ABSTRACT
Hitler's Reich, measured by the territories it directly controlled or heavily influenced, had reached a pinnacle of power by the start of 1942. However, the problem with reaching a pinnacle is that the only movement thereafter is downward and this was to be Germany's fate. The sheer extent of the area it occupied in Europe and North Africa became not a strength but a weakness. German dominance could be sustained only by further expansion or victories. The precarious nature of this position was not immediately apparent, but it gradually became clear that Germany had lost the initiative. From 1942 on, any reverses German forces might suffer would be seen to be of greater significance than any further victories they might gain. This was the price of Germany's having overstretched itself.
