





Part VII: Danzig or WAR



​



Signing of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact ​





​





​





The mobilization of the Allied powers in Europe sparked a near state of emergency in Germany after the occupation of Czechoslovakia, many Generals of the high command feared a surprise attack from the west while we were unprepared. This prompted immediate mobilization of all forces garrisoned on the French border in early March, for nearly a month the Wehrmacht stayed on its toes until we realized no Allied attack was coming. Afterwards, it was business as usual for the Reich, however from this point on we would maintain a more cautious outlook towards the west. Western forces underwould remain mobilized.The Fuhrer had made it clear several years ago that Poland was to be wiped off the map, and the Danzig corridor must be reclaimed. With tensions mounting, we continued our policy of aggressive diplomacy. On 28 April, we withdrew from the German-Polish Non-Aggression Pact of 1934. Talks over Danzig and the Corridor broke down some time ago and have months passed without diplomatic interaction between the Reich and Poland. During this, we learned that France and Britain have failed to secure an alliance with the Soviet Union against Germany, and that the Soviet Union was interested in an alliance with with us against Poland. The Fuhrer has already issued orders to prepare for a possible "solution of the Polish problem by military means" through the Case White scenario.In May, in a statement to his generals while they were in the midst of planning the invasion of Poland, Hitler made it clear that the invasion would not come without resistance as it had in Czechoslovakia:The outcome of the Great War was disastrous for both the Reich and the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic. During the war, the Bolsheviks struggled for survival, and Vladimir Lenin recognized the independence of Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. Moreover, facing a German military advance, Lenin and Trotsky were forced to enter into the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, which ceded massive western Russian territories to the German Empire. After the Empire's collapse, these territories became firmly independent.In early August, we worked out the last details of an economic deal with the Soviet Union, and started to discuss a political alliance. We explained to each other the reasons for our foreign policy hostility in the 1930s, finding common ground in the anti-capitalism of both countries.At the same time, British, French, and Soviet negotiators scheduled three-party talks on military matters to occur in Moscow in August 1939, aiming to define what the agreement would specify should be the reaction of the three powers to a German attack. We learned the tripartite military talks hit a sticking point regarding the passage of Soviet troops through Poland if the Reich attacked, and the parties waited as British and French officials overseas pressured Polish officials to agree to such terms. Polish officials refused to allow Soviet troops into Polish territory if we attacked; Polish foreign minister Józef Beck pointed out that the Polish government feared that once the Red Army entered their territory, it might never leave, thus, military talks between the Soviet Union and the Allies were severed.On August 19, the German–Soviet Commercial Agreement was finally signed. On 21 August, the Soviets suspended the tripartite military talks, citing other reasons. That same day, Stalin received assurance that we would approve secret protocols to the proposed non-aggression pact that would place half of Poland (east of the Vistula river), Latvia, Estonia, Finland, and Bessarabia in the Soviets' sphere of influence. That night, Stalin replied that the Soviets were willing to sign the pact and that he would receive Ribbentrop on 23 August.On 24 August, Pravda and Izvestia carried news of the non-secret portions of the Pact, complete with a front-page picture of Molotov signing the treaty, with a smiling Stalin looking on. The news was met with utter shock and surprise by government leaders and media worldwide, most of whom were aware only of the British–French–Soviet negotiations that had taken place for months.The Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact was received with shock by our allies, notably Japan, by the Comintern and foreign communist parties.The situation regarding the Polish corridor reached a general crisis in late August as our troops continued to mobilize against the Polish border. In a meeting with the Italian foreign minister, Count Ciano, Hitler asserted that Poland was a "doubtful neutral" that needed to either yield to his demands or be "liquidated" to prevent it from drawing off German troops in the future "unavoidable" war with the Western democracies. On 23 August Hitler ordered the attack to proceed on 26 August, but upon hearing that Britain had concluded a formal mutual assistance pact with Poland and that Italy would maintain neutrality, he decided to delay it.In response to British requests for direct negotiations to avoid war, we made demands on Poland, which only served to worsen relations. On 29 August, Hitler demanded that a Polish plenipotentiary immediately travel to Berlin to negotiate the handover of Danzig, and to allow a plebiscite in the Polish Corridor in which the German minority would vote on secession. The Poles refused to comply with the our demands. War, at this point, was inevitable and imminent.Mobilization of the Heer was completed on 1 September.Tomorrow begins the penultimate test of the Wehrmacht, and represents the totality of our efforts to strengthen the army. While the Wehrmacht is indeed formidable, we had hoped for more, our order for an additional 2,000 armored units would not be complete until the summer of 1940, additionally, the Kriegsmarine was woefully under prepared. The Navy was more or less the same size as it was in 1937, many of the ships under construction by Plan Z were not scheduled to be ready until 1940 or 1941, however, a fair amount of capital ships and their screens would be ready for combat before Spring, though no carriers would be available until at least 1941. Generals of the high command were fearful and several stated that the Reich was unprepared for war with the West, many were unsure if the defenses opposite of the Maginot could hold for very long if the Allies were to attack, however the Fuhrer assured us Germany would prevail.By the 11th of September, 1939, the Wehrmacht's standing was 1.5 Million infantry, 4000 tanks, divided into 11 Panzer divisions and 4 motorized divisions, numerous AFV's, 10and a sizable U-Boat fleet. We are as ready as we will every be.or 'Case White' is set to begin at first light tomorrow morning, God Bless the Reich.