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GERMANY & THE RISE OF NAZISM, 1919-39

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CRITICAL TERMS ADOLF HITLER ERNST ROHM RUDOLF HESS PAUL von HINDENBURG STURMABTEILUNG (SA) FREIKORPS SCHUTZSTAFFEL (SS) THE BEER HALL PUTSCH MEIN KAMPF LEBENSRAUM

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GROWTH OF NAZI PARTY TIMELINE 1919: TREATY OF VERSAILLES IMPOSES HARSH TERMS ON GERMANY ADOLF HITLER SETTLES IN MUNICH JOINS NSDAP(i.e. The Nazi Party) 1920: NAZI PARTY GROWS TO 3000 MEMBERS HITLER BECOMES LEADER OF PARTY 1923: HITLER LEADS THE BEER HALL PUTSCH HITLER SENTENCED TO PRISON 1925: MEIN KAMPF PUBLISHED MEMBERSHIP RISES TO 27,000 1929: NAZI MEMBERSHIP REACHES 108,000 GREAT DEPRESSION DEVASTATES GERMAN ECONOMY 1932: HITLER RUNS FOR PRESIDENT, LOSES, BUT GETS 37% OF VOTE 1933: JANUARY: HITLER NAMED CHANCELLOR OF GERMANY FEBRUARY: THE REICHSTAG FIRE THE REISCHSTAG FIRE DECREE PASSED CIVIL LIBERTIES SUSPENDED IN GERMANY THE ENABLING ACT PASSED HITLER NOW HAS RIGHT TO RULE BY DECREE 1934: PRESIDENT HINDENBURG DIES HITLER BECOMES FUHRER NIGHT OF THE LONG KNIVES 1936: GERMANY REOCCUPIES THE RHINELAND

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BASIC GOVERNMENT STRUCTURE: WEIMAR REPUBLIC, GERMANY, 1919 1933 WEIMAR REPUBLIC THE REICHSTAG PRESIDENT HIGH COURT CHANCELLOR

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NAZI SEIZURE OF POWER, 1933-34 1933 JANUARY: HITLER NAMED CHANCELLOR FEBRUARY: THE REICHSTAG FIRE 1933 REICHSTAG FIRE DECREE IS PASSED THE ENABLING ACT IS PASSED 1934 PRESIDENT HINDENBURG DIES HITLER BECOMES FUHRER

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NAZI ORIGINS 1918-19: NATIONAL SOCIALIST GERMAN WORKERS PARTY (NSDAP) NAZI FORMED WHERE? BAVARIA (S. GERMANY), CITY OF MUNICH IS FOCUS WHO? DISPLACED / DISGRUNTLED WAR VETERANS FRONTKAMPFER FORMER FREIKORPS MEN POOR, DISPLACED, UNEMPLOYED WORKERS TRAITS: MILITARY STYLE ORGANIZATION (UNIFORMS {KHAKI SHIRTS, BOOTS, etc.}, PARADES, ETC.) ABSOLUTE LOYALTY TO THE PARTY AND NATION WAS SUPREME HIGHLY RACIST, esp. ANTI-SEMITIC RACIAL IDEOLOGY EMPHASIZED SUPREMACY OF THE ARYAN RACE POLITICAL IDEAS: GERMANY HAD BEEN BETRAYED BY A CONSPIRACY OF JEWS & COMMUNISTS @ END OF WWI (STABBED IN THE BACK THEORY) GERMANY HAD TO REGAIN ITS HONOR HOW?: ERADICATING / IGONORING THE TREATY OF VERSAILLES TERRITORIAL EXPANSION INTO NATIONS / LANDS WHERE GERMANY COULD FIND THE RESOURCES IT NEEDED TO BECOME GREAT AGAIN ELIMINATING / ENSLAVING THOSE RACES INFERIOR TO THE GERMANS

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NAZI RISE TO POWER: KEY INGREDIENTS RACISM LEBENSRAUM NEEDED RESENTMENT TO VERSAILLES ECONOMIC DISLOCATION MEDIA & PROPAGANDA

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NAZI PARTY BASIC BELIEFS & PRINCIPLES

