It is likely that if they had been asked, the military leadership would have advised against expanding the war, given the extent of the crisis on the Eastern Front. Hitler's Luftwaffe Adjutant, Nicolaus von Below, who was told about decision to widen the war when he returned from a month's leave, was astounded by Hitler's "cluelessness" about the military potential of the United States, and saw it as an example of Hitler's "dilettante approach and his limited knowledge of foreign countries." Nor had Hitler ordered the preparations necessary for such a decision or taken into account any logistical considerations, such as Admiral Karl Dönitz's earlier request to be notified if the U.S. was in danger of being drawn into the war, so that he could position his U-boats to take maximum advantage of the new situation.