Churchill and Hitler: In Victory and Defeat by Strawson John

Author:Strawson, John [Strawson, John]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lume Books
Published: 2020-10-27T16:00:00+00:00

chapter 6

1941 – The War’s Outcome is

Decided

When Barbarossa begins, the world will hold its breath and make no comment.

adolf hitler , February 1941

Any man or state who fights on against Nazidom will have our aid … It follows therefore that we shall give whatever help we can to Russia and the Russian people.

winston churchill , June 1941

On 8 and 9 January 1941 Hitler held another of his war councils at the Berghof. As was customary with him his review of the situation ranged wide. Italy was to be supported in Africa and in Albania; Operation Marita – an attack on Greece by twenty-four divisions which would assemble in Romania in order to advance through Bulgaria as soon as the weather was suitable – would now be mounted at the end of March; Russia would have to be crushed as soon as possible, for Stalin was a ‘cold-blooded blackmailer’ and would not give up his claims in Eastern Europe. Yet, Hitler reflected, if both Russia and the United States made war on Germany – the very situation which during this year he was himself (albeit with Japanese connivance) to bring about – things ‘would become very complicated’. Yet in spite of this gloomy prognostication, his survey of grand strategy was wreathed in confidence: ‘The situation in Europe can no longer develop unfavourably for Germany even if we should lose the whole of North Africa.’ The British could only hope to win by defeating Germany on the Continent, and this the Führer considered to be out of the question. All these considerations were translated into another War Directive, No 22. This showed to what an extent Hitler was at this time concerned with the Mediterranean, for it dealt largely with German support for battles in this theatre. Libya’s western province Tripolitania was to be held (Cyrenaica by now being in British hands), and an Italian collapse on the Albanian front averted. German Army units would therefore be made ready to move to Libya in February, and the Luftwaffe’s X Fliegerkorps would remain in Sicily and take on a new offensive role – to attack British naval forces, communications and supply installations in the Mediterranean area. An entire army corps would be made available to stiffen the Albanian front, enable the Italians to break through the Greek defences, and support the German army, commanded by Field Marshal Sigmund List, which was moving south into Bulgaria. All this went to show the lengths to which Hitler was prepared to go to help Mussolini, whose compliance at the time of the Anschluss had earned him the Führer’s undying gratitude. In the end, of course, Hitler’s support did Mussolini no good at all, even though it prolonged Italy’s participation in the war for the best part of two and a half years.

While Hitler is making his grand strategic plans, Churchill is conferring with President Roosevelt’s personal emissary, Harry Hopkins. Their first meeting on 10 January at Downing Street was auspicious in that each was greatly impressed by the other.

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