One thing I love about Axis and Allies the primary, world wide game, is how historically acurate everything plays out. It’s really quite amazing. I have avidly studied the 3rd Reich for 10 years and recently focused on the Luftwaffe and the SS in detail.
Early in the beginnings of the 3rd Reich, Walter Weaver was a man who held tremendous sway with Hitler. He was organized, well respected and knew how to delegate responsibilities much like a successful CEO of a huge company.
Unlike most of the people in the high command, Weaver had read Mein Kampf through and through and understood many years before Germany went to war, that Hitler wanted to take Russia above all else. He was a champion of the “4 engine bomber program” which Goering opposed. Weaver knew that to defeat such a large country, Germany would need long range bombers capable of striking their industrial heart all the way into the far reaches of the East.
Goering, much like everyone else who had sway with Hitler, was planning for a short war. He wanted MORE planes, not better ones. He thought the idea was ridiculous and that kind of plane would take too long to build and use too much fuel. (He would rather have 2 BF-110’s over one 4 engine plane.)
Walter Weaver was an aspiring pilot himself and had little flight experience but was learning. Running late for an important funeral, he elected to fly a Heinkel bi-plane solo, rather than take the train. In his haste, he neglected most preflight checks and left the elevators and airlooms locked. When he took off, the plane went straight up, stalled & fell; exploding on impact. (Ironically, the same accident happened when Boeing first flew a test flight of the B-17 Flying Fortress in front of the US military to sell it to them)
What’s so ironic is the daylight strategic bombing is what won us the war against the Nazi’s. The very same strategy Weaver envisioned to take Russia. Along with Walters death, so died the 4 engine bomber for Germany. I voted for a counter attack with long range bombers in mind. (I should have voted for a defensive line while the bombers were tested and mass produced.)
That and one other key mistake lost Germany the war. During “The Battle of Britain”, Hitler became enraged when a few bombs fell on Berlin one night, causing no casulties or serious damage. His pride was hurt and in a rage, he ordered the Luftwaffe to turn all attacks away from airfields and ship yard to civilian targets like London.
Every officer of significant rank was opposed to this. The UK had less than 250 operational fighters at the time and the Nazis had air superiority. They were months away from completely destroying the RAF. The next few months of civilian bombing in England gave the RAF just enough time to rebuild their air force. They worked ‘round the clock. Soon the air victory ratio changed in the RAFs’ favour as hundreds of new Spitfires rose to do battle with the now outdated Heinkel 111’s and Bf-110’s. “Operation Sea Lion” (the invasion of England) was postponed indefinately after the U.K.s’ raid on Dieppe. A bloody and fruitless prelude to D-Day. While the British had attempted to attack fortress Europe and taken devistating casulities, Germany was now in no position to invade England.
2 major mistakes here on Hitlers part mainly due to pride. His own arrogance and fanatasism lost him the war.
Sorry to rant here but I’m way into WWII history and I strongly believe under the correct leadership and with different decisions, Europe and Russia would be Nazi territory to this day. Thank god Hitler didn’t know a thing about military strategy, nor did he listen much to his subordiates that did.
