Why and when did Germany lose the Second World War?

        The Battle of Britain, which started on August 13 1940, is another aspect of the Second World War in which Germany failed to force the Allies to capitulate. The Battle of Britain was a series of air raids on Royal Air Force (RAF) airfields and radar stations, in which Germany sought to eliminate Britain’s control of the skies in order to launch an invasion of Great Britain (code-named Operation Sealion). Although German planes outnumbered British planes 3 to 1, Germany suffered a large number of casualties, and was eventually forced to abandon its plans to destroy the RAF. Hitler thus changed policy and instead sought the bombing of British cities. This, in turn, connoted the fact that Germany would never be able to successfully invade Britain as it lacked the means to stop the Royal Navy from defending Britain against a sea-borne invasion. The RAF was able to withstand continued aggression from the Luftwaffe (German Air Force) as it comprised mostly of fighters, in comparison to the large amount of bombers that the Luftwaffe had. Fighters were more maneuverable and effective in dogfights than bombers, and so were in a more advantageous position during the Battle of Britain. German planes were also required to fly to Britain from Germany, and had limited fuel. The implications for the defeat of the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain are far-reaching and influential. The inability of Germany to win the Battle of Britain, and thus to take over Great Britain, enabled the nation to be used as a staging base for the entry of U.S soldiers into Europe. The Allies were in later stages of the war able to launch an invasion of France (D-Day), so that Germany was required to fight a two-front war. The loss of Germany also lowered the morale of Germans, and raised doubt over the credibility of Hitler as a military leader. The Battle of Britain was costly, both in terms of human lives and war materiel, both of which could have been used to great effect in other military campaigns, if Hitler had not chosen to try to invade Great Britain. In 1940 alone the Luftwaffe lost over 1,100 aircrafts.

        Hitler and Germany’s military commanders also made a tactical error in starting a military campaign in North Africa. Although initially disinclined to fight in the region, Germany felt compelled to send troops (named the Afrika Korps) after the Italian army was facing defeat in the hands of the British. The Germans achieved early successes, such as the capture of Tobruk in June 1941, in which 33,000 British troops were taken prisoner. Further advances were made until the German Army threatened to enter Alexandria. At the Battle of El Alamein (in November 1942), however, the British Eighth Army defeated the Germans, and forced them to retreat. The Battle of El Alamein is distinctly critical as it marks the first defeat of the German Army during the Second World War- this enhanced the morale of the Allies, and again raised doubt on the effectiveness of Hitler to make military decisions. The loss at El Alamein initiated a continuous German retreat out of the North African theatre, and inflicted 60,000 casualties on the German and Italian armies during 12 days of fighting. The large number of soldiers and war materiel lost in the fighting significantly reduced the ability of Germany to fight against the Allies, leading to its eventual loss. The German army was also overstretched, and fighting in North Africa therefore limited the ability of German forces elsewhere to win against enemies. As the first defeat of the German army, the Battle of Alamein was a morale boost for the Allies, and portrayed the limitations of Germany’s strength. Another implication of the exit from North Africa is Germany’s loss of access to oil in the Middle East, as well as control of the Suez Canal. A lack of oil in latter years of the war was to deeply affect Germany’s military performance. With Allied victory in North Africa, Great Britain and the U.S were able to invade Sicily and Italy, thereby opening a new front on Europe. This led to the defeat of Italy, and thus the loss of a vital ally of Germany (although a puppet nation was created in North Italy under the virtual control of Hitler). All these factors were direct effects of the loss of German forces in North Africa, and contribute to the eventual defeat of Germany in the Second World War.

        Hitler’s tactics during the invasion of the U.S.S.R is another factor which contributed to the gradual defeat of Germany. Named Operation Barbarossa, Hitler decided to invade the Soviet Union by the use of a three-pronged attack on Leningrad, Moscow, and the Ukraine. Most of his military commanders disagreed with this plan, as it overstretched German military forces, and made the capture of the Soviet Union’s headquarters in Moscow only one of many objectives. Initially successful due to an element of surprise, better military tactics and higher quality soldiers and war equipment, the Germans took control of much of Central Russia and surrounded Leningrad. Soviet losses from June to October 1941 included around 3,000,000 men and 18,000 tanks. German casualties however, were also high, and totaled 750,000 during the same time. Despite these gains in the Soviet Union, the German army was unable to achieve its primary objectives, which were to take Leningrad, Moscow and resourceful areas of the Ukraine. This is mainly attributed to the strong resistance that the Germans faced, both from Soviet soldiers and civilians. Soviets were numerically superior to the German Army, and so posed a continuous problem, in addition to the fact that the Soviet Union encompasses a large swath of land. The German army was also unable to capture the key cities of Leningrad and Moscow as large amounts of soldiers were diverted to Southern Russia in order to attain much needed Caspian oil. This change in war plans by Hitler significantly weakened the ability of the Wehrmacht to make the Soviet Union surrender. Additionally, the ambitious plan of Hitler to invade several regions of the Soviet Union (as opposed to only Moscow, which should happen in accordance to the true nature of blitzkrieg tactics) resulted in a prolonged conflict. German soldiers were required to fight in an exceptionally cold winter, and frostbite claimed 100,000 victims. In 1942, Hitler made the fateful strategic decision of dividing his southern forces between an invasion of Caucasian oil fields and the city of Stalingrad. During the battle of Stalingrad, the German Sixth army was surrounded, yet specific orders by Hitler not to retreat caused it to surrender. 70,000 German casualties occurred, whilst over 100,000 prisoners were taken. The surrender forced the retreat of the southern forced trying to capture Caucasian oil, and eventually lead to the repulsion of all German forces from the Soviet Union.

