Joachim Fest, Hitler's best biographer, characterized Hitler as the last of the warrior-conquerors, in the mold of Alexander the Great and the other great captains of history.  While Hitler may not have quite seen himself in this mold, he certainly did see himself as a Man of Destiny, chosen by Fate to lead the German volk to world dominance.  Hitler saw his mission in the East, from whence the German race had come originally.  The swastika came from India and Himmler sent out SS researchers to find the origins of the Teutonic race in Tibet.  While it was necessary to crush the West, particularly France, first, Hitler's purpose was the invasion and conquest of Russia.  On the occasion of his 50th birthday on April 20, 1939, he told some of his generals that it was essential to start the war soon because he wanted to conduct it while he was still young enough to do so.  In fact, one of the reasons he railed at Chamberlain after Munich was because "that...(Read Full Post)