Why England and France played catch-up with Hitler
Chamberlain, Mussolini, Hitler, and Daladier before signing the Munich Agreement. September 29, 1938.
The Suicide of Western Democracies
The United States was in full swing preparing for a global war, pushing Japan and Germany into it. In fact, Roosevelt and his team, along with American financial capital, were the main organizers of World War II.Roosevelt and the idea of global domination in the world).
Hitler was a player in London and Washington's Great Game, but he intended to outmaneuver everyone, hoping for the "magic" of a lightning war. He would crush France, then Russia, and then reach an agreement with Britain.
Stalin was maneuvering with all his might, stalling for time, so as not to interfere in someone else’s game ("He managed to bring the country back from the brink of disaster."). To avoid becoming a player in the Great Game of the Western powers, like the Russian Empire of the early 20th century. To avoid a war on two fronts – with the Japanese Empire and the German Reich. At the same time, he tried to return Russian historical lands – the Baltics, Bessarabia, Western Belarus and Western Ukraine (Little Russia).
The behavior of Paris and London before and during the Great War (the so-called "phony war") was a mystery. Moreover, the French and British were, step by step, driving themselves into a trap, digging their own graves. It seemed as if French and British politicians and diplomats had literally gone mad, helping their old enemy grow stronger and seize most of Western Europe.
World War II led to the defeat and occupation of France. Britain was drawn into a brutal conflict that drained its resources. In the medium term, the British and French colonial empires collapsed. The economies of Western Europe, which had become a battlefield, were devastated. After the war, the United States subjugated Western Europe. The British pound sterling ceased to be the world currency, replaced by the US dollar. Britain became the junior partner in the Anglo-American tandem. In other words, France and Britain, which had been true great powers and global players in the 1920s and 1930s, lost their positions.
The British and French are to blame for their own suicide. They supported the Nazis in Germany with all their might, pushing Hitler against the Russians. They hoped to crush Soviet Russia, and then Germany, as in World War I. To plunder their resources. Colonize Russia, as they attempted in 1917–1920. However, they were outmaneuvered by the Americans. As a result, we see the geostrategic, military, and political suicide of France and a crushing defeat for Britain.
British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, who arrived in Munich for a conference to sign the agreement on the transfer of the Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia to Germany, is greeted at Munich Airport. German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop walks in front next to Chamberlain. Adolf Wagner, Gauleiter of Munich-Upper Bavaria, is in the center foreground. Karl Fiehler, Reichsleiter and Lord Mayor of Munich, is on the far left, and Franz Xaver Schwarz, Reichsleiter and Chief of Finance of the NSDAP, walks between him and Wagner.
Appeasement of Hitler
Western histories of World War II fail to answer a simple question: why didn't Britain and France crush Hitler's regime in 1936–1939? Even though they had all the military resources to do so. And why didn't they destroy the German elite, who were ready to sell out Hitler and the Nazis? The German generals were deeply afraid of the French and British. The threat of a catastrophe similar to the 1917–1919 scenario. The Germans themselves would have removed Hitler and leading Nazi functionaries had they received the appropriate signals from the French and British.
However, Hitler was allowed to destroy the Versailles system and then devour almost all of Europe. As early as 1933, the Nazis refused to pay the reparations imposed after their defeat in World War I.
In 1934, a rebellion broke out in Austria, and Chancellor Dollfuss was assassinated. Local Nazis demanded the unification of Austria and Germany. Hitler planned the Anschluss. But Italy's Duce Mussolini, who at the time considered the Führer an upstart, a figure of chance, moved four divisions to the Austrian border. Hitler, lacking troops, abandoned the idea of immediately absorbing Austria.
In 1935, Hitler abandoned military restrictions, began creating a mass army (the Wehrmacht), and introduced universal conscription. Germany created a full-fledged air force, armored forces, and fleetLondon and Paris swallowed it, even though they could have easily thwarted the Nazis. At that time, Hitler had nothing but pretty slogans and marches with torches and banners. The real power lay with France and Britain. Even Poland and Czechoslovakia were stronger than Germany at the time.
