Hitler Made So Many Mistakes. Why & How? Experts Weigh In

Рет қаралды 5,059

Ай бұрын

I made this documentary TV special for PBS in 1988 when many of those who worked with Hitler and knew him well, were alive. Subscribers and viewers have asked me to post the entire film I made, so here it is.
The Battle of Britain is one of Hitler's mistakes reviewed in my film. 1940 was a critical episode in World War II where Hitler's decision-making played a pivotal role in its outcome. Initially, the German strategy, executed through the Luftwaffe, aimed to achieve air superiority over Britain as a precursor to a possible invasion.
The Mistake: As the battle progressed the Luftwaffe seemed to be making significant gains against British air defenses. However in a pivotal shift, Hitler and the Luftwaffe command, influenced by a desire for retaliation against British bombings of Berlin, shifted their focus from RAF airfields and infrastructure to bombing London and other British cities in what became known as the Blitz.
The critical mistake was the shift in focus from destroying the RAF's operational capabilities to bombing civilian areas. This gave the RAF much-needed respite to recover and reorganize. Had the original strategy been maintained, the RAF might have been pushed to a breaking point, altering the outcome of the battle.
Ultimately, the decision to redirect the Luftwaffe's efforts from military targets to civilian areas is widely regarded as a strategic blunder that allowed Britain to maintain its stance as a base of Allied operations against Germany, significantly influencing the further course of the war in Europe.
Adolf Hitler's leadership during World War II is often criticized for several other strategic military mistakes that significantly impacted the course of the war. These errors are typically attributed to his style of command, his ideological obsessions, and his overreliance on his intuition over the advice of his experienced military commanders.
Mistake: Hitler's decision to invade the Soviet Union in 1941 was arguably his most critical error. The campaign was launched late in the year, which left German forces ill-prepared for the harsh Russian winter.
Why: Historians argue that Hitler was driven by ideological goals, particularly his desire to defeat communism and secure living space (Lebensraum) for the German people. He also underestimated the Soviet Union's military potential and logistical resilience.
Mistake: After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, Hitler declared war on the United States, turning what had been primarily a European conflict into a truly global war.
Why: This decision is often seen as a major strategic blunder because it was not strategically necessary and it brought the industrial might of the United States fully into the war against Germany. Hitler believed that war with the U.S. was inevitable and felt a declaration would galvanize his alliance with Japan.
Mistake: Hitler insisted on capturing Stalingrad, leading to a prolonged battle that ended in a disastrous defeat for Germany, with significant losses in men and material.
Why: His decision was driven by the symbolic importance of the city named after his enemy, Stalin. He was also overly confident in a quick victory and ignored the strategic advice of his generals.
Mistake: Throughout the war, Hitler increasingly took direct control of military strategies, often overriding his generals and insisting on no-retreat orders that led to catastrophic losses.
Why: Hitler's distrust of his military commanders grew as the war progressed, and he believed that his will and intuition were superior to traditional military thinking. His leadership style was autocratic, and he preferred to concentrate power in his own hands.
Mistake: Hitler's decision to hold back armored divisions from the Normandy beaches under the command of Field Marshal Rommel and instead keep them centrally located in France was a crucial mistake that contributed to the Allied success on D-Day.
Why: He believed the main Allied invasion would occur elsewhere (Pas de Calais) and insisted on holding back reinforcements based on his own strategic calculations rather than heeding the advice of his field commanders.
These mistakes were largely a product of Hitler's personality: his hubris, his underestimation of his enemies, and his ideological fixations often clouded his judgment.
Historians suggest that these errors were compounded by his centralization of command and his failure to heed more experienced military advice, ultimately leading to operational decisions that were detrimental to Germany's war effort.
Please support my effort to present more of my documentaries by clicking the Thanks button below the video screen.
Thank you.

Пікірлер: 128

@Juanito_Peligroso Ай бұрын

You’ve worked with every top voice actor for the past half century. Kudos.

@DavidHoffmanFilmmaker Ай бұрын

If you mean narrators, you are probably correct. David Hoffman filmmaker

@alexis-n.a 24 күн бұрын

@@DavidHoffmanFilmmaker❤

@ElizaWebbg Ай бұрын

Great documentary, David! Do you know where you cut the archival footage of the war from? I'm fascinated by 19th & 20th century history and would like to work on something myself.

@DavidHoffmanFilmmaker Ай бұрын

I know where I got it all from. So many different places. David Hoffman filmmaker

@OldHoTrollin Ай бұрын

Have a great day David Hoffman!

