rise-and-fall-of-the-third-reich-william-shirer-pdf

356 THE RISE AND FALL OF THE THIRD REICHAt 1 P.M., shortly after Wilson’s departure, Hitler issued a ”most secret”order directing assault units comprising some twenty-one reinforced regiments,or seven divisions, to move forward from their training areas to the jumping-offpoints on the Czech frontier. ”They must be ready,” said the order, ”to beginaction against ’Green’ on September 30, the decision having been made one daypreviously by twelve noon.” A few hours later a further concealed mobilizationwas ordered by the Fuehrer. Among other measures, five new divisions weremobilized for the west. 385But even as Hitler went ahead with his military moves, there were developmentsduring the day which made him hesitate. In order to stir up somewar fever among the populace Hitler ordered a parade of a motorized divisionthrough the capital at dusk – an hour when hundreds of thousands of Berlinerswould be pouring out of their offices onto the streets. It turned out to be a terriblefiasco – at least for the Supreme Commander. The good people of Berlinsimply did not want to be reminded of war. In my diary that night I noteddown the surprising scene.I went out to the corner of the Linden where the column [of troops]was turning down the Wilhelmstrasse, expecting to see a tremendousdemonstration. I pictured the scenes I had read of in 1914 when thecheering throngs on this same street tossed flowers at the marchingsoldiers, and the girls ran up and kissed them . . . But today theyducked into the subways, refused to look on, and the handful thatdid stood at the curb in utter silence . . . It has been the moststriking demonstration against war I’ve ever seen.At the urging of a policeman I walked down the Wilhelmstrasse to the Reichskanzlerplatz,where Hitler stood on a balcony of the Chancellery reviewingthe troops.. . . There weren’t two hundred people there. Hitler looked grim,then angry, and soon went inside, leaving his troops to parade byunreviewed. What I’ve seen tonight almost rekindles a little faith inthe German people. They are dead set against war.Within the Chancellery there was further bad news – this from abroad.There was a dispatch from Budapest saying that Yugoslavia and Rumania hadinformed the Hungarian government that they would move against Hungarymilitarily if she attacked Czechoslovakia. That would spread the war to theBalkans, something Hitler did not want.The news from Paris was graver. From the German military attache therecame a telegram marked ”Very Urgent” and addressed not only to the ForeignMinistry but to OKW and the General Staff. It warned that France’s partialmobilization was so much like a total one ”that I reckon with the completion ofthe deployment of the first 65 divisions on the German frontier by the sixth dayof mobilization.” Against such a force the Germans had, as Hitler knew, barelya dozen divisions, half of them reserve units of doubtful value. Furthermore,wired the German military attache, ”it appears probable that in the event ofbelligerent measures by Germany . . . an immediate attack will take place, inall probability from Lower Alsace and from Lorraine in the direction of Mainz.”