Скачать или смотреть Why Was Hitler So Successful In The Early Years Of WW2?

Between 1939 and 1941, Germany went from being a power constrained by the Treaty of Versailles to dominating almost all of continental Europe. In barely two years, national armies were destroyed, capitals occupied, and governments forced to surrender before they could reorganize. Poland fell in weeks, France in just six, and the Balkans were subdued through lightning campaigns that stunned the world. The speed of the German advance not only dismantled military defenses but also triggered political and psychological collapse among its enemies, who were unable to respond to a form of warfare unlike anything they had experienced before.

This early success rested on a precise combination of factors: rapid rearmament, a military doctrine based on mobility and surprise, unprecedented coordination between armored forces and air power, and a highly professional General Staff. Blitzkrieg made it possible to break through fronts, isolate entire armies, and force mass surrenders before opponents could establish coherent defensive lines. Added to this was Allied underestimation—plans rooted in First World War logic, poor communications, and slow command structures—against an enemy that made decisions in real time and exploited every mistake without pause.

At the center of this process was Hitler himself, a leader willing to take extreme risks and to accelerate every conflict before the international balance could adjust. His political and military audacity, combined with an economy geared toward short wars and the psychological impact of consecutive victories, created an image of invincibility that strengthened German morale while paralyzing its enemies. However, this model depended on continuous forward momentum and on absorbing resources from conquered territories. When Germany reached its peak of power in Europe, the system that had driven its rise demanded a new decisive step—one that would soon push the war onto a scale for which it was no longer prepared.