Why do Catholics confess their sins to a priest and not directly to God asking for His forgiveness?

You've set up a false dichotomy in your question. Catholics confess their sins to a priest because Christ set it up this way. Read Matt 9:1-8 (the last word is plural) and John 20 as support of Catholic teaching that is 2000 years old.

Additionally, Catholics also confess their sins to God and ask forgiveness at every Mass when they call to mind their sins during the Penetitial Rite that starts "I confess to almighty God..." Go to a Mass and see for yourself. The Catholic Church proposes that we accept what Christ set up. Christ wants us to confess our sins through a priest.

Even under the Old Covenant, Lev. 5:4-6; 19:21-22 - God used priests to forgive and atone for the sins of others. God does not change.

There have been Catholic priests hearing confessions and granting absolution for 2000 years. There is no need to "second guess" God about why he does things a certain way -- 2000 years of history shows that God does it this way, using imperfect Catholic priests to forgive sins. As ... more.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.