HOW WAS THE FIRST DAY OF WORLD WAR II? скачать в хорошем качестве

HOW WAS THE FIRST DAY OF WORLD WAR II?

On Sunday, September 3, 1939, the morning dawned as a sunny, dreamlike day of apprehension, which would be remembered forever by all who lived through it. While impeccably dressed diplomats were still running between the European capitals that morning, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain was presiding over an emergency cabinet session in London. In Paris, French authorities were insisting on gaining more time to mobilize their powerful army before proceeding with another ultimatum to Berlin, but British military leaders and some cabinet members wanted to act swiftly. The Secretary of State for War, Leslie Hore-Belisha, called for a final deadline at 6 a.m. Eventually, it was decided that Berlin would receive an ultimatum expiring at 11 a.m., demanding that its forces cease hostilities in Poland. After the shameful era of appeasement, during which the well-intentioned Chamberlain wrongly believed Hitler's word could be trusted, the honor of the British Empire was now at stake. It was up to Sir Neville Henderson, the British ambassador in Berlin, to deliver a note to Hitler's Foreign Minister, Joachim von Ribbentrop, at 9 a.m. (8 a.m. in London). The pompous and awkward Ribbentrop delegated the task to Hitler's chief interpreter, Paul Schmidt, who accepted the British ultimatum. Henderson liked Schmidt and told him: "I am truly sorry, sincerely, to have to deliver such a document to you in particular." The German went to the Reich Chancellery, where he slowly read the ultimatum to Hitler and Ribbentrop. "When I finished," Schmidt reported, "there was complete silence. Hitler remained motionless, staring straight ahead." Moments later, the Führer turned to Ribbentrop with a fierce look and asked: "And now?" Schmidt withdrew. The note gave Hitler three hours to order the cessation of operations in Poland. He reserved his fury for his inner circle—Ribbentrop, Nazi Party Deputy Leader Rudolph Hess, SS chief Heinrich Himmler, and Propaganda Minister Josef Goebbels. The Poles, Hitler raged, were nothing but a miserable rabble, and it was a "shame" to treat them as a sovereign nation. The British understood this, he said, but were willing to crucify him for "recognizing the natural realities." France's ultimatum was communicated by phone to the French Embassy in Berlin, and by 10 a.m. in London, BBC announcer Alvar Liddell informed listeners to expect a statement from the Prime Minister within the hour. Shortly before 11 a.m. (London time) that fateful morning, the Paris ultimatum was delivered to Germany's Foreign Ministry by French Ambassador Robert Coulondre. This time, Ribbentrop deigned to receive it. The French envoy asked if Ribbentrop could give a satisfactory response to the French demand for Germany to withdraw from Poland. The minister responded negatively and accused France of aggression. World War II had begun.