The Rise of the Third Reich

"You demand that future borders be drawn in accordance with the provisions of the Brest-Litovsk Treaty, is that correct?"

At 5 pm on September 11, 1939, after several hours of long waiting, Molotov, the Soviet People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs, met the rather indifferent German Chancellor Adolf Hitler at 77 Wilhelm Street.

"Yes, leader," Molotov said after listening to the interpreter of the Soviet ambassador who accompanied Molotov, "This is a pre-agreed agreement between the two governments... I think Germany will not violate the agreement. ?”

"Of course Germany will not violate the agreement. We always keep our word!" Adolf Hitler suddenly slammed the table like crazy and stood up. "But what about the Soviet Union? Did the Soviet Union declare war on Poland as agreed? Today is already September 11, and the war has already started for 11 days! What are you, the Soviet Union, doing?"

"We...we are preparing." Molotov said expressionlessly, "Now we are ready."

"Ready for war with Britain, France, and Poland?"

"No," Molotov said, "the only enemy of the Soviet Union is Poland. If Germany agrees to demarcate the border as originally agreed, the Soviet Union will attack Poland within 24 hours."

He said attack, not declare war! The Soviet Union would go to war without declaring it, thus minimizing the risk of war with Britain and France.

Hitler and Marshal Schleicher, the Defense Minister beside him, looked at each other - the Soviet Union was indeed not worthy of trust! Schleicher could speak Russian, and he said in Russian: "Okay, you attack. But we are done... The Poles have just asked us for an armistice, and given the pressure we face on the Western Front, we intend to accept it. their request."

"An armistice?" Molotov was stunned, and his expressionless face also showed surprise, "The war is over?"

This is terrible! Molotov said to himself: Germany is going to make peace with Britain, France and Poland, so the Soviet Union will have to fight the Poles alone... No, it is probably not with Poland. Britain and France may support Poland!

Seeing Molotov's expression change from surprise to panic, Marshal Schleicher smiled as if he was mischievous: "The war is not over yet. We will not let Britain and France off easily unless they agree to abolish Versailles." Treaty of St. Germain and give back everything they have taken from us over the past 20 years!”

Now that Poland has knelt down and is going to fight the Soviet Union for its eastern territory, Germany's forces can be liberated from the eastern front and transferred to the western front. Under such circumstances, Germany would naturally have to raise the price for peace. Not only the Treaties of Versailles and Saint-Germain, but also what was taken from Germany under these two treaties must be returned, at least in part!

This means that Britain and France must not only return the former German colonies they occupied, but also return the reparations paid by Germany. It will even involve the sovereignty of Alsace and Lorraine!

In this case, the possibility of reaching a peace agreement between Britain, France and Germany becomes very low.

Molotov breathed a sigh of relief, as long as Germany, Britain and France continued to fight.

"But you, the Soviet Union, must provide us with oil." Hitler knew that now was a good opportunity to blackmail the Soviet Union, and he would not let it go. "We do not have much oil reserves and can only sustain the war for a few months. If you can give us oil every month Provide us with 500,000 tons of oil, and then we can continue the fight.”

"500,000 tons?" Molotov shook his head quickly, "This is impossible! The Soviet Union is going to war, and we ourselves need oil!"

Of course the Soviet Union has abundant oil production, but oil is a tool for Kadez's neck! How is it possible to give Germany 500,000 tons a month?

"Up to 200,000 tons," Molotov said, "you must exchange it for the machines we need."

Hitler glanced at Schleicher, who said coldly: "We are still fighting Britain and France, and the factories must run at full capacity to produce weapons! If you want machines, you have to wait until the end of the war. I think, You must not want the war to end soon, right?"

This is to blackmail the Soviet Union!

Molotov quickly understood what Schleicher meant. He was silent for a while and nodded as if reluctantly: "Okay, 200,000 tons a month, you can pay on credit!"

"It's 500,000 tons!" Schleicher said.

500,000 tons in January, which is 6 million tons in a year... However, Schleicher did not think that the Poles would be able to resist for 12 months. He estimated that it would be good if the Poles could withstand it for a month, and it would be a bonus if Germany could obtain 500,000 tons of oil in vain.

"Okay!" Molotov didn't think that the second Soviet-Polish war would last long - when Poland was defeated, the oil supply agreement would naturally be a piece of waste paper.

"But you must promise not to support Poland and Ukraine." Molotov also made the Soviet Union's request. Stalin was most worried about Germany providing advanced weapons to Ukraine and Poland for use against the Soviet army.

