#Sudetenland crisis

[newyorkthegoldenage]

Demonstrators protesting Germany's attempt to annex Sudetenland (a part of Czechoslovakia) march through the throngs of Times Square tourists, September 27, 1938.

Photo: Marty Lederhandler for the AP

#vintage New York #1930s #Marty Lederhandler #Nazi Germany #protest #demonstration #Sudetenland #Sudetenland crisis #Hitler #Munich accord #World War II #Sept. 27 #27 September #September 27 #27 Sept.

[decolonize-the-left]

Sound familiar?

"After the First World War, the map of Europe was re-drawn and several new countries were formed. As a result of this, three million Germans found themselves now living in part of Czechoslovakia.

When Adolf Hitler came to power, he wanted to unite all Germans into one nation.

In September 1938 he turned his attention to the three million Germans living in part of Czechoslovakia called the Sudetenland. Sudeten Germans began protests and provoked violence from the Czech police. Hitler claimed that 300 Sudeten Germans had been killed. This was not actually the case, but Hitler used it as an excuse to place German troops along the Czech border.

Things that happened in September 1938:

Sept 7. On instructions from Hitler, Konrad Henlein broke off negotiations with the Czech government. Allegations of Czech police brutality at Moravská Ostrava were used as an excuse

Sept 7. A famously controversial editorial appeared in The Times which recommended giving Hitler what he wanted because "the advantages to Czechoslovakia of becoming a homogenous State might conceivably outweigh the obvious disadvantages of losing the Sudeten German districts of the borderland."

Sept 13. French Prime Minister Édouard Daladier asked Neville Chamberlain (leader of Czechoslovakia) to make the best deal he could with Hitler.

Sept 20. The Czechoslovak government rejected the Anglo-French proposal in a note explaining that acceptance would mean that Czechoslovakia would be put "sooner or later under the complete domination of Germany."

Sept 20. Hitler met with the Polish ambassador Józef Lipski and told him that Germany would support Poland in a conflict with Czechoslovakia over Teschen. Hitler also said he was considering shipping Europe's Jews to a colony (Israel, a colony for Europe's displaced Jewish population would be established in 1948) and expressed hope that Poland would cooperate with such a plan. Lipski replied that if Hitler could solve the Jewish question, the Poles would build a monument to him in Warsaw

September 26. In the Berlin Sportpalast, Hitler made a speech threatening Czechoslovakia with war. "My patience is exhausted", Hitler declared. "If Beneš does not want peace we will have to take matters into our own hands.

Sept 27th. The French government announced that France would not enter a war purely over Czechoslovakia. Neville Chamberlain gave a radio address saying, "However much we may sympathize with a small nation confronted by a big and powerful neighbor, we cannot in all circumstances undertake to involve the whole British Empire in a war simply on her account. If we have to fight it must be on larger issues than that

Sept 27. President Franklin Roosevelt writes to German Chancellor Adolf Hitler regarding the threat of war in Europe. The German chancellor had been threatening to invade the Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia and, in the letter, his second to Hitler in as many days, Roosevelt reiterated the need to find a peaceful resolution to the issue.

Sept 29. German Führer Adolf Hitler, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, French Prime Minister Édouard Daladier and Italian Duce Benito Mussolini met in Munich to settle the Sudetenland crisis. Czechoslovakia was not invited, neither was the Soviet Union.

Sept 30. Munich Agreement: At 1 a.m., the four powers at Munich agreed that Czechoslovakia would cede the Sudetenland to Germany by October 10. The territorial integrity of the rest of Czechoslovakia was guaranteed by all signatories. Neville Chamberlain flew back to Britain and declared "peace for our time"

I think we all deeply need to reconsider what we were taught about WW2. The allies who "saved" everyone from Hitler's camps are also the Same People who allowed him to get so much power in the first place.

Closer looks at these histories show they had their own motives for allowing it just like Biden does today. FDR & Biden are actually mirroring each other really well considering they're separated by time and death. FDR was pleading and asking Hitler to please stop doing war until Pearl Harbor cuz they had a good relationship like that :) Yeah, so all he really did up to that point was play arms dealer for France and Britain because he didn't wanna jeopardize his relationship with Germany by Directly getting involved.

