http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/10336126/Nazis-offered-to-leave-western-Europe-in-exchange-for-free-hand-to-attack-USSR.html?fb
Is there any validity to this? It seems kind iffy to me.
It does seem a bit iffy, but it's certainly possible. Hitler REALLY hated Stalin and would loved to have crush the USSR.
Quote from: nilecroc on October 06, 2013, 11:22:54 AM
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/10336126/Nazis-offered-to-leave-western-Europe-in-exchange-for-free-hand-to-attack-USSR.html?fb
Is there any validity to this? It seems kind iffy to me.
That's been pretty well established for years actually (that Hitler wanted Britain and Germany to stop fighting): Hitler wanted to avoid a two front war as much as possible--his generals were in agreement as well. This is evidenced by Hitler's repeated attempts to open channels for negotiation with Britain after the success of the Invasion of France and the low countries. The terms he gave were
almost identical to those in the article: Britain could keep her Empire, and in exchange for a free hand on the continent, would not be harrassed by Germany in any way.
What I'm having trouble though with is the idea that Hitler sent him: all the evidence from within Germany indicates Hitler was livid when he found out Hess left, not when he was caught (which just made him more so). Hess may well have had a copy of the proposals from 1940 with him, rather than a new treaty for '41.
Quote from: Ibrahim90 on October 06, 2013, 05:34:30 PM
That's been pretty well established for years actually (that Hitler wanted Britain and Germany to stop fighting): Hitler wanted to avoid a two front war as much as possible--his generals were in agreement as well. This is evidenced by Hitler's repeated attempts to open channels for negotiation with Britain after the success of the Invasion of France and the low countries. The terms he gave were almost identical to those in the article: Britain could keep her Empire, and in exchange for a free hand on the continent, would not be harrassed by Germany in any way.
What I'm having trouble though with is the idea that Hitler sent him: all the evidence from within Germany indicates Hitler was livid when he found out Hess left, not when he was caught (which just made him more so). Hess may well have had a copy of the proposals from 1940 with him, rather than a new treaty for '41.
The odd thing here is that Hitler was supposedly enraged by Hess going and trying to open negotiations with the UK. (OK, enraging Hitler is a pretty low bar, but still.)
Quote from: evensgrey on October 07, 2013, 08:50:26 AM
The odd thing here is that Hitler was supposedly enraged by Hess going and trying to open negotiations with the UK. (OK, enraging Hitler is a pretty low bar, but still.)
There's nothing odd about it--not from a dictator's perspective:
Hess negotiating in such a gung-ho (and poorly planned) manner, makes Hitler look stupid--regardless of whether Hess' mission succeeded or not. It also makes him look weak--that he cannot control his own party goons, and cannot really control the events around him.
Hitler may have wanted a free hand in Europe, but he wanted it in a manner that made him and his regime look good. similar Logic explains Stalin's actions on VE day--where he insisted that a second ceremony of surrender be held in Berlin the next day (which it was): he was angry that Souslaporov signed the surrender on his behalf, since it was without his approval, and threatened to derail the ritualized humiliation he had in mind for the Germans in Berlin. And again, it made him look weak.
Added to that, it was simply too late: Hitler, as much as he wanted to avoid a two front war, wasn't going to delay the invasion of the Soviet Union--it having been delayed by over a month by then. it also happened to be weeks away. So the ideologue within him overruled the politician within him. In addition, Negotiating now would lead to his word being discredited almost as soon as the ink was dry, and in all likelihood, a resumption of hostilities (and in fact Hess' attempt was discredited in British eyes when Barbarossa was launched).