How Hitler almost starved Britain – Sarah Paine

Dwarkesh Podcast

Sep 05

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In this episode, military historian Sarah Paine delves into the strategic advantages that enabled Britain to prevail over Nazi Germany during World War II. She outlines how maritime dominance, peripheral campaigns, and strong alliances were pivotal in turning the tide of the war. Building on this historical foundation, Paine draws parallels to the present day, analyzing how Russia and China remain constrained by their geographic realities, making them vulnerable to maritime powers like the United States and its allies.

The discussion begins with how Britain applied lessons from World War I to avoid overextension and improve coordination in World War II, culminating in successful operations like the Normandy invasion. The Battle of the Atlantic is highlighted as a decisive theater where Allied technological advances and codebreaking turned the tide against German U-boats. Peripheral campaigns in North Africa, Italy, and elsewhere diverted German forces and supported the Soviet Union on the Eastern Front. The strategic importance of Lend-Lease aid to Russia and China is also emphasized. Paine then applies these historical insights to modern geopolitics, arguing that Russia and China face enduring geographic and institutional limitations that hinder their naval ambitions. The conversation concludes with reflections on how industrial capacity, strategic focus, and alliance-building remain critical in both historical and contemporary global conflicts.