HIST2125 Hitler’s Germany

1. HIST2125Hitler’s Germany Lecture 14: Blitz Wars and ideological warfare, 1939-42 19 November 2012

2. Foreign policy 4-phase-model • Revisionist and high-risk foreign politics, 1933-36 • Expansionist foreign politics, 1938/39 • Blitz Wars and ideological warfare, 1939-42 • Total War and downfall, 1943-45

3. Germany’s and Britain’s armament, 1933-39

4. Hitler-Stalin Pact • Unsuccessful G negotiations with GB+ PL ↓ • Complete tactical change of Hitler’s position ↓ → German-Soviet non-aggression treaty, with secret additional protocol (23 Aug 1939) • Shock for Western powers + German public • Secret additional protocol of Pact: ‘spheres of interest’: Western PL + Lithuania for G; Eastern PL + Baltic for SU = Most important prerequisite for G + SU parallel operation vs. Poland

5. Poland Rising tensions, 1938/39: • G proposal of new basic border treaty: Gdansk (Danzig) + ‘Polish corridor’ • PL rejection → ‘Hitler-Stalin Pact’ incl. secret additional protocol: plan for division of PL • GB + I diplomacy to stop G fail • → Faked SS attack disguised as PL soldiers on G → Wehrmachtattack on Poland, 1 Sep 1939

6. ‘Blitzkrieg’ on Poland • G campaign in PL: 1-28 Sep 39 = Begin of World War II • GB + F: declaration-of-war on G, 3 Sep 39 • SU: Invasion of PL from East, 17 Sep 39 = PL military defeat + division: • Western PL → Annexation by G + creation of ‘Government General for the Occupied Polish Territories’  Eastern PL + Baltic states + Lithuania → Annexation by SU

7. Northern + Western Blitz WarsApr – Jun 1940 • GB plan for preventive occupation of Norway to safeguard Swedish ore • G Blitz wars on Denmark + Norway: Violation of neutrality & occupation for strategic-economic reasons(9 Apr 1940-) • G Blitz Wars on Netherlands + Belgium (10 May 1940-) : Preparatory military steps for war on France

8. Blitz War on France5 – 22 Jun 1940 • G’s military occupation of Northern France • Creation of satellite Vichy state in Southern France under French general Pétain • Consequences of victory for Hitler’s mind: • General reputation in G as ‘genius war hero’ • His own conviction of infallibility • Less attentive to counseling by Wehrmacht

9. Battle of BritainAug 1940 – spring 1941 • Major air raids by Luftwaffe (German Air Force) • Heavy destruction of some English cities (e.g. Coventry) • High number of GB military + civilian casualties • But: No Luftwaffe air superiority vs. Royal Air Force = Suspension of German invasion plans for Britain = Hitler’s first defeat→ decision to turn against SU

10. Blitz War in Southeastern EuropeApr – May 1941 • Preparatory steps for war on SU: • Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia = G’s alliance partners • Campaigns & occupation of Yugoslavia + Greece • Southeastern Europe under G control • But: Fatal retardation of war on SU → Earliest war begin only in late Jun 1941

11. War on Soviet UnionPhase 1: 22 Jun – Dec 1941 ‘Operation Barbarossa’: • Initial success of ‘Blitz War’ but slowing-down of attack by autumn-winter weather (‘General Winter’) • Poor winter equipment & preparation of Wehrmacht • Underestimation of SU military power = Failure of campaign against Moscow = Hitler’s fatal decision to take over supreme command of Wehrmacht

12. War on Soviet UnionPhase 2: Dec 1941 – Summer 1942 • Initial welcome of G troops as ‘liberators’ by Soviet people (esp. Ukrainians) • Inhuman SS occupation policies → general shift in mood • Inhuman warfare against ‘Jewish-Bolshevist sub-races’ by Wehrmacht + SS → stronger resistance of SU troops ► Stalin’s major success to call up SU people to ‘Great National War’ ↓ ► SU regular army + partisan warfare

13. War on Soviet UnionPhase 3: Summer 1942 – Feb 1943 G major attack on the south-eastern front: • Stalingrad as important strategic goal • Oilfields of Baku (Caucasus) as important energy source • Hitler’s rejection of outbreak for encircled 6th Army → Battle of Stalingrad: Capitulation + fatal loss of Army: 146.000 Germans † - 90.000 POW, only 6.000 survivors after 1945 = Major turning point of World War II

14. War on USA (11 Dec 1941-) Japanese air attack on US fleet in Pearl Harbour: • G’s declaration-of-war on US: Not required by Anti- Comintern Pact of 1936 → Hitler’s decision based on unrealistic assessment of US military power: Almost complete lack of knowledge + fatal underestimation of USA • J’s refusal to join from east G’s war on SU (‘Gap in the alliance’) ► Begin of major US + GB + SU war alliance: ↓ ‘Germany first’ principle = Hitler’s defeat the major priority

15. World Rule? Hitler’s ideas Until 1939: vague prophecies about ‘world-wide struggle’ 1939-42: Some proofs for strategic global thinking→ Interested in alliance with GB but not USA 1943 -: Utopian visions in face of defeat = Hitler obviously without concrete‘world rule program’ = Hitler’s opportunistic expansion ‘without aims’

16. Hitler’s intention to conquer ‘living space’ (Lebensraum) in Eastern Europe = Clear strategic aims Hitler’s program to gain word rule step-by-step, even after his own death = Only vague & visionary plans Lebensraum and World RuleInterpretations in historiography