Yeah.

See what I said about it sounding familiar?

And can I remind y'all that Hitler didn't start by saying he hated Jewish people. No.

You know what his plan was at first? A "Greater Germany" that would unify Germans across the territories that Germany was forced to concede after WW1.

.....Y'all remember this image?

Fascists and dictators and warmongers come in all shapes, sizes and belief systems, but you can always recognize a Fascist Supremacist by the thinly veiled expansion genocide being done in the name of their people. And the guys who help them are always trying to gaslight you about how things are "It's not that bad"

All this to say: get the fuck up and make sure history doesn't keep repeating itself because it's starting to

Y'all are sitting there asking how the Holocaust could happen and Palestinians are asking why nobody is fucking doing anything.

These are related questions.

Get up and do something. Yeah it is crazy that you're going to work when a genocide is happening...so don't!!! So many people are scared of losing their comfort because of what MIGHT happen if it's for nothing, but I'm BEGGING y'all to ask yourselves what headlines you'd rather read about the 1930's-40's and make those real.

"Mob storms parliament, stops the Munich Agreement," "Citizens of (anywhere) create Organization to protect Jewish, Black, and Homosexual peers in opposition to state sponsored violence. Quote: These are my neighbors and Nazis can't have them." "Meet the University Students who chased Nazis off campus." "'We Couldn't Do Nothing' say arrested group of women who beat a Gestapo officer with a clothing iron." "'If they can't afford us, they can't afford war': How global strikes and the lack of scabs are changing the the future of war" "'I'm afraid to Sleep' American Nazis restless after serial arsonist publishes their addresses in the paper"

Germans literally tried to assassinate Hitler. Like several times. We need to step it up.

There are SO MANY things we can do if we can just agree that none of us will be doing them alone! You are NOT powerless to stop this war just because you aren't in Palestine!!!

#i just keep looking at back then and now and everything that led up to ww2 snd Hitler's ideologieies and its like... O H f u c k #ww2 #world history #world war #Nazis #decolstw #palestine #gaza #germany #czechoslovakia #colonization #settler colonialism #leftist #neo colonialism #direct action #biden #capitalism #free palestine

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Signe Wilkinson

* * * *

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

April 20, 2024

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

APR 21, 2024

Cheering broke out in the gallery and among Democrats on the floor of the House of Representatives this afternoon when the House passed the $60.8 billion aid bill for Ukraine. The vote was 311–112, with all Democrats and 101 Republicans voting in favor and 112 Republicans voting against. One Republican voted present. 

The House also voted on the three other bills that will be packaged with the Ukraine bill as a single measure to go in front of the Senate. The House voted in favor of providing $8.1 billion in support for Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific by a vote of 385–34. It approved more than $26 billion for Israel, including $9.2 billion in humanitarian aid not specifically for Gaza but for populations in crisis, by a vote of 366–58. And it voted 360–58 to place additional sanctions on Iran, seize Russian assets, and require the Chinese owners of TikTok to sell the company within nine months if they want it to continue to be available on U.S. app stores.  

The total price tag of the measures is about $95.3 billion. About $50 billion of it will be used here in the U.S. to replenish the supplies that will go abroad. 

Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) says the Senate will take up the measure on Tuesday. Senators had gone home for recess but will come back to vote. The Department of Defense says it is ready to rush crucial supplies as soon as it gets the go-ahead. "We have a very robust logistics network that enables us to move material very quickly; as we've done in the past, we can move within days," Pentagon press secretary Air Force Major General Pat Ryder said Thursday.  

Aid to Ukraine has been stalled since Biden first asked for it in October 2023. First, MAGA Republicans said they would never pass such a national security supplemental bill until the U.S. addressed the need for better security at the country’s southern border. Senators, including Republican James Lankford (R-OK) took them at their word and hammered out a strong border security measure, only to have Republicans reject it when Trump demanded they preserve border security as a campaign issue. The Senate then passed the national security supplemental bill without a border measure, but that was back in February. Although it was clear the measure would pass the House, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has steadfastly refused to take it up. 

Meanwhile, countries around the globe have been stepping into the breach, providing funds and weapons for Ukraine as Ukraine’s war effort has faltered without U.S. war matériel.

