The Super Summary of World History - Alan Dale Daniel [180]
8) Good luck is often the key to victory in war, and the Allies enjoyed exceptional luck. At Pearl Harbor the Japanese managed a surprise attack of the first order; however, the main targets, the US aircraft carriers, were all at sea. By pure luck the US Navy retained its foremost assets intact. At Midway the Americans miraculously surprised and sunk four Japanese carriers. The United States possessed only one modern carrier airplane at the time, the Dauntless dive-bomber. This solitary up-to-date weapon arrived over the Japanese carriers at the moment they were devoid of air cover and had numerous bombs and torpedoes improperly stowed around their decks. The American bombs hit the Japanese carriers at their most vulnerable minute with devastating results. In 1939 brilliant Polish code breakers were deciphering the German codes and had obtained a German Enigma machine. The Polish code breakers luckily escaped after the Nazi invasion and gave everything to England. The war could have changed dramatically if the Polish code breakers had fallen into Nazi hands.
World War II Begins
1939
After appeasing Hitler for months, and having him break his word and his treaties, England and France faced down the Nazis over Poland in September of 1939. It had been a sinuous road to this point. March of 1936 saw Hitler abolish the Treaty of Versailles by his reoccupation of the Rhineland. France wanted to move, but England did not, and France would not challenge Hitler alone. Hitler’s seizure of Austria (Anschluss—reunification) took place in 1938, followed by the 1938 Munich conference where England and France gave Germany a large part of Czechoslovakia rather than risk war. The worst part of the Munich capitulation only surfaced since the 1970s. Newly released British Cabinet notes reveal Chamberlin made a deal to dismember Czechoslovakia with the Nazi dictator long before the conference. The USSR had promised support to France and England if they stood up to the Nazis at Munich. As Stalin watched the Allies cave he decided Hitler was a more reliable partner than the cowardly West. Hitler promised peace and stability (again), and then he completely subjugated the rump state of Czechoslovakia in March 1939. This move stunned Neville Chamberlin who overnight saw the light and turned on the Axis like an angry mongoose. Hitler quickly followed up his Czechoslovakian conquest with territorial demands on Poland, but this time the Western Allies guaranteed Poland’s territorial integrity.
Some say this was an abrupt about-face by England and France, confusing Hitler and not allowing him time to readjust to the new Allied policy. After all, he watched them run yellow so many times before, how could he reasonably expect firmness this time? However, after the Fuehrer “annexed” Czechoslovakia, trashing his promises to England’s Neville Chamberlin that his territorial ambitions were over, Hitler received confirmation that England and France would stand no more. Chamberlin made several speeches in the House of Commons saying conclusively that appeasement was at an end, and promising Britain and France would block Hitler’s next move. By scuttling the Munich agreement Hitler convinced the Western Allies his word was worthless and force alone would deter the deceiver. Any rational man would have known that invading Poland assured war with Britain and France.
Poland, probably unwisely, rejected Hitler’s threats. The Fuehrer was poised to invade, but word reached the dictator that both England and France promised a declaration of war if