Why Hitler Formed The Waffen-SS | Rise Of The Nazi Party

Adolf Hitler has risen to power pretending to be a man of Peace he tells his people he can make Germany great again without War but behind the scenes he's locked in a fierce battle with his generals they believe he's hellbent on a suicidal war of territorial expansion some are even plotting to kill him this is the story of how Hitler lies to his people outmaneuvers his generals and leads Germany into a catastrophic War [Music] [Music] on a bleak Winter's day in late 1937 Adolf Hitler summons Germany's military leaders to a meeting at his [Music] headquarters present are such senior figures as general Verner Von Bloomberg Germany's Minister for war and general Verner Von frit commanderin-chief of the army they think this is going to be a routine meeting but Hitler shocks them at the beginning of the meeting by explaining to them that what he's about to tell them should be considered his last will and testament Hitler then goes on to explain his plans for military expansion step one unite the Germans speaking people many of them in incorporated into countries like Austria and Czechoslovakia in the carve up of Europe after World War I step two move East and seize territory in Poland Ukraine and Russia so that the German people can have extra living space or laan's round it's a dream he's been nursing for nearly 20 years many of Germany's generals agree with him but then Hitler spells out his timetable German troops should seize Austria and Czechoslovakia possibly in less than a year the country's further east would rapidly follow over the next few years it's a hugely ambitious program the assembled generals are alarmed Europe's Frontiers are formally guaranteed by the military might of Britain and France to his military commanders Hitler seems to be rushing the country into a suicidal [Music] war and when they leave the meeting there is considerable distrust and disqui what really worried them was that they didn't believe that the German army that the German Armed Forces at that stage and late 1937 early 1938 were ready for war indeed they thought that they were woefully unprepared and it was decided that one or two of them at least should make their views known to [Music] Hitler one of those who agrees to talk to Hitler is Vera Von Bloomberg field Marshal Von Bloomberg was very much of the old school of the of the German Army blomberg is actually quite a a pro- Hitler uh General he's he's always seen as rather sort of sympathetic to the Nazis but even he has been shocked by what Hitler has said to him that day and was beginning to tie of Hitler's expansionist plans he's joined by Verna Von frit also horrified by what he's heard but Hitler refuses to listen to them Hitler was having none of it and there's no doubt that at that moment he started to doubt their support and to doubt whether he could carry out his plans uh with them still in place as the two men will soon find out Hitler has a way of dealing with those who oppose him [Music] in the Berlin offices of the gapo an agent combes through the police files his Target is not Communists or dissident it's Von blomberg very soon the agent finds what he's looking for the file on Verna Von blomberg shows the general has a dark secret he's recently remarried Hitler had been one of the witnesses she was considerably younger than him and it's clear that at some stage he was he was smitten he fell in love and he decided that he wanted to marry her she was only 25 years old but Bloomberg's new wife has a secret and colorful past she was not only a former prostitute but had also posed for some pornographic pictures in her past the file reveals that she has been a regular fixture at Berlin's sleazy nightclubs and bars she's a totally unsuitable wife for a senior military figure the file is sent to Hitler Hitler a notorious prude is appalled there was an anecdote going around Berlin at the time that Hitler was washing almost compulsively because he had shaken this lady's hands but at the same time it chimed very neatly with Hitler's desire to get rid of Von Bloomberg to do away with some of the opposition to his military plans which he now had in place blumberg is summoned to a meeting and offered a choice rign or his wife's past will be made [Music] public as Hitler had hoped he chooses to resign Days Later Verna Von frit is also summoned to a meeting with the fura a file has mysteriously surfaced suggesting frit has had a homosexual eaon homosexuality to the Nazis was something that was absolutely aor and for Hitler personally who was tremendously homophobic it was it was utterly Beyond The Pale frit too is forced to resign almost immediately Hitler abolishes the position of war minister and appoints him himself supreme commander of the German Army Hitler actually emerges in much firmer control of the German military than he had been the previous Autumn the Army has basically become much more his creature it's much more subordinated to his will any remaining independence of action that it had has been effectively removed yet Hitler faces an obstacle the German public has elected him as a man of Peace how can he fulfill his expansionist plans seize new territory and still keep his promise to them in the spring of 1938 Hitler launches fa is one of his expansionist plans German troops pour across the border into Austria they're greeted by cheering crowds the austrians welcomed Hitler and the Nazis into Austria many millions of them were Germans by birth German by upbringing and they were only too happy to return back to the Reich [Music] we within days Hitler arrives in Vienna to