Poland 1939

[Octospire]

Had the invasion of Poland been completely ignored by the British and French in your opinion would the Germans still of invaded France and the low countries or just sat behind the Siegfried Line until such time as they could either crush the French or sucessfully invade the Soviet Union.

In my opinion had the British and French left the Nazi's alone after the invasion of Poland they would of left the French alone and the Germans would of built up overwhelming numbers of aircraft and armoured units until such time until they could defeat the Soviets. Personally I think the Nazi's would have their handful pacifying the Soviet union to worry about invading western Europe.

[Dylan the Canadian]

I think the Germans would still invade France. Hitler didn't have a reason to invade Poland why should it be different, it's not like Poland tried to stop them or anything.

[calvinhobbesliker]

I think the Germans would still invade France. Hitler didn't have a reason to invade Poland why should it be different, it's not like Poland tried to stop them or anything.

Well, Poland has lebensraum and Jews and Poles to kill

[CWO Marc]

One of the themes Hitler used as part of his political discourse was that Germany had been humiliated by the 1919 Treaty of Versailles, and that this humiliation by the Western Allies had to be avenged.  (Part of this theme was a continuation of the old dispute between France and Germany over the possession of Alsace-Lorraine, a dispute which went back to the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871). Having secured Germany's eastern flank in 1939 with the conquest of Poland and the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact, Hitler was in the perfect position to use the bulk of his forces for an attack against France in 1940.  It's unlikely he would have missed this opportunity to achieve the victory against France which had eluded Germany during the First World War.  We can see evidence of Hitler's desire to humiliate France from the fact that he arranged for the June 1940 armistice to be signed at Compiegne, in the same railroad car used by Marshall Foch to sign the armistice to which Germany had agreed in 1918, and from the fact that the German Army's triumphal parade through Paris in 1940 followed the same route as the French Army's victory parade at the end of the First World War.

[Imperious Leader]

Hitlers revenge was against France. He would definatly attack them once he was ready.

[ABWorsham]

Hitler didn't have a reason to invade Poland

Hitler had a reason to invade Poland. The rebirth of a new Polish State was at the expense of the Imperial German Empire. Secondly the Danzig Corridor seperate Germany from Prussia and Western Poland did have a minority of Germans living within it's communities.

 The French and British were willing to escalate a regional conflict into a World War over Poland's freedom yet they did not have the backbone to keep the Soviet Union from controling Poland.

[calvinhobbesliker]

Hitler didn't have a reason to invade Poland

Hitler had a reason to invade Poland. The rebirth of a new Polish State was at the expense of the Imperial German Empire. Secondly the Danzig Corridor seperate Germany from Prussia and Western Poland did have a minority of Germans living within it's communities.

 The French and British were willing to escalate a regional conflict into a World War over Poland's freedom yet they did not have the backbone to keep the Soviet Union from controling Poland.

Or perhaps they knew that Britain/France vs Germany/Russia would be a defeat for them. Not angering someone who is vastly superior to you is not lacking a backbone, it's having a brain.

[ABWorsham]

Hitler didn't have a reason to invade Poland

Hitler had a reason to invade Poland. The rebirth of a new Polish State was at the expense of the Imperial German Empire. Secondly the Danzig Corridor seperate Germany from Prussia and Western Poland did have a minority of Germans living within it's communities.

 The French and British were willing to escalate a regional conflict into a World War over Poland's freedom yet they did not have the backbone to keep the Soviet Union from controling Poland.

Or perhaps they knew that Britain/France vs Germany/Russia would be a defeat for them. Not angering someone who is vastly superior to you is not lacking a backbone, it's having a brain.

No it was a lack of backbone, the allies had the Atom Bomb if things got out of control with the Soviet Union. Six years of war will eat away at a country's will to fight a war no matter how just it is. The Allies took the easy way out, let the Poles be slaves to the Soviet Union for 50 years.

