The History of WWII Podcast XX
[0] Welcome to True Spies, the podcast that takes you deep inside the greatest secret missions of all time.
[1] Suddenly out of the dark, it's a bit in love.
[2] You'll meet the people who live life undercover.
[3] What do they know?
[4] What are their skills?
[5] And what would you do in their position?
[6] Vengeance felt good seeing these.
[7] People paid for what they'd done, felt righteous.
[8] True Spies, from Spyscape Studios, wherever you get your podcasts.
[9] Hello, and thank you for listening to The History of World War II, Episode 40.
[10] Gentlemen, there will be war.
[11] The more I read about Adolf Hitler, especially at the time before the Battle of Britain, the more I'm convinced that he did not want to rule the world.
[12] He was maniacal, his was a tortured soul, and with all the accompanying desire for control and freedom from his fears that are included, and at the risk of oversimplifying things, he was evil.
[13] He wanted what he wanted, and he was willing to do anything to obtain them.
[14] He would lie and deceive, and he knew he was lying and deceiving.
[15] There was no struggle of guilt inside him.
[16] However, I'm convinced that he did not envision himself with his foot on the world, just on Europe.
[17] But it makes sense that anyone born and raised in Europe would consider it, for the most part, the world.
[18] He studied Napoleon, Frederick the Great, Kaiser Wilhelm II, Bismarck, Caesar, Alexander the Great, and anyone else of note who attempted what he was attempting, the control, the conquering of Europe.
[19] To be Europe's undisputed master would have made him as content as anyone with his mental and emotional makeup could be.
[20] And in the summer of 1940, the British, and in particular Winston Churchill, were disturbing his contentment by not recognizing his obvious mastery of Europe, his world.
[21] It was even more galling that Britain was, in his view, already beaten and unable to even acknowledge that.
[22] In thinking through the events of the war in the West, he believed that decadent France would fall.
[23] It did, and then there would be three possible scenarios concerning Great Britain.
[24] There would be a negotiated peace with the overwhelmed island nation, they would be bombed into submission, or lastly, the stubborn British people would be conquered directly.
[25] He hoped for the first, was willing to do the second, and never thought he would have to consider the third.
[26] So even though his heart was not in invading the island nation, their unwillingness to accept his terms as a conqueror, not as an equal, perturbed that part of Hitler that was best left alone.
[27] Let the British have colonies and an empire around the globe.
[28] He wanted Europe.
[29] What's more, he had it.
[30] But the island nation just outside his domain would not deign to let it be.
[31] Because of him, Germany was once again great, and his new, greater Germany was superior to Great Britain.
[32] National Socialism was the future, and the Parliamentary Government was the past.
[33] If the British would not voluntarily yield, he would drive them to their knees.
[34] He could not stand defiance, and we have already seen what he did to Warsaw for defying him.
[35] Neville Chamberlain has been treated none too kindly in this podcast, and unfortunately, It is deserved.
[36] With hindsight, of course.
[37] Simply, he was a product of his time, and no one then was interested in waging another war that would cost those countries engaged millions in national treasure and possibly millions of lives.
[38] But he, along with others working under him during his time as Prime Minister, deserved credit for building up Britain's defensive capabilities.
[39] Britain did not want another war, but...
[40] It very much wanted the ability to defend itself in any future war.
[41] During his time as Prime Minister, from 1937 to 1940, millions upon millions of pounds went into creating a defensive shield for the homeland.
[42] Everyone knew that a future war would be waged from the skies.
[43] So that was their focus, along with maintaining a strong navy.
[44] The British defense would consist of monoplane fighters and the newly invented radar.
[45] Together, their job was to stop any knockout blow from the skies, a .k .a. the third dimension.
[46] War on the land was the first dimension, war on the waves was the second, and the skies were the third.
[47] The planes, the technology, and the Navy would strive to keep an aggressor at bay.
[48] But since they would rather not be engaged in the first place, their deterrent was the enlarging of bomber command.
[49] Millions were also invested here.
[50] Who would attack Britain when the result would be hundreds of bombers flying over your country, raining down destruction?
[51] The thinking in most military circles in Europe was, the bomber would always get through.
[52] Of course, all this points to a decidedly lack of offensive capability.
[53] So when Britain declared to support Poland, which then gets invaded by Germany on September 1st, 1939, Britain's developed defensive shield will provide little help to the struggling Poles.
[54] On the other side of the channel, the Germans had worked hard, since Hitler came to power, to make sure that the next war would end differently, because it would be fought differently.
[55] Although they had a head start in developing their air power on a grand scale, their goals and vision for the next war had a narrow scope.
[56] They wanted their fighters and bombers to work closely with their ground troops and armor, so designed, organized, and practiced accordingly.
[57] No one could deny the results when Poland fell in a matter of weeks, as did France in the following May and June.
[58] But when it came to subduing Britain across the Channel, that was a different story.
[59] The German air fleets, as impressive as they were, were not designed to knock out an opponent single -handedly.