Suddenly, the dam has broken. 

The MAGA extremists who oppose aid to Ukraine expressed anger over the measure’s passage, but outside of that group, there was bipartisan relief and mutual congratulations. The chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Representative Michael McCaul (R-TX), who has been vocal in his belief that Republicans have fallen prey to Russian propaganda, compared today’s vote to the period before World War II, when British prime minister Neville Chamberlain tried to appease dictator Adolf Hitler in 1938 by agreeing to Germany’s annexation of the Sudetenland. To Chamberlain’s successor, Winston Churchill, fell the task of fighting World War II. 

“Our adversaries are watching us here today, and history will judge us on our actions here today,” McCaul said. “So as we deliberate on this vote, you have to ask yourself: Am I Chamberlain or am I Churchill?”

House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said: “For months, the national security priorities of the American people have been obstructed by pro-Putin extremists determined to let Russia win. A bipartisan coalition of Democrats and Republicans has risen up to work together and ensure that we are getting the national security legislation important to the American people over the finish line.”

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin also released a statement welcoming the passage of the measure. “This bipartisan legislation will allow the Department to surge lifesaving security assistance to help Ukraine defend itself from Russia’s aggression, support Israel’s defense from Iran and its proxies, and increase the flow of urgently needed humanitarian aid to suffering Palestinians in Gaza.” It is also, he wrote, “an important investment in America's future.”  

President Joe Biden said that “members of both parties in the House voted to advance our national security interests and send a clear message about the power of American leadership on the world stage. At this critical inflection point, they came together to answer history’s call, passing urgently-needed national security legislation that I have fought for months to secure.” 

The reiteration of the bipartisan nature of the vote suggests support for the idea that the breaking dam refers not just to the national security supplemental bill but also to the power of MAGA Republicans more generally. Representative Tom Cole (R-OK) suggested this interpretation in an interview today with Ryan Lizza of Politico. 

MAGAs are Trump loyalists, counting on his return to power, and Trump is visibly diminished. For the last week, he has been sitting in a courtroom with no choice but to do as he is told by the judge while potential jurors have expressed their dislike of him to his face. This is novel for him, and it is clearly taking a toll. 

Trump’s financial troubles have not gone away, either. Yesterday, New York attorney general Letitia James asked a judge to void the $175 million appeals bond Trump posted to secure the $454 million judgment against him in the business fraud case. She says that the defendants have failed to show that there is enough collateral behind the bond to secure it. She has asked for a replacement bond within a week. Without a bond, James can begin to seize Trump’s property. 

Since Republicans took control of the House, Republican leaders have had to turn to Democrats to find the votes to pass crucial legislation like the national security supplemental bill, preventing a U.S. default, and funding the government. Republicans interested in governing and eager to protect the institutions of democracy appear to be getting fed up with the attention-seeking and bomb-throwing MAGA faction that refuses to do the work of governing. 

That frustration might have been on display when the House also voted on a fifth measure: a border bill the extremist Republicans demanded. Because it was considered under a suspension of the rules, it needed a two-thirds majority to pass. The measure failed with a vote of 215–211. Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, a lawyer with the American Immigration Council advocacy group, noted that the last time the House voted on a similar measure, it got 219 votes. This time it got fewer votes, even with an added $9.5 billion for Texas, Florida, and other states that are restricting immigrants’ rights. 

In The Atlantic today, David Frum noted the changing U.S. political dynamic and, referring  to the Ukraine vote, wrote: “On something that mattered intensely to [Trump]—that had become a badge of pro-Trump identity—Trump’s own party worked with Democrats in the House and Senate to hand him a stinging defeat. This example could become contagious.” In other words, he said: “Ukraine won. Trump lost.”

For his part, leading Russian politician Dmitry Medvedev had his own reaction to the House’s passage of the national security supplemental bill with aid for Ukraine. He vowed that Russia would win the war anyway and added: “[C]onsidering the russophobic decision that took place I can't help but wish the USA with all sincerity to dive into a new civil war themselves as quickly as possible. Which, I hope, will be very different from the war between North and South in the 19th century and will be waged using aircraft, tanks, artillery, MLRS, all types of missiles and other weapons. And which will finally lead to the inglorious collapse of the vile evil empire of the 21st century—the United States of America.”

