"The German Army could have won the Russo-German War if only its leaders had made better decisions at certain key junctions." Illustrated below are clear examples of how the German leadership, not just those of the Army, squandered away opportunities to not only correctly plan the operation, but also to win it. The failure of Operation Barbarossa to achieve its objectives within a limited time frame caused the Germans to lose the war by December 1941—everything after that was just trading ground for time until the eventual defeat. The factors contributing to the failure of Operation Barbarossa are many: political, military, racial, diplomatic and others. All will be explored through a mostly chronological format, beginning with an action as far back as 1918.
According to Hitler, the German General Staff in the Great War (World War 1) were most responsible for the failure and humiliation of Germany over the next 20 years. Thus, he himself had nothing but contempt for and no confidence in those professional officers who made up his own General Staff. Not only had the German General Staff of WW1 made errors of judgment leading to Germany's defeat, but "they bore the responsibility for the most catastrophic single action of the century—the dispatch of Lenin and his colleagues from Switzerland to Russia in the famous 'sealed train.'"[1] Both the seeds of the Soviet state and World War 2 (WW2) were planted in this one foolish move on the European chess board. Who can say what might have been had not the German generals let Lenin and his cronies escape? But the fact remains they did, and the world was changed because of it.
Hitler was constantly looked down upon by those in power and German society in general. An uncouth, uneducated man of the street rabble, he nevertheless possessed fantastic stamina and a keen eye for organization and a firm belief in leadership. He was much like Roosevelt who was Machiavellian in his need to keep those around him in a state of flux as to who had his ear and could impose influence. Hitler continuously turned the tables on his detractors, and in one case in particular during 1934, his generals. Hitler initiated "[t]he Deutschland Compact, (which) was a classic example of an agreement, not uncommon in history, in which each side (Hitler versus his generals) believes that it has gained the advantage because of its simultaneous (but undeclared) resolve to double-cross the other within the framework of the agreement."[2] Hitler, in fact, consistently outwitted not only his generals but everyone who ever underestimated him, including Stalin. His generals discovered to their chagrin, "[f]rom that day on it was plain that whosoever opposed Hitler risked not simply his career but his life…"[3] By means of this compact, Hitler had gained the upper hand on the Army and its generals; and would never relinquish control to the end of his life. This act dulled the influence of the military masters of war, and long-term contributed to its eventual defeat against the Russians. Just when things went sour several months into Barbarossa, when Hitler really needed sound military advice, he received instead conflicting opinions and platitudes. He listened only to his own muse, a dangerous business that in fact finished him and his Wehrmacht; yet it was the Army who time and again put the sword in Hitler's hand. But before WW2 would really get rolling in September, 1939; several other initiatives by Hitler would help seal the doom of both the Army and the Fatherland.