In 1936, Hitler remilitarized the Rhineland. Under the Treaty of Versailles, Germany was forbidden from stationing soldiers beyond the Rhine, on the French border. The French were guarantors of this condition, preventing a repeat of the carnage of World War I. Germany moved its weak troops into the demilitarized Rhineland. The German generals were terrified of this, believing they would be easily driven back. At that point, Field Marshal Blomberg had only four brigades. The Air Force had barely scraped together three understaffed air regiments, each with barely 10 combat aircraft. Germany lacked the military resources to fight even France alone. But France and England recognized this move.
Hitler was bluffing, embarking on a dangerous gamble. His generals were horrified, knowing the state of the German armed forces and the war effort. Germany would not have been able to offer even the slightest resistance to the powerful French army, even without British support.
The German Army proper (the Wehrmacht) only began to form after the recapture of the Rhineland. The Führer ordered the urgent formation of 36 divisions. By comparison, Czechoslovakia had 35 divisions at the time, and Poland 40. Moreover, the German divisions were "raw" and needed training and arming. Logically, Hitler was a complete adventurer. But he got away with it. Another victory!
In March 1938, Hitler was allowed to devour Austria, strengthening the military, industrial, and demographic potential of the German Empire. Once again, the leaders of the democratic West advocated "appeasement" of the Hitler regime. Then came Czechoslovakia's turn.
In 1938, the Nazis could have been punished in a practical way: end Hitler's regime and appoint a more flexible chancellor. The German elite itself, led by the generals, was ready to overthrow the "mad corporal." Stalin proposed to Paris and London: let's guarantee Czechoslovakia's security. Moscow requested that, in the event of German aggression, the Red Army be allowed to pass through Poland and Czechoslovakia. And Anglo-French forces were to create a Western Front against the Germans.
Paris and London refused. They preferred to hand over the Sudetenland to the Germans, destroying Czechoslovakia's defenses. And then Czechoslovakia was completely destroyed. Stalin understood everything: Hitler was being sent on a "crusade" to the East. Moscow agreed to conclude a non-aggression pact with Berlin.Why did Stalin reach an agreement with Hitler?). As a result, the official Second World War began as a clash of two European (Western) projects. Russia remained on the sidelines, and the 1914 scenario was temporarily avoided.
On the eve of the Czechoslovak crisis, German generals and aristocrats, fearing war with the West, were ready to abandon Hitler. General von Kleist even secretly traveled to England to negotiate with Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain. However, he returned empty-handed. The German military was also prepared to stage a palace coup in 1939, before the defeat of Poland. But they were not supported. The British were playing their own game: they needed Hitler to start a world war and attack Russia.
At the time of the Czechoslovakian crisis, Germany was still unprepared for war. The western border was bare! The French could have taken the Ruhr, Germany's main military-industrial center, with a single blow. And the Czechs could have held the Germans at bay on their defensive lines. But Paris and London surrendered the Sudetenland, and then all of Czechoslovakia.
This gave the Führer and the Third Reich unprecedented personal strength. After Czechoslovakia, the German military came to believe in Hitler and his genius. In the eyes of the nation, he became practically a deity. Germany acquired the arsenals and weapons of the Czechoslovak army, as well as the powerful military-industrial potential of Bohemia.
Wehrmacht military musicians in the Czechoslovak city of Ostrava. On March 15, 1939, Czechoslovak President Eduard Hácha and Foreign Minister János Chvalkovský signed the act establishing a German protectorate over Bohemia and Moravia in Berlin. Czechoslovakia finally lost its independence.
Giveaway game
In September 1939, the British and French had another opportunity to finish Hitler quickly and with minimal bloodshed. A great chance to stop World War II, save tens of millions of lives, and avoid the destruction of France itself. Britain was at risk of defeat. Nearly all of the Reich's combat-ready units were fighting in Poland. Germany was almost completely exposed to the west. The Siegfried Line existed largely on paper, and the troops in the west were extremely few and second-rate. The French and British air forces could easily gain air superiority, devastating the German Reich's industry. The French and their allies could cross the Rhine and threaten the Ruhr. The Poles were still fighting, distracting the enemy. The French and British offensive would force them to fight to the last, not to surrender.
Had the Allies advanced on the Western Front in September 1939, Berlin would have been forced to urgently redeploy divisions to the west, sue for peace, and apologize. However, Hitler knew he would be allowed to crush Poland.