[60] And large -scale bombing of civilians was, thus far, only to be a retaliatory measure if German civilians in cities were bombed.
[61] So, ironically...
[62] The Franco -British alliance was defensive in nature, and the magnificent Luftwaffe was only one half of the offensive weaponry of the Germans.
[63] Germany had 380 bombers alone giving close air support to their forces in May and June, while the British managed to only train seven pilots between September of 1939 and March of 1940 for similar operations.
[64] And that is not even considering the hundreds of German fighter planes used in the Battle of the West.
[65] Certainly, the British Expeditionary Force, under Lord Gort, did the best it could on the continent.
[66] But between its size and serving under French control, it was unable to really make a difference.
[67] The only other offensive weapon Britain had were the squadrons of Hurricane fighters, and they were saving them for home defense.
[68] But money ended up eventually being sent to the continent.
[69] in response to frantic French pleas for assistance.
[70] But, going in piecemeal with no radar to focus them, their losses were unacceptably high.
[71] In May and June alone, 477 fighters were shot down and 284 pilots were killed.
[72] In fact, the losses were high enough that Sir Hugh Downing, the Commander -in -Chief of Fighter Command, took the unprecedented step of asking to speak directly with the War Cabinet on May 15th.
[73] He simply told these men that this lending of fighters that were meant for home defense had to stop.
[74] But Churchill, who needed to keep France in the fight, besides being a Francophile, ignored the plea for the most part.
[75] But from this time on, France received only hurricane fighters and not the high -performance Spitfires.
[76] It wasn't until Dunkirk that Britain was fighting the kind of war it thought would come, i .e. providing a defensive shield, and so...
[77] fared relatively well.
[78] During the events of the Great Evacuation, the RAF fought from bases in southern Britain to the limit of their range and were able to establish periods of air dominance and inflict significant damage on the Luftwaffe.
[79] As an example, within a three -day period over Dunkirk and the Channel, the British fighters were able to destroy 132 German aircraft.
[80] Spitfires were then also used, and to good effect, But still, 155 of them were lost.
[81] However, 65 of the 155 losses were due to accidents as the men got used to their increased speed and maneuverability.
[82] As events unfolded between the two antagonists, Dunkirk would turn out to be the beginning of a year -long air battle.
[83] So Churchill, the War Cabinet, and the RAF gave a good account of themselves.
[84] But it should be noted that this was with the tools given to them by Chamberlain and the other...
[85] pre -Churchill leaders.
[86] Dunkirk's outcome and Churchill's speech afterward gave most people hope, but it was still obvious to everyone in Britain that they were losing the war.
[87] Fear spread among the populace, and the German minister of propaganda, Josef Goebbels, gleefully fanned the flames.
[88] The British government reacted, or overreacted, by passing the Treachery Act.
[89] Soon government officials rounded up and detained Germans and Austrians aged 16 to 68.
[90] Unfortunately, most of them were Jews who had fled the continent in the first place.
[91] But their loss of freedom was the price the British government was willing to pay for the appearance of safety.
[92] This was followed up by a curfew from 10 p .m. to 8 a .m. Anyone suspected of disloyalty or of trying to help the Nazis were put in jail.
[93] There was only black or white, and many innocent people were detained.
[94] The next day, May 23rd, Oswald Mosley, the leader of the British Union of Fascists, was put into jail, followed by his wife.
[95] This threat was now removed from Churchill and the government.
[96] With Mosley in jail, there was no one else for the pro -peace movement to rally around.
[97] Britain, Nazi Germany, and the world were put on notice.
[98] During the last weeks of the War of France, U .S. President Franklin Roosevelt was contacted by Churchill and Premier Paul Renaud, asking for different levels of assistance.
[99] When Churchill could not get Roosevelt to enter the war to save France, not that he expected anything different, he soon started asking for assistance for his country.
[100] The correspondence between Churchill and Roosevelt, and later Stalin, would make a fascinating podcast by themselves.
[101] And in fact, there is a movie called When Lions Roared.
[102] that you should watch once or twice, or like I did many more times.
[103] In mid -May, Churchill asked Roosevelt for all help possible, steel, planes, and destroyers, especially their older models.
[104] He informed the President that he expected Britain to be attacked like the Dutch were, with airborne troops descending from the skies and taking over airports to make way for reinforcements.
[105] He also told the President of their fear of the IRA, or Irish Republican Army.
[106] taking advantage of the invasion, and in prudence, sent a naval squadron to Ireland.
[107] Roosevelt, for practical and procedural reasons, had to say no to most of what would have really helped.
[108] But he was coming upon an unprecedented third election, and the anti -interventionalist lobby was still powerful.
[109] It would be too much to say that Churchill played Roosevelt, but he certainly presented his case in the best possible light for his needs.
[110] It didn't help.
[111] that the U .S. ambassador, Joseph Kennedy, a man ill -suited for this position, told the president that to back London was backing a losing hand.
