Posted on 08/26/2009 5:55:31 AM PDT by Homer_J_Simpson
The B.Z.: “COMPLETE CHAOS IN POLAND – GERMAN FAMILIES FLEE – POLISH SOLDIERS PUSH TO EDGE OF GERMAN BORDER!” The 12-Uhr Blatt: THIS PLAYING WITH FIRE GOING TOO FAR – THREE GERMAN PASSENGER PLANES SHOT AT BY POLES – IN CORRIDOR MANY GERMAN FARMHOUSES IN FLAMES!”
On my way to Broadcast House at midnight I picked up the Sunday edition (August 27) of the Voelkischer Beobachter. Across the whole top of the front page were inch-high headlines:
WHOLE OF POLAND IN WAR FEVER! 1,500,000 MEN MOBILIZED! UNINTERRUPTED TROOP TRANSPORT TOWARD THE FRONTIER! CHAOS IN UPPER SILESIA!
There was no mention, of course, of any German mobilization, though, as we have seen, Germany had been mobilized for a fortnight.
William L. Shirer, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich
“Poles are in state of full readiness”
or not.
The Developments in Europe – 2
Berlin Talks Held – 2-4
Inner Circles of Nazis Cool to Roosevelt; Press Says He Is Too Late With His Appeal – 4
Turkish Council Meets - 4
Poles Are in State of Full Readiness – 5
Prayers for Peace Urged by [Episcopal Bishop] Manning - 5
Danzigers Cheer Visiting German Warship [Schleswig-Holstein], Which Fires the First Salute for Forster – 6
Swiss Border Force Called into Service – 6
Germans in Britain Get Orders to Return at Once – 6
French See Hitler Skirting Disaster – 7
Soviet Peace Aim Seen – 7
Jews Aid Polish Cause* – 7
Louvre Treasures Ordered Removed – 7
*The Jews in Poland have placed all their human and material resources at the disposal of the Polish Government in the crisis.
Very sad. Too bad they couldn’t have used the resources to get the hell out.
This song was #1 for twelve weeks in 1939. Deep Purple
Shirer’s diary update at Reply #2.
A little propaganda to confuse the allies before the shooting starts. Nothing being said is important at this point, only the troop movements.
I find it hard to believe that anyone could still think it was a bluff, especially in France. I think those French were just frightened and grabbing at staws.
Poles were fully ready - for the previous war.
Still, the 39 Polish divisions (many not up to full strength) held out for 36 days against the German’s 60 and later Soviet attacks. France, on the other hand, slightly outnumbered the Germans with 144 divisions to the German 141, as well as having Belgium, UK, and Netherlands on their side. They only managed to hold out 10 days longer. (They prepared well for the last war also.)
"Although it’s based on the real-life World War II exploits of Eddie Chapman, a British spy, Terence Young’s Triple Cross (1966) seems a great deal like an early James Bond picture. This only makes sense since Young preceded his work on the film by directing Dr. No (1962), From Russia with Love (1963), and Thunderball (1965). Producer Jacques-Paul Bertrand intended for Young to infuse Chapman’s story with a certain debonair flair, and the two men stacked the deck in their favor by casting the casually suave Christopher Plummer as Chapman. Yul Brynner, Trevor Howard, Romy Schneider and Gert Frobe (the title villain of Goldfinger, 1964) fill out the supporting roles.
Plummer’s Chapman is a relatively amoral safecracker who is jailed on a remote island that’s taken over by the Germans during the War. He eventually convinces the Third Reich to let him spy for them. But he turns the tables when he informs the British of his activities, thus becoming a double agent. Plummer infuses Chapman with an enviable arrogance, even when he’s trying to put one over on Hitler’s minions. His adventures aren't particularly believable, even if they're based on fact, but they're fun to watch.
Given his past exploits, Chapman, strangely enough, was still living when Triple Cross was being filmed, and Young badly wanted him as his technical advisor. However, French authorities wouldn’t allow Chapman into the country because, for reasons that were never really ascertained, he had once kidnapped the sultan of Morocco."
That’s him. Though I’ve never heard about this kidnapping the Sultan of Morocco business. As things stand right now he is still in prison on the Isle of Jersey (the only British homeland conquered by the Germans in the war). Once the Nazi’s take over the island they will leave him in jail for a while and even after he gets out he runs afoul of them again prior to finally being accepted as a spy. But we will get to that in due course.
I think the next update is not until the end of 1940 so stay tuned.
I’ve been thinking of starting another subplot about another gentleman who right now is in Yugoslavia going to the university in Belgrade with an American passport. I’m remembering him because of the calls for Americans to get out of Europe. But his story doesn’t really start until 1941 so I have some time.
I just saw this thread regarding the 70th anniversary of the German invasion in Poland.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2324681/posts
I think that the Administration is not actually hostile to the U.S. role in world events; they are simply ahistorical - they don’t “get” history.
Possibly, very possibly, they think they’re above it all.
Shades of the egregious Woodrow Wilson!
What a pack of idiots this Obozo administration is!
I’ll go with “not.” They only declared mobilization less than a week ago.
Seems like everyone in the western media is grasping at straws as a means of avoiding war. Hitler knows full well the Poles will not give in to his demands, but perhaps by getting British and French support he can split the alliance. Not a bad strategy, even if it didn’t work.
But back to the original point; the western allies have no stomach for a fight. It’s pretty obvious. It will become much more obvious over the next six weeks.
What was the lansing contract?
All I know is what it says in image #3 above, left-hand column, section headed "Hitler Receives Envoys."
. . . according to well-informed quarters they include the return of Danzig and the Polish Corridor on the basis of the Lansing note of Nov. 5, 1918, which would restore, in part, the German border of before the last war . . .
The Germans continue to bend over backwards to avoid war, while the French and Poles continue to prepare for battle. Here, Forster even invites the Polish leader to a luncheon, and is spurned.
Text of the Lansing Note here (PDF from NYTimes)
http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=9D06E5DE1239E13ABC4E53DFB7678383609EDE
“...invaded territories must be restored, as well as evacuated and freed...”
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