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

#Letters From An American #Heather Cox Richardson #War in Ukraine #the Putin Caucus #Moscow Marge #MAGA Extremists #bi-partisan coalition #do your job #aid to ukraine #defending democracy

[swallow-wind]

"Al would always watch documentaries on WW2 throughout our relationship and it was clearly not something that he'd just taken up as an interest for the album. Certainly he'd always be reading history books at home and I think that he had a genuine interest in history. Al wasn't really into material possessions and that included books so the house wasn't full of books, we just had what we had recently bought. As far as I know he didn't belong to a library. He'd just go into town and buy books as and when. I never got the impression that Al had consciously elected to change his style and write about history and it appeared to me, right there at the time it was just a subject that he had a great interest in.”

- Bena Nicholson, Al Stewart's girlfriend at the time, talking about his research for Past, Present and Future

“You see I've always been fascinated by history in terms of people's lives, the way they lived, what they did with their lives, how they lived against the pressures of their day and their age, and I think I can make songs three-dimensional where up until now they've been two-dimensional: you had the words and you had the music. Almost like a book which is one-dimensional and writers like Leonard Cohen add music and make it two-dimensional, and I want to add the time element and make it three-dimensional. [...] I don't think anyone can do it better than me because nobody's got my background. All that time when I was left on my own I did nothing but read history books and I really do know the 20th century.”

- Al Stewart talking about his interest in history and plans for a historical album in a 1972 interview with Jerry Gilbert

"Here's how to write an Al Stewart song - dead easy, anybody could do it. Lionel Ritchie, if he's writing a love song, would write, 'Rosie meets Tom and they fall in love, oo-boo-bee-doo, oo-boo-bee-doo.' Y'know, ok, sells 7 million copies. Billy Joel, y'know, writes the same song: 'Rosie meets Tom in an Italian restaurant, boo-boo-bee-doo, boo-boo-wee-doo.' [laughs] Sells a million copies. Al Stewart - same song: 'Rosie meets Julie in Warsaw in 1938 during the crisis in the Sudetenland.' [laughs] Sells a hundred thousand copies, but much more characterization. In other words, set everything in- three-dimensionally. Create times, countries, you know, sort of situations that people can interact with each other within, instead of just sort of saying 'Rosie meets Tom and they fall in love.' Um, it's a sure way not to sell lots of records, but it makes your songs that much more interesting."

- Al Stewart talking about how to write an Al Stewart song, Cleveland Rocks, 1989

#al stewart

[perkingthepansies]

An Ordinary Hero

Sometimes real heroes are just ordinary people who do extra-ordinary things. One such ordinary hero was Nicholas Winton who, following the 1938 German annexation of the Sudetenland in what was Czechoslovakia, travelled to Prague to help deal with the ensuing refugee crisis that was overwhelming the city. Aided by a small and very brave band of fellow heroes, together they saved 669 – mostly…

View On WordPress

#Jews #World War II

[russianprotesters]

Historical parallels are not always appropriate, but sometimes they are so glaring that it is simply impossible to ignore it. *** On TV we are regularly shown Western leaders whose statements clearly please the Kremlin. These gentlemen either openly (like Trump) or covertly (like Orban) propose to resolve the Ukrainian crisis using the formula “peace in exchange for territory.” The essence of the proposal is that Kyiv should officially cede its four southeastern regions and Crimea to Russia - and Putin will then agree to stop hostilities. There is a feeling that there are more and more supporters of this approach in the West. Does this remind you of anything? The year 1938 was marked in history by the so-called “Munich Agreement”. Hitler's regime laid claim to the Sudetenland, part of the territory of the independent Czech Republic. The Nazis justified their claims by the fact that many Germans lived in this area, whose rights were violated, and therefore the Sudetenland should be returned to their “native German harbor.” Europe weakly objected to the annexation, but in the end still agreed that Hitler would take this territory. Western leaders thought that a small sacrifice would avoid a major war. This process was included in textbooks under the name “policy of appeasement of the aggressor.” What this policy led to is well known. Hitler became convinced that by using force and threatening escalation, he could take away foreign lands and establish a new world order. His ambitions and appetites grew. And the West, placating the aggressor, actually created the preconditions for a world war that broke out just a year later. *** Now a simple question. What will be Putin’s next steps if Western “peacekeepers” allow him to finally take back southeastern Ukraine and Crimea?

