Gallery

Gotenhafen, Korridor & North Atlantic.
From the Beginning - - - to the End - - - 1938 - 1945.
Danzig's Westerplatte War extends around the World;

Case White:

The origin of Hitler's code name for his attack on Poland takes many twists and turns before settling on September 1, 1939. He started with making adjustments to aleviate his troubles with Poland by signing a military and commercial agreement with the Polish gouvernment in1934. It took only five years for him to break the agreement, and Danzig was in the center of the dispute. Simply stated, Hitler demanded that Danzig be returned to the Reich. He also demanded that an Autobahn be built from Germany to East Prussia, eliminating the blockage caused by the Corridor, wich was created by the treaty of Versailles.

After Hitler violated the Munich Agreement, Britain and France guaranteed the independence of Poland and plainly stated that Nazi aggresion there would mean war. On April 3, 1939, Hitler issued a directive to Field Marshal Keitel, chief of armed forces High Command, to prepare for war. Part of the document were details of Fall Weiss for a project attack on Poland. As part of the document Hitler explained away the existing treaty with Poland; it might be necessary to "to settle the account" by smashing the Polish armed forces and welcome Danzig as part of Germany. He went on to give precise instructions to the Wehrmacht, Luftwaffe, and Kriegsmarine on his Polish campaign plans.

Before they could be augmented, it was necessary to clear out opposition from second front. On August 23, 1939, the Hitle-Stalin Pact was signed. Now that Hitler felt assured that any attack from the east was nullified, he gave the order for Fall Weiss to be totally implemented.

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*-  Now that Hitler has made up his mind to attack Poland and to absorb Danzig back into thr >Teich, he ordrs Goebbels to turn out propaganda at a high rate. Always a good source for thr common citizen is to display stamps and cancels that move Germany along in an admirable light amoung the neutral nations. Above is a card from Munich that is loaded with such propaganda early in the war.

Danzig Study Group U.S.A.
Danzig Report Nr. 155 - January - February - March - 2012, Page 13.