Peace In Their Time

It seemed that after the re-occupation of the Rhineland that Hitler had gotten the measure of the UK and France, and that what had seemed impossible previously was now quite the opposite. To that end, he was finally able to achieve one of the biggest goals of both the Nazis and German nationalists in general: the unification of Austria to Germany. 

 

Bibliography for this episode: 

1. Tooze, Adam Wages of Destruction: The Making and Breaking of the Nazi Economy Penguin Books 2006
2. Evans, Richard J. The Third Reich in Power Penguin Press 2005
3. Emondson, C. Earl The Heimwehr and Austrian Politics, 1918-1936 The University of Georgia Press 1978
4. Kershaw, Ian Hitler 1936-1945: Nemesis W.W. Norton and Company 2000
5. Toland, John Adolf Hitler, Volume 1 Doubleday & Company Inc 1976

Questions? Comments? Email me at peaceintheirtime@gmail.com

The name of the game for 1930s Germany was escalation. Not just in armaments, but in diplomatic moves as well. From small moves to prevent coalitions forming against them, to major plays to bring down the Versailles order, the Nazis only grew bolder as they began to realize the West lacked the wherewithal to stop them. 

 

Bibliography for this episode: 

1. Tooze, Adam Wages of Destruction: The Making and Breaking of the Nazi Economy Penguin Books 2006
2. Evans, Richard J. The Third Reich in Power Penguin Press 2005
3. Kershaw, Ian Hitler 1889-1936: Hubris W.W. Norton and Company 1998
4. Kershaw, Ian Hitler 1936-1945: Nemesis W.W. Norton and Company 2000
5. Toland, John Adolf Hitler, Volume 1 Doubleday & Company Inc 1976

Questions? Comments? Email me at peaceintheirtime@gmail.com

We all know the Germans annexed Austria in 1938, but the story of how they tried to overthrow their southern neighbor in 1934 doesn't get as much attention. Today I'll be covering the politics and instability that created a window of opportunity, or perhaps more the scant impression of one, to be exploited by the Nazis.

 

Bibliography for this episode: 

1. Emondson, C. Earl The Heimwehr and Austrian Politics, 1918-1936 The University of Georgia Press 1978
2. Beller, Steven A Concise History of Austria Cambridge University Press 2007
3. Evans, Richard J. The Third Reich in Power Penguin Press 2005
4. Kershaw, Ian Hitler 1889-1936: Hubris W.W. Norton and Company 1998

Questions? Comments? Email me at peaceintheirtime@gmail.com

Military conquest was always an ambition of Hitler and the Nazis, a central thesis of theirs was that war was necessary to strengthen their nation. But while the military was built-up almost from scratch, victories were sought on the diplomatic front. Which is the new facet of German aggression being moved onto. Today specifically be about the Geneva Disarmament Conference, the colossal waste of time it wound up being, and how it set the tone for Nazi diplomacy in the future. 

 

Bibliography for this episode: 

1. Bennett, Edward W. German Rearmament and the West, 1932-1933 Princeton University Press 1979
2. Nere, J. The Foreign Policy of France from 1914 to 1945 Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd 1975
3. Kitching, Carolyn J. Britain and the Geneva Disarmament Conference: A Study in International History Palgrave Macmillan 2003

Questions? Comments? Email me at peaceintheirtime@gmail.com

For the 200th episode I'm taking a dive into the minutia of the German Army's arsenal. Ironically, some of the most famous German weapons were only introduced in the later half of the war, when they were losing ground left and right. The years of their build-up and conquest were marked by much more modest pieces of equipment that nevertheless had their qualities.

Was the German Army of WWII the unstoppable demon army of military myth? Or were they the luckiest flock of goose-steppers ever to visit Paris? Turns out they were simply a professional force that brought just enough new ideas to the table that they made everybody else look bad there for a while. Today I break down the broad strokes of German doctrine and organization for its army, everybody's favorite WWII topic since 1945. 

 

Questions? Comments? Email me at peaceintheirtime@gmail.com

I know that half the military history internet is devoted to the technical specs of the German military in WWII, but for completions sake I'm going to be adding to that pile. Today I cover the organization, doctrine, and models of weapon used by the two supporting branches of the German military. 

 

Bibliography for this episode: 

1. Deist, Wilhelm The Wehrmacht and German Rearmament MacMillan Press Ltd 1986
2. Bishop, Chris The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II Barnes & Noble Inc 1998
3. Donald, David Warplanes of the Luftwaffe Aerospace Publishing Ltd 1994
4. Williamson, Gordon Hitler's Navy: The Kriegsmarine in World War II Osprey Publishing Ltd 2022
5. Williamson, Gordon German Light Cruisers 1939-45 Osprey Publishing Ltd 2003

Questions? Comments? Email me at peaceintheirtime@gmail.com

 

In the second half of this installment, I wrap up the woes the Wehrmacht faced by the end of the 30s, problems that would never be fully resolved. Also covered is the Blomberg-Fritsch Affair, two unrelated scandals that nevertheless Hitler used as cover to solidify control of the army. 

 

Bibliography for this episode: 

1. Tooze, Adam Wages of Destruction: The Making and Breaking of the Nazi Economy Penguin Books 2006
2. Evans, Richard J. The Third Reich in Power Penguin Press 2005
3. Kershaw, Ian Hitler 1889-1936: Hubris W.W. Norton and Company 1998
4. Kershaw, Ian Hitler 1936-1945: Nemesis W.W. Norton and Company 2000
5. Deist, Wilhelm The Wehrmacht and German Rearmament MacMillan Press Ltd 1986

Questions? Comments? Email me at peaceintheirtime@gmail.com

I've been slacking a lot on the release schedule, so enjoy a second episode for this week. Today I'm still talking about rearmament, but this time it's just the planning on the military side. Turns out expanding your army to support thirty times more troops, all the while building a world-class air force from scratch, and half-heartedly constructing a navy in a little over half a decade creates some problems. 

 

Bibliography for this episode: 

1. Tooze, Adam Wages of Destruction: The Making and Breaking of the Nazi Economy Penguin Books 2006
2. Evans, Richard J. The Third Reich in Power Penguin Press 2005
3. Kershaw, Ian Hitler 1889-1936: Hubris W.W. Norton and Company 1998
4. Kershaw, Ian Hitler 1936-1945: Nemesis W.W. Norton and Company 2000
5. Deist, Wilhelm The Wehrmacht and German Rearmament MacMillan Press Ltd 1986

Questions? Comments? Email me at peaceintheirtime@gmail.com

The reality of Nazi Germany's bid to conquer Europe and dominate the world was that it simply lacked the economic capacity to actually do those things. That didn't stop Hitler from trying though, and he pushed the economy to the breaking point getting as many weapons and the biggest army he could. 

 

Bibliography for this episode: 

1. Tooze, Adam Wages of Destruction: The Making and Breaking of the Nazi Economy Penguin Books 2006
2. Evans, Richard J. The Third Reich in Power Penguin Press 2005
3. Jeffreys, Diarmuid Hell's Cartel: IG Farben and the Making of Hitler's War Machine Metropolitan Books 2008
4. Kershaw, Ian Hitler 1889-1936: Hubris W.W. Norton and Company 1998
5. Kershaw, Ian Hitler 1936-1945: Nemesis W.W. Norton and Company 2000
6. Deist, Wilhelm The Wehrmacht and German Rearmament MacMillan Press Ltd 1986

Questions? Comments? Email me at peaceintheirtime@gmail.com