There are few recordings of Hitler talking in his normal voice. Indeed I only know of one, which is a conversation he had with The Finnish leader Carl Manneheim, during a visit to Finland, on the 10th of June 1942. It's worth a listen (and a read).
The recording shows that Hitler had a rather manly, resonant voice, and quite an engaging speaking manner. But, more importantly, it shows the concerns and perhaps the paranoia that drove him to make his great geopolitical decisions that had such disastrous outcomes for Europe.
One of the main points made in the conversation is that the Germans -- and of course Hitler himself -- had completely underestimated the military build-up in the Soviet Union, which had, according to Hitler, as many as 35,000 tanks when the Germans attacked. According to a Russian source used in Wikipedia, the number was around 25,000, so Hitler's figure may well be more accurate.
Hitler also comments on the timing of Operation Barbarossa, expressing a wish that he had attacked earlier, but that this was impossible due to a number of factors, such as the delay in attacking France (Hitler had wanted to attack it in Autumn 1939 but was prevented by bad weather). He also comments on the poor performance of the Wehrmacht in Russian winter conditions, explaining that its tanks and weapons had mainly been designed with a view to warfare in Western Europe.
Hitler also comments on the timing of Operation Barbarossa, expressing a wish that he had attacked earlier, but that this was impossible due to a number of factors, such as the delay in attacking France (Hitler had wanted to attack it in Autumn 1939 but was prevented by bad weather). He also comments on the poor performance of the Wehrmacht in Russian winter conditions, explaining that its tanks and weapons had mainly been designed with a view to warfare in Western Europe.
Another very important point that he makes is the vulnerability of the German war machine to shortages of petroleum. Due to the British naval blockade Germany was completely reliant for oil on Romania and the Soviet Union itself. According to Hitler, in 1940, with Germany committed to war in the West, the Soviet Union would have easily been able to take over Romania and deprive the Wehrmacht and German industry of oil, making it practically impossible for the war to have been fought at all.
The enormous perceived threat that this strategic weakness posed clearly impelled Hitler to make his attack on what he later realised was an extremely heavily armed Soviet Union.
The enormous perceived threat that this strategic weakness posed clearly impelled Hitler to make his attack on what he later realised was an extremely heavily armed Soviet Union.
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