Why did Hitler attack Poland in 1939?

Why did Hitler attack Poland in 1939?

I searched the Forum and, to my surprise, this key question did not come up as a subject.
Of course, everybody knows his justifications. But it was playing with fire and in fact, it was the beginning of the end of his career.
He didn´t have to. His atrocities propaganda was propaganda. He had much more to lose than to gain. He knew that European leaders and public opinion was uneasy about him at that time. Jewish lobbies in Britain and USA were hostile and keen on toppling him, whatever it takes.

Still, he struck. Why?

 

The general view that we were taught was that the reaction to the Expansionist & wars of Italy & Germany in the 1920s & 1930s had convinced Hitler that Nobody would seriously do anything to stop him.
And a mild trust in 'destiny'...


A recent theory that I have heard is this:
Hitler was a cocaine addict. This vice was common in 1930s Germany, and makes people believe in their invincibility etc... It has been speculated that Hitler was on a high when he declared war on the USA, and even when he laid the plans for the attack on the CCCP.

I'm not sure if this holds any water, of course!

 

Excellent point, in my opinion, considering Dr Morel´s diary. But if so, he had to stay "high" almost continuously, not an impossibility. I tried to elaborate on his character in my recent reply in "Mistakes" room. What do you think?

 

IMO you are also right about his faith in his destiny (Schmidt also writes about it). Then - megalomaniac/inferiority complexed psychopat.

 

Your indifference, guys, to this subject shocks me somewhat. Maybe the most crucial decision in my fellow corporal´s career and such resounding silence? Too difficult or too obvious?

 

'Lebensraum'. Perhaps the temptation to see his vision realised in his own lifetime became to too much for him ?

Hitler gave instructions about a year before the attack to make preparations for a military occupation of Danzig because of Poland´s reluctance to give Germany full control. But he made it clear that a war with Poland was to be avoided, and he believed that the occupation of Danzig could be carried out without war with Poland. He soon changed his mind, however, perhaps provoked by Polands rejection ?

Poland was in any case viewed by those who shared Hitler´s political alignment, and had been for some years, as a problem that had to be solved. And the solution was to wipe out Poland from the annals of history.

Welcome to the forum by the way.

 

My history teacher said that Hitler used cocaine drops instead of eye glasses for reading. Hitler thought wearing eye glasses is a weakness.

 

Probably true. He was on amphetamine, thats for sure.

KBO

 

I mean he eased off the pain caused by reading w/o glasses with the cocaine drops.

 

Dr Morel writes of various mixtures, of which, I believe both strychnine and cocaine were ingredients. It was to remove Le Corporal´s fatigue, boost energy as well as remove his frequent abdominal pain. I just don´t remember the ingredients but Le Corporal was definitely addicted to Dr Morel and his daily injections.

Neither do I remember just when he started to get the injections. Anyways, long before 1939. Which removes it as an explanation why he felt himself particularly invincible in August that year.

I elaborated somewhere else on my opinion, that a war was unavoidable due to the very dynamics of Hitler´s dictatorship as well as of his internal tensions ("he wanted to see his toys move").
Also a sort of "1984" problem, where dictatorship needs a constant external enemy to stay in power. I remember a report from the Council on Foreign Relations in USA, which said essentially the same thing: USA needs a constant external enemy in order to keep the System stable internally.
Actually it´s the "evildoers", for a long time it was, very conveniently and unquestionably, the USSR.
It would be interesting to hear some Americans´ opinion on that. I apologize if I have hurt someones´ national feelings, but the CFR is the very heart of the Establishment in USA and its opinions become usually official policies.

 

Hitler hated Poland, he hated the geographical position of Poland, and Russia was willing to give him half of Poland (the part he wanted) in a mutual attack. I'd say that for a megalomaniac seeking "living space" in the east this is enough of a reason to start a war. Add to this the National Socialist/Fascist glorification of violence, the fact that European leaders had done nothing to oppose him for the last six years, and the fact that part of the agression could be explained through the terms of Versailles, and it was all settled for Hitler.

