Figure 1.--Here we see Hitler returning to Berlin after the fall of France in his personal train and the reception he received. This seems to be the turning point both in his relationshipn with the German people anf his view of his leadership. Many of the doubters in Germany seem to have been won over. And he seems to have convinmved himself that his personal brilliamce was what brought the stunning military victory. There is no way of knowing, but this may have also played a role in the Holocaust. The mass killing of Jews had not yet begun. It is difficult that the victory in France and the affirmation of his onipitence was not a factor in the horific decision to exterminate the Jewish people.

Many Germans were impressed, but it was the German victory in the West--the fall of France that would cement Hitler's hold on the German people. We think it is safe to say that a majority of Germans, especially the young people were impressed with Hitler before he launched the War (1939). Many young people by thus time idolized him. But there were still doubters. We don't think that the major reason for doubt was the brutality of the regime or the campaign against the Jews. Some were concerned about these issues, but as far as we can tell it was a small minority. This is hard to measure. We would be interested in what CIH readers think about this. It was of course hard to measure this because no sane person in Germany by 1939 was ignorant enough to speak freely. Although the Gestapo did actually attempt to gauge public opinion. The doubters were primarily older people who had strong memories of World War I and the aftermath. Fear of another War was the primary reservations that many Germans had with Hitler. And there was no outpouring of popular sentiment when war came as was the case when Germany launched World War I by invading Belgium. But then one astonishing victory followed another. All were quick victories--even against the mighty French Army. France had been the mainstay of the Allied resistance in the West during World war I. The Kaisers armies were blocked for 4 years, sustaining huge losses, and finally defeated. Hitler armies smashed the French Army and achieved victory at limited cost and in only an amazing few weeks. Victory in the West, especially the Fall of France, seems to have cemented a bond between Hitler and the German people. He had achieved the impossible. Many of the doubters were now onboard. He must have been right all along. Tragically, it was not an unrealistic conclusion at the time. Many people in France and even Britain reached the same conclusion. The British War Cabinet came perilously close to deciding to make peace with Hitler (May 1940).

Created: 4:36 PM 12/29/2023
Last updated: 4:36 PM 12/29/2023