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NAZI IDEOLOGY: BASIC CONCEPTS IDEADEFINITION 1. ERADICATION OF THE VERSAILLES TREATY 2. UNITY OF ALL GERMANS 3. AUTARKY 4. LEBENSRAUM 5.SOCIAL DARWINISM 6.JEWISH/COMMUNIST THREAT 7.THE FUHRER CONCEPT

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NAZI PROPAGANDA KEY ELEMENTS HOW DID THE NAZI PARTY CONVERT GERMANS TO THEIR IDEAS IN THE 1920s/1930s? PUBLIC GATHERINGS/RALLIES PUBLIC DISPLAYS: POSTERS, STATUES SIMPLE IDEAS & SLOGANS FEAR/THREAT OF VIOLENCE MASS MEDIA: RADIO, FILM, PRINT MEDIA

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EIN VOLK, EIN LAND, EIN FUHRER!!! Translation: One People, One Nation, One Leader

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ADOLF HITLER, SPEECH PRACTICE PHOTOS

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ADOLF HITLER, SPEECH PRACTICE PHOTO

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NAZI RALLY NUREMBERG, 1934

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NAZI RALLY, NUREMBURG, 1938 (R) SIDEWALK IMAGE, BERLIN, 1936 (BELOW)

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Nazi Propaganda Poster, 1930s: The NSDAP secures the community.

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Youth serves the Fuhrer.

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ADOLF HITLER PORTRAYED AS THE GERMANIC MESSIAH

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HITLER YOUTH, NUREMBERG, 1938

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LEAGUE OF GERMAN GIRLS CHAPTER, 1937

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60,000 Reich Marks: That is what this person suffering from hereditary defects costs the German Community during his lifetime. Fellow citizen that is your money, too. A NEW PEOPLE, OFFICIAL NSDAP MAGAZINE

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JOSEPH GOEBBELS, NAZI MINISTER OF PROPAGANDA

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GERMAN-AMERICAN BUND RALLY PROPAGANDA POSTER, FEBRUARY, 1939

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GERMAN-AMERICAN BUND RALLY, MADISON SQUARE GARDEN, NYC, 1939

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POWER STRUCTURE, NAZI GERMANY ADOLF HITLER GERMAN MILITARY NAZI PARTY S.S. and STATE SECURITY AGENCIES NAZI PARTY LEADERSHIP

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Adolf Hitler, Fuhrer of Germany

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ADOLF HITLER

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THE GERMAN MILITARY STRUCTURE GERMAN MILITARY: THE WERMACHT COMPONENTS: HEER: GERMAN ARMY (INFANTRY, ARMOR, ARTILLERY, etc.) LUFTWAFFE: GERMAN AIR FORCE (including airborne /paratrooper units) WAFFEN SS: SS COMBAT UNITS (infantry, armor, military police) SERVED IN COMBAT ALONG W/ ARMY KRIEGSMARINE: GERMAN NAVY POINTS OF NOTE: THERE IS NO MARINE TYPE OF ORGANIZATION IN THE GERMAN MILITARY STRUCTURE, UNLIKE THE U.S. (USMC) OR THE U.K. (ROYAL MARINES) ALL AIRBORNE (PARATROOPER) UNITS IN THE WERMACHT WERE PART OF THE LUFTWAFFE, NOT THE GERMAN ARMY. THIS IS DISTINCTIVE FROM MANY NATIONS (U.S., U.K., RUSSIA, etc.) WHERE AIRBORNE UNITS ARE ALMOST ALWAYS A DIVISION OF THE ARMY

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WWII GERMAN WERMACHT STRUCTURE LUFTWAFFEKRIEGSMARINE HEERWAFFEN-SS

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S.S. GROUPINGS & STRUCTURE Heinrich Himmler Concentration Camp Guards Waffen-SS Einsatzgruppen (Killing Units) Hitlers Bodyguard

