Why did Hitler invade Russia he was doing alright til then?

Question

BINGO mrfingers

Answer 1

Visions of grandeur and prowess. Certain people in power could learn a lot from studying the lessons taught about fighting on too many fronts.

Applause for mrfinger's answer

Answer 2

The usual view concerning this invasion is that it was mostly Hitlers influence and cajoling that made it happen.The consesus of opinion amongst his generals was that it was in fact a winnable battle.Post war histories have discovered evidence that the Stalinist purges of the 1930's,in which huge numbers of the officer corps were eliminated was in fact inspired by the Germans.They simply fed Stalins paranoia, and let him and Russia do the dirty work.The German always looked east for expansion and resources,and their designs on Russia involved many years of effort.When the invasion came Germany viewed Soviet Russia as a weak giant, they had just suffered some embarassing defeats at the hands of tiny Finland,and the plans,blitzkrieg in particular,envisaged a swift series of defeats.Russia however was too big.And refused to be conquered.

Answer 3

Adolf Hitler's whole scheme was to "trick the world." He brought the Societ Union on his side to use against the whole of Europe because he realized at first, to pick a battle with them would be disastorous. Once he had defeated the surrounding nations of Germany, moved over the Italian border and intersected along the Mediterranean, he knew he could just turn against Russia and go for the gold. However, like always, behind every psychopaths mind, they become greedy and want more and more, even if it means their own demise. Hitler called himself the "Supreme Commander." Anybody calling themselves that to begin with, is case of certain psychosis waiting to happen. Hitler wanted to control the world and everybody in it. It was his way or death.

Answer 4

First off Hitler was always high on some concoction his doctor would mix as a cocktail. but to the Question. Russia was not prepared for the attack had little warning and was bombed right where it hurts..In the industrial locations in major cities across Russia. After the bombing stopped Stalin knew Hitler was coming in for the kill by land. Stalin did have weaponry but none that could match the likes of Panzer divisions,Stuka Dive bombers,etc. Stalin still had a few railways that led to smaller cities and hastily set up shops to produce as many machine guns,tanks(few). better firearms(nagant) as well as put together an army to fed off the first assault. In short Hitler did have a window of opportunity so he took it,and lost the war by over extending his resources and personal all over Europe. near sightedness by a drug addict. it was not long after Hitlers attack that American troops came in for the kill and met Soviet troops just miles from Stalingrad. then came Hitlers beginning of the end.

Answer 5

Hitler had always to invade Russia even before starting conflict in Western Europe. He had a policy of extending Lebenstraum - living spaces - to ease population pressure in Germany.

Also, he hated communism & wanted to pre-empt Stalin.

However, even without his invasion of Russia, he made many tactical & strategic errors. ie
1) Halting panzer columns for 3 days when they were within reach of Dunkirk - thereby allowing 300k British & some allies' troops to escape to Britain.

2) Failure to invade Britain when the British forces were at their weakest point.

Answer 6

Hitler's whole purpose in seizing control of the Czech lands and then striking north through Poland and into the Soviet Union (not only "Russia") was to capture the 'breadbasket' regions that produced an abundance of food, so that he could use them for his own expanded Reich. He wanted to control Belorussia and the Ukraine, primarily, and enslave their people to work the land, taking what they produced and sending it south for his own people.

His armies marched on Moscow because that was the center of power in the Soviet Union. He knew that if he captured it the government would fall and he would be able to take control of the whole region.

Four things worked against him: The bitterly cold winters in that part of the world that the local people knew how to cope with and most of his mechanized army units didn't; the difficulty in keeping his soldiers supplied; the utter determination of the Soviet people to defeat him; and the fact that Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, making Hitler declare war on the US four days later for some reason -- thus bringing the USA into the European war and meaning he now had to fight on two fronts.

Declaring war on the USA was Hitler's single biggest mistake. We are mightily glad he made it...

Without the USA's intervention it is very likely that Hitler would have kept control of what he took, even with the difficulties on what was called the "Russian front'. At least, that is the view of most historians.

EDIT: Basically agree with MrFingers too. But he DID capture the Romanian oilfields at Ploesti very early on, for the reasons outlined. No oil, no mechanical army...

Answer 7

Big mistake. But this was his real intention on invading Poland in the first place. He did not think that France and Britain would honor their treaties to Poland after caving in over Czechoslovakia in '38. In 1941 he thought Britain was harmless so he could turn his back and go for Moscow and very nearly succeded.

Answer 8

His airforce had just received a good pasting off the RAF, losing many of it's experienced aircrew, which would have been very useful on their Eastern Front. All in a needless confrontation with the UK (he eventually changed his mind about invading Great Britain and headed east).

So he wasn't doing 'alright till then'.

Answer 9

Hitler did not trust Stalin, wanted to be better than him, and he thought that Germany could rule Russia.

Answer 10

Because Hitler hated the communists and ALWAYS intended to stab them in the back.