>>18104184
They had to seize the "heartland" before someone developed the atom bomb and were banking on a fluke victory against the Soviet Union due to the rapid pace of technological change in that period. In 10 years they went from biplanes to jet fighters, from 10 ton tanks to 60 ton tanks, from bolt action rifles to assault rifles and so on.. The blitz against France accomplished in a few weeks what they failed after 4 years of horrifying struggle in the trenches. They could not predict where new technology would lead, so from their perspective, without hindsight bias, there was a chance. The dashing uniforms, monolithic fascist aesthetics, heraldry and hypnotizing war drums and marching music, loudspeakers, radio and strobe lights bewildered many into thinking something big was happening, that Germany was awake and firing on all cylinders with a great leader like Bismarck or Frederick. A new modern efficient state not the blundering monarchies of old.
An analogy would be doubling your money over a weekend. You might be able to double it in 5 years with well researched investments on the stock market, but not in 2 days, your best bet is putting everything on black at the roulette wheel least there is a 48.6% chance of success. The chances are not in your favor, but it is the only way. With this they charged headlong into the abyss in an attempt to save Deutschland from the long slow decline into degeneracy and extinction.