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

THE TURN OF POLAND 435far as the Zuyder Zee. The war with England and France will be awar of life and death.The idea that we can get off cheaply is dangerous; there is no suchpossibility. We must then burn our boats and it will no longer be aquestion of right or wrong but of to be or not to be for eighty millionpeople.Though he had just announced that Germany would attack Poland ”at thefirst suitable opportunity” and though his listeners knew that almost all ofGermany’s military strength was being concentrated on that objective, Hitler,as he rambled on, could not keep his thoughts off Great Britain.”England,” he emphasized, ”is the driving force against Germany.” Whereuponhe discussed her strengths and weaknesses.The Britisher himself is proud, brave, tough, dogged and a giftedorganizer. He knows how to exploit every new development. He hasthe love of adventure and the courage of the Nordic race . . .England is a world power in herself. Constant for three hundredyears. Increased by alliances. This power is not only something concretebut must also be considered as psychological force, embracingthe entire world.Add to this immeasurable wealth and the solvency that goes withit.Geopolitical security and protection by a strong sea power and courageousair force.But Britain, Hitler reminded his hearers, also had her weaknesses, and heproceeded to enumerate them.If in the last war we had had two more battleships and two morecruisers and had begun the Battle of Jutland in the morning, theBritish fleet would have been defeated and England brought to herknees. ∗ It would have meant the end of the World War. In formertimes . . . to conquer England it was necessary to invade her.England could feed herself. Today she no longer can.The moment England is cut off from her supplies she is forced tocapitulate. Imports of food and fuel oil are dependent on navalprotection.Luftwaffe attacks on England will not force her to capitulate. Butif the fleet is annihilated instant capitulation results. There is nodoubt that a surprise attack might lead to a quick decision.A surprise attack with what? Surely Admiral Raeder must have thought thatHitler was talking through his hat. Under the so-called Z Plan, promulgated atthe end of 1938, German naval strength would only begin to approach that ofthe British by 1945. At the moment, in the spring of 1939, Germany did nothave the heavy ships to sink the British Navy, even by a surprise attack.∗ Hitler’s understanding of the Battle of Jutland was obviously faulty.