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PaperclipPerfector  5mo ago (text post)   4461 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for June 16, 2024

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.

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Their goal was to make Germany strong and big.

I feel like not enough focus is put on what a horrible plan the Nazis actually had and how extremely unlikely they were to actually win WWII. (and this is discounting the trinity test which reduced the odds of a long-term nazi victory to zero)

Any world war by definition entails a European war on more than one front, which the Germans were never going to win and they knew it, never prepared for it because they didn't think it'd either be necessary or even feasible, and didn't think the war they started was going to escalate into another world war. In that sense, you're correct, Germany was never going to win a world war. That, however, also applies to any other great power, or even any alliance of two great powers as well at the time.

Regarding the atom bomb, I think it's worthwhile to point out that 1) the atomic bombings were carried out in a war situation with practically non-existent enemy air defenses, which was not going to be the case in your hypothetical scenario 2) Germany had an extensive program as well to develop and stockpile weapons of mass destruction, namely nerve gas agents and other chemical weapons, which entails second strike capability 3) I wouldn't be so sure to declare that they were never going to develop a functioning atom bomb.

not only there (or in fiction broadly defined) - glorious victory is always more glorious if enemy was strong and you can explain more excesses if enemy is stronger

Imo they get played up in fiction because it's more exciting if the good guys might lose, so people get the impression that it was an evenly matched fight even though it wasn't.

The only good think I could think of to say about the Nazi's plan is that it was less insane than imperial Japan's plan.

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