[112] Bullitt in France said the same thing about the French.
[113] It was never a question of Roosevelt backing the other side, just if the U .S. should become involved.
[114] Roosevelt genuinely wanted to help, but had to appear, for now, as a reluctant but necessary neutral.
[115] With the war quickly going against them, Internal squabbling and political intrigue soon showed its head in London.
[116] Halifax, the foreign minister, who almost became prime minister instead of Churchill, wanted to at least ascertain what terms Berlin might offer.
[117] Besides keeping the French in the fight, Churchill had to juggle this potential damning move to his new position as well.
[118] But through patience and some intrigue on his own, Churchill was able to mostly subdue Halifax's efforts by May 28th.
[119] What Hitler did not understand, because he would not believe, was that the British, due to Churchill's political machinations, had worked out very early in the conflict, their resolve to fight on as long as possible.
[120] There would be no questioning this from now on.
[121] Most people ignore the fact that Chamberlain supported Churchill in this.
[122] In fact, Churchill desperately needed his support and the conservative support he brought with him.
[123] This, along with the liberal and labor support in Parliament that Churchill had, meant that he would be able to fight the war Chamberlain had strived to prepare for.
[124] It was at this same meeting on May 28th that Churchill scrubbed the idea of sending Britain's treasure, and including the coronation chair, to Canada.
[125] However, there were still peace initiatives in Britain as the British Communists and Fascists came together to implore upon the government to sue for peace.
[126] This peace movement, outside of the government, was led by the respectable David Lloyd George, their leader during World War I. Churchill considered doing an end run around George by inviting him to join the cabinet.
[127] In the end, the offer was not made, and George did not want to join anyway.
[128] He was waiting for Churchill to bust.
[129] But that moment never came.
[130] On June 17th, word reached the British people that France was out of the war.
[131] Understandably, there was a sharp rise in uncertainty, but it eventually leveled off.
[132] Churchill's speeches, successful naval clashes, and the coming Operation Catapult bolstered the people, and weeks before the air battle was fought in earnest, the idea of staying the course returned to the middle and lower classes.
[133] Through all this fear and uncertainty, the government was able to remain objective enough to know that any real threat would come to southern Britain.
[134] Still, that fear caused the government to keep one eye on Ireland and the IRA.
[135] The British officials believed, as did some Germans, that Ireland had significant numbers of fifth colonists ready to aid Germany in attacking Britain.
[136] The term fifth colonists originated during the Spanish Civil War.
[137] As four columns of Franco's troops were heading towards Madrid, he announced over the radio that a fifth column of helpers was already in the city.
[138] The term stuck.
[139] and Minister of Propaganda Goebbels used it to describe the many pro -Nazi sympathizers already in the Low Countries and France.
[140] Churchill decided early on to hold none of the bad news back from the people.
[141] On June 18th, he told the House of Commons that the Battle of France is over.
[142] I expect the Battle of Britain is about to begin.
[143] This speech galvanized many, but upset others.
[144] Many people in Britain, some of them in the government, didn't feel up to the challenge of taking on Germany, and Churchill's enthusiastic attitude towards combat only pushed him further down the path of talking this conflict out.
[145] Welcome to True Spies.
[146] The podcast that takes you deep inside the greatest secret missions of all time.
[147] Suddenly out of the dark it's appeared in love.
[148] You'll meet the people who live life undercover.
[149] What do they know?
[150] What are their skills?
[151] And what would you do in their position?
[152] Vengeance felt good.
[153] Seeing these people pay for what they'd done felt righteous.
[154] True Spies from Spyscape Studios.
[155] Wherever you get your podcasts.
[156] While the British were fretting about what was to come, Hitler was touring Paris during the third week of June.
[157] It would be the first and last time he visited the City of Lights.
[158] On June 29th, Hitler returned to his headquarters in Tannenberg in the Black Forest.
[159] There, during the next day, he read Jodl's continuation of war against England.
[160] The report stated the war in the West was almost over.
[161] All that was needed to finish off Britain was an increase in the air and sea war against it by attacking ships, storage facilities, and factories.
[162] The RAF was to be brought low by the Luftwaffe.
[163] It should also be considered whether terror attacks on cities was needed.
[164] If these measures did not work directly, they would at least make possible the landing of German troops.
[165] But, the report emphasized, the first step was taking out the Royal Air Force.
[166] By July 2nd, Hitler had still not heard from London, so the next step was taken, as the OKW issued an order to investigate the possible invasion of southern Britain.
[167] But it was a plan only, without a date, no details, no specifics, no troop transfers, and no commander chosen to lead it.
[168] However, the details were coming.
[169] Five days later, on July 7th, An official order went out for the different branches of the armed forces to investigate the hows and when of an invasion.
[170] It seemed that Britain would indeed be going the way of Poland and France.
[171] Studies by the different branches began, but they all agreed that air superiority had to first be achieved.
[172] But this was not military cleverness, just common sense.
