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1938 was the year when the tide of Hitler’s ambition should have broken against widespread international and internal opposition.

Instead, it was the year when his tsunami was unleashed.

By deft manoeuvres, he isolated Austria, and in March incorporated it into the German Reich.

He then turned his attention to Czechoslovakia. The Nazis fomented unrest in the Sudetenland, and Hitler demanded its return to the German Reich. He ordered his generals to prepare for invasion.

But the leaders of the German Army were not prepared to accept this, and began preparing a coup. They repeatedly told the British government of their plans, and urged Chamberlain to stand firm against Hitler’s demands. Instead, in a series of trips to Germany, Chamberlain capitulated to Hitler’s demands, ceding the Sudetenland, with Czechoslovakia’s best defences and industrial wealth, to the German Reich.

Chamberlain boasted that he had brought ‘peace for our time’.

In March 1939, Hitler swallowed up the rest of Czechoslovakia, and Chamberlain was exposed as having drastically misread the German Führer.

When the British and French guaranteed Poland’s borders, Hitler did not believe them.

Once again the German resistance sought assurances from the British that they would stand firm – but they could no longer promise a coup.

On 1 September 1939 Nazi Germany invaded Poland, and the Second World War began.

It took two days for Britain and France to act in accordance with their guarantee and declare war – but then they did nothing to support Poland.

What now for France? For Britain? And what hope remained for Germans who opposed the Nazi regime?

Written and narrated by Brian Walters

Original music, editing and sound design by the amazing Sam Loy

Episode Transcript

A full transcript of the episode is available here

Read the book TREASON

You can read more about Claus von Stauffenberg and the German resistance to Hitler, in the book Treason by Brian Walters.

For those with iPads, Treason is available as an interactive Apple Book here.

The hard copy can be bought here.

If you live out of Australia, the hard copy is best purchased from Blurb.

There is also a Kindle version.

Resources
For a list of the creative commons music and sound effects used in this episode, head here.

Finally …

If you liked the episode, please share it: the episode link is here.

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By all means contact me, Brian Walters, by email on walters@vicbar.com.au

TREASON: Claus von Stauffenberg and the plot to kill Hitler