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

444 THE RISE AND FALL OF THE THIRD REICHBerlin in reporting on the matter, ”one of Stalin’s confidants [whose] article wasdoubtless written on orders from above.”It seems to me [Zhdanov wrote] that the British and French Governmentsare not out for a real agreement acceptable to the U.S.S.R. butonly for talks about an agreement in order to demonstrate before thepublic opinion of their own countries the alleged unyielding attitudeof the U.S.S.R. and thus facilitate the conclusion of an agreementwith the aggressors. The next few days will show whether this is soor not. 529Stalin’s distrust of Britain and France and his suspicion that the WesternAllies might in the end make a deal with Hitler, as they had the year before atMunich, was thus publicized for all the world to ponder. Ambassador von derSchuienburg, pondering it, suggested to Berlin that one purpose of the articlewas ”to lay the blame on Britain and France for the possible breakdown of thenegotiations.” 530PLANS FOR TOTAL WARStill Adolf Hitler did not rise to the Russian bait. Perhaps it was becauseall during June he was busy at Berchtesgaden supervising the completion ofmilitary plans to invade Poland at the summer’s end.By June 15 he had General von Brauchitsch’s top-secret plan for the operationsof the Army against Poland, 531 ”The object – of the operation,” theCommander in Chief of the Army, echoing his master, declared, ”is to destroythe Polish armed forces. The political leadership demands that the war shouldbe begun by heavy surprise blows and lead to quick successes. The intention ofthe Army High Command is to prevent a regular mobilization and concentrationof the Polish Army by a surprise invasion of Polish territory and to destroythe mass of the Polish Army, which is expected to be west of the Vistula-Narewline, by a concentric attack from Silesia on the one side and from Pomerania-East Prussia on the other.” To carry out his plan, Brauchitsch set up two armygroups – Army Group South, consisting of the Eighth, Tenth and Fourteentharmies, and Army Group North, made up of the Third and Fourth armies. Thesouthern army group, under the command of General von Rundstedt, was toattack from Silesia ”in the general direction of Warsaw, scatter opposing Polishforces and occupy as early as possible with forces as strong as possible theVistula on both sides of Warsaw with the aim of destroying the Polish forcesstill holding out in western Poland in co-operation with Army Group North.”The first mission of the latter group was ”to establish connection between theReich and East Prussia” by driving across the Corridor. Detailed objectives ofthe various armies were outlined as well as those for the Air Force and Navy.Danzig, said Brauchitsch, would be declared German territory on the first dayof hostilities and would be secured by local forces under German command.A supplemental directive issued at the same time stipulated that the order ofdeployment for ”White” would be put into operation on August 20. ”All preparations,”it laid down, ”must be concluded by that date.” 532 A week later, onJune 22, General Keitel submitted to Hitler a ”preliminary timetable for Case