[173] However, the problem was that Hitler and his generals had no grand strategy.
[174] no world view, and in fact, they were land -based in their thinking, and this would not change.
[175] They couldn't see that there were other ways of hurting Britain in order to bring them to a dialogue.
[176] They could have, with their Italian allies, attacked British possessions like Gibraltar or Egypt and cut off badly needed supplies from the Mediterranean.
[177] But any amphibious landings of this magnitude were beyond their military thinking.
[178] However, Britain, the homeland of their final enemy, was right there, across the channel.
[179] In fact, you could see it on a clear day.
[180] So, plans of bleeding the RAF and Royal Navy, at least enough to get troops across, continued.
[181] But this was more a case of military momentum than of Hitler's wishes.
[182] He truly wanted a settled peace with Britain, of course, on his very own, very favorable terms.
[183] He knew Britain could not attack him or even land on the continent, so was already looking to the east.
[184] It wasn't that there were mixed signals coming from Britain, there were no signals coming from Britain, and Hitler's intuitiveness had nothing to go off of.
[185] So he would wait and let it be known that Britain could still have peace, that the dreaded war could come to an end, while their empire was still intact.
[186] But Hitler wasn't only waiting, he was hesitating.
[187] The distinction is important.
[188] Why wasn't London asking for terms?
[189] Surely Churchill's speeches was just rhetoric, and soon there would be a knock on his door or a call asking for terms.
[190] The silence may have only bought the British a few weeks, but they used them well.
[191] Hitler, waiting, but not patiently, decided to shake the situation loose on his own.
[192] On July 6th, a day before he told his forces to explore plans for invading Britain, he ordered Ribbentrop, his foreign minister, to write a speech that would allow him to explain himself, his actions, and his wish for a peaceful conclusion to the war.
[193] Britain could still have peace if they accepted the status quo of a German -controlled Europe.
[194] The speech would be given later that month, as he was in no hurry.
[195] He would give Churchill a few more weeks to see the light.
[196] But the draft by Ribbentrop was not to Hitler's liking, and so he started writing it himself.
[197] But as the days went by and no British message came to Berlin asking for terms, his attitude hardened towards the British, and specifically Churchill, and his respect for both decreased.
[198] During the time of his rewriting his speech, Hitler went from a political to a military solution, but still had hope of resolving the war without an invasion.
[199] Even after the bombing started, He saw this action in the light of bringing Churchill to the negotiating table.
[200] He did not, he could not, think of increased hostilities on his part as maybe pushing the British beyond the point of no return.
[201] And since he was waiting for the British to recognize they were beaten, he did not speak out directly before his speech.
[202] With no word yet coming from across the Channel by the second week of July, Hitler called his military chiefs together on July 11th.
[203] to assess the situation.
[204] But before he talked to his generals, he talked alone to Grand Admiral Rader.
[205] Rader had been anticipating this topic for some time, and so had ideas ready at hand.
[206] In fact, Hitler and the Admiral had already had a preliminary talk back on June 20th.
[207] Rader's heart was never in an invasion, especially after the losses he suffered in Norway.
[208] The best he could offer was a war crocodile.
[209] This was an idea for a self -propelled concrete barge carrying a company of 200 men, fully equipped, plus several tanks or pieces of artillery.
[210] Hitler and Rader went round and round on this, as well as thinking through different ways of getting troops to British soil.
[211] But it all came to nothing.
[212] Hitler then went on his tour of Paris, visited places that he'd fought in World War I, and stopped at the tomb of Napoleon.
[213] Admiral Rader was totally devoted to Hitler.
[214] but at the same time, a realist.
[215] He was all for bombing London and British shipping because they were bombing his naval bases at Wilhelmshaven, Hamburg, and Kiel.
[216] Indeed, he begged the Fuhrer to order the other branches to fight back, but not to consider an invasion.
[217] That should only be seen as a last resort.
[218] He encouraged his leader to terrorize and strangle Britain with the bombings of its cities and an aerial and submarine blockade.
[219] But in the end, Rader all but talked Hitler out of an invasion, if he needed to be pushed anyway.
[220] According to Rundstedt, Hitler once said, On land, I am a hero, but on the water, I am a coward.
[221] After going round and round with his admiral for two days, Hitler was ready to talk to his generals on July 13th.
[222] They talked at the Burghof, above Berchtesgaden.
[223] There, Hitler admitted to being perplexed by the British.
[224] They were defeated, so what was the point of holding out?
[225] He answered his own question, no one else was stupid enough to do so, by saying, in his opinion, the British had its immediate hopes on Russia, who was clearly worrying him with their movements west.
[226] The U .S. was still neutral, and Hitler knew that Roosevelt could not stir up things with an election coming.
[227] So he summed up the situation to his amazed generals by concluding that Britain hoped Germany would turn and invade Russia without a conclusion to their conflict.
[228] but he would not fall for the trap of a two -front war.