[calvinhobbesliker]

Hitler didn't have a reason to invade Poland

Hitler had a reason to invade Poland. The rebirth of a new Polish State was at the expense of the Imperial German Empire. Secondly the Danzig Corridor seperate Germany from Prussia and Western Poland did have a minority of Germans living within it's communities.

 The French and British were willing to escalate a regional conflict into a World War over Poland's freedom yet they did not have the backbone to keep the Soviet Union from controling Poland.

Or perhaps they knew that Britain/France vs Germany/Russia would be a defeat for them. Not angering someone who is vastly superior to you is not lacking a backbone, it's having a brain.

No it was a lack of backbone, the allies had the Atom Bomb if things got out of control with the Soviet Union. Six years of war will eat away at a country's will to fight a war no matter how just it is. The Allies took the easy way out with was to let the Poles be slaves to the Soviet Union for 50 years.

And 4 years later, so did the Soviets. Attacking with nukes would have lessened our moral standing in the world.

You're right: 6 years of war takes away the will to fight, but it applies to the Allies as well as to Russia

[221B Baker Street]

I think the Germans would have attacked the Russians before the French.  While Germany would have wanted to get back at France (for obvious reasons), the main causes of the war were in the East.  The East had the Jews (which the Germans believed needed to be removed) and also had the Space for Germany to expand.

Also, Germany (like everyone else but the Japanese) felt the Russians were weak; certainly weaker than France.

[Dylan the Canadian]

I think the Germans would have attacked the Russians before the French.  While Germany would have wanted to get back at France (for obvious reasons), the main causes of the war were in the East.  The East had the Jews (which the Germans believed needed to be removed) and also had the Space for Germany to expand.

Also, Germany (like everyone else but the Japanese) felt the Russians were weak; certainly weaker than France.

Why did everyone think  they were weak?

[calvinhobbesliker]

I think the Germans would have attacked the Russians before the French.  While Germany would have wanted to get back at France (for obvious reasons), the main causes of the war were in the East.  The East had the Jews (which the Germans believed needed to be removed) and also had the Space for Germany to expand.

Also, Germany (like everyone else but the Japanese) felt the Russians were weak; certainly weaker than France.

Why did everyone think  they were weak?

Purges and the war with Finland

[Dylan the Canadian]

I think the Germans would have attacked the Russians before the French.  While Germany would have wanted to get back at France (for obvious reasons), the main causes of the war were in the East.  The East had the Jews (which the Germans believed needed to be removed) and also had the Space for Germany to expand.

Also, Germany (like everyone else but the Japanese) felt the Russians were weak; certainly weaker than France.

Why did everyone think  they were weak?

Purges and the war with Finland

I don't know what Purges is, but when you hear documentaries about it they talk about how amazing it was that Finland were able too hold out against "the huge" Russian army?

[calvinhobbesliker]

I think the Germans would have attacked the Russians before the French.  While Germany would have wanted to get back at France (for obvious reasons), the main causes of the war were in the East.  The East had the Jews (which the Germans believed needed to be removed) and also had the Space for Germany to expand.

Also, Germany (like everyone else but the Japanese) felt the Russians were weak; certainly weaker than France.

Why did everyone think  they were weak?

Purges and the war with Finland

I don't know what Purges is, but when you hear documentaries about it they talk about how amazing it was that Finland were able too hold out against "the huge" Russian army?

Purges was when Stalin killed most high ranking military leaders because he was paranoid they would betray him

[ABWorsham]

The U.S.S.R looked weak from the outside.

1.They had millions of the poorest of Europe's poor- people who's standard of living was over a thousand years behind Western Europe.

2. They had a millions of enemies within the borders of the U.S.S.R.

3. The country had little in the way of roads.

However these things became strengths. Poor Soviet troops to live off the worst of rations. The lack of roads caused the Germans massive amounts of worn out equipement and impossible resupply situations.