Quote:
Originally Posted by nikbear
From what I've read,many seem to think that Hitler declared war on the US because the Kriegsmarine had been waging undeclared war with the US for some time,and since the sinkings were high,Donitz theorised that a full declaration would allow them to really deal a killer blow to the convoy traffic.
Problem was that the sinkings were far over estimated by crews,and by Donitz himself,due to faulty intelligence and a desire to garner more commitment to a U-boat building program.
Not for the first time in the war,the Nazi's were to over reach themselves by believeing in they're own propaganda  |
That's the reason why Hitler's unilateral declaration of war caught so many of his ministers by surprise. He had been astutely avoiding war up to that point with the US despite provocations and clashes with the US Navy. Had he held to that course it certainly would have created domestic problems in the US. Even with Hitler's declaration of war many US soldiers wondered why they were being shipped off to a war in Europe when the enemy that attacked then was Japan. Going by past experience with tangling with the U-Boats a declaration of war by Hitler was certainly not something Roosevelt could have counted on in letting a Pearl Harbor 'happen'.