re: What fascinates you concerning WW2?

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Why the frick did Germany declair war on the USA?

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This was Hitler's dumbest move, but he, reasonably so, felt as though the United States was on the verge of jumping into the war outright anyway and wanted to open up his U-Boats to unrestricted submarine warfare to choke off the British. The United States was already supplying the British Empire and the Soviet Union and the FDR administration was openly belligerent in rhetoric and deed in regards to Germany.

I would argue that he should have taken his chances with waiting for FDR administration to initiate hostilities first, because the gain from starting the war earlier didn't come close to offsetting the possibility of non-American entry. Hitler greatly underestimated the difficulty FDR would have had bringing the U.S. into the war in Europe without legitimate cause.

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Why did Germany invade the USSR?

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Lots of reasons. First and foremost, knocking the USSR out of the equation entirely effectively makes victory impossible for the British Empire. Hitler was constantly wary of the possibility of the USSR being wooed over to the British side and launching a preemptive offensive against Germany and her allies. Geopolitically speaking, the USSR juggernaut being so close to the German frontier and to the Ploesti oilfields in Romania, which were the entire life blood of the Germany military machine, was always a source of tremendous concern. Defeating the USSR in a quick, blitzkrieg campaign like had occurred in France, would secure Germany food and vital resources while absolutely securing their Eastern flank from any legitimate military threat. It would also deprive the British of any hope of victory and would likewise threaten the Middle East and Africa. It would have won Germany the war.

Hitler on Declaration of War Against the United States

Hitler on his decision to invade the USSR