Hitler Slept Late and Other Blunders That Cost Him the War

In this re-interpretation of Hitler’s impact on the outcome of World War II, James Duffy argues that the war was not won through American strength and ingenuity. Rather, it was lost due to Hitler’s phenomenal military blunders. Challenging popular American views, the author shows how Nazi Germany at first substantially won the war in Europe. Yet Hitler proceeded to lose it even before the US had entered the conflict. Hitler Slept Late sets the stage for each of Hitler’s major errors, uncovering why each was made, what happened as a result, and how the outcome of the war might have been different if Hitler had followed the advice of others. Duffy shows how Hitler’s conquest of Europe ultimately failed due to two glaring faults - his inability to develop a concrete long-range plan and his maniacal belief in the strength of his own will. Fatal strategic errors included allowing the British army to escape from Dunkirk, failing to invade Great Britain immediately after Dunkirk, and not recognizing the primary importance of Moscow as a target in the Soviet invasion.