[229] However, since Russia was their only hope, this was just another reason to attack Russia, as he planned on doing so anyway in the future.
[230] Take out their one possible savior, Russia, take away their hope, and the British would agree to any terms he put before them.
[231] The generals must have had many questions, but knew better than to ask them.
[232] Besides, they wanted to focus on Russia.
[233] Britain.
[234] could only be a nuisance now.
[235] Hitler then pulled back to his worldview and expressed his opinion that if he was forced to destroy the British Empire, that only Japan, the U .S., and others would benefit, not Germany.
[236] Through the hours of talking, and it's easy to see that Hitler was thinking things through as he talked, he probably started coming to some conclusions.
[237] That same day of July 13th.
[238] The Nazi warlord turned down Mussolini's offer of planes and men to assist in the invasion of Britain, but he also told his generals that he had made many offers of peace, or at least a negotiated peace with Britain, and had been turned down each time.
[239] There would be no more offers.
[240] Mussolini, for his part, was snubbed again, and should have by now learned his place in the New World Order.
[241] but instead would soon decide that it was time to expand his North African empire with an attack on Egypt.
[242] Victory and glory would be his.
[243] Although Hitler was not making public statements until he knew or thought he knew Churchill's true intentions, he spoke his thoughts to his generals.
[244] But Churchill had to speak.
[245] He needed to speak.
[246] And his people needed to hear the conviction coming from him.
[247] The only things holding back a German invasion were the British Air Force and Navy, Hitler's doubts, although few knew it at the time, and the words of Winston Churchill and what those words stirred in the men and women of Great Britain.
[248] On July 14th, Churchill gave a speech that covered many topics, but like those of his recent past, he held nothing back from his audience, while at the same time giving them hope.
[249] The speech would become known as the War of the Unknown Warrior speech, and you will hear it at the end of this episode.
[250] But when he was done, the British people knew where they stood in the war and with their leader.
[251] Lines like, we are fighting by ourselves alone, but we are not fighting for ourselves alone.
[252] Most have hearkened those in Britain and within the already conquered countries.
[253] Also, he again told the people it would probably be a long war, but, quote, be the ordeal sharp or long or both.
[254] We shall seek no terms.
[255] We shall tolerate no parley.
[256] We may show mercy.
[257] We shall ask for none.
[258] End quote.
[259] In not hiding anything from the people listening on their radios, he informed them that, unlike other wars, they would play a part, whether they wanted to or not.
[260] War by Nazi means meant that no one was safe.
[261] But Churchill did not hide this either.
[262] There are vast numbers, not only in this island, but in every land.
[263] who will render faithful service in this war, but whose names will never be known, whose deeds will never be recorded.
[264] This is a war of the unknown warriors, but let all strive without failing in faith or in duty, and the dark curse of Hitler will be lifted from our age.
[265] Unquote.
[266] By July 16th, Hitler had made a decision, kind of.
[267] He issued Directive No. 16 on the preparation...
[268] of a landing operation against England.
[269] It would be called Operation Sea Line.
[270] The Luftwaffe would take the lead in this enterprise and as the newest and most fanatical of the military branches, they relished their role.
[271] But the wording of the document still shows Hitler's hesitations.
[272] There were qualifiers and conditions and not declarations like the previous campaign orders.
[273] In part, it read, Since England, despite her militarily hopeless situation, still shows no sign of willingness to come to terms, I have decided to prepare a landing operation against England, and if necessary, to carry it out.
[274] The aim of this operation is to eliminate the English homeland as a base for carrying on the war against Germany, and, if it should become necessary, to occupy it completely.
[275] The preparations for this latest invasion were to be completed by mid -August.
[276] It should be said that before Hitler's July 19th speech, many Germans were eager for a conflict with Britain, but mostly because they thought it would be easy.
[277] Hitler's speech worked in that afterward, his people blamed Britain for keeping the war going.
[278] They deserved what was about to happen to them.
[279] That being said, the German Navy was far from eager, as they would be the ones responsible for successfully ferrying troops across the Channel.
[280] The Army, meanwhile, was unconcerned with Britain.
[281] They were beaten, after all.
[282] The land forces expected another miraculous political settlement from their leader.
[283] They were concerned with the Soviet Union.
[284] Hitler's speech was given at the Kroll Opera House, where the German parliament sat due to the fire at the Reichstag building in February of 1933.
[285] Josef Goebbels, the propaganda minister, made sure his speech was heard worldwide.
[286] But this was no typical Hitler speech.
[287] There was no shrieking from an impassioned order or the stomping of feet from his rowdy audience.
[288] Hitler was playing a different role this time, and so was his chorus.
[289] The speech was worldwide, but it was meant for German and British ears.
[290] He offered peace to the British people while blaming the continuing conflict on their leaders.
[291] Meanwhile, the German people were being told, if this war continues, it's not my fault.
[292] He personally attacked Churchill several times and mentioned that as the British leaders were heading to Canada with their gold and children, if war continued, and that was up to Britain, only those left behind would suffer, namely the British people.