claim Austria for his new greater [Music] Germany there are wonderful photographs of him addressing a quarter of a milon 300,000 people in the hen plats the the square of Heroes in the middle of Vienna annexing a Austria even peacefully is a blatant breach of all International agreements yet Britain and France do [Music] nothing Hitler has judged the situation very skillfully he's gambled on their reluctance to go to war and won [Applause] in Germany there's also Jubilation Hitler has taken the first step in creating his greater Germany without Bloodshed in doing so he's also kept his promise to his people not to take the country to [Applause] war the Nazi propaganda machine pumps up the achievement the crowds were euphoric they saw this as being a a bloodless Invasion that almost without a shot being fired Hitler had reintroduced Austria back into a greater Germany he was a hero at the time Joseph Gobles Hitler's propaganda Minister and close confidant speaks for many when he writes the furer is wonderful a Real Genius he sits over maps for hours and Broods it's stirring when he says he wishes to live to see the greater Germanic ha [Music] again yet behind the scenes Hitler and some of his closest collaborators are planning another aggressive expansion of Germany's borders [Music] 5 months after the annexation of Austria Hitler masses troops on the border with Czechoslovakia and threatens an invasion discover the past with exclusive military history documentaries and adree podcasts presented by world-renowned historians all on history hit watch them on your smart TV or on the- go with your mobile device download the app now to watch everything from the gripping story of the Band of Brothers to operation Barbarosa and D-Day immerse yourself in the dramatic stories of this remarkable era by signing up via the link in the description the country has a large German minority most of them live in a border area known as the Sudan land they are the next Target on Hitler's shopping list for incorporation into a new greater Germany he felt that the German people had the right to live together in one large nation state Hitler simply believed this was an entirely natural and just cause and he had absolutely no hesitation in making this the centerpiece of his foreign policy but unlike the austrians the Czechs aren't willing to give up territory to Germany furthermore Czech sovereignty is guaranteed by France and supported by Britain Hitler needs to somehow maintain the illusion to the German people that he's a man of Peace if there is conflict it shouldn't be seen to be of his making the job Falls to Joseph Gobles Hitler's propaganda Minister the Nazi propaganda machine swings into action news reels show the Sudan Germans as a people yearning to become a part of Greater Germany there had been a vigorous propaganda campaign beforehand to suggest that these people were persecuted in the Czech state that they they were not given equal rights and that their legitimate popular wish to become part of Germany was being denied Hitler was very clever at telling the world and of course telling his own people in particular how badly oppressed the Germans living within the sedan borders were and that this was really a moral Crusade for Germany Hitler's Nazi sympathizers in the Sudan land now secretly stir up trouble there was a very effective grouping of Nazis prazis who were able to magnify any incident of Oppression suffered by the Germans it's a classic Nazi trick secretly provoke unrest then make sure it gets lots of news coverage every Newville carried an example of the oppression of the German people in the sodan land our people our German brothers and sisters are being oppressed in an appalling way in the San land this can't be allowed to continue we must intervene and the anger that was built up was very effective propaganda it's a clever spin Hitler can now put the Army on a war footing while claiming he's merely protecting a helpless undefended German population but despite his popularity Hitler still feels insecure that summer Hitler takes another step to reinforce his position he had this fear that although the Army was sworn to him by an oath of loyalty you could never trust everybody on every occasion what he needs is an alternative source of military power and he knows just where to find it the vafan SS is the armed paramilitary wing of the Nazi party the men who joined of raan ss were fanatical Nazis and they also had to meet the SS criteria they were tall and blond haired and had to show that they're of pure Nordic blood for at least three generations they had to uh swear allegiance to to Adolf Hitler they had to have their blood group tattooed on their arms they had to a red M Camp they really had no compunction about what they did and who they killed as long as it was followed the Nazi ideology ordinary Germans and ordinary German soldiers would be scared of these guys that summer the ranks of the VA and SS are rapidly expanded new recruits pour in in 1938 the vafan SS set up its own training schools this gave them access to better equipment and better training it also welded them together uh as a unique Elite core which were fanatically devoted to nism and to the extermination of Communists and Jews they were special they were separate and they were answerable only to themselves and to the furer with no reference to any other authority over them that's what gives them that fearful image they are in effect Hitler's private Army his guarantee that if the Army turns against him he has an alternative source of power it will turn out to be a wise precaution there's already a growing