Posted on 08/21/2009 5:10:43 AM PDT by Homer_J_Simpson
During the next twenty-four hours, from the evening of Sunday, August 20, when Hitler’s appeal to Stalin went out over the wires to Moscow, until the following evening, the Fuehrer was in a state bordering on collapse. He could not sleep. In the middle of the night he telephoned Goering to tell of his worries about Stalin’s reaction to his message and to fret over the delays in Moscow. At 3 A.M. on the twenty-first, the Foreign Office received a “most urgent” wire from Schulenburg saying that Hitler’s telegram, of which Weizsaecker had advised him earlier, had not yet arrived. “Official telegrams from Berlin to Moscow,” the ambassador reminded the Foreign Office, “take four to five hours, inclusive of two hours’ difference in time. To this must be added the time for deciphering.” At 10:15 A.M. on Monday August 21, the anxious Ribbentrop got off an urgent wire to Schulenburg: “Please do your utmost to ensure that the journey materializes. Date as in telegram” Shortly after noon, the ambassador advised Berlin: “I am to see Molotov at 3 P.M. today.”
Finally, at 9:35 P.M. on August 21, Stalin’s reply came over the wires to Berlin.
TO THE CHANCELLOR OF THE GERMAN REICH,
A. HITLER:
I thank you for the letter. I hope that the German-Soviet nonaggression pact will bring about a decided turn for the better in the political relations between our countries.
The peoples of our countries need peaceful relations with each other. The assent of the German Government to the conclusion of a nonaggression pact provides the foundation for eliminating the political tension and for the establishment of peace and collaboration between our countries.
The Soviet Government have instructed me to inform you that they agree to Herr von Ribbentrop’s arriving in Moscow on August 23.
J. STALIN
For sheer cynicism the Nazi dictator had met his match in the Soviet despot. The way was now open to them to get together to dot the i’s and cross the t’s on one of the crudest deals of this shabby epoch.
Stalin’s reply was transmitted to the Fuehrer at the Berghof at 10:30 P.M. A few minutes later, this writer remembers – shortly after 11 P.M. – a musical program on the German radio was suddenly interrupted and a voice came on to announce, “The Reich government and the Soviet government have agreed to conclude a pact of nonaggression with each other. The Reich Minister for Foreign Affairs will arrive in Moscow on Wednesday, August 23, for the conclusion of the negotiations.” William L. Shirer, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich
August 21. Today I have spoken very clearly . . . When I entered the room Mussolini confirmed his decision to go along with the Germans. “You, Duce, cannot and must not do it . . . I went to Salzburg in order to adopt a common line for action. I found myself face to face with a Diktat. The Germans, not ourselves, have betrayed the alliance . . . Tear up the pact. Throw it in Hitler’s face! . . .”
William L. Shirer, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich
* “Now that aircraft has been developed, a naval carrier 400 miles out can release planes capable of bombing our coasts and returning to their starting points. Within a few hours air squadrons may leave European islands like the Azores, bomb Washington or New York, and return to their base. Yet air development is still in its infancy.”
Nazi-Soviet talks update at reply #2.
Ciano diary update at reply #3.
http://www.worldwar-2.net/prelude-to-war/prelude-to-war-index.htm
Its all coming down to the wire toward the blitz on Poland.
I can imagine all the peaceniks and doubting Thomases are sitting back acting like nothing will happen.
The foreign diplomats claim to be “surprised” by the announcement of the German-Soviet trade agreement. They ain’t seen nothin’ yet.
But take a look at things again. Anglo-French/Soviet military talks have clearly stalled since the two sides have not met for three days. By this time, everyone should know that the Soviet press is the mouthpiece of Stalin’s regime and you’d better pay attention and read between the lines when they speak. They are not saying soothing things about the Anglo-French and whether they would participate in an active war against Germany. And now the German-Soviet trade talks, that until recently had been going as slowly as the Anglo-French military talks, have resulted in a complete deal.
The diplomats and the press should have woken up and started sniffing the air.