[293] He purposefully left the U .S. out of his speech.
[294] Nor did he mention on that very day, Franklin Roosevelt accepted the nomination as the Democratic candidate for the upcoming presidential election.
[295] Of Russia, Hitler commented on the valued relationship Germany enjoyed with its neighbor.
[296] Returning to Churchill once again, Hitler said, Mr. Churchill ought perhaps for once to believe me when I prophesy that a great empire will be destroyed.
[297] An empire which it was never my intention to destroy or even to harm.
[298] I do however realize that this struggle, if it continues, can only end with the complete annihilation of one or the other of the two adversaries.
[299] Mr. Churchill may believe that this will be Germany.
[300] I know that it will be England.
[301] To be sure, Hitler wasn't begging for peace.
[302] He was offering to draw back from the madness that is war and save the British people from death and destruction.
[303] Clearly their leaders had no such interest.
[304] He finished with, I consider myself in a position to make this appeal.
[305] since I am not the vanquished begging favors, but the victor speaking in the name of reason.
[306] I can see no reason why this war must go on.
[307] Then Hitler, clever Hitler, stopped his speech and promoted nine of his generals to field marshal.
[308] In all, twelve generals were promoted.
[309] Again, as in so many times in his political past, he was achieving multiple objectives with a single act.
[310] With these medals, he was demonstrating to the world how great his armies were, while bringing these powerful men more under his spell.
[311] Surely anything he asked of them would be obeyed without hesitation, even trying to cross the English Channel.
[312] But the generals turned out to be the only ones who benefited that night.
[313] Within an hour after Hitler's speech, the BBC was broadcasting Britain's answer from London.
[314] It was no. No to everything, no to anything.
[315] Churchill knew that no one ever negotiated successfully with Hitler, so there was no point in explaining his answer.
[316] So, he decided to demonstrate it.
[317] After the speech, the RAF nightly bombed Bremen, Hamburg, Hagen, Bochum, and Panderborn.
[318] The last one was where Panzers were assembled.
[319] The German generals were dumbfounded.
[320] No?
[321] No to peace?
[322] No to not being destroyed by the world's greatest military machine?
[323] So be it.
[324] Like the German people, the military men thought Britain had no one to blame but themselves for what was about to come.
[325] But in Italy, there was not shock, just sadness.
[326] Mussolini was now ready.
[327] He was ready to participate by Hitler's side and earn his stripes as a warlord.
[328] He feared Hitler's speech, and the British response was just a little too clever.
[329] He heard within those words the beginnings of a negotiation.
[330] Strange that no one else did.
[331] No, there would be no war, and so no chance for Mussolini to earn his place in the history books.
[332] But as Churchill would later write, Mussolini, quote, need not have fretted himself.
[333] He was not to be denied all the war he wanted, unquote.
[334] On July 22nd, Lord Halifax, who now backed Churchill's idea of continued resistance, made a broadcast and officially rejected the offered peace proposal.
[335] This shocked the Wilhelmstrasse even more than the rejection on the night of the speech.
[336] On July 23, an official German spokesman told foreign correspondents, quote, Lord Halifax has refused to accept the peace officer of the Fuhrer.
[337] Gentlemen, there will be war, unquote.
[338] Had the German army been able to come to grips with the British military at that time, they would have crushed them within a week.
[339] Such was the size and condition of the British army.
[340] But the channel, the English channel, that had so influenced European history was again affecting events.
[341] For the Germans, it wasn't a question of desirability.
[342] They wanted to invade, if they could.
[343] It was the feasibility that brought them up short.
[344] July 26, Hitler told his generals that his speech had been a waste of time.
[345] But he was still not ready for a pure military solution.
[346] They still had to cross the channel.
[347] but they all agreed that, in whatever form the invasion, attack, or terror campaign took, it all started with the bringing low of the RAF.
[348] Hitler had more meetings with his generals, who had drawn up their invasion plan.
[349] Once, they were on British soil, of course.
[350] But they wanted to invade on a broad front of 200 miles from Ramsgate to Lime Bay.
[351] But the realistic German Navy simply could not provide the transport and protection of such a wide area, and Rader admitted as much.
[352] He had said the same thing on July 21st, when Hitler had summoned him, Bratlich, and General Hans Jeschenek, who was the chief of the Luftwaffe general staff.
[353] Hitler said he understood the Navy's situation, but explained that the German Navy would not be in a stronger position compared to the British Navy after a year.
[354] But within that same time, the British Army would become exceptionally stronger.
[355] They were weak now.
[356] If the German troops, tanks, and artillery could get across, Hitler would have his success in a matter of weeks and would then be able to move forward with his plans in the East.
[357] But still, the Navy knew its limitations, and Rader would not be the one man to bring his beloved leader his first defeat.
[358] The British Navy and Air Force were still in place and very active.
[359] So on July 29th, the naval war staff put into writing its considered opinion that the invasion should be put off until May of 1941, or even after that.
