Friday - August 21, 2009

IT’S AUGUST 21st … 1 9 3 9 The issue is Danzig ….  13 DAYS TO WAR

The Telegraph has been running excerpts from the war years and 100 days before Sept. 3rd, 1939.  Each day another and seeing it in print in the hard copy, even if they didn’t give the the inches space I’d have liked, is still enjoyable. I wish they had done what used to be the practise of bygone years. That is, reproduce an entire page. Too costly I guess.

I’ve decided that surely there must be many of you besides myself, Turtler and Drew who have passions for history.  Speaking for myself, I can never seem to get enough of it. Not just the second war either. There’s just something about the past and it’s cultures and customs and architecture and wars and manners, that attract me.  I even enjoy historical novels when there’s something new to learn.  So I thought that over the coming weeks from time to time I’d share things here with BMEWS readers, and hope I won’t bore or drive away anybody. 

In addition to the postings from The Telegraph I will include some things on the same dates copied from a book I’m going through for the second time.
That would be Count Ciano’s diaries covering the years 1937 - 1943.  It’ll take a bit of doing since I am not a typist and the print in the book while quite readable, does present a minor problem. But I hope it will all be worth the effort.  I think it will but I can’t be the final judge of that. That’s up to our readers.

Danzig’s hour ‘approaching’ - Aug 21, 1939
“Come what may, we shall see the Fuehrer in Danzig. The hour is approaching when Danzig will return to the Reich.”

Published: 12:01AM BST 21 Aug 2009

Thus declared Herr Forster, the Danzig Nazi leader, to-day, addressing 4,000 of his followers at Langfuhr, near Danzig.

He added: “The Fuehrer will settle Germany’s problems calmly and peacefully,” although he capped it by saying the situation was critical.

“If the Poles had accepted Herr Hitler’s offers of last October and March,” he went on, “the Fuehrer would have renounced the Corridor and even much more. We Germans are a good-natured people. If we had not been so good-natured there would not be a Polish question to-day.”

Recalling the Czech crisis, Herr Forster said:

“In the Czech question the French and English must have realised that they could not frighten the Fuehrer, and they had better not put their fingers in to other people’s affairs.

“Every man and woman in Danzig must feel the tension in Europe to-day. All must feel that the storm is coming, because the present situation cannot endure.” – B.U.P

DANZIG

As many will know already, Count Ciano was the Italian Foreign Minister and Mussolini’s son-in-law. He was executed in 1943 on Mussolini’s orders, for voting in council against his leadership and the war. Which he had doubts about for a long time.  He fell into a trap in 43, thinking god knows why, that he might find safety with the Germans who he did not like at all. And especially the Nazi leadership who he saw for the most part as uncultured thugs.  But the Germans turned him over to The Duce, which should not have come as any surprise.  It’s so easy looking backward now that we already know what happened. The temptation to talk out loud to the long dead and say NO. Not that way, the other way. Turn around.  It’s tempting sometimes to want to talk to them all.
Man how I’d love to talk to Nelson and Drake and Lee and the list is endless.

On August 20, 1939 Ciano made this comment in his diary ...

Conference with Mussolini and Attolico.  The Duce has made up his mind and says its’ already too late to drop the Germans. If this should happen, the world press would say that Italy is cowardly, that’s not ready, and it has drawn back when faced with the specter of war. I try to debate the matter, but that is useless now.

AUGUST 21, 1 9 3 9

Today I have spoken clearly: I have burned all my bridges.  When I entered the room Mussolini confirmed his decision to march with the Germans. 
“Duce, you cannot and must not do it.  The loyalty with which I have served you in carrying out the policy of the Axis demands my speaking clearly to you now.  I went to Salzburg in order to adopt a common line of action.  I found myself faced with a dikat. The Germans, not ourselves, have betrayed the alliance in which we were supposed to be partners, and not servants.  Tear up the pact.  Throw it in Hitler’s face and Europe will recognize in you the natural leader of the anti-German crusade.  I will go to Salzburg and speak to the Germans as they should be spoken to.  Hitler will not have me put out my cigarette as he did with Schuschnigg.” I told him this and more.  He was very impressed and approved my proposal; namely, to ask von Ribbentrop to come to the Brenner Pass, speak frankly to him, and reafirm our rights as Axis partners.  He does not want the Axis to collapse for the time being, but if it should I would not be one to weep over it. 

We telephoned von Ribbentrop, who was unavailable for some time.  Fianlly, at 5:30p.pm., I speak to him and tell him that I want to see him at the Brenner Pass.  He says that he cannot give me an answer at once because he “is waiting for an important message from Moscow (sic) and will call me during the evening.” I report this to the Duce, who asks me, as he frequently does these days, what the tone of the conversation had been and what the German mood sounded like.

Another conference with the Duce.  He approves the document that I have drawn up for my discussion with von Ribbentrop and we settle on four points relating to events that might present themselves.  In my opinion three do not count, but one is fundamental:
The one which insists that we shall not intervene if the conflict is provoked by an attack on Poland.

Posted by peiper     on 08/21/2009 at 07:23 AM   
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