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UNIQUE GERMAN MILITARY TERMS SCHWERPUNKT Focus of an attack BATTLEFIELD STRATEGY DEVELOPED BY GERMANY IN THE LATE 1930s A COMBINED-ARMS METHOD OF WARFARE EMPLOYING A COMBINATION OF THE FOLLOWING ELEMENTS: ARMOR AIR POWER AIRBORNE UNITS INFANTRY MOBILITY & ASSAULT ARTILLERY BASED ON THE FOLLOWING OBJECTIVES NEUTRALIZING ENEMY AIR POWER AT THE OUTSET OF ANY CAMPAIGN USE OF AIRBORNE ELEMENTS TO DISRUPT ENEMEY COMMUNICATIONS & RESERVE SUPPORT SIMULTANEOUS USE OF INFANTRY ASSAULT, TANK (PANZER) ASSAULT & ARTILLERY SUPPORT TO NEUTRALIZE ENEMYS MOBILITY ARMORED THRUST (PUNCH)THROUGH ENEMY LINES TO PENETRATE INTO ENEMY RESERVE AREAS ULITMATE GOAL: ENCIRCLEMENT OF ENEMY UNITS, DESTRUCTION OF UNITS, AND BREAKOUT INTO OPEN COUNTRYSIDE ARMOR, INFANTRY MOBILITY CAN THEN BE USED TO DISRUPT ENEMYS ABILITY TO RECOVER CALLED BLITZKRIEG (translation = LIGHTNING WAR )BY ENGLISH & WESTERN MEDIA

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GENERAL HEINZ GUDERIAN, GERMAN ARMY; Considered the author / creator of Blitzkrieg warfare

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Basic Blitzkrieg Battle Sequence

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BLITZKRIEG: noun : war conducted with great speed and force; specifically: a violent surprise offensive by massed air forces and mechanized ground forces in close coordination Definition from Merriam-Webster Dictionary

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SCHWERPUNKT MEANING: noun: The point of focus; an area of concentrated effort, especially in a military operation. ETYMOLOGY: From German Schwerpunkt(center of gravity, focal point), from schwer (weighty) + punkt (point)

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THE INVASION OF POLAND When? September 1, 1939 Causes: German-Soviet Non-Aggression Treaty (Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact) allowed Germans to invade from the West Soviets invade from East on Sept. 17 th Hitlers belief in need for German Lebensraum Hitlers racial theory: Poles were Slavic people, therefore they were target for enslavement or extermination Poland had large Jewish population they would be targeted for extermination The Polish Corridor issue (See map) Polish Corridor problem tied to Hitlers belief in unification of all German people (like the Sudetenland) Long-range goal: Poland would provide preparation area for eventual invasion of Russia Non-aggression treaty would lull Stalin into believing Soviet borders were secure

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INVASION OF POLAND (contd.) DATES: Sept. 1, 1939 Oct. 1, 1939 TRIATS: Germans use Blitzkrieg tactics to overwhelm the Poles Polish forces are obsolete and planning on a defensive strategy Poles do not anticipate fighting a two-front war (never anticipated Russian invasion from East) WHY ARE GERMANS SUCCESSFUL? Poles have no adequate forces in the following areas: Aircraft (WWI-style planes) Armor German Panzer units are more advanced / modern Inexperience: Poles are less battle-tested than German troops Geography: Polish terrain is ideal for Blitzkrieg tactics (flat land, few major cities) Russian invasion ruins Polish defense plans Poles trust alliance guarantees from French and British -Expect Western allies will attack Germans and force Germany into two-front war RESULTS: Poland ceases to exist as sovereign nation Poland divided between Germany and Soviet Union German military gains valuable combat experience Blitzkrieg continues to improve Germans learn lessons Germans are better prepared for 1940 attack on France Surviving Polish forces flee to Britain Polish Government-in-Exile is formed Polish military / air units formed as part of British military OTHER ISSUES: The Holocaust begins in full-force

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INVASION OF POLAND, SEPTEMBER, 1939

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GERMAN ARMORED UNITS AND COMMAND VEHICLES

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German Army units crossing the Polish border, 9/1/39

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Hitler & German troops, Poland, 1939

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German Infantry outside Warsaw

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POLISH CAVALRY, 1939

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GERMANS OUTSIDE WARSAW

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GERMAN ARMY INFANTRY, 1939

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VICTORY PARADE, WARSAW, 1939

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Messerschmidt Me-109 Fighter(top) Heinkel He-111 Bomber (below)

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GERMAN Me / Bf-109 Fighter

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German He-111 Heinkel Bomber

