The Fall of the Third Reich: 1943-1945: Germany's Defeat in Europe

Author: (English) Jordan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: By the end of 1942, the Third Reich had clearly reached its peak. After achieving remarkable victories in the war, Germany's development pace had slowed down. That same year, the war strength of the Allies continued to grow. The entry of the United States into the war meant that the powerful industrial capabilities of the U.S. would soon be brought to bear in the anti-Fascist war. 1942 was a transitional year. The successive setbacks of the German army in North Africa and the Soviet Union foreshadowed that the tide of war was turning in favor of the Allies. The entry of the United States into the war further strengthened this trend. At that time, it was still too early to believe that the final victory over the Third Reich was imminent. Hitler still occupied the European continent, and the Allied air raids and bombings had not caused significant damage. The Battle of the Atlantic remained in stalemate. Therefore, rather than being a decisive turning point, the battles of 1942 marked the beginning of cracks in the German defense line. These cracks continued to widen over the next two and a half years until Hitler's dream of the "Thousand-Year Reich" was completely destroyed.