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Did Hitler plan for the invasion of Poland in 1939 or was it a…
Did Hitler plan for the invasion of Poland in 1939 or was it a Miscalculation?
Miscalculation by 'blunders on both sides'
Capitalised on circumstances
Outbreak of war was a result of blunders on both sides
Negotiations over Danzig failed due to Polish stubbornness
Hitler didn't want war as his military weren't ready (so was Italy's) and instead he wanted territory through diplomatic pressure and concessions
Hitler was looking for resolutions right up before the outbreak seen when Goring's friend was sent to London for negotiations in late August 1939 and the British government said they would support any negotiation made between Germany and Poland
Lack of anti-fascist alliance
Fumble by statesmen as the talks were half-hearted and poorly managed as the British delegation lacked authority to offer concrete commitments
Hitler says 'What now?' to foreign secretary Ribbentrop
Hitler talented generals are what saved him from defeat to France in May/June 1940
Led to Hitler's gamble on invasion
Stalin was very up for an alliance with Britain and France due to policy of collective security
Fumble by statesmen
Nazi-Soviet Pact August 1939
Gave Hitler confidence
Likely what led him to invade Poland
Hitler may have overestimated the weakness of Britain and France
Began to loose respect for Britain after Munich
Saw Britain and France lagging behind with rearmament
Anglo Polish Guarantee
Stiffened Poland's refusal to negotiate over Danzig and the Polish corridor (British miscalculation)
Instead the Poles should have negotiated with the Germans which was a miscalculation on their part
Misinterpreted by Hitler as Britain and France's efforts to avoid war at all costs
Argued by AJP Taylor of Professor Richard Overy
Reasons Hitler invaded
Plans
Part of Mein Kampf and the Second book
He regarded the Poles (and Slavs) as racially inferior and subhuman (Untermenschen)
Need for living space 'Lebensraum' and although Poland wasn't directly mentioned it was a general policy of eastward expansion
Invasion wasn't a blunder but instead a calculated step to his broader plan of territorial expansion and racial domination
Rhineland remilitarisation, Anschluss and Czechoslovakia all demonstrate Hitler carrying out steps of his plan
He did underestimate the Western powers loyalty to Poland but the initial invasion was just another part of his plan
The German economy
Doesn't totally agree with Tim Mason (Wall Street Crash was not a main cause)
Hitler's rapid rearmament had led to a shortage of materials, labour and foreign exchange which made increased territory vital to resume rearmament
Hitler's preparation for war had no intention of slowing down
Argues that Hitler believed that Germany's economic problems could be fixed in the long run by foreign conquest
The state of German armed forces
Due to rearmament by 1939 the army had 103 divisions and conscription meant there were 3.7 million in the German army
The German Luftwaffe had grown and by 1939 was the largest in Europe consisting of fighters like the ME 109 and the Dornier and Heinkel bombers
They forces were capable (and did) of 'Blitzkrieg' (lightening war) which was fast and harsh tactics for quick victories
He believed he could beat France quickly as Britain had preprepared for a defensive war
Poland's refusal to negotiate with Hitler
Had made various agreements in the 1930s (the German-Polish non-aggression pact 1934) but there was a long history of enmity (Germany had annexed Poland in the 18th century with Russia
Germany resented the re-establishment of Poland after WW1 as it cut off East Prussia and placed around 800,000 Germans in Poland
Danzig was overwhelmingly German but for Poland this was their access to sea and showed security and independence
Unlike Austria and Czechoslovakia, Poland would fight for their independence (with Britain and France) and even knowing this Hitler still invaded due to his desire for territorial expansion
Knowing Poland's stubbornness Hitler would've been okay with Poland being a satellite state and they talked about this in 1938-39 and extend the non-aggression pact (involved return of Danzig/ railroad across the corridor but Poland declined
The Nazi-Soviet Pact 23rd August
Only way invasion of Poland could have been avoided would have been through an anti-fascist alliance and these negotiations failed between April and August 1939
Poland didn't want Soviet forces to enter in the event of a German attack contributing to the failure of the negotiations
This opened the doors for Hitler and he imagined a quick war and it was likely to be localised
Led to attack on the 1st of September
Britain were skeptical of the Red Army after the earlier purges