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Hitler's war was a mainly idealogical war. By "total war" I was meaning a war where there are no limits to what is acceptable to attack. You meant a war where close to 100% of the people are involved in some sort of war enterprise.

Hitler couldn't start doing your meaning of total war right away. He had promised the German people revenge on their enemies for a relatively cheap price. If he had started off demanding full mobilization, the Germans would have never rolled into Poland. The plan was to keep the general populace fat and happy and gradually raise up the mobilization as needed. When the ill conceived eastern front started, the manpower and resources needed for the effort quickly grew.

Yes, the Soviets practiced slash and burn delaying tactics. Which they have been doing since at least the Middle ages. When you have a whole lot of land to retreat and regroup through, that works rather well. (Never start a land war in Asia)

As for purposely destroying a country they were trying to conquer, you realize that the ideology of the Nazis was to do just that don't you? They wanted to populate the Ukraine and other states with Germanic feudal lords. They tried to wipe out any previous history of the indigenous peoples, and would blow up cultural landmarks and infrastructure because it "wasn't Aryan".

Did that make much sense? Nope. If the German army had tried a different tact with the people they might of caused a revolution in the Soviet states! The Germans were first greeted as liberators in the Ukraine, but when they started to try to "Aryanize" the country it only fueled the partisan movement. In fact, Stalin feared the partisans, because he realized that they would probably rise up against him next.

When the ill conceived eastern front started, the manpower and resources needed for the effort quickly grew.

Only ill-concevied if you believe that Germany should have sat back to wait for Stalin's attack, rather than striking at the opportune time.

As for purposely destroying a country they were trying to conquer, you realize that the ideology of the Nazis was to do just that don't you? They wanted to populate the Ukraine and other states with Germanic feudal lords.

You populate a country most easily that has not been totally destroyed in war.

If the German army had tried a different tact with the people they might of caused a revolution in the Soviet states!

I don't disagree. But as it was, the Germans were able to recruit over 3 million Russians and Ukranians to fight with them. You have to wonder how much more they could really accomplish.