A lot of questions about whether Hitler really ever wanted to invade Britain. Deep down, he still thought of Britain as a potential ally, if only the British people “would wake up and get rid of that madman Churchill!”
He figured they were at least neutralized to the point they wouldn’t matter much anymore, as long as they could put up their Atlantic Wall in France.
Of course, he didn’t factor in the US entering the war.
Also Hitler’s mistake was not in promising the Ukrainians some autonomy and their own State, albeit a Puppet state. But I suspect most Ukrainians would have taken that over Stalin. I think also a lot of Russians would have taken it as well, if the Nazis offered it.
Agreed. had Hitler been half a diplomat, German would be the language of continental Europe.