Summary
Overview
This episode examines the dramatic autumn and winter of 1939-40, following Hitler's conquest of Poland. Despite offering peace to Britain and France, Hitler immediately begins planning attacks on the West, facing resistance from his own generals who attempt to organize a coup. The episode culminates with Georg Elser's near-successful assassination attempt on Hitler in Munich's Bürgerbräukeller, missing the Führer by just 13 minutes. The failed plot strengthens Hitler's resolve and popular support, setting the stage for the coming Blitzkrieg campaigns in Scandinavia and Western Europe.
The Phoney War and Hitler's Strategic Dilemma
In October 1939, following Poland's conquest, Hitler addresses the Reichstag offering peace to Britain and France while simultaneously planning attacks on the West. The Allies, traumatized by WWI casualties and believing in Nazi invincibility, remain largely inactive along the French border. Hitler faces mounting pressure from Germany's fragile economy, which requires continued expansion and plunder to survive, while also fearing a repeat of WWI's devastating blockade.
- Hitler offers peace to Britain and France in Reichstag speech, positioning himself against 'Mr. Churchill and his cronies'
- The Phoney War sees minimal Allied action despite French forces outnumbering Germans five-to-one in the Saarland
- Mass Observation reports 'a strong feeling that this wretched war is not going on with' among British public
- Hitler's economic miracle is 'built on sand' requiring continuous territorial expansion for raw materials
- Germany's strategy has always relied on rapid attacks due to geographical vulnerability to encirclement and blockades
" The continuation of the present state of affairs in the West is unthinkable. Each day will soon demand greater sacrifices. "
" All the men were raring to go at the outset, but now they're dying of boredom. The war machine is running in neutral. "
Hitler Demands Attack on the West
Against the advice of his generals, Hitler orders immediate preparations for an offensive against France and Britain through Belgium and Holland, scheduled for November 12, 1939. His rationale combines strategic calculation—preventing Allied rearmament and avoiding a long war—with his gambling instinct and hypochondriacal fears about dying young. The generals, including Army Chief Brauchitsch and Chief of Staff Halder, are horrified but prove too spineless to resist effectively.
- Hitler orders plans for Western attack immediately upon returning from Poland, saying 'time works against us'
- Even Hermann Goering is shocked by the timetable, as the Luftwaffe won't be ready until 1942
- Hitler is 'literally in debt' to Brauchitsch, having lent him money to divorce his wife, making him 'spineless'
- Hitler declares 'England's power is now simply a myth' and 'must be smashed'
- Prussian military tradition favors rapid attacks due to Germany's vulnerable geographic position
" To bring England to its knees, we must destroy France. "
" Germany's secret weapon is me. I'm irreplaceable. I'm convinced of my powers of intellect and of decision. "
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