This presentation describes the first year of the war, Poland, the Phony War, Denmark and Norway, the Low Countries, France, the Blitz, and Hitler's dilemma when Britain fails to give in.

1. The 12-Year Reich
Session 3
Hitler Victorious; Sieg im Westen,
1939-40

2. The 12-Year Reich
Session 3
Hitler Victorious; Sieg im Westen,
1939-40

3. Maginot Line

4. The glory years
the myth of Nazi invincibility
Blitzkrieg--ironically, not a German term!

5. Vindication! 21.vi.1940
the WW I corporal dictates armistice terms in the
very railroad carriage where 11.xi.1918 was signed

6. still, by 1940 cracks were
beginning to appear
the Battle of Britain
“Operation Sealion” postponed indefinitely
Hendaye, Franco says--Maybe later...

7. Hawker Hurricane
still flying in 2007

8. a French cartoon
ridiculing the postponed cross channel invasion

9. “ungrateful coward!”
Ribbentrop’s frustrated response to Franco’s high
price for joining the fight

10. Überfall auf Polen (Fall
Weiß)
Assault on Poland (Case White) 1 September 1939

15. Kesselschlacht bei Radom,
Cauldron battle for Radom, 8-12 September
Polish POWs

16. belated Soviet entry, 17.ix
in accord with the secret protocol 23.vii

17. Lviv (Russian) Lvov (Polish) Lemberg (German)
1939 saw not quite the last use of cavalry in
twentieth century warfare

18. Soviet propaganda photo
“Long live the great theories of Marx, Engels,
Lenin--Stalin (happy proles in Polish Belarus)

19. “We stretched our hand to
our brothers so that they
could straighten their
backs and throw off the
good, big, red, despised rule of the whips
strong that lasted for centuries.”
protector
The person thrown off
the peasants’ backs,
shown wearing a Polish
military uniform and
holding the whip, could
be interpreted as a
caricature of Piłsudski.
oppressed,
angry evil, cruel, fat
racial impotent, his
comrades sword
ready to broken
fight back

20. quot;Electors of the
working people!
Vote
for the joining of Western
Ukraine with Soviet Ukraine, for
a united, free and thriving
Ukrainian Soviet Socialist
Republic.
Lets forever eliminate the
border between Western and
Soviet Ukraine. Long Live the
Ukrainian Soviet Socialist
Republic!quot;

21. Polish “enemies of the people”
policemen, teachers, priests, kulaks, and other
‘oppressors’ are rounded up and marched to a grim fate

22. Katyn forest
Soviets failed to honor terms of surrender. They
ceased to recognize the Polish state at the
start of the invasion.
Therefore Polish military prisoners were not
POWs but rebels against the new governments
of Western Ukraine and Byelorussia.
They killed tens of thousands of Polish POWs,
some during the campaign itself.
On 24 September they killed 42 staff and
patients at a military hospital in Grabowiec.
The document (right) is a memo from Lavrenti
Berea to the Politburo CPSU recommending
the murder of over 20,000 Poles at Katyn--
marked “approved.”

23. Attack on Warsaw
25-27 September
civilians
seeking
shelter
hospital casualties

24. 25.ix.39
Hitler reviews
the victory
parade

26. Albert Forster
Reichsgau Danzig-
Westpreußen
Hans Frank
General-
Gouvernement
Arthur Greiser
Reichsgau Wartheland

27. LICENSING BARBARISM
7.x-- secret order making Himmler
Reichskommissar für die Festigung des
deutschen Volkstums (...for
strengthening German ethnicity)--RKFdV
this made him de facto czar of Eastern
settlement “(an appointment of vital
importance…)”--Kershaw
his charge was liquidating the Polish
leadership: political, academic (down to
school teachers!), church, and business
the RSHA (the Reich Security Main
Department) was also told to begin
“transportation” of German Jews to
Poland