@elmo2800 21 күн бұрын

Why so few views??? I'm so mad at KZfaq. I remember watching this documentary years ago. I wish you well Mr. Hoffman

@DavidHoffmanFilmmaker 21 күн бұрын

Thank you. I have no idea why KZfaq does not better promote most of my films. David Hoffman Schumaker

@drewpall2598 Ай бұрын

David I will watch the full documentary you did on Hitler later on today or tomorrow I read your description write up looking forward to the documentary David Hoffman.

@PatrickRosenbalm 27 күн бұрын

I enjoyed every minute of that. Very interesting. No endless over the top sound effects like on "modern" shows and documentaries. I hate that crap.

@santoshpal6747 Ай бұрын

David Hoffman cuts film part "dead lady laid down on ground". You should not cut this part of this documentary film.

@siphosimwanza4429 Ай бұрын

14:02 I love how he acknowledges how mesmerizing a speaker Hitler was. I think it's something not spoken of enough amongst non-German speaking people; his oratory prowess, and so a lot of us wonder how one man could influence a whole nation to commit such atrocities. I recently came across an AI translated speech of his that not only translated his words, but also his manner of passionate speaking. When I saw it, I understood how he could take in a whole nation, especially one that was impoverished and had a chip over their shoulder.

@ElizaWebbg Ай бұрын

Weimar Germany should also be looked into to understand why everyone flocked to Hitler. The first homosexual movement, child brothels etc... the target on Jews grew because of Hugo Preuß and his constitution of Weimar.

@williamchamberlain2263 Ай бұрын

@@ElizaWebbgokay nazboi

@williamchamberlain2263 Ай бұрын

Eh, I've been to church and can spot a sermon when it gets started

@citizenfoffie7605 29 күн бұрын

""atrocities"" sure... electric floors and masturbation machines and all.

@ElizaWebbg 29 күн бұрын

@@citizenfoffie7605 Why in quotations? Do you think Germany was a puritan who committed no atrocities whatsoever?

@christianerousseau9606 25 күн бұрын

Don't forget that the Canadians were there in the beginning in 1939 and right to the end. It's not all about the USA, but they always get the credit.

@drewpall2598 Ай бұрын

This was well documented and put together including old film footages uses in this documentary the narrating by Norman Rose was pleasant to listen to. I would not be surprised if this documentary of yours was nominated for an award. David Hoffman. 🏆

@thehalfmanTL Ай бұрын

Love when David does WWII related things!!!

@ronaldgarrison8478 28 күн бұрын

The more I hear about mistakes by Hitler, and by everyone else, on both sides, now including this very insightful video, the more I realize we should not be glib or smug about those decisions. In all those cases, there were pros and cons. This is a realization I've been developing for a long time.

@davetenney5800 Ай бұрын

By the way... this was excellent!

