2 - Fighting the Second World War (1939-1940)

Institutional Shift at War: Upon the commencement of hostilities in $1939$ , the National Socialist regime largely abandoned any remaining pretenses of international civility or diplomatic norms.
Primary War Objectives:
- Historical Revisionism: A central goal was to "reverse" the humiliation and territorial losses associated with the German defeat in $1918$ .
- Imperialism and Economics: The war sought the colonization of new territories and the systematic exploitation of resources to sustain the Reich.
- Domestic Mass Murder (Aktion T4): The regime initiated the systematic killing of disabled Germans under the T4 program, framed as a measure of racial hygiene.
- Racial and Ethnic Persecution: The state implemented policies to segregate, persecute, and eventually murder specific target groups including:
  - Poles.
  - Soviets.
  - European Jews (encompassing various nationalities and ethnicities).
The Nature of Combat Organizations: A significant historical question involves determining if there were two distinct wars occurring simultaneously:
- War A: Conducted by the conventional armed forces (Wehrmacht).
- War B: Conducted by the SS and subsidiary police organizations focused on ideological and racial goals.
Occupation Culture: Evidence of the German presence in occupied territories is seen in facilities like the Soldatenkaffee, a dedicated German soldiers’ club located in occupied Paris, where servicemen and nurses socialized.

Levels of Warfare: The conflict is analyzed through two primary lenses:
- Strategy: The overarching political and military plans for the war effort.
- Tactics: The specific combat formulas and methods used on the battlefield.
Key Strategic Debates:
- Historians question whether Germany possessed a coherent, unified strategic vision for conducting a new world war.
- There is ongoing debate regarding whether Germany actually developed a brand-new tactical formula for warfighting or simply improved upon existing ones.
Adolf Hitler’s Leadership Style: Hitler’s role in the military hierarchy is debated as either that of a "reckless gambler" taking massive unnecessary risks or an "omnipotent warlord" with a firm grasp on all operations.
The Fall of Paris: In June $1940$ , following the victory in the West, Hitler took an impromptu tour of Paris with his high-ranking entourage to demonstrate German dominance.

Diplomatic Foundation: The Molotov-Ribbentrop agreement (the German-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact) was the critical precursor to the invasion, ensuring the Soviet Union would not intervene against Germany and allowing for a partitioned Poland.
Allied Response: The campaign marked the entry of Britain and France into the war, though their initial roles were limited.
Deconstructing ‘Blitzkrieg’: The campaign is used to examine the nature of German military success, specifically addressing the "mythology" of Blitzkrieg (lightning war) vs. the actual operational reality.
Propaganda: German propaganda efforts were heavily utilized to disparage and misrepresent the capabilities and actions of the Polish forces.
Joint Invasion: The campaign was characterized by a synchronized German and Soviet invasion of Poland in September $1939$ .

Northern Operations (April $1940$ ): Germany launched swift invasions of Denmark and Norway.
Western Invasions (May $10$ , $1940$ ): Germany simultaneously invaded France, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
British Political Transition: Winston Churchill replaced Neville Chamberlain as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on May $10$ , $1940$ .
Operation Dynamo: This was the critical maritime evacuation of Allied troops from the beaches of Dunkirk, allowing a significant portion of the British Expeditionary Force to escape.
Fall of France: The French government officially capitulated on June $22$ , $1940$ , leading to the German occupation of Paris and Northern France.
Evolution of Operational Planning:
- Initial Scheme: The original plan for invading France in $1940$ was a traditional maneuver that swooped around Paris to the southeast, heavily resembling the $1914$ Schlieffen Plan from World War I.
- Revised Plan: At the last minute, the plan was drastically changed to a westerly swooping thrust (often represented as a blue-shaded arrow on military maps). This revision is credited with the rapid collapse of Allied defenses.

Operation Sea Lion: The German code name for the planned amphibious invasion of Great Britain.
The Air War: The Luftwaffe, under the command of Hermann Göring, was tasked with achieving total air supremacy over British airspace to facilitate an invasion.
German Strategic Defeat: The Luftwaffe failed to secure air supremacy, leading to a German defeat in the Battle of Britain and the indefinite postponement of Operation Sea Lion.
The Blitz ( $1940-41$ ): Following the failure to destroy the Royal Air Force, Germany shifted to a campaign of sustained aerial bombardment against British cities and civilian targets.
Escalation to Total War: The survival of Britain meant that Germany was now trapped in a prolonged, multi-front, total and existential war, rather than the short conflict they had anticipated.

Global Intentions: Historians continue to evaluate whether Hitler genuinely intended to engage in a full-scale world war as early as $1939-40$ , or if the conflict escalated beyond his immediate tactical goals.
The Aesthetic of Conquest: Hitler’s visit to Paris in $1940$ included high-profile figures such as the architect Albert Speer and the sculptor Arno Breker, emphasizing the ideological and cultural dimensions of the victory.
Professional Recommendation for Further Reading: For an exhaustive analysis of German war planning and a deep deconstruction of the 1940 campaign myths, refer to:
- Karl-Heinz Frieser, The Blitzkrieg Legend.