Revolt inside the [Music] military late that summer at a cathedral in the German Capital an extraordinary scene is [Music] unfolding a group of Military Officers have come to ask the cathedral's cannon to release them from their Oaths of loyalty to the fura among them is Hans Oster a colonel in German military intelligence he'd been an early supporter of the Nazis but now like the rest of the group he believes Hitler is rushing the country into a suicidal War the cathedral Cannon also a dissident is happy to help he tells them Hitler is a tyrant and that they have no obligation to follow him and that was a difficult step for many of those senior military men to make this was after all their commander-in-chief so they needed if you like Absolution from the church uh to prepare them for what they were planning to do the conspirators also have the backing of important names in the German military they include General Irvin Von velban commander of the Army in Berlin and Fritz Von schulenberg vice president of the Berlin Police both have been deeply disturbed by Hitler's removal of Bloomberg and frit and his willingness to risk war with Britain and France many of those who were plotting in the in the summer of 1938 were those that you might normally imagine were were the n his natural Echelon of supporters there was senior military personnel also senior police Personnel and many of them had initially been supporters of Hitler and the Nazis but they feel they're being railroaded into Reckless foreign policy adventures auster and his colleagues leave the cathedral determined to do all they can to stop Hitler over the next few months the conspirators lay their plans the idea is to arrest Hitler and remove him from power they tore Berlin studying places where they might seize him the big outstanding question when should they act meanwhile on the Czech border German troops continue to prepare for war but France and Britain are still guarantor of Czech sovereignty yet even now Hitler sticks to his claim that he doesn't want war in a speech to the German people that September he proclaims I demand that the oppression of these Germans in Czechoslovakia seizes hit had a very successful technique where he presented himself as a man of Peace he always said he was a former Frontline Soldier why would he of all people want a renewal of War but he presented himself always as a man under great pressure from his own people and from the minorities he was uh seeking to rescue the clock is ticking War seems ENT will the invasion of Czechoslovakia go ahead or can the conspirators inside the Army stop Hitler before he drags Germany into a reckless War suddenly there's a dramatic new development [Music] in Britain prime minister Neville Chamberlain has been watching Hitler's saber rattling with alarm he now leaves London for a meeting with Hitler discussion between him and me may have useful consequences on the morning that he left for uh for for Germany he was sent off from the airport by cheering crowds in Germany Chamberlin is received by Hitler at the berhoff his Mountain retreat in the German Alps Chamberlin and Hitler are very different figures they're 20 years apart Chamberlain is 69 Hitler is 49 chamin must have cut a a fairly strange figure amongst all these Germans in their Nazi uniforms with his wing collar his tie his rolled up umbrella Chamberlain very much looks like a Statesman of the old school and of course Hitler's a very different Beast indeed it was the meeting of two cultures the old Ed wardian School of British diplomacy represented by Chamberlain and this new aggressive Nazi German uh movement as if to symbolize the significance of the meeting a thunderstorm breaks overhead that day there was a storm brewing appropriately enough and boy was there going to be a storm brewing that day Chamberlain is as many were when they first met Hitler he's impressed by the Charisma the personality the character of the man and that of course carries hit a long way forward to getting what he want Hitler once again presents himself as a man of Peace simply trying to help his fellow Germans he demands the Sudan land be given a vote on whether it should secede from Czechoslovakia Chamberlin appears to accept the argument and agrees to try and sell it to the French and Czech governments but he leaves a poor impression on his German hosts after Chamberlain had left that evening there was much hilarity amongst the uh the staff and the other people at the berhoff about chamblin there's no doubt that the Germans felt having met him once that this was a man who they could uh could get the better [Applause] of in Berlin H Oster and his fellow conspirators are not taken in by Hitler's presentation of himself as a man of peace they plan their next moves to make sure they weren't followed they went to some some quite uh you know extraordinary lengths they used to go for walks together in the park so they could see that nobody was following them one group of plotters even used to meet in a burlin swimming pool so they could make sure that any any potential Garo tail was left in the changing room one important question remains unresolved what to do with Hitler once he's arrested most favor a trial but not everybody agrees one of them is Major Friedrich vilhelm Heights a former right-wing Thug that's the most Friedrich filam heints had a colorful background he'd been through first world war and and subsequently fought in every radical right-wing paramilitary organization of the 1920s Heins supports the Nazi cause but not Hitler's leadership of it he tells ostar by now the leading Spirit behind the Rebellion Hitler