Photo: Anastasia Egorova

#russia #russian protesters #ilya yashin #Ukraine #history

[warmaster-uk]

British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain in an optimistic mood, after landing at Heston Aerodrome following talks with German Leader Adolf Hitler during the Munich Crisis of 1938. The Munich Crisis was a major diplomatic confrontation between Germany, Britain, France, and Czechoslovakia over the Sudetenland, a region of Czechoslovakia with a large German population. Adolf Hitler demanded that the Sudetenland be annexed by Germany, and threatened to invade if his demands were not met. The crisis came to a head at a meeting in Munich on the 29th September 1938, where British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain agreed to Hitler's demands, believing that by ‘appeasing’ Hitler, he could avoid a war and achieve "peace for our time." However, many historians now view Chamberlain's appeasement policy as a mistake, as it failed to prevent Germany from becoming more aggressive and ultimately led to the outbreak of war. Nonetheless, Chamberlain's actions during the Munich Crisis demonstrate the difficult decisions and moral complexities that leaders face in times of crisis. Original photo by Edward Malindine, for Daily Herald #secondworldwar #ww2 #worldwartwo #worldwar2 #war #history #militaryhistory #military #colourised #colorized #colourisedhistory #colorizedhistory #color #colour #colorizedhistoricalphotos #colorization #colourisation #retro #goodolddays #classic #goldenoldies #colorizedphoto #colourisedphoto #appeasement #munich #britain #germany #interwar https://www.instagram.com/p/CpleHAdKa9o/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#secondworldwar #ww2 #worldwartwo #worldwar2 #war #history #militaryhistory #military #colourised #colorized #colourisedhistory #colorizedhistory #color #colour #colorizedhistoricalphotos #colorization #colourisation #retro #goodolddays #classic #goldenoldies #colorizedphoto #colourisedphoto #appeasement #munich #britain #germany #interwar

