About how England and France "helped" Poland in September 1939
1 September 1939 of the year at 4: 30 am The Reich Air Force attacked Polish airfields, and the Wehrmacht units crossed the border in 15 minutes. Thus began the operation "Weiss".
Apparently, in Berlin they thought that Poland would be surrendered to him as well as Austria and Czechoslovakia. But London and Paris, after some hesitation of September 3, declared war on Germany.
This caused confusion among the German command - the western border was bare, a blow to it by the French army, with the help of England, put the not yet strong Third Reich to the brink of defeat. The whole plan of the Polish campaign was based on non-intervention of France and Britain. But soon everything became clear, Paris and London "saved face", but the strategies of "appeasing" Hitler at the expense of the East did not change.
Representatives of the military command of England and France. From left to right: General Gort, General Georges, Minister of the Navy Churchill of England, General Gamelin, General Ironside.
True, one would think that France and England did not have ready troops, they needed time to mobilize their forces, and Poland was defeated too quickly. But this is not so, the Allies had the strength to attack Germany. By September 1939, French troops on the border with Germany had: more than 3 million people, 17,5 thousand guns and mortars, 2850 tanks, 1400 combat aircraft of the first line and 1600 aircraft in the second. They could immediately support more than 1000 British aircraft. Germany on the western border had a little more than 900 thousand people, 8640 guns and mortars, 1359 aircraft and not a single tank. Siegfried Line, a defensive structure, was not completed. That is, Paris had more than three times superiority in manpower and aviation, total superiority in tanks, double superiority in artillery, all the conditions for a successful breakthrough of the German front.
In addition, Germany did not have a stockpile of ammunition to wage war, in a very short time they would have ended, the war could not be waged. The opportunity to crush Germany was, but there was no desire. Rather, on the contrary, there was a desire not to provoke Hitler, not to start real hostilities.
There were frequent cases of fraternization of French and German soldiers who drank, ate together and exchanged alcohol. One commander of the French artillery regiment, who decided to take the initiative and start sighting, almost condemned. To prevent such incidents from happening, the advanced units of the French army were forbidden to charge weapon shells and ammunition.
The main task of the French army was “not to provoke”, the enemy was not fired, not bombed, and intelligence did not go beyond the front.
When the Polish command asked 6 on September to launch an air strike against German industry and troops, Paris agreed to 7. 10 th Poles reported that the air strikes began, it was just a blatant lie. The only combat episode on the part of the Allied air forces was the attack of the British 4 aircraft of September, the Emden cruiser in the area of Kiel, which received minor damage. After that, the British and French aircraft made only flights of reconnaissance nature, and they also scattered flyers. From 3 to 27 September, the Germans dropped 18 million leaflets on their heads.
Only on September 7, the first search parties of French troops crossed the border and advanced several kilometers. Berlin instructed his troops to avoid combat. 12 th they were instructed to stop the movement.
On September 10, the French command urged the Poles that more than half of the first-line divisions on the Northeast Front were fighting, that a “positional war” had begun, and the Germans had strong resistance. French newspapers reported that Berlin began a transfer of forces from east to west.
The British were also not in a hurry to help the "ally", although they promised Warsaw that if Hitler attacked Poland, they would help almost immediately with the help of their Air Force and Navy. By mid-October, two corps of British troops took up positions on the border of France with Belgium.
3-4 October French troops pulled over their borders. 16-th their previous positions and took the German troops. The “performance” was completed, Poland was crushed, the road to the USSR was finally open, Paris and London were saved, the “ally” was helped as much as they could.
18 October, the Germans declared their "losses" on the Western Front: 196 killed, 356 wounded, 144 missing.
France and England abandoned their “ally” Poland, the Polish army led an unequal struggle for several weeks, abandoned by its command (the Polish elite almost immediately ran into a run) and the Western allies. 21 November 1939, the French government created an "entertainment service" in the army, which was required to organize the entertainment of soldiers at the front.
This "performance" has one explanation - the British and French political elite tried their best to push Germany and the USSR together. For this, it was not a pity for “junior partners,” such as democratic states - Austria, Czechoslovakia, and Poland.
The Germans set up posters for French soldiers on the banks of the Rhine: "You are not fighting for small states that do not even want your help. You are fighting only for British capital."
"Norway, Sweden, Finland and all the Balkan states have turned away from the British. Why are you risking your life for the sake of the exploiters?"
Sources of:
Liddell Garth B.G. The Second World War. - M .: 1999.
Müller-Hillebrand B. Land Army of Germany 1933-1945 M., 2003.
