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| -Short Attention Span Theater- |
| Flash from the past |
| 2004-04-02 |
| Hat tip .com Prelude In 1938 Hitler felt strong enought to risk his next and yet most serious gamble. In a kind of external coup he annexed Austria. With Austria open to the German military, the well prepared defensive positions of Czechioslovakia became obsolete - the souther border was now open to invasion. With this in mind, Hitler now tried to get the "Sudetenland", an area in Czechia that was inhabited by some three million Germans. When the situation started to shift in the direction of war, Chamberlain offered a direct visit to Hitler. This would result in a conference between Hitler, Mussolini, Daldier and Chamberlain in Munich. The Photo When Chamberlain returned in 1938 from the conference in Munich, he presented a new Czechoslovakian border and a peace of paper as a result. In addition to the question of the Czech border, Chamberlain tried to ensure further peace with a document of understanding between Germany and Great Britain. Despite the impression that Chamberlain waves the plan to divide Czechioslovakia, it is this paper that Chamberlain shows on the photo (proving that "creative" journalism was already a common habit). See the original German text of this document at the end of this page. The first version of the text was proposed in English by Chamberlain. Both he and Hitler signed the translated German document. The photo shows Chamberlain at his arrival from Munich with the Hitler-document, the map of Czechioslovakia with the parts that would go to Germany, Hungary and Poland and in the upper corner Chamberlain with Ribbentrop and (in the back) Henlein, the leader of the Sudeten, the Germans in Czechia. Aftermath When Chamberlain returned, he was enthusiastically welcomed by the British people, who had feared a new war. In the following three weeks he received 40.000 letters, many of them combined with gifts. His wife got some additional 12.000 letters as proof of the gratitude of the British people. Chamberlain has managed to avoid a war in 38 - at the cost of Czechioslovakia. The following year would see a strong effort by the British to modernize and enlarge their Air Force, enabling them to win the air battle of Britain in 1940 by a margin. Analysis - A mistake? The effect of the Munich-treaty are twofold. On the one hand, the Czech army was perhaps the best prepared army in 1938 and had the advantage of long prepared defensive positions (although most of these could be avoided by using Austria for an offensive). However, a war might well have shown some surprises for Germany. In addition, a well planned attentate on Hitler was prepared that should take place in the very moment the war started. Most important perhaps, when Hitler occupied the rest of Czechioslovakia some month later he gained important industrial facilities, especially the Skoda-factories - the second largest tank-producing facilities of its time. Several of the German tank divisions were equipped with Skoda-tanks in the campaigns of 39/40. On the other hand, though Germany was ill prepared for a war, Great Britain was not prepared at all. Great Britain had in 1938 no modern Antiair guns, and its fighter-force consisted of only 409 fighters - with only five squads of Hurricance (badly equipped) and one squad of Spitfire. As Churchill said in these days: "The equipment of our Air Force is miserable". British experts (Austin Hopkinson) gave the British air force three weeks before a total defeat in a war against Germany. In the following year, the expenses for civil air-defense went up by a factor of five, and large programs to expand the fighter and bomber force were issued. More important than these programs was perhaps the fact, that in 1939 it was clear to everyone that Hitler was not interested in just correcting the injustice of Versailles. The "Reichskristallnacht" started the killing of Jews in Germany, and the later occupation of the rest of Czechioslovakia, the surprising pact with Stalin and the way Hitler threatened Poland showed that he was a danger to peace, a man who would not keep his word and could not be trusted. The sheer will to fight it out for the German populated parts of Czechia may have lacked in 38 - in 39 the danger was clear for all to see. |
| Posted by:Steve from Relto |
| #6 Yikes! AntiGum one thought1937-1939 HOMECHAIN. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-04-02 8:05:51 PM |
| #5 We must remember also the history of demilitarsed territory of Renania, between France and Germany. German troops occupied it in 1936 and France made nothing. At that time German was even worst in military terms. Later in France the military success of Germany can be atributted of a society that thought about the modern war and another that commited suicide wanting to think that WW1 was the last. That explain the unexplainable treason to Poland , let to face alone the fate against Hitler while Allies had only a couple of German divisions in Western border. |
| Posted by: Anonymous3991 2004-04-02 5:35:34 PM |
| #4 We've got to look to our past! The success of the Munich Conference should be like a beacon to all good hearted peopled. There..... see did the whole fucking thing without caps, is that enough for you redneck pandering freepers? Hell do you even know where Munich is? I just don't know why I bother. |
| Posted by: AntiGum 2004-04-02 5:09:08 PM |
| #3 Sorry, it's "5 Days in London: May 1940" and the quote by Halifax (to the UPI after Dunkirk) referred to a "new and more generous offer." |
| Posted by: Matt 2004-04-02 3:02:46 PM |
| #2 "he may very well have found a British government willing to negotiate after the French defeat...." Mike, even with Churchill at the helm it was a close-run thing. See Ten Days in May by John Lukacs. Halifax was still hinting around about "new and more generous terms" from Hitler. |
| Posted by: Matt 2004-04-02 2:40:48 PM |
| #1 ..Actually, a strong case can be made that when war finally did break out, Hitler had taken better advantage of the breathing space than Chamberlain did. Hitler's war production people had the Skoda works back up and running in a month or so, and they were mpumping out weapons and trucks for the Wehrmacht almost to the end of the war. Chamberlain didn't do all that much more to prepare - when the war finally started, the Gloster Gladiator - a fabric covered biplane - was still the most numerous fighter in the RAF's Fighter Command. Had Hitler attacked the UK directly just six months earlier - say March of 1940 - his Bf109s would have faced obsolete biplanes backed up by literally just a few early Hurricanes and fewer than a dozen Spitfires. What the breathing space really did do was give the UK's military commanders a chance to plan for what they knew was coming. The political leadership stayed appeasement oriented until the outbreak of war, and even then was planning to do things like give aid to the Finns against the Soviets - while Poland was being crushed and France menaced. If Hitler had had second thoughts on invading Norway (which is when Chamberlain was finally forced out), he may very well have found a British government willing to negotiate after the French defeat. Mike |
| Posted by: Mike Kozlowski 2004-04-02 2:21:27 PM |