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Originally Posted by moscowexile
Here's a conundrum concerning WWII that has been debated by historians for years. It's not a "Why didn't Hitler..." question but a "Why did he..." one:
Why did Hitler declare war on the USA?
He needn't have done so.
He wasn't obliged to do so because the Japanase Empire had attacked the United States at Pearl Harbor. (Not that feeling under any legal obligation to fulfill any action would have been a key factor in Hitler's decision making process.)
Hitler's declaration of war on the US was a godsend to Roosevelt and Churchill, in that it brought the US into the European theatre of war; many, if not most, of the US military wanted to concentrate their efforts on the Pacific war, but Roosevelt believed that Hitler had to be dealt with first.
Then der größte Feldherr aller Zeiten (GRÖFAZ) - "the greatest field commander of all time" as Hitler lickspittles called the dictator - did them both, the US President and the British Prime Minister, a great favour.
Why?
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A de facto war against America was already being waged in the Atlantic. American warships were escorting convoys as far as Iceland and American marines were already occupiers there. American destroyers had already attacked U-Boats (and vice-versa) and the USN was under standing Executive Branch orders to shadow and attack German surface raiders where located. In hindsight it was foolish since with a better understanding of American domestic politics, not declaring war was the correct thing to do. However, given Hitler's dismissive ignorance of the United States and his blindness to economic reality, it made perfect sense at the time. In my opinion of course.
Good Hunting