[360] But Hitler was going with his instincts.
[361] They served him well in Poland, when everyone else was worried about the French attacking while the bulk of his forces were in the east.
[362] The British army was weak now.
[363] It had to be brought to battle soon.
[364] So he had called his military chiefs together at his villa.
[365] on the Ober Salzburg.
[366] Those in attendance were Rader, Keitel, Jodl, Braulich, and Halter.
[367] But, uncharacteristically, Hitler was mainly silent, and the Grand Admiral did most of the talking.
[368] He stated that September 15th would be the earliest date for sea line to begin, but it still depended on the weather and the enemy.
[369] Hitler, probably tired of talking about the British, asked about the weather.
[370] Rader explained that typically September was good, but only for the first two weeks of October could be counted on before it became impossible to cross.
[371] And even with all that, the sea had to be more than cooperative.
[372] It had to be calm.
[373] The barges would sink, and the large ships would be unable to unload supplies without a smooth sea.
[374] Just to increase the odds, the Admiral then explained that he needed a calm sea for several days in a row.
[375] There was no use in ferrying troops across if they could not be resupplied upon demand.
[376] He then returned to his absolute need of shortening the front from the Dover Straits to Eastbourne.
[377] The Navy could do no more than that.
[378] He then requested that they wait until May of 1941.
[379] But Hitler was listening to that inner voice.
[380] He wanted an attempt made to prepare the operation for September 15th.
[381] The official report stated, the decision as to whether the operation is to take place in September or is to be delayed until May 1941, will be made after the Air Force has made concentrated attacks on southern Britain for one week.
[382] Hitler went on to say that if the British forces were sufficiently damaged, Germany would move ahead with the invasion.
[383] If the RAF was still operational after that time, the invasion would take place next year.
[384] But, as a sign of things to come, on that same day, July 31st, President Roosevelt decided he would find some way, to send the destroyers to help Great Britain.
[385] So on the next day, August 1st, Directive 17th for the Conduct of Air and Naval Warfare Against England was issued.
[386] It was written in the first person by Hitler, like the other directives before it.
[387] He issued orders that the Luftwaffe was to use all means to destroy the British Air Force.
[388] Then German bombers were to focus on harbors bringing in supplies and food.
[389] It also stated that only Hitler...
[390] could approve terror attacks against civilians.
[391] Finally, the intensified air attack was to start on or after August 6th.
[392] That was also the date for the German Navy to start their attacks.
[393] A second directive following this one came the next day, and it was signed by General Keitel.
[394] It stated that 8 to 14 days after the air campaign started against Southern Britain, Hitler would then decide if the invasion would take place in 1940 or the following year.
[395] Ironically, during the last days of July, Hitler came to focus more on Russia.
[396] The German high command had been brought up short when Russia took the Baltic states and the Romanian province of Bessarabia.
[397] Were the Soviets making a move on Hitler before he could make his move on them?
[398] For now, they had to be kept at arm's length until he was ready.
[399] Or, at the very least, should have no reason to doubt that their mutually beneficial relationship...
[400] was just a smokescreen.
[401] So, as a solution to the British problem remained beyond his reach, Hitler kept looking east.
[402] Why wait or just stagger the Russian Colossus with a quick military jab?
[403] If there was to be an attack on the east, why not go full out?
[404] Take out the Soviet Union in one strike and secure all the resources of Europe for Germany.
[405] To Hitler, it was a practical and militarily sound question.
[406] So the general staff was put to work in on that as well.
[407] But it wasn't one or the other for Hitler, the UK, or the Soviet Union.
[408] He honestly did not know how to end the war with Britain, but would seize any options that arose.
[409] We will never know what Hitler was thinking.
[410] Unlike the writer Churchill, Hitler purposely kept few records, though most of his men did.
[411] He would take peace with Britain if it was offered, or he would conquer it if possible.
[412] He would use his Luftwaffe to terrorize Britain while simultaneously seeing it as the first step to invasion.
[413] He knew, had always known, that he would invade Russia one day, sooner or later.
[414] But if the British counted on Russia, and with the U .S. not coming in to rescue Britain, that was just another reason to engage the Russians.
[415] And if it had the added bonus of bringing Britain to the table, why not?
[416] So Hitler's attempt at invading Britain was not a feint.
[417] His preparations were too detailed for that.
[418] Yet we now know that his generals did not believe the invasion was possible, simply because the amount of landing and transport craft needed were not within German -controlled territory.
[419] Operation Sea Line was part hope, part bluff, and part desperation.
[420] But the Germans never doubted their victory over Britain.
[421] They just weren't sure in what form it would come.
[422] Next on, we will look at the men and the machines used in the Battle of Britain.
[423] We will also see Operation Sea Line start with a whimper.
[424] London, July 14, 1940.
[425] The War of the Unknown Warriors, a world broadcast.
[426] During the last fortnight.