28. Der ewige Jude
The eternal Jew
Goebbels was finishing this
infamous film as the Polish
campaign unfolded
he showed Hitler scenes which
reinforced his revulsion towards
the Ostjuden
as Hitler followed the army
advance, he was repelled by the
filth and misery of the
conquered Polish shtetls

29. rural shtetl
Warsaw
ghetto

30. Einsatzgruppen
(special or task forces)
first formed by Heydrich
during the Anschluß to
seize key facilities
five (later six) were formed
became notorious during
the Polish occupation
claimed 60,000 victims
led to numerous clashes
with the Wehrmacht

31. For a regime dependent on
constant mobilization, the
Jew served as the constant
mobilizing myth.
Saul Friedländer, The Years of Extermination, p. xix

32. Euthanasia
another evil fruit of the war
60000 REICHS MARKS
in October, 1939 Hitler issued a decree
authorizing medical euthanasia
Vernichtung lebensunverten Lebens (the
destruction of life not worth living) had
long been discussed in Germany
during Weimar, doctors had
overwhelmingly rejected it
under Hitler the unthinkable became
acceptable
although the churches still opposed it
public opinion was less so
Race comrade that is
also your money

34. Finally, but not least, the point at which,
coinciding with the outbreak of war, a secret
programme of mass murder could be
implemented would have been unimaginable
without the progressive erosion of legality and
disintegration of formal structures of
government that had taken place since 1933.
Kershaw, vol ii, p.255

35. crossing the Rubicon
As Hitler opined to Goebbels, during the winter of
the “Phoney War,” after the Polish attrocities,
losing the war was unthinkable.

36. seeds of resistance

37. seeds of resistance
Adm Wilhelm Canaris
Col Hans Oster
Abwehr
Abwehr
Ludwig Beck
former Army Chief of Staff
Lt Col Helmut Groscurth Rittmeister Hasso von Etzdorf
Ernst Freiherr von Weizsäcker
Foreign Office

38. “the lone bomber” Georg
Elser, 1903-1945

39. the attempt-- 9 November 1939

40. the attempt-- 9 November 1939

41. the attempt-- 9 November 1939

42. the attempt-- 9 November 1939

43. Sitzkrieg (sitting war)
Often called the Phoney War in the west

44. the Maginot
Line
and the opposing
West Wall

45. Westwall
the British often
called it the Siegfried
Line after the WW I
defensive position

46. Dragons teeth
anti-tank devices

47. German propaganda during
the “Sitzkrieg”
“Where is Tommy?”
the French poilu is off
at the front
is his British ally back
“behind the lines”
“womanizing”?

48. this one aimed at the British
soldier
a dubious attempt to
discredit British
leadership and their
motivation for the war

49. SEA WAR-- commerce raiding
both surface and U-
boat forces target
Our Gains
British commerce lanes and the Truth
about our Losses
the Graf Spee sunk 9
ships before the RN
ended her career, Dec
1939
The Trip to England-
A Trip to Death

51. Besetzung von
Dänemark
und
Norwegen
Invasion of Denmark and Norway
(Weser Exercise)
the night of 8/9 April 1940

52. Besetzung von
Dänemark
und
Norwegen
Invasion of Denmark and Norway
(Weser Exercise)
the night of 8/9 April 1940

53. The Gallivare pit mines
(1) by rail
Swedish
iron to
Narvik
mines
Ore ship
60% of route
Germany’s (2) by ship
iron ore to
comes from Germany
Sweden

54. Einmarsch in
Dänemark Bergen, Norway

55. Gen Eduard Dietl
Alpine Troops
England’s Flight from Narvik
End of the Norwegian Resistance/Complete Victory

56. occupation begins

57. British propaganda tries to
put a good face on defeat
in the style of a black bordered military
obituary:
You’re going against
England…
GERMAN LOSSES IN THE FIRST WEEK OF THE
NORWEGIAN ADVENTURE
1 battlecruiser torpedoed, 1 pocket battleship severely damaged, 2
cruisers sunk, 8 destroyers sunk, 1 U-boat sunk (by mine), 19 troop
transport ships sunk, 4 troop transport ships torpedoed, 1 cargo
ship in the Great Belt bombed and blown sky high, 1 tanker
scuttled, 1 cargo ship scuttled, 1 cargo ship capsized, 3 patrol craft
capsized
And how many will be
coming back?

