Essay About Adolf Hitler And Lengthy Reports

Adolf Hitler – Blitzkrieg Tactics
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powerful and relentless leadership style was very successful in the beginning. Hitler directed
the “Blitzkrieg” tactics that dominated the first phase of World War II. These bold tactics included
sudden shock attacks against airfields, communications centers and military installations. He was the
inspiration behind great victories like the Battle of France in May 1940 and the Battle of Kharkov in
May 1942. It was Hitlers leadership style along with his inability to make decisions at critical times,
which lead to the undoing of Nazi Germany.
Beginning with the reoccupation of the Rhineland in March 1936, Hitler saw his senior officers
unwilling to take risks. As time went on, he came to believe that Germanys victories were his alone
and that most of his generals were narrow-minded and incapable. Near the end of the war, he ordered
that no unit could move without his express permission. He demanded lengthy reports on every
armored vehicle and position that his forces lost.
In his February 2002 article for the British Broadcasting Corporations History Page, Geoffrey
Megargee describes Hitler as a meddler in military operations. He illustrates the effect this meddling
had on the prosecution of the War. Hitler distrusted his generals and relied too much on his own
instinct. According to his so-called “Leadership Principle”, ultimate authority rested with him and
extended downward. Hitler had an incredible memory for detail. Every point had to be correct and
consistent with previous briefings. He would become annoyed at any discrepancies. Hitler combined
his insistence on personal control with a leadership style that often consisted of equal parts
stubbornness and indecisiveness (Megargee).
Hitler sometimes put off difficult decisions for weeks, especially as the military situation grew worse.
In 1943, for instance, his inability to make up his mind about an attack at Kursk, Russia eventually
pushed the attack back from April to July. By the time he made up his mind