        The failure of Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union is probably the most influential factor in the defeat of Germany. Through strong resilience and tenacity, Soviet soldiers and civilians withstood Operation Barbarossa despite enormous casualties. The failure of the operation can also be blamed on the severe winter (and the problems it caused to lightly-dressed German soldiers and freeze-prone machinery), and on Hitler’s unrealistic and inflexible commands (he ordered a wide attack on the Soviet Union, and disallowed any retreat). Most significantly, Hitler’s campaign in the Soviet Union turned the nation from a relatively peaceful neighbor (due to the non-aggression pact signed in 1939) into a hostile enemy in alliance with Great Britain and the U.S. The massive power of the Soviet Union bore the brunt of German military might, and in turn was the main aggressor during the invasion of Germany. The underestimation of the Soviet Union’s strength is undoubtedly one of the most significant errors of Hitler, and lead to the death of countless German soldiers and a drain on its industry and economy.

        Another critical mistake considered by many historians to be Hitler’s greatest during his control of Germany, was the declaration of war on the U.S on the 11th of September. Although the U.S had clearly been supporting nations that opposed Germany before the declaration of war (through such acts as Destroyer Deal in September 1940, which gave Great Britain 50 destroyer ships, and the Lend-Lease agreement, which enabled Great Britain to acquire war materiel from the U.S. to be paid at a later date), the U.S was still not committed to sending troops. By declaring war on the U.S, Hitler basically set Germany against the greatest economic power during the time, and enabled vast quantities resources and finance to be used against them. Although U.S armaments and troops were mostly deployed in the Pacific against Japan, America’s contribution in the European theatre was invaluable. It played a leading role during D-Day, and the subsequent invasion of France and most of Western Europe. 73,000 U.S troops were used during D-Day, whilst 20% of the RAF from 1943 to 1945 was comprised of U.S planes. The effect of the Normandy landings by Allied forces was the creation of a two-front war for Germany, so that Germany’s resources had to be split between the western front against mainly the U.S and Great Britain, and the eastern front against the Soviet Union. The American navy and army also played crucial roles during battles in North Africa, as well as the invasion of Sicily and Italy. By declaring war on the U.S, Hitler essentially compelled the German military to fight against the two greatest world powers- the U.S and the U.S.S.R. This ultimately overwhelmed Germany, and caused its complete defeat.

        In conclusion, I can assert that it is not a single point in the timeframe of the Second World War which caused Germany to lose, but several, all of which play a role in its defeat. I personally consider the most significant dates which caused Germany’s loss to be the 11th of September (the date the U.S entered the war) and November 1942 (the month that the German army lost the Battle of Stalingrad). The creation of the U.S as an enemy of Germany is uniquely significant as it is unlikely Germany could survive a war against such an economic colossus. The Battle of Stalingrad, on the other hand, marks the beginning of the Soviet Union’s offensive against Germany, ultimately leading to the takeover of Berlin. It also marks the cessation of Germany’s access to bountiful oil, as they were checked by the Soviet Army before reaching the Caucasus. One must, however, note the significance of other events, such as the Battle of Britain, as it actually allowed the event of D-Day, and kept Britain as a fighting opponent of Germany. El Alamein is also significant, as like in the Battle of Stalingrad, it stopped Germany from having access to oil in the Middle East (oil was a vital commodity during the Second World War for machinery, and a lack of it played a significant role in the defeat of Germany). In the end, Hitler’s overtly ambitious war plans proved to be impossible for the army to carry out, as it was overstretched and overwhelmed by the Allies it fought against. Germany simply did not have the resources to achieve victory, after the loss of soldiers, war material and necessary resources it incurred during these decisive moments in the Second World War.  

Bibliography

Morris, T.A (1995) European History, Universal Tutorial Press, London 

Luck, Steve (2000) World History Encyclopedia, George Philip Limited, London