On September $1,1939,$ Adolf Hitler started World War II with the invasion of Poland. It took Germany $35$ days to defeat Poland. On May $10,1940,$ Hitler struck west. He invaded the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. It took Germany $5$ days to defeat the Netherlands, $18$ days to defeat Belgium, and $6$ weeks to defeat France. On June $22,1941,$ Hitler turned east again and invaded the Soviet Union; he expected the campaign to conclude quickly. This proved to be an enormous strategic blunder. Although Germany came within $14$ miles of reaching Moscow and captured several large cities, it could not defeat the Soviet Union. By May of $1945,$ the Soviet Union and the Western Allies $($U$.$S$,$ Great Britain, and France$)$ conquered Germany and forced its unconditional surrender. What sort of cognitive bias might explain Hitler's disastrous decision to invade the Soviet Union?

Escalating commitment

Groupthink

Devil's advocacy

Representativeness