Zusammenfassung der Ressource
Invasion of Poland
- Hitler thought France and Britain would continue appeasement
- Bradley Lightbody: "gross miscalculation"
- Invasion was a gamble
- German army was not at full strength
- Hitler dismissed his generals' concerns
- They thought France and Britain would attack
- There would be almost no army in Germany if this happened
- Hitler was confident that victory would be swift
- Blitzkrieg offensive
- World's first armoured corps
- He judged them to be weak and indecisive leaders
- Neville Chamberlain (Britain)
- Edouard Daladier
- Thought they would want peace not war
- 1 September 1939
- 62 German divisions supported by 1300 aircraft invaded Poland
- Poland requests help from Britain and France
- 3 September 1939
- 3pm Britain declares war on Germany
- 5pm France declares war on Germany
- Germany and the USSR