria or Czechoslovakia convinced Hitler that they would not interfere over Poland. With the threat of Soviet aggression neutered via the terms of the treaty and eastern expansion being part of Nazi ideology the 1939 attack on Poland was timed perfectly.

The invasion of Norway was designed to protect the port of Narvik and keep the supply of Swedish iron ore vital to German industry continuing to flow. It also intended to prevent a British and French occupation of that country which it did very effectively. It did tie up 300,000 German soldiers for the duration of the way however. The invasion of Denmark was merely to aid the invasion of Norway.

Similarly the German offensive against France needed to attack via Belgium due to the presence of the Maginot Line further south. The Benelux states were unfortunately in the wrong place geographically, caught between Germany and France.

The attack on France took place in 1940 in order to bring the war on the western front to a speedy end before preparing an invasion of the USSR, the ultimate German aim and was successful. France was defeated and British forces confined to their island.

The attacks on Yugoslavia and Greece only occured due the disaster that Italian meddling caused in those states which threatened Hitlers southern flank in the Balkans because of the presence of Allied troops in Greece and Crete.

North Africa was a similar situation to the Balkans.

Romania and Bulgaria were German allies, not occupied states.

The invasion of the USSR in 1941 was probably the correct time to do so. Hitler felt the British were no longer a threat to German hegemony of the continent, the Soviet army appeared to be impotent and ineffective to Stalin's purges of its officer corps and that army's exceptionally poor showing in the 1940 'Winter War' with Finland where it suffered heavy casualties. Furthermore the Soviet Union was continuing to re-arm rapidly and the longer Germany waited the stronger the Russian army would become.

German tactics were based on speed and rapid maneuvering. The German army was not designed for a long war with the Soviet Union or the United States. German industrial output did not reach maximum capacity until 1945, far too late to influence the war. In a 'total war' situation with the USSR, Germany would lose. Hence the decision to attempt to knock Russia out quickly and the need for speed in the German campaigns.

Fair summary.
Hitler diverting some of his forces into Greece in 1941 led to a postponing of Barbarossa for some weeks. Would be interested to know if people consider this significant.
Worth pointing out that British forces would be confined to their island if they had no ships or planes.

golden lane wrote: »

well done lad.....you have done wonderfull...

people see the germans in the movies and see all the trucks, tanks etc....

the german army was mainly horsedrawn.........which meant the mass of soldiers (except by train) could only move as fast as a horse could walk......

I never mentioned trucks and I know actual cavalry still was in use at the time but Germany defiantly used tanks and such in the initial invasion of Poland, Czechoslovakia, etc. Soldiers obviously weren't going to be primarily on tanks but I wouldn't have thought they were mainly horse drawn but I am wrong :P Thanks for telling me that, something I never heard about once during the entirety of the Junior cert course... More history classes!

johnwest288 wrote: »

Right so Im trying to figure out how he thought he could take over so much of europe/ russia so fast.

He didn't. The war as it played out was not the war Hitler was wishing to pursue. His ambitions lay to the east, in Russia. He had no designs on the west, or Europe as a whole. This eastern campaign was to take place later in the 40's and not in the historical time frame that exists.

The historical war was very much thrust upon Hitler and Germany by Britain's (and subsequently France's) declaration of war in September 1939. This turn of events is what caused Hitler to significantly alter his eastern ambitions and forced Germany to consider other factors, before embarking upon their eastern campaign.

But there was no real confidence is quick victories until they actually occurred. Poland collapsing in a month took the Germans as much by surprise, as it did the rest of the world and France capitulating after six weeks of war was predicted by absolutely nobody, including Hitler. That was an even bigger surprise.

What Germany had on their side was a belief in a tactical doctrine, that other nations hadn't come to grips with, or were still in the initial stages of developing themselves. It was this tactical doctrine that allowed the German Army to defeat its foe quickly, not a mere belief in quick victory.

But, the short story is that neither Hitler, Germany or the rest of the world thought really believed that western Europe would fall so quickly to the armies of one nation.

With Russia, Hitler did envision a relatively short campaign, but this was born out of the previous quick victories of 39-40 and the fact that he had allies on his side. It's largely forgotten now, but there were a number of nations to immediate west of Russia that were very eager to see the end of the Communists. Hitler mentioned that all one had to do was "...kick the door in and the whole rotten edifice would come crashing down". This was largely built on a belief that Russia was propped up by a criminal Bolshevik government that the Russian people largely despised, which in the likes of the Ukraine, wasn't wrong. In fact, the point of view that Russia was governed by "Bolshevik criminals" was held by a great number of western nations at the time, including Britain and the US.

Of course, Hitler got it terribly wrong and his eastern adventure turned into a nightmare that would signal the eventual end of his Reich.

johnwest288 wrote: »

Surely he and his Generals Knew that he was spreading Finite resources.
How could he think he could control so much land so fast Im no expert but it seems mad. Or was Hitler just that "Insane"

Hitler and his generals were well aware that spreading forces thinly was a danger to his ambitions. However, the choice not to simply didn't exist. One of Hitlers worries was a repeat of WWI, a war on two fronts, which he quite rightly said couldn't be won. His only recourse, after September 39, was to knock out enemies and postpone his one true goal of destroying Russia. He simply didn't have the luxury of choosing not to invade western Europe, if he was fulfill his designs in the east.

Far from being mad, it really was the only option open to him, once Britain and France made war on Germany. It was something that couldn't just be shrugged off.

johnwest288 wrote: »

Could he not have had a breathing space between his campaigns to re-arm.
So if he did hypothetically take over Russia and England how could he control these vast land masses with just his troops and possibly some sympathisers from inside those countries.

The idea of taking over England was never even on the cards. "Sealion" was a non-starter and was never a serious consideration. more bluff, than reality and it wasn't even a factor until the Summer of 1940. It was even abandoned before the Battle of Britain got going in earnest.

Russia, he always believed would fall apart and when the Communists were gone the National Socialists would take over and thus Russia would be the basis for a strong future Germany, with its huge provision of resources. With Russia under German control, the need of importing oil and food would largely be eliminated and thus Germany would be completely self sufficient.

johnwest288 wrote: »

Ultimately Germany fell in 1944 at the successful beach landing at Normandy lead to the German defeat.

Germany's fall was sealed a full year before anybody set foot on Normandy. That came in Russia in 1943. It was the Russians that defeated Hitlers armies, not the US, or Britain. Over 80% of Wehrmacht casualties occurred in battles against the Red Army. By the time the western allies had going in France, Germany was already doomed. In fact, even if they never bothered, Germany would have been defeated by Russia. Even if they had done nothing at all for the entire war, Germany would still have been defeated, or at least dragged into an uneasy stalemate.

bluecode wrote: »

Hitler had expected to Yugoslavia to join the Axis but invaded when they didn't.

Yugoslavia was on side, until a British backed coup of March 27th ousted Prince Paul and set up King Peter II as head of state. Hitler had no choice but to eliminate such an obvious thorn in his side, especially with Barbarossa just around the corner.

Tony EH wrote: »

Actually, the U-Boat campaign never once came even remotely close to removing Britain from the war, despite the propaganda of either nation. Even at the height of success in 1940 and 41, the U-Boats could only succeed in making the smallest of dents in British shipping, regardless of the thousands of tons sent to the bottom of the Atlantic.

The essential nature of the campain is that the vast majority of material always got through to its destination.

A quick online check, (I know they're not always 100% reliable), but it agrees with your assessment.
Happy to withdraw that part of my post - and thanks for pointing me in that direction.