The Real Reason Germany Lost World War II
Not the invasion of the Soviet Union and not Hitler’s meddling
There has been much debate about why Germany ultimately lost the Second World War. Much is made about their failed invasion of the Soviet Union, Germany’s disastrous defeat at Stalingrad, and their inability to knock Great Britain out of the war. While all of these reasons are powerful and convincing, they do not tell the whole story. The real reason Germany lost the war was because of its alliance with Fascist Italy.
From the start, Italy was clearly the junior partner in the relationship. Despite the warm relations between Hitler and Mussolini, the Italian military was nowhere near as competent as the German military. Furthermore, Italy never consulted Germany about their military plans leading to a lot of headache and heartburn for the Nazis.
Italy started its imperial ambitions in Africa, where it waged war against Great Britain. Italy hoped to seize Britain’s African possessions in Somalia and Egypt. The British proved to be a much stronger opponent than the Italians first anticipated, and they started losing ground as early as 1940.
Italy also launched an unprovoked and ill-planned invasion of neighboring Greece. Like in North Africa, the Italians failed to appreciate the gravity of such…
