Book Four: War: Early Victories and the Turning Point
- The first chapter of Book Four, War: Early Victories and the Turning Point, is a short one. Blink and you'll miss it.
- Could it be that its abbreviated length reflects the all-too-brief span of time that it took for Hitler's armies to conquer Poland?
- After less than a week, the German Army felt sure that Poland had been defeated.
- They weren't wrong.
- The strategies and tactics of the German Army caused overwhelming carnage in Poland.
The Russians Invade Poland
- Germany's swift attack and success in Poland paved the way for the Russian invasion that followed. Poor Poland.
- The Russians explained their actions to the world by stating that since Poland no longer existed, any agreements with the country were now void. Plus, they had to intervene to protect the Russian and Ukrainian brothers who were living in Poland from any chaos the Germans might cause there.
- Next, he describes Germany and Russia's ongoing communications and negotiations during their mutual invasion, and explains how the two conquering nations divvied up Poland.
- Shirer notes that in their negotiations, "Hitler and Stalin agreed to institute in Poland a regime of terror designed to brutally suppress Polish freedom, culture, and national life." (4.18.39)
- He argues that although Hitler won the war with Poland, Stalin had the better deal; he didn't have to fire a single shot.
- Although Hitler gave Stalin the territories that he demanded, he neither forgot nor forgave his Soviet ally for getting while the getting was good.