Comments by "Itinerant Patriot" (@itinerantpatriot1196) on "The Dunkirk Halt Order: An Alternative Hypothesis" video.

  1. An interesting take on it. Not out of the realm of possibility, provided you assume that Hitler did not expect Great Britain or the U.S. to come to the aid of the Soviet Union. The theory works if Hitler was convinced he could knock off the USSR in short order and once that was done he could pick up where he left off with the Battle of Britain. Of course, if this was the case, you have to account for why Hitler would let Goering waste such a large potion of the Luftwaffe during that battle. Unless Hitler just assumed the Wehrmacht could handle Russia with minimum air support. Like I say, it's an interesting take but there are a few points that weren't covered here that need to be fleshed out before I'll buy the 4-D chess stuff. Personally I think Hitler was itching for a fight and bombing England wasn't nearly as exhilarating as his campaigns against Poland and France. Hitler liked land battles. He liked directing armies and he really didn't know much about naval or air combat. He wanted to get back into the game and he wanted the land in the East. He figured the longer he waited the stronger Russia would get and when he saw how the Finns held them off he was convinced he could capture Moscow by October. His pal Mussolini through a monkey in the wrench when he decided to make a move against Greece without consulting the Führer and when he f-d that job up Hitler felt compelled to quiet things down on his flank before moving East. That pushed his attack plans back and that delay put Hitler outside Moscow right when winter was settling in. Hitler's whole notion about "all you have to do is kick the door open" went out the window at that point and that as they say was that. I don't see any 4-D chess, just a case of Hitler being Hitler and doing what Hitler did because he was Hitler. In short, he just felt like it. As for Stalin being caught off guard, you have to realize that Stalin assumed everyone thought like he did. He wouldn't have attacked at that time so he couldn't envision a scenario where Hitler would. He knew they were going to fight eventually but he was also influenced by the performance of the Red Army against Finland. Stalin's chickens had come home to roost and he got a glimpse of what a peoples army looks like when you knock off most of the competent officers. Stalin was a realist. He knew he needed to rebuild his army from the top down and he needed time. He dismissed reports of German intentions because he didn't want to believe them and because he knew he needed time to prepare for the inevitable fight. It's not that he trusted Hitler, he didn't want to provoke him is all. Of course, it didn't take much to provoke Adolph. Just being there was enough to provide the impetus for an attack. Like Hitler was being Hitler, Stalin was being Stalin. Stalin was convinced the Central Committee would have him shot after the first week and when the party officials and generals showed up at his door after he had gone into hiding he thought that was it for him. But of course it wasn't. They didn't know what the hell to do either. They needed Stalin so Stalin got a pass. That is one of the most tragic moments in WWII, the day they let Stalin off the hook. Oh well. Cool video. Interesting theory.
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