Was Hitler funded by big business?

[SaiGirl]

Following many months of "Sitzkrieg" ("Phony War"), German planes and Panzer tanks overran France and occupied the country within six weeks.

It's clear that many French (perhaps a majority) preferred to collaborate with the Germans.

After Germany's defeat by the Soviets (Kursk, Stalingrad), when it became clear that the Reich was going to lose the war, these French collaborators begin to rethink things.

[SaiGirl]

Himmler's role as head of the SS and Gestapo made him the 2nd most powerful figure in the Reich.

[SaiGirl]

Recalling the Third Reich's conquest and occupation of Greece.

This is a clearly biased account.
But probably reasonably accurate as to Wehrmacht and Waffen SS reprisals against partisan / guerilla ("terrorist") attacks.

The Greeks did not take warmly to the raising of a swastika flag over the Acropolis.

[SaiGirl]

Apparently, this discussion has been a growing trend on social media.

https://www.quora.com/Was-the-London-Blitz-a-hoax

[SaiGirl]

Hitler's personal prejudices against "non Aryans" (basically Slavs) seriously undermined conversion and recruitment of captured prisoners and conquered peoples.

The arrogance of NSDAP race theory was a huge handicap.

[SaiGirl]

The German speaking peoples always hearkened back to their ancient noble traditions.
We speak here of the first "Reich": The “Holy Roman Empire”, with its centers in Vienna and Prague.

By the mid 19th century, the Hapsburgs saw the Slavic language speaking peoples (especially the Hungarians) as treacherously splitting apart their (holy Catholic) empire and threatening the dominance of the German speaking people; and especially undermining the civilization of Europe's ruling classes.
Groups like the Jews or Gypsies were seen as almost "outside" this culture and a perpetual threat.

In 1871 the Austro-Hungarian Empire lost a war to Bismarck.
The rising Prussian monarchy proclaimed itself as a new “Reich”; a new "Empire of Germany".
By 1918, with Austria’s and Germany’s surrender to the Allies, both the Hapsburgs and Hohenzollerns had fled into exile in the Netherlands.
And now there was no “Reich” any longer. It was the end of a world.

So the NSDAP and German (or Austrian) nationalists saw their future in the recreation of a German speaking “Reich” based on a long legacy and historical precedent that stretched all the way back to Charlemagne (the Franks) and the Saxon Ottonians (Hohenstaufen) in the 9th and 10th centuries.



He has a brief mocking reference to the late Ernst Zundel and his "Antarctic sanctuary", at the end of the video. I'm sure Ab will find this amusing.

The movie you want to watch on the subject covered in this video would be “Seven Years in Tibet” (Brad Pitt), which purports to be a first hand account of Himmler’s expedition to Tibet and how it ended.

[SaiGirl]

Explores the case of German General Gotthard Heinrici, who conducted the final defense of Berlin.

[SaiGirl]

1) Hitler wanted to decimate Paris rather than surrender it to the Allies.
But the commanding general he sent there to organize its defense against the Allies was repulsed by the idea, terribly conflicted over his orders and was already anticipating a surrender to the British and Americans.

2) In 4 years of occupation, a formidable and eager resistance had grown within France.
The most well organized, disciplined and militant faction among the Resistance was (of course) the Communists.

3) The greatest fear of the British, the “Free French” and Gen. de Gaulle was that the Communists would seize leadership and end up in command of Paris, after taking over the city.
The greatest fear of every German soldier (and especially the SS) was falling into the hands of victorious French Communists. Surrender to British and French troops was their best option, short of desertion.

[SaiGirl]

An aspect of WW II in the Middle East that is not generally well known.

Reza Shah, like many other Middle Eastern leaders, wanted to keep his country uninvolved and OUT of the war: neutral.
But that was not to be.
Because of the critical importance of the oil.
Oil fuels tanks, planes, ships ....

Is it their fault that our oil happens to be under THEIR sand?

[SaiGirl]

Himmler was frantically trying to negotiate an early surrender, but Hitler was in the way.

Himmler's plan was to offer the Allies support for a war against Stalin, to keep the Soviets from taking over Europe.
He even offered to "patch things up with the Jews".