In rating Adolf Hitler as a military leader I would have to consider several aspects of his personality and career and how these issues affected his leadership abilities. First and foremost would be his fanatic belief in his role as Germany’s divine leader and its effects on his decision making abilities. Second, would be his intelligence and how it affected his confidence in his decision making abilities; negative as well as positive affects. Finally, I would consider his experience as a common soldier in the First World War and how it shaped his views and expectations of German soldiers, his assumption of commander and chief of the armed forces and his broader strategic vision, and how these issues affected his ability to be a successful military leader.

First, Hitler overestimated the role of willpower. Through his inspiring speeches and ability to rally people together he was able to project his ‘will’ onto anyone willing to listen. His early military victories in 1939 and 1940 supported his claims of being a brilliant military leader. His generals considered his willpower his best quality. Hitler regarded himself as singled out by Providence for a spec

Based on these observations, I would rate Adolf Hitler as a smart and capable political leader but an impulsive, reckless, and poor military commander. Although he was able to view the broader goals for Nazi Germany he was unable to see his own weaknesses which hindered on his abilities in making effective and well thought out judgments.

Last of all, Hitler often referred to his experiences as a common soldier at the front line during the First World War and how it shaped his views and expectations of the German soldiers. Hitler credited his military leadership to this experience. During his service he received the coveted Iron Cross Second Class and also the Iron Cross First Class which was one of Germany’s highest decorations during that period. Hitler believed, based on his personal experience, that he could view the battle from a soldier’s perspective and understood how the common soldier felt when fighting on the front lines. This perspective was precariously dangerous in that Hitler had no respect for the lives of soldiers. He remembered the innocence he had when he was a young soldier and how he did not understand that there was sometimes a larger picture that was the main goal. He thought that the broader strategic goals were more important than individual lives lost. In the end one life did not matter to him, only the greater good of Germany. This false sense of confidence and false understanding of military objectives, coupled with distrust of h

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