During World War II, the three fascist Axis powers, mainly Nazi Germany, the Empire of Japan and the Kingdom of Italy, launched a world war. From the perspective of the scope of the war, 61 countries and regions and more than 2 billion people in the world have been involved in the war, the number of military and civilian casualties has reached more than 90 million, and the direct economic loss has reached more than 5 trillion US dollars. The Second World War was the largest world war in human history, and it was undoubtedly a catastrophe for mankind.
Germany during World War II can be said to have single-handedly opposed the entire European country, and its strong military strength impressed all countries in the world. Although the Second World War ended in the defeat of the fascist countries, it was not easy to win the war, and the cost of the anti-fascist countries was enormous, the whole of Europe was almost occupied by the German army, and the powerful Soviet Union was almost swallowed up. Nazi Germany at that time had nominal allies such as Italy and Japan, but from the actual situation, Germany almost single-handedly challenged the entire European powers, including the Soviet Union and the United States.
Hitler was the initiator of the Second World War, he was an out-and-out war maniac, many people think that Hitler is too arrogant, the so-called world domination is simply a fool's dream. In fact, if it were not for the Soviet Union's desperate resistance to the German attack, the final result would be really difficult to say, the consequences would be unimaginable, and Nazi Germany would not be without the possibility of hegemony. In fact, Italy and Japan did not give Nazi Germany any help in the war, but on the contrary, they have been dragging their feet.
Nazi Germany once said that if Italy is our enemy, it can be destroyed with only 20 divisions; if Italy is its ally, we need 50 divisions to protect it. During the Soviet-German War, Germany asked Japan to launch a simultaneous attack in the Soviet Far East to defeat the Soviet Union with a pinch attack, but Japan finally chose the "southward" plan, resulting in the defeat of both countries. Hitler's efforts to rescue Mussolini's army delayed the Barbarossa Plan for nearly a month and missed many opportunities. At that time, the fascist countries were "busy with their own affairs", Nazi Germany focused on the European continent, Italy, an ally that could not be counted on, and Japan focused on Asia.
Strategically, Hitler and Napoleon's vision were very close. After their attack on Britain was hindered, they all turned their attention to the Soviet Union (Russia), which was a potential hidden danger to them from beginning to end. Hitler's purpose of attacking the Soviet Union was very clear, first of all, he valued Ukraine as a natural granary; second, he valued the rich resources of the Caucasus region; and finally, he was worried that the Soviet Union would stab the Soviet Union in the back, rather than being subject to people, it was better to preemptively attack (compared to Britain, the Soviet Union was a greater threat to Germany). Japan's formulation of the two major strategies of "going north" and "going south" also depended on energy constraints.
If Germany had conquered the Soviet Union, it would have followed with a forcible occupation of LinkedIn. Hitler's ambitions had been fully exposed in the eyes of Britain and the United States, and although capitalist countries such as Britain and the United States had ideological conflicts with the Soviet Union at that time, in the face of a strong Germany, Britain and the United States had to cooperate with the Soviet Union. If the big Man of the Soviet Union fell, Britain would be in Germany's pocket. In 1941, Britain also organized large fleets to deliver supplies to the Soviet Union, and the United States also supported weapons and equipment to the Soviet Union to resist the Germans.
Some people may think that Germany could not conquer the Soviet Union, in fact, from the war situation at that time, the strength of the German army was indeed able to capture the Soviet Union, if it were not for the extremely cold weather and the Soviet Union's backward infrastructure (such as roads), coupled with the Fact that Japan triggered the Pacific War to attract the United States, the Soviet Union would probably not be able to hold back. After the Battle of Nomonhan, Japan loved and feared the "fat meat" of the Soviet Union, and finally had to implement the "southward" plan, which provoked the more ferocious role of the United States. The United States took the opportunity to declare its entry into World War II and soon sent troops to Europe to attack Germany.
So, in Hitler's plan, after defeating the Soviet Union, who will be his next target?
If Germany defeated the Soviet Union, Britain would be isolated, and the German army would have no worries and would go all out to capture the British mainland. Germany's greatest enemy, then, is the United States. Hitler's strategic goal of world domination was divided into three steps: defeating the Soviet Union, conquering Britain, and fighting the United States. Only by defeating the Soviet Union once and for all could Nazi Germany dominate Europe, and after mastering the industrial base and resources of the whole of Europe, it could begin to expand continuously and finally achieve its goals.
In December 1941, the Japanese Navy raided the U.S. Navy's Pacific Fleet base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, and the Pacific War broke out, officially declaring that the United States was "forced" to enter the war, and the scale of World War II was maximized. In addition to containing a large number of Japanese troops in the Pacific Theater, the US military also formed allies with Britain, France and other countries in the European battlefield, opening up a second european battlefield, and Germany was thus in an embarrassing situation of two-front combat, which eventually made Hitler's plan completely frustrated. Regarding the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hitler angrily said: "Japan is like a wild boar that fell into a trap!" ”
Modern warfare is mainly a confrontation of comprehensive national strength, and after the United States entered the war, the situation of the war has changed greatly, and Germany is ultimately unable to compete with the countries of the world. Hitler's ambition to "swallow the elephant" was ultimately not realized, and the "trilogy" of world conquest he composed ended with "defeating the Soviet Union".