58. Fall Gelb, 10.v.40
Case Yellow, 10 May 1940
attack in the west

59. evolution of the battle plan
October 1939-January 1940
von Brauchitsch
Army Commander
Halder
Chief of Operations
von Rundstedt
Cdr Army Group A
von Manstein
Chief of Staff
Army Group A
commander
xxxviii Army Corps

60. too conventional--Hitler
OKH =
Oberkommando
des Heeres
(Army High
Command)
“Now, in the preparation of the western offensive, he intervened
directly for the first time. It set the pattern for the future”
Kershaw, ii, p. 290

61. “Even after modifications they remained less than
satisfactory. They envisaged the decisive thrust coming
from the north, either side of Liege. Hitler wanted
something more daring something which would retain
the crucial element of surprise.”
Ibid.

62. Angriffsplan Sichelschnitt
Attack Plan “Sickle Cut”
Army Group A (center) “cuts” while B (north) and C (south)
essentially fix/hold

63. back to the more traditional plan
Gedanken eines Kriegsschülers - Hitler
(ideas of a military cadet)

64. Fortress Eben-Emael, Belgium
the “strongest fortress in Europe” captured in 30
minutes on Day 1

65. airborne
glider attack
created a mystique
for vertical
envelopment which
later losses never
dispel

66. main entrance
cgi & photograph
Fallschirmjäger Major Koch
Sturm Abteilung Koch

68. Hitler decorates the victors
choosing this signature victory of the new
blitzschnell way of war as a propaganda ‘photo

70. Der 10. Mai.1940
propaganda postcard printed by Heinrich
Hoffman, Munich, 1942

71. Pioneer clears a minefield
Ostend on the North Sea
in Brussels, besieged by
coast is taken
18 May, as was Antwerp
Belgian tank destroyed in
the Ardennes

77. Casualties
German
Approximately 27,074 Germans were killed and 111,034 were wounded, with a further 18,384 missing for total German casualties of 156,000 men.
Allied
In exchange, they had destroyed the French, Belgian, Dutch, Polish and British armies. Total Allied losses including the capture of the French army amounted to 2,292,000.
Casualties, killed or wounded, were as follows:
▪
France - 90,000 killed, 200,000 wounded and approximately 1,800,000 imprisoned. In August, 1940 1,575,000 prisoners were taken into Germany where roughly 940,000
remained until 1945 when they were liberated by advancing Allied forces. While in German captivity 24,600 French prisoners died, 71,000 escaped, 220,000 were
released by various agreements between the Vichy government and Germany, and several hundred thousand were paroled because of disability and/or sickness.Most
prisoners spent their time in captivity as slave labourers.
▪
Britain - 68,111 killed, wounded or captured
▪
Belgium - 23,350 killed, wounded or captured
▪
The Netherlands - 9,779 killed, wounded or captured
▪
Poland - 6,092 killed, wounded or captured
▪
Czechoslovakia - 1,615 losses, including 400 killed.

78. the Ardennes offensive
10-13 May

79. forests and narrow roads
create transportation
nightmares

80. Panzerwagen (armored
the baggy black hats of the early war years soon
give way to helmets

81. the Netherlands offensive
10-14 May

82. Rotterdam
city center
after terror bombing
Airborne drop
10 May

83. burning oil tanks
in Amsterdam
captured Dutch
coastal artillery

84. Dunkirk
28 May-4/5 June

85. British retreat in Flanders

86. Dunkirk

87. British fisherman helps Tommy aboard

88. Victory from the jaws of
defeat
in 9 days 338,226 men
were evacuated
including 120,000 French
and Belgian troops
30,000 British died (KIA)
10,252 Germans KIA
1,212,000 POWs; Dutch,
Belgian, French and British

