Question: What was the purpose of the Goebbels, Speer & Goering alliance in 1943?
In early 1943, the war was beginning to go badly for the Germans and Hitler was surrounded by a group of insiders - notably Martin Bormann, Heinrich Lammers, and Field Marshal Keitel ("gang of three") - who exercised significant influence with Hitler. In the view of Speer and, especially Goebbels, the three insiders were causing the war effort to be damaged.
The fanatical Goebbels and the super-efficient Speer were determined to "right the ship," and remove the gang of three from their influential positions so that the course of the war could be turned around. But to accomplish this, Goebbels and Speer felt they badly needed the influential No. 2 German Leader, Hermann Goering on their side. So after considerable discussion of the matter between the two of them, they decided to visit Goering at his home and discuss the matter with him.
At Goering's home, both Goebbels and Speer were shocked at the appearance of Goering who appeared heavily rouged and dressed in a baroque manner. But Goering was known for this type of behavior, so Goebbels and Speer did not let his appearance stop them. Goebbels took the lead and talked to Goering for several hours apparently convincing him of the seriousness of the situation and of the need to remove the gang of three so that a total war effort could be made. Goering listened and appeared to be completely in agreement with the two.
But, as the next few months went by, nothing came of the agreement. There never seemed to be the right time for the three to talk to Hitler on the matter. For example, the Fuhrer was often in such a foul mood that they were afraid to bring up the subject. So nothing came of the alliance. Of course, both Speer and Goebbels blamed not only Goering (too lethargic!) but also each other.
Why is the failure of the alliance something worth talking about? The reason is that Goebbels and Speer were both very intelligent men and knew what kind of war effort was needed for Germany to survive. Also they had the drive to have implemented such an effort had they been able to convince Hitler of what was needed. We, on the other side of the fence, should be very happy with the alliance failure. Had it been a success, we might still be fighting Germany!
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Should the U.S. Have Joined Hitler and Attacked Russia in World War 2?
Question: Should the U.S. have joined Hitler early in World War 2 and attacked Russia?
This was seriously proposed early in the war (1939-1940) when Germany was slaughtering Poland, France, and other western European countries. Even at that time, we had many right-wingers in the U.S. more opposed to Communist Russia than to Fascist Germany. The theory is that, together, the U.S. and Germany would have easily defeated Russia and thus avoided the Cold War which occurred after World War 2. Also, many at the time thought Hitler was invincible and that we might as well join him.
But that is all wrong! Stalin was a monster and communism was bad but Hitler was an even worse monster and fascism was just as bad as communism. No, we did the right thing providing materials to Russia as much as we could until we actually were forced to enter the war.
It should also be pointed out that, even had we had formed an alliance with Hitler, and destroyed Russia, Hitler would likely have broken the alliance at some point and attacked us. Hitler was not know for keeping his word!
This was seriously proposed early in the war (1939-1940) when Germany was slaughtering Poland, France, and other western European countries. Even at that time, we had many right-wingers in the U.S. more opposed to Communist Russia than to Fascist Germany. The theory is that, together, the U.S. and Germany would have easily defeated Russia and thus avoided the Cold War which occurred after World War 2. Also, many at the time thought Hitler was invincible and that we might as well join him.
But that is all wrong! Stalin was a monster and communism was bad but Hitler was an even worse monster and fascism was just as bad as communism. No, we did the right thing providing materials to Russia as much as we could until we actually were forced to enter the war.
It should also be pointed out that, even had we had formed an alliance with Hitler, and destroyed Russia, Hitler would likely have broken the alliance at some point and attacked us. Hitler was not know for keeping his word!
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
World War 2 Compared to Iraq War - German Military Compared to Iraq Military
World War 2 Questions - Iraq War vs. World War 2 (continued)
Comparing Iraq and Germany Military Leadership.
In comparing the military leadership qualities of Saddam Hussein with those of Hitler, I use the old sports expression: "Saddam Hussein was not fit to carry Hitler's jock strap"
Hitler was not only a political genius (evil genius) who very nearly conquered all of Europe, he often had good military sense. Although Hitler was only an enlisted soldier in World War 1, he was a good observer and often had a better sense of strategy than did his more formally trained generals. Some very innovative military ideas, e.g., blitzkrieg and use of air power to support ground troops were largely developed by or approved by Hitler and his staff. No one exceeded Hitler in the ability to conduct psychological warfare.