 

I can´t see many reasons why Hitler should hate Poland in particular. True, it cut East Prussia from the main body of the Reich geographically but in no way economically. Transit through the Corridor was easy. The fact that the Province was backward had nothing to do with the Corridor, IMO.
Danzig was not exactly a poor city in 1939. OK, Gdynia began to become a serious competitor, but competition is healthy.
The German minority in Poland had a good life. I know it because my Moms cousins lived in western Poland and saw nothing other than peaceful neighborhood between Poles and Germans.
True, Poland was created at the expense of, among others, Germany, but this was a viable and relatively large nation and its lack of own state was an aberration since dismembering in 18th century (whatever the causes).
Poland was not exactly an empty land to be taken, just as Palestine was not "a land without people to the People without land". It was full of people and only outright genocide of tens of millions would assure Germans some additional living space. But I don´t think that Hitler, at that time considered the option knowing the Germans´ attitude to hi euthanasia project.
And "the part he wanted" had the highest population/km2. Why did he want it so much? To free some Germans from I don´t know what?
That the Western leaders did nothing to stop him –yes, right. Nothing violent, but preparations for a possible clash were already under way. Hitler´s policies made him dangerous and nobody in 1939 was prepared to believe a word from him. What finally happened in 1939, after annexion of Moravia and Bohemia was, that everybody in the West knew exactly that the man was dangerous and must be stopped. He himself seemed not to feel the blues and in his opinion it was Ribbentrop who was to blame for his false appraisal of the British and French attitudes.

Roel, you say that Hitler hated Poland. I wrote somewhere that the Rusians hate Poland, too. What is the Hell wrong with Poland that so many hate the land?

 

The Germans hated Poland. Not for economical reasons or because the German minority were ill treated. They hated Poland because it was a thorn in their national pride. Because of the corridor, Danzig, the 'Freistadt' which Poland in reality had economical control over. Because Poland was a constant reminder of the Versaille treaty. The very existence of Poland was literally unbearable for any nationalistically minded German.

 

All very true. Also, there was the racial question. Poles were among those considered "untermensch" by the Nazis (This category contained most ethnic types of Eastern Europe), which was another reason for Hitler to target them.

 

He hated the Czech and possibly Jewish blood in own veins. Like any neophyte he wanted to be more German than the Germans. However, he unfortunately had a mirror in the toilet which reminded him who he really was every time he had to ...use toilet.

Not true that Germans generally hated Poles, before they were targeted by propaganda. And even then, mixed neighborhoods lived peacefully. Who says that the German minority in Poland suffered - please, some facts. I mean it. I haven´t heard about it from serious sources.

The "untermensch" thing.... Jews were also "untermensch" but somehow did pretty well in many walks of life, also in Germany ( sorry, it´s me who said that). All that "Polnische wirtschaft" etc. You will always find a Swede who really thinks that Norwegians are fools and Finns are all alcoholics and go with a knife in the pocket. The Poles despise the Russians, Hungarians despise Slovaks. Neighbors, Heck!

What the economic control of Danzig included, please? You could put it in a few points, I suppose? Thank you. :lol:
I think it was more like competition from Gdynia: Poland was becoming independent of Danzig, because Danzig wanted too much for their services and Poland needed a reliable, own port.
The Corridor went to Poland as a result of a plebiscit, or am I wrong again? But I agree, Poland was a consequence of Versailles.

But why did the mustachioed Corporal need to attack in 1939, when he had such a bad press in the West? He could have waited, let the emotions after Czechoslovakia calm down..... I think it was a very stupid move. It was a very good example of both the basic stupidity and psychopathy.
Then, who is untermensch? Not the Germans who adored an idiotic psychopat? I don´t know.

 

Ok, Poland.
Take a look back in history... (a very basic tour)
For over a thousand years, the area now called Poland has been a battlefield. The 'Germans', the 'Russians', and the 'Polish' all wanted to control it, and all succeeded at various times.
To the 'Germans' & 'Russians', it was an uppity province whose lowly inhabitants forgot their place & kept rebelling. That amount of warfare can produce bad feeling...

