On June 22, 1941, Hitler became involved unwisely in a "war on two fronts” such as had cost Wilhelm II his throne, in spite of the fact that the Emperor’s ghost might have seemed to have been exorcised by the Soviet-German Pact of August 23, 1939. And now on January 1, 1944, the Third Reich and its Fiihrer were in a position of having to conduct a "war on all fronts” (Allfrontenkrieg).
The only way in which Germany might have escaped the inevitable consequences of the powerful efforts of the Allies to surround and close in on her, would have been to resume the U-boat offensive in the Atlantic with the same success as in 1942. But for all his energy, intelligence, and experience, Grand-Admiral Donitz was unable to stem the swelling tide of troops, war materiel, and supplies converging on Europe from America.
The facts are made clear in the following table, based on figures supplied by Captain Roskill, of Allied mercantile losses in 1942 and 1944 in the North Atlantic:
1942 1944
Tonnage ships tonnage ships
The figures show the extent to which Britain and America recovered complete supremacy in the North Atlantic, with consequent complete freedom of manoeuvre and strategy. Although Grand-Admiral Donitz was keeping new and unpleasant secret weapons up his sleeve, they were not as yet ready, and until they were there was agreatdeal that could happen.
World History
