It's easy to get into trouble comparing wars to each other. There are still lots of differences between Islamic State and the Nazis. Even bigger is the gap between the forces fighting their respective enemies in the past and present.
For one, from our reporting in the country, Iraq's different and divided armies appear unwilling or unable to mount an offensive toward Mosul anytime soon. There's a lot we don't know - but it wouldn't be surprising if this war dragged on for years.
Yet there's a demonstrable limit to Islamic State's reliance on attacking at all costs. In the final year of World War II, German armies repeatedly threw themselves into surreal and self-destructive attacks under orders from Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.
Their armies included children and old men - and their job was only to delay the inevitable. They largely failed, and the human toll was tragic. |