Here's a fascinating site for everyone:

From the website:

"This essay explores some of the greatest decision making mistakes of world war 2. It does not discuss miraculous alternative history events such as "what if Hitler had a heart attack", only reasonable and realistic alternative decisions which were not made, with or without proper discussion by decision makers, which could dramatically change the course of the war. Some of these alternatives could end the war significantly sooner, with less bloodshed in both sides."


http://ca.wrs.yahoo.com/;_ylt=AidSAJyAjhjnFRG3a2deDsvrF...2.com%2Fmistakes.htm

The biggest mistakes of WWII were all made by Hitler.

This website is nonsense. They talk like they could change World War Two.
Well I say its bloody easy to talk like that after 60 years of analysis.

quote:

Originally posted by gustave.jany:
This website is nonsense. They talk like they could change World War Two.
Well I say its bloody easy to talk like that after 60 years of analysis.

gustave.jany,

Can you point to the nonsense?

well, i think the big mistake of WWII is one word...monty...

quote:

Originally posted by ragingpaseo:
well, i think the big mistake of WWII is one word...monty...

Well, you wouldn't be alone in that opinion. He did a Damn fine job in Africa though. I think Eisenhower threw him a bone and let him plan Market Garden. He wasn't a real popular man with the Airborne troops after Market Garden, I'll say that.

The man had a bigger ego than Macarther and that's saying something.

Yes MK its just utterly bothers me that people write such strategic things down 60 years after the war. I wonder how those people wouldve dealt with those situations back then.

quote:

Originally posted by Mklangelo:
The man had a bigger ego than Macarther and that's saying something.

i think monty had an ego as large as patton...

The biggest german mistake was Operation Barbarossa. The Allies' biggest mistake was not attacking Germany September 1st 1940. France and Britain could have easily marched across Germany back then.

It's hard to pick just one mistake of Hitler's, he made so many. Barbarosa was a doosy allright. The butthole could at least have saved his 6th Armee. Idiot.

quote:

Originally posted by Cpt_Raidergun:
The biggest german mistake was Operation Barbarossa. The Allies' biggest mistake was not attacking Germany September 1st 1940. France and Britain could have easily marched across Germany back then.

IHMO? Nope. The B.E.F. wasn't even ready to fight in France by May 1940. On 2 days after the invasion they started to defend the lines (it's because of Belgium as the country should stay neutral to the last minute that the B.E.F. couldn't be deploied.)

What France concerns: they had more planes, tanks, ships and troops but the wrong tactics. If they would have attacked the Germans the war would turn into a static war, just like WW1. I think that the defeat of France was inevitable. The biggest mistake is IMO the battle for Britain which should have been prepared earlier. A second mistake was the fact that Hitler ignored Stalin's request for peace when the Germans stood in front of Moscou.

I heard in some documentary on the History Channel a few years ago some Spec 4 in one of the Armored Battallions that were kicking the Iraqi's out of Kuwait in 91' was guarding an Iraqi Officer POW. The Spec4 was guarding the Iraqi Colonel who saw a picture of Rommel taped to the wall of the inside of the APC. The Iraqi Colonel said to the E-4, "Does your American General think he is as gifted as Rommel"

The Spec4 replied,"Maybe if YOUR General had studied Rommel's tactics, you wouldn't be sitting in the back of my APC."

I really didn't think this tidbit was worthy of it's own thread so I put it here. You gotta love it though...

LOL

quote:

IHMO? Nope. The B.E.F. wasn't even ready to fight in France by May 1940. On 2 days after the invasion they started to defend the lines (it's because of Belgium as the country should stay neutral to the last minute that the B.E.F. couldn't be deploied.)

I meant if the British and French had taken the steps needed to prepare their forces. And even with their WWI tactics the French would have crushed the weak german forces at Germany's western border.

Here's a few more for the "Personal mistakes of totalitarian dictators" section.

Three of Hitler's most blatant and foolish blunders, IMO, concerned equipment. The first was the introduction of the MP-44, the first German assault rifle. Hitler reportedly opposed it because it didn't have enough accuracy at long range. It was put into production anyway disguised as a submachine gun (hence the MP designation). Hitler found out about it eventually and would have cancelled the gun's production, but the favorable reports from the Russian front persuaded him against it.

Another even greater blunder was Hitler's "inspiration" to turn the ME-262 jet fighter into a fighter-bomber! The plane was designed as a fighter, and was extremely effective in combat, but when Hitler first saw it demonstrated he immediately insisted that it would be a "Blitz bomber." An attempt was made to produce the plane as a fighter without bombing capability behind Hitler's back, but when the subterfuge failed Hitler ordered all of the 262's to be outfitted to carry bombs. While an excellent fighter, the 262 was minimally effective as a bomber. One fighter wing of 262s was formed near the end of the war, with many of Germany's best fighter pilots. The unit succeeded wildly in the air, but bombardment of the airfield and fuel shortages limited combat sorties.

Hitler's overconfidence in 1940, due to his belief that the war would be easily and quickly won, led to an order that all weapons development which would not bear fruit in 18 months should be halted. Fortunately for the Germans there were several weapons programs, such as the ME262s, which continued anyway. But the pace even of these programs was slowed so as to not attract the notice of the Fuhrer, with the result that when the Allied armies technology matched and then surpassed the Germans', a mad scramble for more advanced equipment and "wonder weapons" ensued.

There are definitely plenty of other mistakes that were made, but it seems that Hitler was arguably one of the largest hindrances to the German war effort, internally at the least.

^^^it was known as mp 43, then hitler changed the name into stg 44...

quote:

Originally posted by ragingpaseo:
^^^it was known as mp 43, then hitler changed the name into stg 44...

The first true assault rifle in the world. It even had an attachment for the barrel which would allow you to shoot around corners. It only lasted about 400 rounds, but they had it.

And a grenadelauncher atachement, and possible scope which allows you to us nightvision

It's really a nice gun, isn't it?

The wost mistake of World War II was Hitler breaking his truce with Stalin.