Sigh. This is becoming annoying because the proof is in the pudding. Germany lost the war in disastrous fashion, despite being endowed with the very paragon of military discipline and prowess, a most lethal instrument.

Concerning the declaration of war against the United States, I do not submit it is entirely without reason, but strategically suicidal.

I will leave with you a tip from Abraham Lincoln. The United States seized the RMS Trent and arrested four confederate delegates., The British were outraged and began ratting sabres, in the context of dicey relations from the War of Independence and the War of 1812. Lincoln made the choice not to press, released the emissaries and issued a formal apology to Great Britian, because he understood the United States could not possibly beat both the Confederacy AND Britain. When Lincoln made this decision however reluctantly, he said to his cabinet "One war at at a time, gentleman."

It is somewhat inapposite as there was probably never a diplomatic solution with the United States, but this is espeially so once Germany was overextended with the war against Britain AND the Soviet Union. It was foolhardy to declare war on the Soviet Union, but I will grant part of that is hindsight when you consider the purge of officers, how they were trounced by the Finns, experience from World War I. On the other hand, German strategic theory had always fretted over the dangers of a two (or three) front war. Should have at least taken care to seize the Suez canal THEN take on the Soviet Union.

The bottom line is that it was mathematically impossible for Germany to win once they declared war on the United States, especially after the Wehrmacht failed to take Moscow.

Finally, I will mention again Hitler's own tyranny against the German people (and I do not mean communists etc). That Chapter by Manstein concerning the callus disregard for the lives of his own men cannot be refuted or gainsaid. Also watch Der Untergang if you need to be reminded he fucked up.

To make sure I am not misunderstood, i will paraphrase a comment attributed to Guderian while in allied captivity (one I am still looking to corraborate). The problem was never of ideology. As ideology, national socialism is sound. The problem was of leadership. I understand and agree with the reasons why the Germans followed Hitler. And they had no way of knowing what an imperfect leader he would be. But we do know that and, in trying to reclaim those tenets of national socialism that bear promise to save Europe and the West, we have to acknowledge what a disaster he was from a national socialist or dissident right perspective.