@baddriversofmoosejaw8681 28 күн бұрын

I have this documentary on DVD. It's one of my favourites and gave me great insight into how Hitler lost the war. A few things that were missed however and I'm not criticizing. Hitler never took the Battle of the Atlantic seriously enough. He never diverted enough resources to produce the 300 U-boats Karl Donitz stated he needed to form an effective blockade against the UK. This even though the Kriegsmarine had the biggest submarine fleet in history. Over 1,100 were produced, yet they never had more than 60 on patrol at any time and could only produce 2 a month. Karl Donitz was also the micromanaging type who made the mistake of ordering his U-boats to report daily, which is a terrible idea for submarines because radio silence is a major way of maintaining stealth and thus allowed the allies, especially by 1943 when radar advanced enough that even bombers were equipped and could detect them along with Huff-Duff (High-Frequency Direction Finding) which could trace radio signals so they didn't have to rely entirely on captured Enigma machines to decipher messages. The Battle of Britain. Hitler not only should've concentrated on the airfields but also on the ports. If he had bombed the British ports this too would've blockaded and starved them out like the U-boats attacking the convoys. It's unlikely the Germans could've ever got across the channel since the Royal Navy was the biggest in the world back then until later in the war when they were surpassed by the US Navy. The Kriegsmarine found out when they invaded Norway that they were no match for the Royal Navy and never would be as they only had 3 slipways and couldn't produce enough surface ships to challenge them. It took until the sinking of the Bismarck before the Kriegsmarine realized the U-boats were the only chance against the convoys and it was better to keep their remaining surface ships in port. Operation Barbarossa. They never prepared to build a railroad network like they should've. Russian railroads have the widest track gauge in the world and were useless to the Germans without capturing Russian locomotives and cars. Many of the railroads were also in deplorable condition and were useless either way. As it was mentioned that taking Moscow asap would cripple the USSR's communications but it would also cripple the railroad network since it too was relayed through Moscow. The African Campaign. Hitler never took it seriously enough and thus never supplied Rommel with enough tanks, troops, artillery, planes and supplies he needed to win. The Battle of Stalingrad. Hitler diverted half of Army Group South north to help take Leningrad which we all know was never captured. Hitler also couldn't make up his mind whether to take Stalingrad or move to the Caspian Sea which would've cut off the Soviets from the oilfields. This left the remaining forces with only enough strength to capture either Stalingrad or the oilfields in the Caucuses Mountains to the south. Hitler's generals insisted that they should've just taken those oilfields because that would resupply the German war effort in the USSR and cripple the USSR since those oilfields supplied 90% of their fuel. Neither they nor Stalingrad were ever captured as a result and the Germans were pushed back west of Kurst by spring of 1943. The Battle of Kursk. Hitler delayed attacking by 3 months because he was obsessed with planning and also wanted as many of the new Panther and Tiger I tanks as possible delivered to the front. This gave the Red Army plenty of time to prepare anti-tank ditches, trenches, and minefields and bring in reinforcements. The Germans still could've won and retaken Kursk but they would've taken needless losses doing so because of the delay. Also, Hitler later lost interest and pulled back most of his remaining forces to reinforce his position in Italy after the Allies had just launched Operation Husky, the invasion of Sicily. My late grandfather from my dad's side: James Dayton landed on Sicily. He was a commando in the Saskatchewan Dragoons. He also participated in the African Campaign alongside the British 8th Army under Bernard Montgomery. He even stormed the beach at Anzio during Operation Shingle. After that, he transferred to the Pacific and fought the Japanese for the rest of the war. The Battle of the Bulge in December of 1944. Hitler's generals warned him they didn't have enough troops for the attack, but Hitler insisted that the fog would enable them to get to Antwerp, push the Allies back into France, trap Allied divisions in The Netherlands, forcing the Allies to sue for peace and allowing the remaining German forces to reinforce the Eastern front to hold off the Red Army and give Germany more time to develop their miracle weapons. This wouldn't have happened even if the Germans had won because they were finished. Hitler by then was too delusional and disconnected from reality, especially after the assassination attempt on him in July 1944 by the German Resistance which gave him severe Insomnia and caused him to age 10 years in 3 months. All The Battle of the Bulge did was cost the Germans many of their remaining tanks and left the Fatherland virtually undefended. It also ended the war 3 months earlier than it would've otherwise. As for the miracle weapons, the one major flaw with all of them was Hitler insisted on far more projects than Germany could ever hope to handle. They just didn't have the time or resources to develop all of them. Adolf Galland may have a point about the Me 262, but the problem with jet aircraft at the time was that a jet engine had to be replaced after 36 hours of use and Germany didn't have enough of the metals or the production capabilities to produce enough of them. It took until after the war for the metal alloys needed to allow jet engines to last for months or even years. One plane the Luftwaffe should've concentrated on was the Dornier Do 335. It wasn't as fast as the Me 262 being propellor driven but it was faster than the P51 Mustang, the fastest fighter in the world before the Me 262. Only 37 were built but they could've had an impact since they didn't need their engines replaced so frequently. The engineers still had many problems to solve but Hitler wouldn't divert enough resources to develop it further. One of the major mistakes of the Luftwaffe was that the German aircraft industry couldn't produce enough planes and Hitler never developed a sufficient industry. That and their system for repairing damaged aircraft was they could only be repaired inside Germany. Outside of Germany, they could land on captured airfields but then had to be loaded onto trucks or trains to be shipped back to Germany for repairs. Thus they'd be out of action for weeks or even months. They never set up workshops with tools and spare parts outside of Germany. That and they put little effort into training new pilots which is why they had many aces who after so many hours of combat needed to be replaced and rarely were. That's the problem with humans when it comes to combat. Whether they're soldiers, sailors or pilots they can only take just over 230 hours of combat. Anymore and they start experiencing Shell Shock. They discovered this during World War 1. I wouldn't be surprised if many of the German pilots who fought in the Battle of Britain had those issues considering how much fighting they were ordered to do.