Hitler had some fine generals on his staff. Three German generals - Guderian, Rommel, and Von Manstein - rank with the greatest generals ever to lead troops. And the German soldiers were excellent. Also, Hitler had some brilliant civilian leaders - Goering, Goebbels, Speer, Borman, and Himmler - under him (They were also ruthless leaders!!)
And what about Saddam and the Iraq military. I think General Schwarzkopf described Saddam best: Hussein, he said " is neither a strategist nor is he schooled in the operational art, nor is he a tactician, nor is he a general. A ringing indictment from a great general!
If Charley Chaplin, who did a great job playing Hitler in The Little Dictator, were alive and still acting, he would be ashamed to play the role of such a small-timer as Saddam Hussein.
Saddam was no budding Hitler!
When it came to the Iraq military units, except for the Republican Guard divisions and other special units, the Iraq soldiers did not seem too interested in fighting. The Iraq units were badly outgunned by their American opponents and it would have been virtually suicide for them to try to put up a fight.
The Iraq army had a large force of tanks but they were sitting ducks for the U.S. Air Force which went unchallenged by the pitiful Iraq Air Force.
The Germans, on the other hand, had mastered the ability to use tanks when World War 2 came and the tanks won many battles for them.
Who Dares Compare the Iraq War With World War 2.
It is clear to me that those who compare the Iraq War with World War 2 are either poorly informed or are blowing smoke up the skirts of anyone naive enough to be listening to them.
However, please be assured that there is an ulterior motive for spreading the nonsense that the Iraq War is equivalent to World War 2 or that Saddam Hussein was, in any way, comparable to the mad genius, Adolf Hitler. The people spreading this nonsense have their agenda!
Comparing Iraq and Germany Military Leadership.
In comparing the military leadership qualities of Saddam Hussein with those of Hitler, I use the old sports expression: "Saddam Hussein was not fit to carry Hitler's jock strap"
Hitler was not only a political genius (evil genius) who very nearly conquered all of Europe, he often had good military sense. Although Hitler was only an enlisted soldier in World War 1, he was a good observer and often had a better sense of strategy than did his more formally trained generals. Some very innovative military ideas, e.g., blitzkrieg and use of air power to support ground troops were largely developed by or approved by Hitler and his staff. No one exceeded Hitler in the ability to conduct psychological warfare.
Hitler had some fine generals on his staff. Three German generals - Guderian, Rommel, and Von Manstein - rank with the greatest generals ever to lead troops. And the German soldiers were excellent. Also, Hitler had some brilliant civilian leaders - Goering, Goebbels, Speer, Borman, and Himmler - under him (They were also ruthless leaders!!)
And what about Saddam and the Iraq military. I think General Schwarzkopf described Saddam best: Hussein, he said " is neither a strategist nor is he schooled in the operational art, nor is he a tactician, nor is he a general. A ringing indictment from a great general!
If Charley Chaplin, who did a great job playing Hitler in The Little Dictator, were alive and still acting, he would be ashamed to play the role of such a small-timer as Saddam Hussein.
Saddam was no budding Hitler!
When it came to the Iraq military units, except for the Republican Guard divisions and other special units, the Iraq soldiers did not seem too interested in fighting. The Iraq units were badly outgunned by their American opponents and it would have been virtually suicide for them to try to put up a fight.
The Iraq army had a large force of tanks but they were sitting ducks for the U.S. Air Force which went unchallenged by the pitiful Iraq Air Force.
The Germans, on the other hand, had mastered the ability to use tanks when World War 2 came and the tanks won many battles for them.
Who Dares Compare the Iraq War With World War 2.
It is clear to me that those who compare the Iraq War with World War 2 are either poorly informed or are blowing smoke up the skirts of anyone naive enough to be listening to them.
However, please be assured that there is an ulterior motive for spreading the nonsense that the Iraq War is equivalent to World War 2 or that Saddam Hussein was, in any way, comparable to the mad genius, Adolf Hitler. The people spreading this nonsense have their agenda!
