Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 2:47:48-2:48:03

Hitler's miscalculation over war in 1939

Hitler did not expect his 1939 actions to trigger the wider war that followed, leaving even naval leadership behaving as if peace would continue.

Adolf HitlerGerman NavyStrategic MiscalculationWorld War II
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Question

Did Hitler expect a general war to begin in 1939?

Short answer

No. Hitler expected to avoid a wider war and even reassured the head of the navy.

Notes

Hitler assumed his actions in 1939 would not produce the wider conflict that followed. He told the head of the navy he did not expect war, after which the naval leader went on holiday. Germany's political leadership therefore acted aggressively without preparing its naval leadership for the resulting conflict. Strategic miscalculation at the top left its own institutions unready for the war it triggered.