@baddriversofmoosejaw8681 28 күн бұрын

A few things I forgot. The Germans also never put much effort into long-range bombers. In the 1930s they had Walther Wever who recognized the importance of strategic bombing. He was the original head of the Luftwaffe and wanted long-range bombers to attack the Soviet factories in the Ural Mountains. The Ural Bomber project. He was killed in a plane crash in 1936 and replaced by Albert Kesselring who also recognized strategic bombing was important. When Albert stepped down and was replaced by Hermann Goering, Hermann decided to shelve the idea because he noted the German aircraft industry wasn't sufficient to produce large numbers of heavy bombers. He later blamed his officers during the war for telling him medium bombers were superior and heavy bombers wouldn't be needed. By then it was too late. Another reason for the Germans to get to Moscow ASAP because then with it captured along with more territory to the East as originally planned, they could've used captured Soviet airfields and airfields they would've built out there to launch fighters that could escort long-range bombers to the Urals and back. The Allies dropped more bombs in one day than the Luftwaffe dropped in the entire war. I am unsure if they mean just Europe or Europe and the Pacific combined. Did you know that the Japanese had the same problem? They had the third-largest navy in the world at the start of the war but their aircraft industry and flight training was sorely lacking. They had plenty of aircraft and skilled and experienced pilots when they attacked Pearl Harbour but once the Battle of Midway happened they lost so many planes that would take a long time to replace and the ones used in that battle were close to the end of their service time and should've been replaced by then. They also lost many of their aces in that battle and lacked sufficient flight training to replace them. They made the mistake of not training replacement pilots enough and this caused them heavy losses. That and the loss of 4 carriers was a loss they couldn't recover from. The Imperial Japanese Navy made another fatal mistake that their veterans are embarrassed about. They used their submarines more for fleet action than sinking convoys. Thus they didn't sink many Allied supply ships at all. If the US Navy had solved their problems with Mark 14 and 15 torpedoes before they went into service rather than taking until 1944 to do so they likely would've sunk as much Japanese shipping as the Kriegsmarine sunk Allied shipping.

@santoshpal6747 25 күн бұрын

Thank you very much sir, for your long writing on this comment section.l personally respect David Hoffman for reuploaing this great documentary film.

@baddriversofmoosejaw8681 25 күн бұрын

@@santoshpal6747 No problem.

@georgetrusty7696 Ай бұрын

The mistake he did was attacking Europe if you'd have left Europe alone he would have been fine

@flashpadxxx Ай бұрын

This man would never been "fine"

@DixonYamouf Ай бұрын

If you think that a guy who's doing ethnic cleansing would be "fine" if he simply didn't do expansionism you're wild

@ElizaWebbg Ай бұрын

Czechs regarded the monster 'Heydrich' as a hero. Had Germany not attacked Poland for the state of Danzig Hitler would've been regarded as a hero much like Francisco Franco, Mussolini would have been a hero as well. History is a matter of the butterfly effect. Without the collapse in 1943, the Final Solution and Holocaust would've never happened. I should add, war was absolutely essential for Germany's success. The amount of loans Hitler took in 1933-1939 would've caught up to them without looting Europe.

@ElizaWebbg Ай бұрын

@@DixonYamouf King Leopold is 'fine' to most people. The Congo genocide and slave labor goes on today but nobody talks about it, because then they wouldn't have their lithium phone batteries, or rubber for tires. People don't care unless they're directly affected, or told to care.

@Handyman_and_DIY Ай бұрын

@@DixonYamouf Joseph Stalin systematically exterminated soviet people in large quantities from 1929 till 1947. Moreover he did similar things to the neighboring contiries. I think this is a good example of how not confronting major European countries can turn out "fine" (for dictator of course)

@Nick_B_Bad Ай бұрын

I do enjoy collecting the firearms and helmets used by the Germans from 33-45

@syedadeelhussain2691 29 күн бұрын

Like Saddam Hussein, Hitler made the same mistake! He Ignored the strategic importance of using the navy and the airforce to support the land forces. Once the Allies gained complete air superiority over the conquered territories and Germany, it was the end for the Wehrmacht. The Battle of Britain broke his back, leading to the Luftwaffe's moral and material destruction.

@bobloblaw10001 29 күн бұрын

Pointless counterattacks late in the war that wasted reserves instead of going full defense. Leaving 400,000 troops in Norway not doing much. Not letting Field Marshal Paulus try to break out of the cauldron in Stalingrad when he still had a chance.

@raymond_rnt 28 күн бұрын

I have never seen an image of Hitler's father. Explains half of it, just by looking at him.

@nicklausbrain 26 күн бұрын

The narrator sounds like Thomas Sowell :)

@RudiVandeReep 20 күн бұрын

Mistakes.....it always easy to blame mistake for anything after fact and not pre act

@AccurateCrabLegs Ай бұрын

People don't talk like Norman Rose nowadays. I could listen to him read the lyrics of a Justin Bieber song.

@jonathanm9436 28 күн бұрын

"America won WWII". Now there's some 1950s propaganda, although it was said in 1988. Wow. Yes, I know that Europe and Asia would likely have lost to the Axis countries without the USA agreeing to participate, but the implication that American was solely responsible is a mad thing to say.

