But if the main purpose was to deprive Germans of hope and destroy Germany, the Allies could have permanently occupied large portions of Germany.
The Treaty of Versailles is one of those instances where "splitting the difference" was the worst thing to do. The Germans might have accepted with good grace much more lenient terms. The Germans might have sullenly submitted to far harsher terms, that really left them with no hope. But Versailles was too harsh for them accept, and not harsh enough for them to be left without hope of bettering their lot by war.