alive is stronger than all our divisions he needs to be killed the two men come to a secret understanding Hitler will be shot in the confusion of the arrest there is now a very real chance Hitler could be killed [Music] 5 days after his first trip to see Hitler Chamberlin returns to Germany the second meeting is held in the small Spar town of bad godders BG on the Rind Chamberlain's Hotel the Petersburg is on one side of the river Hitler stays in his favorite the dreon on the other the dreon is the hotel where Hitler traditionally went to relax where he used to go to stay when he wanted a holiday her dreon the owner of the hotel was famous as being an arch Nazi and he had an interesting sideline whenever Hitler Came To Stay he would then auction off all of the materials that had been in Hitler's room afterwards to earn a bit of extra money [Music] as the meeting gets underway Chamberlain is optimistic he tells Hitler he's got the deal he wants Britain has persuaded the French and Czech governments to accept the German demand that the Sudan land be given a vote on whether to become part of Germany War can be avoided and then having done so he sort of Lent back in his chair as if to say haven't I done well and to his horror and to the horror of the other people in the room uh Hitler thumped the table and he said no I'm afraid the rules have changed I'm afraid that is no longer enough he would sort of display these incredible histrionics and theatrics and his mouth would foam with rage Hitler tells an astonished Chamberlain he's no longer interested in a vote and it's at this point where he he's famously called a carpet biter because he's like a sort of a rabid dog Hitler now tells Chamberlain the situation in the Sudan land has deteriorated hundreds of fellow Germans are being killed almost daily forget the vote he will invade unless the checks hand over the Sudan land to Germany immediately at that point Chamberlain literally his mouth just drops open and he sits up and he's absolutely shocked by what Hitler said because it means that they've haven't just gone back to square one they've gone back to the square before [Music] that at that stage things look very bad indeed Hitler now ramps up the pressure on chamber a carefully orchestrated stream of Messengers come and go a courier comes in and presents in with a great flourish a piece of paper to Hitler it tells Hitler and Chamberlain that 300 Germans have been massacred in a battle in the German Sudan land in fact of course it hadn't happened at all it was a complete myth but it was Hitler's way of really turning the screw onto Chamberlain and he bang the table in front of Chamberlain say the urgency is evident Mr Prime Minister and Chamberlin really didn't know how to respond I mean he had to believe the stories he couldn't say well I think it's propaganda he was duped If You Wish by a much smarter operator the meeting finishes late [Music] Chamberlain returns home deeply Disturbed he's facing a Monumental Choice he has to persuade the world that Hitler has a legitimate right to walk into the Sudan land or take Britain to war he soon makes his opinions clear he tells the House of Commons in a now Infamous phrase Hitler's threatened invasion of the Sudan land is merely a quarrel in a far away country between people of whom we know nothing [Music] in Berlin the conspirators in the Army a certain Hitler is still leading the country to war they can't believe the British will give in to Hitler's latest demand desperate to stop him they finalize their plans The Invasion may be only days away at an army Garrison in Berlin friederick vilhelm Heins assembles a small team the plan is to arrest Hitler as soon as he's ordered the invasion of the Sudan land arms ammunition and Hand Grenades are handed out the conspirators check their weapons but then something happens they hadn't anticipated Europe's great Powers Britain France Germany and Italy Gather in Munich for a final attempt to thrash out a solution to the Sudan crisis the meeting is held at the fbad the enormous Nazi headquarters in Munich the atmosphere at Munich was was tense throughout everybody present is convinced time is running out to prevent the second catastrophic war in Europe in 20 years years but Hitler stands firm even now he maintains his Public Image that he doesn't want war but that he's being pushed into it by the checks across Germany there's a mood of alarm that despite their faith in him Hitler is going to break his promise the reality was and we know this from Diary entries that that there were serious doubts not simply among the military but also among ordinary Germans it wasn't openly expressed because really there wasn't an open area for that but the anxieties are there there's a lot of trepidation now amongst the people they're quite frightened of coming out and saying you know these aims are wrong but there is a kind of fear about a World War and what it will do for Germany [Music] peace in Europe hangs by a thread then Chamberlain offers a new extraordinary compromise Hitler can have the Sudan land provided he promises this will be the last of his territorial [Music] Ambitions Hitler immediately replies yes yes it's the last territorial demand I shall make in Europe [Music] within hours the Munich agreement is signed it's an extraordinary coup Chamberlain is convinced War has been avoided for Hitler it's a double Triumph Germany's borders have again been expanded and he can continue his lie that he's a man of peace once again he's a national [Applause] hero in Berlin the secret conspiracy against Hitler collapses Hans uster and his colleagues burn