@John_Lee_ 22 күн бұрын

We had more resources and the atomic bomb. The entire pacific theater was won by US. I'd say we did win the war and saved you guys.

@jonathanm9436 20 күн бұрын

@@John_Lee_ EVERYONE contributed to vanquishing the Axis powers, and EVERYONE suffered terrible losses of life. What still astonishes me is how just three countries managed to take the entire world to war and sustain the atrocity for so long.

@santoshpal6747 Ай бұрын

You will get more views in this video.

@williamchamberlain2263 Ай бұрын

18:30 people don't mind deficit spending so long as 1/ you lie about where it's coming from 2/ it reinforces social norms - e.g. the huge deficit increases under Reagan, Bush, Trumo

@santoshpal6747 Ай бұрын

History students should watch this great documentary film about Adolf Hitler lost WW2.

@tedijune6759 13 күн бұрын

❤❤❤

@AC-vw8uh Ай бұрын

theirs bad ppl like him still out there becareful who u talk to

@5150Rockstar Ай бұрын

Interesting that all the leaders of the master race looked like goblins🤔

@Joshr9501 Ай бұрын

yeah those israelis and their 'choosen people' cult of judaism amiright?

@williamchamberlain2263 Ай бұрын

Weird, isn't it? Almost like they're compensating

@ElizaWebbg Ай бұрын

They weren’t the master race? And never claimed to be. The Aryans were a concept.

@derunsympath Ай бұрын

@@ElizaWebbg nah they actually believed in this. alot of people still do.

@ElizaWebbg Ай бұрын

@@derunsympath I know they believed in the Aryan race idea. But none of them believed they themselves were the master race. Himmler was a chicken farmer.

@maggieshepherd8815 Ай бұрын

Some of us have never forgotten. Sadly our youth of today was never taught.😡

@Joshr9501 Ай бұрын

never forget, teach the youth the crimes of the yewden!

@citizenfoffie7605 29 күн бұрын

never forget the USS Liberty

@23Butanedione Ай бұрын

"experts"

@Cats_Are_Scary Ай бұрын

I guess you did your own Hitler research, you know more than the scholars and experts who invest their entire lives to studying Hitler and the mass murder he caused.

@Austin-ub2gi Ай бұрын

It's rare to get real experts as the meaning is arbitrary anyways

@DavidHoffmanFilmmaker Ай бұрын

Clearly you did not see my documentary. Indeed we are very carefully selected this group of people, quite a few of them actually worked directly with Hitler. David Hoffman filmmaker

@jacksonalex6525 Ай бұрын

Why would the world let one man cause this havoc?

@Cats_Are_Scary Ай бұрын

Ask Trump supporters who want a dictator on day 1.

@TheBlueSkateboard Ай бұрын

To think 1 man alone can do this is silly. The world didn't just "let" him do it, they actively did the work for him.

@altagraciaadames3483 Ай бұрын

Appeasement. The world 🌎 just went through War, and they basically didn't want that smoke, so Adolf played the sheep in wolves clothing,

@Austin-ub2gi Ай бұрын

@Cats_are_scary trumps whole life story is completely different from hitlers He grew up good and wants the best for the country, hitler was on drugs and grew up terribly. Trump doesn't even drink alcohol, dont equate the two if you don't want to sound ridiculous.

@ElizaWebbg Ай бұрын

@@Cats_Are_Scary Delusional, or a troll? Genuinely curious how anyone could ever have this mindset.

@davetenney5800 Ай бұрын

The more I learn about this Hitler guy the more I don't like him.

@SportsBettingFacts 23 күн бұрын

A vegan who also believed in Astrology? I lost all respect for that clown

@John_Lee_ 22 күн бұрын

vegetarian, try to keep up

@SportsBettingFacts 22 күн бұрын

@@John_Lee_ It's the same to me

@John_Lee_ 22 күн бұрын

@@SportsBettingFacts well you're willfully ignorant then

@SportsBettingFacts 22 күн бұрын

@@John_Lee_ I'm not ignorant. I don't care about them because I consider both of them insane. Their differences are not important

@John_Lee_ 22 күн бұрын

@@SportsBettingFacts you consider people who don't eat meat or dairy insane. That's pretty insane.

@santoshpal6747 24 күн бұрын

No one talk about 5 million Bengali people died in starvation due to WW2 and British govt. denied any food to common people in Bengal state in British Rule lndia. It was a great war crime of British government in WW2 and All historian cleverly erased the truce facts about this great incident in WW2.