Monday, July 30, 2007
Is Iraq War Comparable to World War 2
Many conservatives justify the ongoing Iraq War by comparing it to World War 2. Their argument is that, if Hitler had been stopped in the 30's rather than being appeased, World War 2 might have been prevented.
So, the conservatives believe that, in 2003, Saddam Hussein was equivalent to Hitler in the 30's. If the U.S. had not acted in 2003 to unseat Saddam Hussein, then Saddam could have become a Hitler-sized danger to the U.S. and the rest of the world.
Like Hitler, like Saddam!! Like Germany, like Iraq!! Or so the logic of the conservatives goes.
Hence, the Iraq War which has been raging longer than the U.S. was in World War 2.
Summary: Saddam Hussein vs. Hitler. The above comparison equilibrating the threat of Saddam Hussein to the threat of Hitler is pure baloney in my opinion. In comparison to the great Satan, Hitler, Saddam Hussein was the great clown.
Even if you throw in Osama Bin Laden into the mix with Saddam, you don't have the threat of a Hitler. Although both Saddam and Osama are (were) bad dudes, neither Saddam nor Osama deserve the attention they have been given. The mad genius, Hitler, who was responsible for the death of 50,000,000 people, deserved every bit of the attention he received.
Germany & Iraq Comparison. And to compare the Iraq of 2003 with the Germany of the late 30's...Germany was one of the most advanced nations, technologically speaking, on the face of the earth. Iraq, while ahead of most third world nations, was not a technologically advanced nation. Motivation for war in Iraq was low in 2003 while Hitler's Germany was teeming with resentment over Germany's treatment after World War 1.
Population-wise, Germany had a population of 70,000,000 highly-educated, united people behind him while Iraq had a total population of only 25,000,000 and that population was relatively poorly educated and badly divided by religion.
And they compare Germany and Iraq!!
In the next post, I will cover the military elements of Germany compared to Iraq. Was Hitler a great military leader? Saddam was not!
So, the conservatives believe that, in 2003, Saddam Hussein was equivalent to Hitler in the 30's. If the U.S. had not acted in 2003 to unseat Saddam Hussein, then Saddam could have become a Hitler-sized danger to the U.S. and the rest of the world.
Like Hitler, like Saddam!! Like Germany, like Iraq!! Or so the logic of the conservatives goes.
Hence, the Iraq War which has been raging longer than the U.S. was in World War 2.
Summary: Saddam Hussein vs. Hitler. The above comparison equilibrating the threat of Saddam Hussein to the threat of Hitler is pure baloney in my opinion. In comparison to the great Satan, Hitler, Saddam Hussein was the great clown.
Even if you throw in Osama Bin Laden into the mix with Saddam, you don't have the threat of a Hitler. Although both Saddam and Osama are (were) bad dudes, neither Saddam nor Osama deserve the attention they have been given. The mad genius, Hitler, who was responsible for the death of 50,000,000 people, deserved every bit of the attention he received.
Germany & Iraq Comparison. And to compare the Iraq of 2003 with the Germany of the late 30's...Germany was one of the most advanced nations, technologically speaking, on the face of the earth. Iraq, while ahead of most third world nations, was not a technologically advanced nation. Motivation for war in Iraq was low in 2003 while Hitler's Germany was teeming with resentment over Germany's treatment after World War 1.
Population-wise, Germany had a population of 70,000,000 highly-educated, united people behind him while Iraq had a total population of only 25,000,000 and that population was relatively poorly educated and badly divided by religion.
And they compare Germany and Iraq!!
In the next post, I will cover the military elements of Germany compared to Iraq. Was Hitler a great military leader? Saddam was not!
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Joseph Goebbels, Hitler's Propaganda Minister
World War 2 Question No. 11: After Hitler, Who was Most Fanatical of the Nazi Leaders?
Answer. Joseph Goebbels was a highly educated (Phd) individual and very intelligent (probably a genius). He was also a workaholic who stayed up late at night dictating his voluminous diary, The Goebbels Diary, which described in infinite detail the events of the war and what was happening on the home front. The Goebbels Diary is highly recommended reading for World War 2 buffs.
In addition to his great abilities, Goebbels was probably the second most fanatical Nazi (next to Hitler).