all the evidence with Chamberlain's climb down they've lost heart the leadership melts back into the army command [Music] structure Hans Oster the leader of the conspiracy hides his opposition and remains a colonel in the German military intelligence friederick vilhelm Heins who had wanted to shoot Hitler joins a Special Forces Group and will fight on the Eastern Front General Irvin Von velban is promoted to commanderin-chief of an army group Fritz Von schulenberg also throws in his lot with the military establishment and is later promoted their loss of Courage means Hitler is now free to move on to the next phase of his expansionist [Applause] plans six month after signing the Munich agreement he tears it up in March 1939 German troops Roar straight through the Sudan land and occupy the whole of [Music] Czechoslovakia this is no longer merely uniting German speaking people this is territorial expansion yet even so Britain and France are still unwilling to to go to [Music] [Applause] war for the German people it looks like another amazing [Music] [Applause] Triumph across Germany there renewed [Music] Euphoria Germany has acquired not just the Sudan land but the whole of Czechoslovakia without firing a shot [Applause] it's Hitler's first step in his acquisition of laban's Realm the extra living space he's promised the German people it's a longstanding notion going back to the 19th century which was that Germany didn't have enough space for its people Hitler's popularity SES to new heights he had proved yet again that he could take risks they were calculated risks but they've been so cleverly well calculated they actually worked to many people he's the country's greatest Diplomat ever there's an outpouring of adulatory letters and poems a 17-year-old girl writes Hitler is a great man A genus a person sent to us from heaven one Western newspaper reports the great majority of Germans could Now find some point of identification with Hitler and his achievements what the German people don't know is that this will be Hitler's last major bloodless [Applause] Victory the International Community uh was outraged by it Stalin denounced him Chamberlain denounced him and the French denounced him Hitler is hellbent on War the only way to stop him is through a powerful military Alliance but even now the German people have faith he won't take them to war they're wrong at the beginning of September a German warship in the Free Port of Danzig opens fire on the Polish [Music] Garrison meanwhile German troops pour across the border into Poland this time Britain and France react both countries are signatories of a treaty guaranteeing polish Independence they now have no choice but to come to Poland's [Music] assistance on September the 3rd 1939 2 days after the German invasion Britain and France declare war on Germany this country is at war with Germany what Hitler has promised will not happen has happened World War II has has begun in Germany there's a mood of fear and doom there was no appetite amongst the German people for what could be seen as a resumption of the first world war which had been utterly catastrophic for Germany from contemporary reports we know that the mood in Berlin was somber and uh depressed the war they'd hoped to avoid has finally [Music] arrived but then very rapidly the mood changes as German forces Crush all opposition Poland is overrun in weeks the German Army then turns West War spreads across Europe it's accompanied by more easy victories Germany occupies Denmark and Norway I mean this is joined up Warfare this this is tanks artillery all working in [Music] unison soon afterwards German forces storm into Belgium and Holland this is a wall that no one has ever seen before and it's absolutely devastating This Is War at its most [Music] brutal by Midsummer 1940 Hitler is in Paris at the head of a Victorious Army [Music] he has defeated the combined forces of both Britain and France in front of the Eiffel Tower he proclaims I'm the greatest strategic Genius of all time many Germans who had begun to doubt him start to trust Hitler again in a matter of months and with minimal losses Germany has has overrun Europe Hitler may not have kept his promise to avoid war but at least it's been a brief one he's grabbed more territory than the Germans had won in the entire course of World War I a war that lasted 4 years and cost millions of German lives he tells his senior military commanders no one has has achieved what I have achieved I've led the German people to a great height the idea of Hitler's military Brilliance spreads across the [Music] world national leaders in Europe and Asia rally to his [Music] support that summer Italy enters the war on the German [Music] side Hitler and the Italian fascist leader Bonito musolini have much in common Hitler from the beginning admired what he called the great man across the Alps and it's reciprocated musolini admires Hitler for what he's achieved in the Autumn Germany's old Ally Japan also joined Hitler the Axis powers are born Hitler strides the world yet what the Germans don't realize is that the war is far from Over the devastation is only just beginning [Music] [Music]

Channel: War Stories

Views: 129,861

Keywords: Fascist Regime, German Military, Hitler's Army, Hitler's Decrees, Hitler's Elite Force, Hitler's Leadership, Holocaust Remembrance., Military Expansionism, Nazi Brutality, Nazi Dictatorship, Nazi Persecution, Nazi Terror, Nazi Troops, Nazi War Machine, SS Division, SS Practices, SS Soldiers, SS Troops, SS in WWII Context, Wartime atrocities

Id: J8N-B150G-s

Length: 48min 56sec (2936 seconds)

Published: Mon Jun 24 2024