By 1914, Germany had Poland. Quite securely.
Versailles returned it to the Poles.
Regardless of the actual terms of Versailles, Hitler & the Nazis demonised it into the document that was the source of all Germany's current woes. So, obviously, Germany needs to get back Austria, the Sudetenland, Poland, and all the other things that were 'stolen' from her by this evil treaty.
I don't know if Hitler believed this or not, but he certainly acted as though he did.

Basically, the Poles were not high up on Hitler's Christmas card list (they were basically Slavic, after all... :roll: ). Added to that the fact that they dared to have their own country instead of being ruled by Germany like every good inferior race should be. And not only that, but they have the temerity to actually have their own country in such a location that it splits Germany into two pieces!

You must remember that sane, rational reasoning cannot always be applied to Herr Hitler. Nutball may not be a Politically Correct term, but sometimes it applies well...

The Western Press may have been against him after Czechoslovakia, but why should that worry him? The Western Press had been heavily against Mussolini in Abyssinia, but he was not meaningfully interfered with. Germany was on a roll, with France & Britain apparently cowed into submission by pacifism & a belief in the propaganda regardng German strength. Why on earth should he take yet another ultimatum seriously, when the last ones had not been acted on?

 

in 1914 80% of post ww1 poland belonged to the russian empire not germany, in fact it was the western most province of russia.

the poles had rebelled against russian rule a number of times in the 19th century.

also the flegdling soviet union also fought a war with poland in 1920 only to be defeated in the battle of warsaw.

russia and poland have fought numerous wars over the centuries and the poles disliked the russians more than the germans.

Poland did it self no favours post 1919 as a result of their conflict with ussr they annexed areas east of the curzon line and took vylnius the capital of lithuania as well.

so not only were the germans unhappy at losing terrirtory to the poles, the russians were very happy to reclaim lost lands, also lithuania did breifly between 1939-40 take back the area around vylnius

 

Cheeky, your knowledge of history of central-eastern Europe, I mean, not just facts and dates, but the general situation is truly impressive. Where is it coming from? I´m serious.

Ricky, I must say, I am disappointed. Not only did you failed to address my recent theory (I have an additional point to its bottom line : The whole WW2 thing and its consequences because of, Of course, a Jew), but you, imo messed a lot concerning Poland.
Poland, as opposed all other areas in Europe, was not a constant battlefield in the recent 1000 years. Between ca. year 1000 and 1800, you have a fairy stable state there, which due to its stability and wealth, can afford, or think it can afford, political experiments like parliament in 16th century (of nobility, yes, but in Poland 10% of all people were nobility), elections of kings etc. which eventually led it to disaster. Show me some another example of a successful political Union of two nations (like Polish and Lithuanian) which lasts in centuries. This is also an art of politics.

It is customary amomg my fellow, particularly the less educated, Jews to spit when speaking about Poland. People with some brains know that Jews have not chosen Poland as their favorite land in centuries for nothing. In 1930s, around 10% of the population was Jewish, and usually a non-assimilated Jew. Just imagine, how your street would have looked like.

As to Western opinions and the Press and so on: IMO Hitler in 1938-9, and particularly ´39 was precisely the point where he desperately needed good statesmanship. He should have known better than the western leaders how they would react. After Czech debacle the opinion in leading circles in Britain and France was that the man must be stopped. Not for nothing the guarantees to Poland were issued.

Hitler was, imo, expected to walk into this trap by some far seeing politicians. And HE should have been the one (plus his whole professional staff at the Foreign Ministry and his special services, not to mention Ribbentrop himself, who was blamed for the mistake) to see the truth in the eyes: now they are serious. Even his intrepreter Schmidt writes, OK, a posteriori, that people at the Ministry virtually felt the avalanche coming. You could not live in the international community of diplomats and not feel that it´s going to be now. But H. would not listen to professionals. And Ribbentrop was a champaigne salesman, not diplomat. And it showed. Every time. That´s what Schmidt says.

 

I apologise.
I'm having a bad day... :evil:

 

Hello, I´m doctor Stern. What seems to be a problem, Ricky? I´d like to help you.
Ricky, despite my night duty, I am a happy man today. Finally, I received the title of specialist in my field of medicine, on this very day!