Goebbels was a smallish man born with a crippled foot which caused him to be turned down for military service. These stigmas were a constant source of embarrassment for Goebbels as he preached the philosophy of the Nazi master race. The stigmas may also be responsible for at least some of his fanaticism.
Goebbels first opposed Hitler and even tried to have him ejected from the Nazi Party. Then, he suddenly changed his mind and Hitler became his idol.
In May 1933, Goebbels became infamous around the world when he organized the book-burning event in which thousands of library books written by "undesirables" were publically burned. I recall that this event was later shown on American newsreels many times to show how fanatical the Nazis were.
Goebbels used all sorts of media in his propaganda campaigns but stressed radio (Is Rush Limbaugh an ancestor of Goebbels?)
Goebbels had an excellent idea that the war was not going well and that a greater effort from the German people was needed. He and Albert Speer formed an alliance to convince Hitler of this but the effort fell apart when Goering, who had joined them, fell into a lethargy (drug-induced?). They needed a leader of his stature to influence Hitler.
Goebbels was married to a beautiful women, Magda Goebbels, who bore him 6 children. Their marriage became a sham, however, because of the unfaithfulness of Joseph and, later, of Magda. Goebbels was a ladies man and carried on numerous affairs. He attempted to divorce Magda but the unmarried Hitler, who had sort of adopted the Goebbels family as his own, would not allow it.
Near the end of the war Joseph and Magda Goebbels retreated to the Bunker with Hitler. They had themselves shot after Magda had poisoned the 6 children. The Goebbels could not stand to live in a world that would be without Hitler!
Speer, who was a friend of Magda's, documented his conversations with Joseph and Magda in his book, Inside the Third Reich. An excellent reference!
Answer. Joseph Goebbels was a highly educated (Phd) individual and very intelligent (probably a genius). He was also a workaholic who stayed up late at night dictating his voluminous diary, The Goebbels Diary, which described in infinite detail the events of the war and what was happening on the home front. The Goebbels Diary is highly recommended reading for World War 2 buffs.
In addition to his great abilities, Goebbels was probably the second most fanatical Nazi (next to Hitler).
Goebbels was a smallish man born with a crippled foot which caused him to be turned down for military service. These stigmas were a constant source of embarrassment for Goebbels as he preached the philosophy of the Nazi master race. The stigmas may also be responsible for at least some of his fanaticism.
Goebbels first opposed Hitler and even tried to have him ejected from the Nazi Party. Then, he suddenly changed his mind and Hitler became his idol.
In May 1933, Goebbels became infamous around the world when he organized the book-burning event in which thousands of library books written by "undesirables" were publically burned. I recall that this event was later shown on American newsreels many times to show how fanatical the Nazis were.
Goebbels used all sorts of media in his propaganda campaigns but stressed radio (Is Rush Limbaugh an ancestor of Goebbels?)
Goebbels had an excellent idea that the war was not going well and that a greater effort from the German people was needed. He and Albert Speer formed an alliance to convince Hitler of this but the effort fell apart when Goering, who had joined them, fell into a lethargy (drug-induced?). They needed a leader of his stature to influence Hitler.
Goebbels was married to a beautiful women, Magda Goebbels, who bore him 6 children. Their marriage became a sham, however, because of the unfaithfulness of Joseph and, later, of Magda. Goebbels was a ladies man and carried on numerous affairs. He attempted to divorce Magda but the unmarried Hitler, who had sort of adopted the Goebbels family as his own, would not allow it.
Near the end of the war Joseph and Magda Goebbels retreated to the Bunker with Hitler. They had themselves shot after Magda had poisoned the 6 children. The Goebbels could not stand to live in a world that would be without Hitler!
Speer, who was a friend of Magda's, documented his conversations with Joseph and Magda in his book, Inside the Third Reich. An excellent reference!
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Was Hitler a Great Leader? - List of Successes & Failures
World War 2 Question No. 10: Was Hitler a Great Leader?
Answer. Hitler possessed many powerful leadership skills that won victories for Germany, but he often blundered into making military mistakes. Also, it must always be remembered that he was personally responsible for the death of tens of millions of people. It is difficult to call someone a great leader who causes such devastation among the nations of the world.