90. Tommy POWs

91. Fall Rot 5.vi.-22.vi.40
Case Red 5-22 June

92. Paris has Fallen!
Le Harve has been taken/the Saar front
assault continues/Full breakthrough on

93. Stuka over Sedan
the Luftwaffe gained air superiority early on and
used it to drive the French retreat

94. the heavy lifting over, Italy joins the fight
here in a meeting with Hitler to celebrate Italian
entry into the war

95. Compiegne- 22.vi.40
Waffenstillstand (armistice)

96. Hitler and his officers stare at the statue of
Foch on their way to the railway carriage
the historic park at Compiegne where the
armistice was signed ending World War I

97. reversal of fortune, 1940 vs 1918
just as France chose the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles to humiliate
Germany in 1919, where they had been humiliated in 1871

98. Inside the historic railway carriage, where
once sat Erzberger, chief of the “November
criminals” of the WW I Armistice
Journalists outside the
museum at the park
at Compiegne

100. Hitler views Napoleon’s tomb

101. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Enrh023ftfU

103. triumph for Germany
a frame from the victory film, Sieg im Westen

105. Operation Sealion

106. Hitler orders a plan, July
Admiral Raeder emphasizes air superiority as a
sine qua non

107. We sail against England
popular song, slogan, even children’s board
game

108. Coupon
VALID FOR a one way
Trip to England
NOW Departing! No Return Trip!
Good for next summer!

109. Battle of Britain
July-September, 1940

112. Coventry Cathedral
15 November 1940

113. phases of the air war
10 July-11 August: Kanalkampf (the Channel battles)
12 August-23 August: Adlerangriff (Eagle Attack),
the early assault against the coastal airfields.
24 August-6 September: the Luftwaffe targets the
airfields. The critical phase of the battle.
7 September onwards: the day attacks switch to British
towns and cities.

114. Junkers Ju 87 Stukas
carried the initial load during the Channel Battle.
Both sides tested their fighters and pilots.

117. Göring giving a speech to his pilots near Calais explaining
the decision to switch from RAF bases to the cities

120. What next?

121. Japanese expansion
Second Sino-Japanese War, 1937-1945
Japan and China had fought intermittently
ever since Japan established the
Manchurian puppet state in 1931
Japan was also at odds with the USSR
over border disputes that led to military
exchanges in 1938-39
Hitler’s Sieg in Westen arroused Japan’s
appetite for the Dutch East Indies, French
Indo-China, and British Singapore, Borneo,
Burma, even India (the future Greater South
Asia Co-prosperity Sphere)
although the German-Soviet Non-
aggression Pact had cooled Japanese-
German relations, Japan began to reach
out again in the summer of 1940

122. Tripartite Pact, 27 Sept 1940
a portent of things to come--Germany, Italy, and
Japan

123. 23 October 1940 at Hendaye
on the border of France and Spain
Mit diesem Kerle ist nichts zu machen

124. putting a good face on it
each tries to use the other
Franco’s wish list includes French
North African colonies,military
materiel, and foodstuffs
Hitler offers Gibraltar
Franco angers Hitler by doubting
his assurances that Britain is
close to defeat
only an “empty agreement” results

125. g le
tr ug
S
for the
German
Living space
A Geopolitical Atlas with
Explanations
a fateful decision to turn east
returning to his original “playbook” Hitler explores
a strike against Judenbolschewismus

126. “A fatal alliance” warns this
Soviet poster
November, 1940 Romania joins the Tripartite Pact
the Soviets had forced them to cede Bessarabia
and Northern Bukovina earlier that summer
Hitler was especially eager to gain control of the
Ploesti oilfields, to keep them from Soviet hands
his alarm grew as Stalin grabbed the Baltic states
and defeated the Finns with difficulty in the Winter
War
this all fed his belief that Russia must be dealt with
in the spring of 1941
fascist dictators Horthy of Hungary and Antonescu
of Romania are depicted here as in his fatal grasp