But the French and British watched indifferently as the Nazis crushed Poland. At the front, soldiers played football and cards, drank wine, and fraternized with the Germans. Command forbade subordinate commanders from conducting deep operations. Allied planes bombed Germany with leaflets. The beginning of the war was called the "strange" or "sit-down" war. Poland was abandoned, as was Czechoslovakia. In the hope that the Germans would then Tanks will already go to the Soviet Union.
Stalin bided his time for two weeks. The French and British did not start a real war. The Polish military and political leadership fled Warsaw and then the country. The Red Army entered eastern Poland, historically Russian lands.
Thus, London and Paris themselves provoked Hitler into new adventures and conquests, repeatedly missing opportunities to finish him off and end the world war at its very beginning. The Westerners expected Germany to move on to Russia next. Therefore, they handed over almost all of Europe to the Führer so he could organize a new "push to the East."
German soldiers are fooling around. The inscription on the soldier's pants reads "Western Front 1939." The "strange" or "sit" war (French: Drôle de guerre, German: Sitzkrieg).
Surrender of the Western Front
Interestingly, this game of give-and-take continued even as the official war between France and England and Germany was in full swing.
Thus, after the conquest of Poland, Germany was in a dangerous position. The military and economic resources of France and Britain, with their colonies and dominions, were far greater than Germany's. Germany was desperately short of oil, metal, and virtually all other resources. The Franco-British navy dominated the seas. The Allies had superiority in aircraft and tanks. The great powers had Belgium, Holland, Denmark, and the Scandinavian countries, which had not yet been occupied, on their side. Clearly, Greece and Yugoslavia would not be Hitler's allies either. In the East lay the vast Red Empire.
It's no wonder the German generals are terrified. The military has no problem with logic. They know how to calculate. Resources are meager, and military programs are in their infancy. The Westerners have overwhelming superiority in material and human resources. In a trench war, Germany is doomed to defeat. Another conspiracy is being hatched against Hitler. Intelligence chief Canaris is playing against the Führer. He is playing on the side of the British.
Under these circumstances, Hitler decided to occupy Norway. From a military standpoint, this was yet another gamble. The enemy had complete naval dominance. Allied air and naval forces could overwhelm the German transports. The Allies could occupy Norway first and give the Nazis a warm welcome. A staunch opponent of Hitler, Abwehr Colonel Oster informed the Allies of the impending landing in Norway.
What about the Allies? Are they sinking the German fleet and its landing force!? Nothing. The troop landing in Norway was delayed, and the Germans beat the Allies to it by literally a few hours. The German fleet's movement was missed, as was the airborne landing. As a result, the German troop transfer was a complete success. Norway is occupied. The Germans have gained a strategic foothold for their air force and navy, as well as Norway's resources (iron ore, etc.).
The Allies had their last chance to stop Hitler after the Norwegian Campaign. The Allies had obtained a secret German plan to defeat the allies of Holland, Belgium, and France. It consisted of luring as many Anglo-French troops as possible into Belgium, and then cutting off this most combat-ready Allied force from the main forces. Advance through the Ardennes. The Abwehr again surrendered its army: the Allies knew the exact date of the offensive: May 10, 1940.
Once again, Hitler was allowed to win. The Germans successfully routed the Allies in Belgium and Holland, broke through the Ardennes, and cut off the enemy's strongest force. The demoralized British fled, and the French were routed.
In this way, The rulers of Paris and London gradually ceded their countries' positions in Europe. They created a "Hitlerite European Union" to pit against the Russians. The national interests of France and, to some extent, Britain were buried in favor of financial capital., the so-called "world behind the scenes." It included old and new financial houses of the Old and New Worlds, societies and clubs of the old aristocracy, Freemasonry, the Vatican and its orders.
Ultimately, the Anglo-French, while strengthening Hitler's regime and fueling the war in Europe by pushing the Germans eastward, paid dearly for it. France was defeated and partially occupied. Britain found itself isolated, threatened with invasion and utter disaster. The US, having calculated this situation, benefited. Western Europe became a battlefield and would eventually fall to the Americans.
Tankers of the Wehrmacht's 7th Panzer Division on the English Channel coast, near Petit Dal. This photograph captures the moment when the division commander, Major General Erwin Rommel, accompanied by several officers, descended onto the beach. Pictured is a Pz.Kpfw. III command tank. Photograph by Major General Erwin Rommel. June 1940.
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