No question who the number one leader of Nazi Germany was! Hitler (Der Fuehrer) was the leader! He was a fearless fanatic with charisma. He was a gambler and was fond of relying on boldness and bluff. Although, he had only been a corporal during World War 1, he had a better feel for strategic situations than many of his highly educated generals. And he could act decisively when decisiveness was needed. On the other hand, he would often waffle in critical situations and great opportunities would slip away. Hitler's major strong points were:
Answer. Hitler possessed many powerful leadership skills that won victories for Germany, but he often blundered into making military mistakes. Also, it must always be remembered that he was personally responsible for the death of tens of millions of people. It is difficult to call someone a great leader who causes such devastation among the nations of the world.
No question who the number one leader of Nazi Germany was! Hitler (Der Fuehrer) was the leader! He was a fearless fanatic with charisma. He was a gambler and was fond of relying on boldness and bluff. Although, he had only been a corporal during World War 1, he had a better feel for strategic situations than many of his highly educated generals. And he could act decisively when decisiveness was needed. On the other hand, he would often waffle in critical situations and great opportunities would slip away. Hitler's major strong points were:
- Hitler had the ability to assemble and control a group of talented and ruthless individuals - Goering, Goebbels, Himmler, Bormann, and Speer - for his top echelon. These men were the leaders of Germany during World War 2.
- Hitler successfully used bullying and bluffing techniques to seize Austria and Czechoslovakia without a fight.
- Hitler successfully adopted innovative Blitzkrieg techniques, utilizing Germany's highly mobile Panzer divisions, to quickly overcome Poland, France, and other Western European countries. More conventional leaders would have used conventional trench warfare techniques and a World War 1 type stalemate might have occurred.
Hitler also had his share of failures as the top German leader:
- Failure to immediately invade Britain after Dunkirk. Many experts question whether this was a failure. See World War 2 Question 1 (earlier post) or World War 2 Battles.
- Decision to attack Russia before finishing off Britain. This left Britain, led by a determined Churchill, as a thorn in his backside.
- Holding back on all-out war production after the war started. He began the war with a substantial lead in armaments but let the armaments production slip apparently because he didn't want to tell the German people that sacrifices would be needed. (Yes, even Adolf Hitler worried about public opinion.) The problem was so bad that Britain was actually producing more aircraft than Germany during the Battle of Britain. This problem was corrected in the later years of the war largely through Albert Speer's efforts but, by then, it was too late.
- Misjudging the strength of the Russians. He almost got away with this one as Stalin, for some time, refused to believe that Hitler was actually attacking him. When Stalin finally unleashed his forces, several Russian armies and much of the Russian air force had already been destroyed. When given the go-ahead, the Russians fought back fiercely, and incredibly, were able to move their war plants out of the German army's path.
- Poor strategy in Russia. Hitler continually split his attacking forces - one column toward Moscow, a second toward the Caucasus, and a third toward Leningrad - instead of concentrating on what should have been the main target, i.e., Moscow.
- Flittering away resources on "secret weapons," e.g., death rays, long-ramge bombers, etc, instead of concentrating on more conventional weapons. For example, with more fighter planes, he might have kept air supremacy over Russia and also might have neutralized the American and British bomber raids over Germany.
- Unnecessary campaign against the Jews. During World War 1, German Jews fought bravely for Germany. Hitler should have know this because he was in the trenches with them. Had the Jewish men been available for service, manpower shortages would have been partly alleviated. Also, the many scientific minds, e.g., Einstein, that were lost to the German war effort were irreplaceable.
- Failure to better mobilize German women into the war effort as was done in Russia, England and the United States (Rosie, the riveter!). This would have also helped alleviate the manpower problem since male workers who could have been replaced would have been available for military service.
Was Albert Speer the "Good" Nazi?
World War 2 Question No. 9: Was Albert Speer the Good Nazi?
Answer. Albert Speer was Hitler's architect. Hitler had wanted to be an architect and so there was a natural affinity between the two men. Speer and Hitler built dream cities together. During the rise of the Nazis in Germany, Speer was given the job for making technical arrangements for the huge Nazi rallies. As with all his work, Speer showed great talent.
