What was Hitler thinking when he declared war on U.S.? There are many theories, none of which makes Hitler’s decision seem rational. One view is that Hitler felt if he declared war, he could take the U-Boat War to the U.S. and keep us from continuing to supply Britain. (The Germans did take the U-boat war to the U.S. and really raised hell for a time.) Still, it seems to me that Hitler gave Roosevelt the world’s best early Christmas present. If Hitler hadn’t declared war, FDR would have had to find a reason to get us into the war against Germany and sell that reason to the public, whose rage was entirely directed at Japan after Pearl Harbor.
Not entirely sure. After the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor (another move equally as insane as Hitler’s declaration of war on U.S.) the U.S. would have had its hands full in the Pacific.
Getting back to Hitler in December 1941, his troops are literally freezing to death deep inside the USSR, lines over extended, short on supplies, exhausted, Soviet defenses are strengthening. It was an idiotic idea to invade the USSR to begin with. Now he wants to wage war on the world’s foremost economic power protected by two vast oceans? What sense did that make? I think Hitler was on something when he made that decision.
I always thought that if Japan did not attack PEarl Harbor dragging us into the war, I think the U.S. would have gotten involved anyway at some point. If I had to pick when I would say most likely by mid 1942, my guess the Germans would have provoked something be it accidental or by intent.