"Of course we will not support them," Hitler said. "You can rest assured that our German Empire is principled in doing things. We will abide by our agreements and consider the interests of our allies. We are not as dishonest as some countries. "

Of course Molotov knew who the country that Hitler mentioned as untrustworthy was? But he wouldn't argue with Hitler either. Although 500,000 tons of oil were paid, Hitler's guarantee was obtained and an agreement was reached on the partition of Poland. His trip to Berlin was basically a success.

Now the Soviet Red Army can confidently and boldly attack Poland and Ukraine.

…

"What? You Poles want an armistice with Germany?"

Almost at the same time that Molotov met Hitler, Polish Foreign Minister Joseph Baker also arrived in London and informed the British Foreign Secretary Viscount Halifax of the Polish government's preparations for an armistice with Germany.

The Viscount suddenly felt like he wanted to beat up the Pole in front of him. The world war started because of Poland, and now you want to stop it! Can you stop it? Can the UK and France stop it?

"This is a separate peace!" Viscount Halifax said seriously, "If you do this, the British Empire will never regard Poland as a friend!"

Joseph Baker cried sadly, "Viscount, you should know that the Soviet Union is about to attack us. They want more land than the Germans... Are you willing to declare war on the Soviet Union?"

Declare war on the Soviet Union? Germany is almost unable to deal with it, so it still declares the Soviet Union?

Seeing the silence of Viscount Halifax, Joseph Baker said: "We Poles have no choice. We do not have the capital to fight on two fronts, so we can only concentrate our efforts on dealing with the Soviet Union."

"How can you defeat the Soviet Union?" Viscount Halifax gave Joseph Baker a cold look. "This is completely impossible! Your only way out is to meet the Soviet Union's requirements, and then concentrate your efforts on fighting Germany. Fight! As long as you defeat Germany, you can get back everything you have lost from the Germans!”

Baker shook his head repeatedly, "This is unrealistic. Viscount, we are facing an unprecedentedly terrifying Germany! Although Marshal Rez Himigwi has been planning a counterattack, we all know that Poland was defeated. Defeated in one day, it was completely defeated by September 5th... Marshal Rez Himigwe's counterattack will not occur at all, because it only exists in his imagination. "

Joseph Baker and most senior officials of the Polish government were actually "Piłsudski's colonels" and they all knew military matters. Moreover, they still had many friends in the army. By September 5, they already knew that Poland had lost miserably and Warsaw could not hold on. Hence the government's decision to move to Lublin.

As for the great counterattack of the Polish army and the miracle on the Vistula River, experts and insiders like them would not believe it at all. From what they knew about the Polish army, even if it could organize a large-scale battle, it would take at least ten days and a half to prepare. By then, the Germans would have already wiped out the Prussian Army Group and the Poznan Army Group. What else would they use to fight the battle?

So when Rez Himigwe told them that the Germans were ready to negotiate peace based on the 1918 Polish-German Border Treaty, everyone demanded that Rez Himigwe accept it immediately - no matter what the Germans ended up doing. Will they raise the asking price? As long as they do not attack Warsaw now, they are willing to let go of the remnants of the Poznan Army and the Prussian Army so that they can resist the imminent invasion of the Soviet Union. Then Poland still has a glimmer of hope!

As for the German request to occupy Eastern Galicia (referring to Austrian Western Ukraine) and Lithuania (including Nulves), Rez-Himmiweg, Beck and others considered it acceptable, because "occupation" after all It was not a "cede". The sovereignty still belonged to the Polish Federation. The German occupation was just to prevent the Soviet Red Army from entering. It was actually a protection for Poland.

As for whether the Germans can be invited away from there in the future, that is not something to consider now. Now all Poland has to consider is resisting the Soviet invasion. If Poland loses this battle, it will really be in danger of national subjugation.

"Viscount," Joseph Baker said to Halifax at the end of the talks, "why can't Britain and France make peace with Germany? The war started because of Poland, and now Poland has agreed to restore the 1918 borders. …Is it still necessary to continue the war?”

Yes, why is it necessary to continue the war? Many British, French, Dutch and Belgians who will soon be involved in the war will ask this question.

Viscount Halifax glared at Joseph Baker fiercely, "Do you think the world revolves around Poland? Do you think this world war is just for Danze? This is a world war that will determine the future of the world. A century-long or even two-hundred-year leadership war! If Germany becomes the winner, then your Poland will become a geographical term! You don’t know this, and you are so stupid to think about coexisting with Germany!”