[427] the british navy in addition to blockading what is left of the german fleet and chasing the italian fleet has had imposed upon it the sad duty of putting effectually out of action for the duration of the war the capital ships of the french navy these under the armistice terms signed in the railway coach at compiegne would have been placed within the power of Nazi Germany.
[428] The transference of these ships to Hitler would have endangered the security both of Great Britain and the United States.
[429] We therefore had no choice but to act as we did and to act forthwith.
[430] Our painful task is now completed.
[431] Although the unfinished battleship, the Jean Barre, still rests in a Moroccan harbor, and there are a number of French warships at Toulon and in various French ports all over the world, these are not in a condition or of a character to derange our preponderance of naval power.
[432] As long, therefore, as they make no attempt...
[433] to return to ports controlled by Germany or Italy, we shall not molest them in any way.
[434] That melancholy phase in our relations with France has, so far as we are concerned, come to an end.
[435] And now it has come to us to stand alone in the breach and face the worst that the tyrants' might and enmity can do.
[436] bearing ourselves humbly before God, but conscious that we serve an unfolding purpose, we are ready to defend our native land against the invasion by which it is threatened.
[437] We are fighting by ourselves, alone, but we are not fighting for ourselves, alone.
[438] Here in this strong city of refuge, which enshrines the title deeds of human progress, and is of deep consequence to Christian civilization, here, girt about by the seas and oceans where the navy reigns, shielding it from above by the prowess and devotion of our airmen, we await undismayed the impending assault.
[439] Perhaps it will come tonight.
[440] Perhaps it will come next week.
[441] Perhaps it will never come.
[442] We must show ourselves equally capable of meeting a sudden violent shock, or what is perhaps a harder test, a prolonged vigil.
[443] But be the ordeal sharp, or long, or both, we shall seek no terms, we shall tolerate no parley, we may show mercy, we shall ask none.
[444] But here, in our island, we are in good health.
[445] and in good heart.
[446] We have seen how Hitler prepared in scientific detail the plans for destroying the neighbor countries of Germany.
[447] He had his plans for Poland and his plans for Norway.
[448] He had his plans for Denmark.
[449] He had his plans all worked out for the doom of the peaceful, trustful Dutch.
[450] And, of course, for the Belgians.
[451] We have seen how the French were undermined and overthrown.
[452] We may therefore be sure that there is a plan, perhaps built up over years, for destroying Great Britain, which, after all, has the honor to be his main and foremost enemy.
[453] All I can say is that any plan for invading Britain, which Hitler made two months ago, must have had to be entirely recast in order to meet our new position.
[454] Two months ago, nay, one month ago, our first and main effort was to keep our best army in France.
[455] All our regular troops, all our output of munitions, and a very large part of our air force had to be sent to France and maintained in action there.
[456] But now we have it all atone.
[457] Never before in the last war, or in this, have we had in this island...
[458] an army comparable in quality equipment or numbers to that which stands here on guard tonight we have a million and a half men in the british army under arms tonight and every week of june and july has seen their organization their defenses and their striking power advanced by leaps and bounds no praise is too high for the officers and men i and civilians who have made this immense transformation in so short a time.
[459] Behind these, soldiers of the regular army, as a means of destruction for parachutists, airborne invaders, and any traitors that may be found in our midst, and I do not believe there are many, war beside them, they will get short shrift.
[460] Behind the regular army, we have...
[461] more than a million of the local defense volunteers, or as they are much better called, the Home Guard.
[462] These officers and men, a large proportion of whom have been through the last war, have the strongest desire to attack and come to close quarters with the enemy, wherever he may appear.
[463] Should the invader come to Britain, There will be no placid lying down of the people in submission before him, as we have seen, alas, in other countries.
[464] We shall defend every village, every town, and every city.
[465] The vast mass of London itself, fought street by street, could easily devour an entire hostile army.
[466] And we would rather see London laid in ruins and ashes than that it should be tamely.
[467] and abjectly enslaved.
[468] I am bound to state these facts because it is necessary to inform our people of our intentions and thus to reassure them.
[469] But all depends now upon the whole life strength of the British race in every part of the world and of all our associated peoples and of all our well -wishers in every land doing their utmost night and day.
[470] giving all, daring all, enduring all to the utmost, to the end.
[471] This is no war of chieftains or of princes, of dynasties or national ambitions.
[472] It is a war of peoples and of causes.
[473] There are vast numbers, not only in this island, but in every land, who will render faithful service in this war, but whose names will never be known, whose deeds will never be recorded.
[474] This is...
[475] A war of the unknown warriors.
[476] But let all strive without failing, in faith or in duty.
[477] And the dark curse of Hitler will be lifted from our age.
[478] You'll meet the people who live life undercover.
[479] What do they know?
[480] What are their skills?
[481] And what would you do in their position?
[482] Vengeance felt good.
[483] Seeing these people pay for what they'd done felt righteous.
[484] True Spies, from Spyscape Studios, wherever you get your podcasts.