Pykhalov I. The Great Obolgannaya war. M, 2006.
Sekistov V. A. War and politics. M., 1970.
Apparently, in Berlin they thought that Poland would be surrendered to him as well as Austria and Czechoslovakia. But London and Paris, after some hesitation of September 3, declared war on Germany.
This caused confusion among the German command - the western border was bare, a blow to it by the French army, with the help of England, put the not yet strong Third Reich to the brink of defeat. The whole plan of the Polish campaign was based on non-intervention of France and Britain. But soon everything became clear, Paris and London "saved face", but the strategies of "appeasing" Hitler at the expense of the East did not change.
Representatives of the military command of England and France. From left to right: General Gort, General Georges, Minister of the Navy Churchill of England, General Gamelin, General Ironside.
True, one would think that France and England did not have ready troops, they needed time to mobilize their forces, and Poland was defeated too quickly. But this is not so, the Allies had the strength to attack Germany. By September 1939, French troops on the border with Germany had: more than 3 million people, 17,5 thousand guns and mortars, 2850 tanks, 1400 combat aircraft of the first line and 1600 aircraft in the second. They could immediately support more than 1000 British aircraft. Germany on the western border had a little more than 900 thousand people, 8640 guns and mortars, 1359 aircraft and not a single tank. Siegfried Line, a defensive structure, was not completed. That is, Paris had more than three times superiority in manpower and aviation, total superiority in tanks, double superiority in artillery, all the conditions for a successful breakthrough of the German front.
In addition, Germany did not have a stockpile of ammunition to wage war, in a very short time they would have ended, the war could not be waged. The opportunity to crush Germany was, but there was no desire. Rather, on the contrary, there was a desire not to provoke Hitler, not to start real hostilities.
There were frequent cases of fraternization of French and German soldiers who drank, ate together and exchanged alcohol. One commander of the French artillery regiment, who decided to take the initiative and start sighting, almost condemned. To prevent such incidents from happening, the advanced units of the French army were forbidden to charge weapon shells and ammunition.
The main task of the French army was “not to provoke”, the enemy was not fired, not bombed, and intelligence did not go beyond the front.
When the Polish command asked 6 on September to launch an air strike against German industry and troops, Paris agreed to 7. 10 th Poles reported that the air strikes began, it was just a blatant lie. The only combat episode on the part of the Allied air forces was the attack of the British 4 aircraft of September, the Emden cruiser in the area of Kiel, which received minor damage. After that, the British and French aircraft made only flights of reconnaissance nature, and they also scattered flyers. From 3 to 27 September, the Germans dropped 18 million leaflets on their heads.
Only on September 7, the first search parties of French troops crossed the border and advanced several kilometers. Berlin instructed his troops to avoid combat. 12 th they were instructed to stop the movement.
On September 10, the French command urged the Poles that more than half of the first-line divisions on the Northeast Front were fighting, that a “positional war” had begun, and the Germans had strong resistance. French newspapers reported that Berlin began a transfer of forces from east to west.
The British were also not in a hurry to help the "ally", although they promised Warsaw that if Hitler attacked Poland, they would help almost immediately with the help of their Air Force and Navy. By mid-October, two corps of British troops took up positions on the border of France with Belgium.
3-4 October French troops pulled over their borders. 16-th their previous positions and took the German troops. The “performance” was completed, Poland was crushed, the road to the USSR was finally open, Paris and London were saved, the “ally” was helped as much as they could.
18 October, the Germans declared their "losses" on the Western Front: 196 killed, 356 wounded, 144 missing.
France and England abandoned their “ally” Poland, the Polish army led an unequal struggle for several weeks, abandoned by its command (the Polish elite almost immediately ran into a run) and the Western allies. 21 November 1939, the French government created an "entertainment service" in the army, which was required to organize the entertainment of soldiers at the front.
This "performance" has one explanation - the British and French political elite tried their best to push Germany and the USSR together. For this, it was not a pity for “junior partners,” such as democratic states - Austria, Czechoslovakia, and Poland.
The Germans set up posters for French soldiers on the banks of the Rhine: "You are not fighting for small states that do not even want your help. You are fighting only for British capital."
"Norway, Sweden, Finland and all the Balkan states have turned away from the British. Why are you risking your life for the sake of the exploiters?"
Sources of:
Liddell Garth B.G. The Second World War. - M .: 1999.
Müller-Hillebrand B. Land Army of Germany 1933-1945 M., 2003.
Pykhalov I. The Great Obolgannaya war. M, 2006.
Sekistov V. A. War and politics. M., 1970.
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