These are images of the Summer of 1914 when the First World War broke out. In
many countries among which Germany there was an atmosphere of euphoria. This surely was NOT the
case in 1939 when the Second World War broke out. So how did Germans react to the outbreak
of the war? What was their perspective on the German invasion of Poland? Let's find out now.
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Before kicking off one disclaimer: I will explain the German point of
view on the outbreak of war. Note, I'm explaining it, not whitewashing it. I'm aware that due to
several reasons – I will explain in the upcoming video – many Germans had false assumptions.
A young German soldier wrote near the end of August 1939.
Germany officially mobilized on 26 August 1939. Their mood was serious, but determined.
Many believed it would not come to war. Many believed and hoped war would be avoided,
just as in the previous year with the Czechslovakian Crisis. Then the Munich Conference
resulted in Sudetenland being granted to Germany. However, later the remaining Czech part
was taken. Slovakia became a Nazi puppet state. In the Summer of 1939 the German
government had complained about the mistreatment of ethnic Germans that
were living in Poland. The neutral Free City of Danzig was the main centre of attention.
The Free City of Danzig was created in 1920. It included the port city
of Danzig, as well as the surrounding area including some villages and settlements.
The Free City was under League of Nations protection and put into a
binding customs union with Poland. Poland decided what went in and out of the port
and it was Poland that could set the tarrifs. The Poles on their turn set up a port at Gdynia
and station a military garrisson at Westerplatte. With Hitler's rise to power the local nazi party
gained massive support and in 1933 the gained power in the Volkstag (the Danziger parliament)
and in the following years the democracy was abolished. In June 1939 the SS Heimwehr Danzig
was established. They would help the German army with the invasion of Danzig in September 1939.
On August 30 at night German Foreign Minister informed the British ambassador about Hitler's
final offer. The British ambassador didn't receive a written copy before being sent off to London.
The Polish ambassador and the government didn't receive anything at all. Hitler's terms
were that new plebiscites should be held on the future of the Polish Corridor and the
western territories of the Second Polish Republic that previously belonged to the German Empire.
Now notice that not only fanatical Nazis wanted action against Poland. Many
German people were convinced it was the right way to do it. After all, Western Poland once belonged
to Germany ánd had still ethnic Germans living in it. This was the result of the Versailles Treaty
that was imposed on them after the First World War without any chance for negotiations.
From social democrats to conservatives Hitler had managed to further increase their anti-Polish and
anti-British sentiments. Anti-Polish because of already existing anti-Slavic sentiments
and the creation of the Second Polish Republic that consisted of territories previously owned
by the Germans. Anti-British sentiments had also lingered since the food blockade during WW1
and the maintainance of this after the armistice.
However social democratic and conservative parties were banned, many of its former
members did believe action against had to be taken and therefore supported Hitler.
On August 15 German military commanders were ordered to prepare for the invasion of Poland.
On August 22 Hitler briefed the top brass. It was also the day Ribbentrop flew to Moscow to sign the
non-aggression pact with Stalin which removed the threat of a two front war - considering the fact
that Poland would be beaten quickly. Preparations to defeat France and Britain weren't finished,
but Poland would be taken down in a short campaign. On 31 August 1939 the German radio
declared Hitler's 16-point proposal to solve the crisis. It was issued to show the German people
everything was done to avoid war. Hitler was ready for war. On 1 September 1939 Hitler announced
on the radio that the Germans had 'returned fire' to Polish soldiers who fired on their territory
first. Fake evidence of the Polish provocation was provided by the SS. 'Border incidents' were
manufactured that had to prove that the Poles had advanced into German territory to the Gleiwitz
station. It was flimsy. The international audience wasn't convinced and neither were Wehrmacht war
crimes investigators that were sent to the scene. I know there's more to it, but that's
not really within the scope of this video's topic, so feel free to look it up yourself
and comment below. A mobilised German
teacher who was a veteran of the First World War wrote a letter to his son in which he stated:
This man drew parallels with 1914 where Germany was encircled and war was inevitable. This man
was pro-Nazi. An anti-Nazi German who had a Jewish wife and was horrified by the 1938 pogrom
(Kristallnacht) feared that the war would bring more harm to the Jews. He was right. Nevertheless
he believed the German claims were just. A link through the Polish Corridor was needed.
Nevertheless, on 1 September there were no patriotic marshes like in 1914. The streets
remained quiet. Reservists reported themselves and civilians remained businesslike and subdued. Why
wasn't there an atmosphere of euphoria? Was it so the Germans feared for Polish resistance? Overall
they were convinced Germany could take Poland. Victory was for the taken. Where the euphoria
and believe in victory in 1914 turned out to be misplaced, now victory seemed to be immenent.
Why was there not an atmosphere of celebration? This has two main reasons. One lies in the future,
the other in the past. People were generally in fear of what would happen next. Not
in fear of how the Polish military would perform, but what Britain's reaction was going to be.
Together with France the island nation had an agreement with Poland. If Germany would attack
Poland, France and Britain would come to its aid. Was Britain going to back down as it had
done during the Sudeten Crisis or would Britain go to war over Danzig? If Britain would declare war
on Germany another Great War could occur where victory was far from certain. And that was the
second reason: the collective memory of the First World War. The enormous amount of cassualties,
as well as the food blockade and the humiliating treaty afterwards weren't forgotten. And Britain
did declare war on Germany on September 3. The French government did so later that day. This date
entered the German calendars as the start of the war. 1 September was seen as a 'counter-attack'
on Poland. Many Germans believed the invasion of Poland was justified but few believed it
was worth war with Britain and France. But many concluded that 'the English would have it so'.
Germany was encircled in 1914. Germany was encircled in 1939. It was fighting a war
for its own survival. At least, that was what many Germans believed.