On another note, the Poles have begun deploying their troops. Cougar, I can’t post maps (I don’t know how to post anything actually). If you have a map that shows Polish deployments that would be a really good thing to look at right now.
You see one American making an anit-isolationist stand in these articles: Paul V. McNutt. Speaking to a Veterans organization in Bloomington IN.
McNutt was big in Indiana politics, and had been Governor. They named a complex of dormitories after him at IU. I went to some wild parties there back in the 70’s.
I was going save this until the 31st, but I suppose a preview won't hurt anything. Thanks to the Cougar College of Posting Technology I am able to provide this map from the West Point Atlas of the Second World War.
Hitler certainly was not disappointed, appeasement was precisely what he feared. He wanted war, and nothing was going to stop him this time.
Big mistake! They had a fighting chance against the Soviets, and it certainly would have saved them from Katyn. It also would have forced the Germans to expend more resources, and may have bought precious time for Britain and France to get more involved. Of course, that is with the benefit of hindsight. Poland had no idea about the Non-Aggression Pact.
Excellent map. I didn’t want to jump the gun but since the news articles are only now mentioning Polish mobilization, I thought we might take a first look at their war plan. Notice how Poznan and Pomorze groups are stuck out on a limb.
Poland is mobilizing too late. Most of the German units are at full strength and deployed to their jump-off positions. The Polish troops are only now reporting and deploying. Many of the Polish units will not be fully fitted out and supported on September 1.
This is definately the best one for showing troop deployments. I own the West Point Atlas Pacific Theater copy and have been keeping it on my desk as I write on Japans romp through the south pacific (It even has a map of MacArthur’s planned “defend at the beaches’ strategy for the Philippines, though it never was fully realized and quickly abandonded once the Japanese were landed).
I have some other maps of Poland that I will pull out once the action gets going and Homer I’m sure has plenty too.
Let me know if you wish to enroll in the Cougar College of Posting Technology henkster and I’ll have you burning others bandwidth in no time flat.
Poplar Polls Indicate Poles Rushing Russian Troops Not Popular
How much more time would the French and Brits needed though. I guess I’m thinking of the Saar campaign which still drives me crazy as such a huge opportunity lost.
Many more will never get deployed after September 1st too due to the Luftwaffe. Destroying rail lines and lines of movement was objective #2 on the Luftwaffe's order of battle (right after #1 Air Superiority).
The “Siegfried Line” was pure bluff. A week or so ago, in reporting on the military talks with the Soviets, the Soviets were uncertain of how much assistance could be provided by France due to the “strong” West Wall fortifications. At that time, the “West Wall” existed mostly on maps. The forces available to von Leeb, German general responsible for defending in the West, were untrained and poorly equipped. Leeb feared that he could not even so much as delay a determined French assault.
That’s where Hitler’s bluff came through for him. He knew his opponents didn’t have the stomach for a fight. They would gladly swallow his propaganda about “impregnable defenses” and use it as an excuse to not fight.
As I mentioned yesterday, the Soviets started a major offensive against the Japanese around the town of Nomonhan attacking from all directions along a 40 mile front.
Over the 21st and 22nd Colonel Potapov's force which was the southern flank and had moved the furthest the previous day continued to bend the Japanese line in the south. Elements of his armor force took up blocking positions on the east side of the city to cut off any potential escape routes for the Japanese. Zhukov's forces continued to make very slow but consistent gains against the main Japanese force in the center and Colonel Alekseenko remained stalled against forces opposing them from the strategic Fui Heights on the northern flank. Even Zhukov acknowledged that they "put up more obstinate resistance than we thought it could."
Source: Goldman, Stuart. "A Long Shadow". World War II Volume 24 Issue 1. May 2009. pp 26-37.
And yet Gamelin (if memory serves) took a force into the Saar and moved them back because the thought the lack of resistance was a ruse. That blows my mind.
“There’s no one here! It must be a trick! RUN AWAY!!”
Since the NYT is obviously asleep at the switch on this one its a good thing you are on the job.
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