This first part of this six-part series of WWII explains the start of the war and the early moves. It uses original footage which has been colorized. It was presented by National Geographic Channel.
In the first part of the series the rise of Hitler to power in the early 1930s is presented. He was able to use the discontent of the German people to rise to power, first by coup and then by official election.
Hitler, from the beginning had designs on expansion; as well as designs on minorities, Jews, gypsies, gays etc. Austria was annexed. The expansion began in Czechoslovakia where Hitler negotiated a treaty with France and England (Neville Chamberlain) and gained a German populated section, Sudetenland. Chamberlain thought he had accomplished peace in his time. He was wrong.
Through strong arming the Czech government, and threatening annihilation with his plains, he is able to negotiate a peace which gave him the entire country.
This movie also presents the invasion of Poland. At first the invasion was to recover a strip of land which was taken from Germany at the end of WWI. Hitler plays a risk, thinking England and France will again turn the other way. However, as a result of this invasion, both England and France declare war against Germany. This gave Hitler is excuse to go after these countries.
Germany was dependent on iron ore from Sweden. They had to protect the supply route, and at one point England had broken this, but as war was declared, the resources needed to block the route called south to defend France.
It may not have made a difference, but indifference, and not accepting the threat was what it was, would have devastating consequences.
No comments:
Post a Comment