In 1941, Speer became Minister of Armaments and War Production after the death of Dr. Fritz Todt. Speer showed great talent in the job. Hitler and Goring had been lax in the armaments area after the successful Blitzkrieg campaigns in France and Poland and Speer finally got things moving again.
But Speer and the fanatical Joseph Goebbels, were still not satisfied with the German war effort. The two sought to recruit Goering to their side to counter the power of Martin Bormann and his associates. Bormann had a great deal of influence with Hitler. With the powerful Goering on their side, Speer and Goebbels thought they could overcome the influence of Bormann, et al, and move Hitler toward an all-out war effort.
At first, Goering agreed with them and then, for no apparent reason, dropped the matter and fell back into his state of lethargy (morphine?). Without Goering, the Speer - Goebbels alliance fell apart. If the group had been able to gain more power, the war would probably been extended because Speer and Goebbels knew very well Germany's war weaknesses and how to counter them. But they needed a leader of Goering's stature to advance their cause with Hitler.
Speer had close friendships with several wives of top German leaders. Speer seemed very sympathetic to their problems. The wives, iincluding Eva Braun and Magda Goebbels, confided in Speer whom they seemed to trust completely. These conversations make interesting reading in Speer's book, Inside the Third Reich, my favorite World War 2 book. The book provides a vivid description of the inner workings of the German establishment during the war.
Toward the end of the war, Speer turned against his friend, Hitler, and even considered assassinating him. He refused to carry out Hitler's orders to destroy the German infrastructure (Hitler believed the German people were unworthy of him).
Speer was tried at Nuremberg, where he confessed his part in the crimes of the Nazis. He was given 20 years in prison for his crimes.
Whether Speer was the good Nazi or not will be left for history to decide. He was certainly a cut above the average Nazi leader. But there are many who felt like Speer should have been given the death sentence.
We should all be thankful that the Speer - Goebbels - Goering alliance fell apart. Otherwise, we might still be fighting World War 2.
Answer. Albert Speer was Hitler's architect. Hitler had wanted to be an architect and so there was a natural affinity between the two men. Speer and Hitler built dream cities together. During the rise of the Nazis in Germany, Speer was given the job for making technical arrangements for the huge Nazi rallies. As with all his work, Speer showed great talent.
In 1941, Speer became Minister of Armaments and War Production after the death of Dr. Fritz Todt. Speer showed great talent in the job. Hitler and Goring had been lax in the armaments area after the successful Blitzkrieg campaigns in France and Poland and Speer finally got things moving again.
But Speer and the fanatical Joseph Goebbels, were still not satisfied with the German war effort. The two sought to recruit Goering to their side to counter the power of Martin Bormann and his associates. Bormann had a great deal of influence with Hitler. With the powerful Goering on their side, Speer and Goebbels thought they could overcome the influence of Bormann, et al, and move Hitler toward an all-out war effort.
At first, Goering agreed with them and then, for no apparent reason, dropped the matter and fell back into his state of lethargy (morphine?). Without Goering, the Speer - Goebbels alliance fell apart. If the group had been able to gain more power, the war would probably been extended because Speer and Goebbels knew very well Germany's war weaknesses and how to counter them. But they needed a leader of Goering's stature to advance their cause with Hitler.
Speer had close friendships with several wives of top German leaders. Speer seemed very sympathetic to their problems. The wives, iincluding Eva Braun and Magda Goebbels, confided in Speer whom they seemed to trust completely. These conversations make interesting reading in Speer's book, Inside the Third Reich, my favorite World War 2 book. The book provides a vivid description of the inner workings of the German establishment during the war.
Toward the end of the war, Speer turned against his friend, Hitler, and even considered assassinating him. He refused to carry out Hitler's orders to destroy the German infrastructure (Hitler believed the German people were unworthy of him).
Speer was tried at Nuremberg, where he confessed his part in the crimes of the Nazis. He was given 20 years in prison for his crimes.
Whether Speer was the good Nazi or not will be left for history to decide. He was certainly a cut above the average Nazi leader. But there are many who felt like Speer should have been given the death sentence.
We should all be thankful that the Speer - Goebbels - Goering alliance fell apart. Otherwise, we might still be fighting World War 2.
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