".... the weak link was the very people controlling the country "
This is absolutely the long and short of it ..... the people and the system that brought them to power ..... Phony-baloney economics brought to you by phony-baloney 'leaders'. Never a good combination ... IMHO
However .. the Germans were able to co-operate with 'others' for tank development (Russia - until 1933) and Holland and/or Denmark (IIFC) for U-Boats.
The aircraft industry in Germany was clearly not on the same footing as the 'older' steel-based industries. And that fits with Germany in WW1 does it not ..? - when Folkers (non German) played such a critical role in German fighter aircraft development.
After the Nazis had the throttle in 1933 - huge sums were thrown at the aircraft industry - that is the
one sector of rearmament that got a huge kick-start -- (also autobahns) but, that sudden in-rush of money may have been the cause of much of the later problems ---- i.e. jealousy, politics and intrigue. With much money at stake much nastiness crawls out of the woodwork ...
.
Compare with the building of the aircraft industry in the U.S. of A. in the '20's - '30's. Everybody is struggling. Constant innovations but also mergers, bankruptcies, executive mobility and even geographic migration .... from the centre to California and Texas.
Nazis Germany and its economic and social policies was a lab experiment that went very, very wrong ...
. To be studied and learned from.
MM