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STUKA DIVE BOMBER

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GERMAN STUKA DIVE BOMBER

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STUKA DIVE BOMBERS

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German Panzer Variants

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German Armored Personnel Carrier

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WWII STANDARD GERMAN INFANTRY WEAPONS Top: Kar98 Mauser Rifle Bottom: MP40 Machine Pistol

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Top: MG42 Machine Gun Bottom: (R) Model 24 Grenade; (L) Luger P08 Pistol

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Waffen-SS Panzergrenadier with standard combat equipment

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WAFFEN SS GRENADIERS

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THE PHONY WAR, 1939-40 When? October, 1939 May, 1940 Where? Western Europe, specifically France-Germany border areas What ? Period of little, or no, military activity / action between Germans and Western allies (French, British, Dutch, etc.) Sporadic military probing maneuvers on the border while Germans transfer forces from the East to West German build-up of forces in West is rapid Some limited air action Symbol of the period: Frances MAGINOT LINE (define) Result? Germans have time to adequately plan for invasion of France French led to believe that the Maginot Line will deter Germans from an invasion Called the Maginot Mentality Misguided belief that fixed fortifications could discourage, and prevent, a successful invasion British grow less confident in French military competence

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Underground Rail System inside the Maginot Line

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MAGINOT LINE CUTAWAY

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1940 Invasion of France and The Low Countries

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THE INVASION OF FRANCE WHEN? May - June, 1940 WHERE? FRANCE, BELGIUM, HOLLAND (The Netherlands) WHO? AXIS: GERMANY, ITALY ALLIES: FRANCE, U.K, CANADA, BELGIUM, HOLLAND, etc. OPPOSING FORCES: AXIS: 141 WERMACHT DIVISIONS 3,350,000 TROOPS 2,445 TANKS 5,638 AIRCRAFT 7,378 ARTILLERY ALLIES: 144 DIVISIONS 3,300,000 TROOPS 3,384 TANKS 2,935 AIRCRAFT 13,974 GUNS CASUALTIES: AXIS: 49,000 KIA, 110,034 WIA ALLIES: 360,000 KIA & WIA; 1.9 MILLION CAPTURED

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RESULTS REMAINDER OF FRENCH & BRIT. ARMIES ARE SURROUNDED & EVACUATED FROM DUNKIRK FRANCE & LOW COUNTRIES NOW PART OF NAZI EMPIRE FRANCE DIVIDED INTO TWO PRIMARY OCCUPATION ZONES: NORTHERN FRANCE: GERMAN ZONE SOUTHERN FRANCE: VICHY FRANCE w/ PUPPET GOVT. SET IN VICHY FRANCE GERMANS NOW HAVE GOOD STAGING GROUND FOR POSSIBLE INVASION OF BRITAIN BRITAIN IS ISOLATED FROM THE REST OF EUROPE HITLER CAN NOW CONCENTRATE HIS FORCES TO THE EAST FOR PLANNED RUSSIAN INVASION

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GERMAN INFANTRY WITH FRENCH PRISONERS

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Plan of Fort Eben Emael, Belgium (top view)

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EBEN EMAEL FROM EAST BANK OF ALBERT CANAL

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GERMAN LUFTWAFFE RECRUITING POSTERS

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GERMAN FALLSCHIRMJAGER GLIDER

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LUFTWAFFE GLIDER DURING TRAINING MANEUVERS

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GERMAN PARAS DURING TRAINING MANEUVERS

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JUNKERS Ju-52 TRANSPORT PLANE

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JUNKERS Ju-52 TRANSPORT

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GERMAN PARATROOPERS CELEBRATE THE FALL OF EBEN EMAEL, 1940

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HITLER CONGRATULATES FALLSCHIRMJAGR AT EBEN EMAEL

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EVACUATION FROM DUNKIRK

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ALLIED TROOPS BEING EVACUATED FROM DUNKIRK

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DUNKIRK EVACUATION

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GERMAN TROOPS MARCH PAST THE ARC de TRIOMPHE, PARIS, JUNE, 1940

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HITLER AND STAFF OFFICERS IN FRONT OF THE EIFFEL TOWER, PARIS, FRANCE, JUNE, 1940