I still don’t get it. He didn’t need to declare war on U.S. just days after Pearl Harbor. He had his hands full in Russia in December 1941. Declaring war on the US should have been the last thing on his mind. His troops were dying of cold, starvation, and exhaustion on the Eastern Front by this time. Russian defenses were strengthening, a massive Russian counteroffensive was only weeks away. Of course AH couldn’t have known that on the day he declared war on the US. But there is no doubt that situation was turning against him as the brutal Russian winter was just arriving. Pure madness.
” Declaring war on the US should have been the last thing on his mind.”
Japan’s devastating attack on the US was his wake-up call.
He over-estimated Japan’s power and under-estimated the capability of the US.
Besides, it was damned if you do, damned if you don’t for Hitler at that time.