9781422279045

The Start of World War II: The Flood of the German Tide

Czechoslovakia was a model democracy, prosperous, and socially advanced, with large and well equipped armed forces in defenses which would have proved difficult for the Germans to attack. The government prepared to resist but, as Hitler had foreseen, under pressure from the UK and France an “honorable” solution was found to guarantee “peace in our time:” the Sudetenland, with all of the Czech frontier defenses, was handed over to convinced that he had nothing to fear from the UK and France. He completed the occupation of Czechoslovakia in March 1939, which now meant that the western democracies could no longer close their eyes to the true nature of Hitler’s plans and accelerated the pace of their rearmament. But it would take many years to redress the long period of OPPOSITE LEFT : The Polish artillery arm was indifferently equipped and, for the most part, comprised light horse-drawn rather than mechanically-towed medium and heavy equipment. OPPOSITE RIGHT : A Polish soldier, accompanied by a militiaman and a civilian, examine the wreckage of a German warplane. The German air force suffered heavier casualties, often from ground fire, than had been estimated, but proved very effective in the provision of tactical support for the grounds forces. ABOVE: Polish troops in training before the outbreak of World War II. The bulk of the Polish army was located well forward against the Polish- German frontier and, once the German spearheads had broken through to link up in their rear areas, most formations were trapped and eventually forced to surrender. RIGHT: German troops examine destroyed Polish armour. The Polish armored forces were small, lacked any modern tactical doctrine, and were only very indifferently equipped. These are Renault FT-17 light tanks – two-man French vehicles dating from the period of World War I. Germany. Hitler had removed a potentially difficult threat on his southern flank and was further

separating East Prussia from the rest of the Reich, presented Hitler with the excuse for intervention. Regardless of the non-aggression treaty between Poland and Germany, Adolf Hitler insisted on the provision of greater Lebensraum (living space) for the German people. Detailed planning of the

their military retrenchment and inactivity, the German forces being now more than equal in strength to their potential opponents. Hitler was ready to turn on Poland as his next victim. Here the Danzig “corridor,” providing Poland with access to the Baltic Sea but at the same time

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