At what point in WW2 did the German people realize the whole thing was a mistake?

I don’t believe that they thought that they were on the wrong side however I believe most thought they were doomed when Hitler fkd up and tried to invade Russia in Winter.

My uniformed perspective is that, generally, they never did. The reason is that the structure of thinking that allows someone to tolerate/vote for, someone like Hilter/Nazis, is a type of thinking that relies on blaming others, and proactive lying.

They likely found ways, no matter how far fetched they seem now, to deflect responsibility, reduce severity, and create a narrative that made them closer to the victims vs war criminals.

When they lost at Stalingrad.

More like when they couldn't reach Moscow in late 1941. The Wermacht general staff knew that when they invaded in 1941 that they had to win the war on Eastern Front within 6 months. They got within 20 miles of the city and were counterattacked by 1 million Siberian troops. It was at this point that most of Hitler's top generals knew the war was lost.

I’m sure some did.

Germans have never come to that realization. The majority of them still believe everything Germany did was moral and justified. They just think the Allies had more military resources at the time, so it was some miscalculations that led to the losses in the two World War they started. But they are resolute in their beliefs.

You have to remember that they didn’t all have the info that we have. The front pages of the paper didn’t have death camp numbers and the eastern front casualty lists.

Generals and the like thought they were in trouble in late 41 but still thought there were paths to victory. By the end of 42, it was a hope for a statement. End of 43 and they knew it was hopeless. This filtered down through the ranks and civilians about 6 months later if you go by diary entries.

And before you go how delusional they had to be, think how many Americans support a convicted felon for president. You don’t think people back the could delude themselves with crazy excuses also?

I'd guess that there were a lot of German citizens that believed the war was a mistake from the beginning.

But what were they supposed to do? Carry protest banners in the streets? Yeah, that would have worked well.

It's not like Germany in the 1930's and 1940's was like it is in the US today, where you can take over buildings, close roads, and burn cars with basically zero consequences.

The question was about the German people, not the leadership who had more information, and not later historians who enjoyed the benefit of hindsight.

Local media was pretty locked down in those days - quite a bit of state propaganda, and no Internet. Early 1943 immediately post-Stalingrad was when the people started to realized things weren't going swimmingly.

Dresden.

Wrong side? Pray tell why you think ruZZia and communism invading, taking over and murdering thousands of people in the occupied countries was the right side. I don’t believe anyone having to live under russia thought that was the right side. Evil is evil. Regardless of side.

Then why didn't one of those top generals just kill Hitler, end the war, and prevent millions of Germans from dying, not to mention having their whole country being bombed to smithereens? Why continue fighting a war that you knew would completely destroy your country?

They did. In 1944. Look it up.

As for the German people as a whole/on average, it was well after the war ended. Even 10 years later, the majority thought that Hitler was a good leader, but had just gone too far.

That changed with time. Germans today absolutely do not think they were on the good side. But it took near-replacement of the wartime generation and sustained education to change that.