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 10.10

680 – The Battle of Karbala marks the Martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali. 732 – Charles Martel's forces defeat an Umayyad army near Tours, France. 1471 – Sten Sture the Elder, the Regent of Sweden, with the help of farmers and miners, repels an attack by King Christian I of Denmark. 1492 – The crew of Christopher Columbus's ship, the Santa Maria, attempt a mutiny. 1575 – Roman Catholic forces under Henry I, Duke of Guise, defeat the Protestants, capturing Philippe de Mornay among others. 1580 – Over 600 Papal troops land in Ireland to support the Second Desmond Rebellion. 1631 – Thirty Years' War: An army of the Electorate of Saxony seizes Prague. 1760 – In a treaty with the Dutch colonial authorities, the Ndyuka people of Suriname – descended from escaped slaves – gain territorial autonomy. 1780 – The Great Hurricane of 1780 kills 20,000–30,000 in the Caribbean. 1814 – War of 1812: The United States Revenue Marine attempts to defend the cutter Eagle from the Royal Navy. 1845 – In Annapolis, Maryland, the Naval School (later the United States Naval Academy) opens with 50 students. 1846 – Triton, the largest moon of the planet Neptune, is discovered by English astronomer William Lassell. 1868 – The Ten Years' War begins against Spanish rule in Cuba. 1903 – The Women's Social and Political Union is founded in support of the enfranchisement of British women. 1911 – The day after a bomb explodes prematurely, the Wuchang Uprising begins against the Chinese monarchy. 1913 – U.S. President Woodrow Wilson triggers the explosion of the Gamboa Dike, completing major construction on the Panama Canal. 1918 – RMS Leinster is torpedoed and sunk by UB-123, killing 564, the worst-ever on the Irish Sea. 1920 – The Carinthian plebiscite determines that the larger part of the Duchy of Carinthia should remain part of Austria. 1928 – Chiang Kai-shek becomes Chairman of the Republic of China. 1933 – A United Airlines Boeing 247 is destroyed by sabotage, the first such proven case in the history of commercial aviation. 1935 – In Greece, a coup d'état ends the Second Hellenic Republic. 1938 – Abiding by the Munich Agreement, Czechoslovakia completes its withdrawal from the Sudetenland. 1945 – The Double Tenth Agreement is signed by the Communist Party and the Kuomintang about the future of China. 1954 – The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Sultanate of Muscat, Neil Innes, sends a signal to the Sultanate's forces, accompanied with oil explorers, to penetrate Fahud, marking the beginning of Jebel Akhdar War between the Imamate of Oman and the Sultanate of Muscat. 1957 – U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower apologizes to Ghanaian finance minister Komla Agbeli Gbedemah after he is refused service in a Delaware restaurant. 1957 – The Windscale fire results in Britain's worst nuclear accident. 1963 – France cedes control of the Bizerte naval base to Tunisia. 1963 – The Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty comes into effect. 1964 – The Tokyo Summer Olympics opening ceremony is the first to be relayed live by satellites. 1967 – The Outer Space Treaty comes into force. 1970 – Fiji becomes independent. 1970 – Canada's October Crisis escalates when Quebec Vice Premier Pierre Laporte is kidnapped by members of the Front de libération du Québec. 1973 – U.S. Vice President Spiro Agnew resigns after being charged with evasion of federal income tax. 1975 – Papua New Guinea joins the United Nations. 1979 – The Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant began operations in Eurajoki, Satakunta, Finland. 1980 – The 7.1 Mw  El Asnam earthquake shakes northern Algeria, killing 2,633 and injuring 8,369. 1980 – The Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front is founded in El Salvador. 1985 – US Navy aircraft intercept an Egyptian airliner carrying the perpetrators of the Achille Lauro hijacking, and force it to land in Italy. 1986 – A 5.7 Mw  San Salvador earthquake shakes El Salvador, killing 1,500. 1997 – Austral Líneas Aéreas Flight 2553 crashes and explodes in Uruguay, killing 74. 1998 – A Lignes Aériennes Congolaises jetliner is shot down by rebels in Kindu, Democratic Republic of the Congo, killing 41 people. 2002 – Iraq War: The United States Congress approves the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002. 2007 – Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor becomes the first Malaysian in space on board Soyuz TMA-11.[9] 2009 – Armenia and Turkey sign the Zurich Protocols, intended to normalize relations. However, they are never ratified by either side. 2010 – The Netherlands Antilles are dissolved as a country. 2015 – Twin bomb blasts in the Turkish capital Ankara kill 109 and injure 500+. 2018 – Hurricane Michael makes landfall in the Florida Panhandle as a catastrophic Category 5 hurricane. It kills 57 people in the United States, 45 in Florida, and causes an estimated $25.1 billion in damage.

#Events

[solotigeruk]

Nazis and the Ukraine war

Like everyone else in the world outside of Russia, I have been perplexed by this Putin claim of Ukraine being a Nazi state that needs to be de-Nazified by military means.

Having studied World War 2 and its origins in my youth, I am aware of all the elements that resulted in the creation of the Nazi state in Germany after 1934, so was directly seeking parallels between the events of the nineteen thirties and the current situation and the decade leading up to the current crisis.

Totalitarian state controlled by dictator or elite group.

Resentful of past military defeat of country (WW1)

Full control of media and propaganda (Goebbels)

Extensive use of secret police (Gestapo)

Special military units outside of army command (SS units)

Targeted groups for demonization in society (Jews)

Aims to unite peoples of the same ethnic/cultural /language (Sudetenland)

Interferes directly or indirectly in neighbouring countries (elections)

Encroaches or occupies neighbouring countries on baseless claims (Czechoslovakia)

Excessively large military

Killed or imprisoned all opposition voices (night of the long knives)

Having created a list of elements which produced the Nazi state, it became glaringly obvious that most of these elements applied to modern day Russia and not Ukraine.

Despite these obvious similarities the Russian line continues to claim de-Nazification.

The western press has very much focused on this de-Nazification issue, which is clearly contradictory with reality.

I then tried to look at it from a Russian prospective, which is when I realised that they were not talking about Nazis in the elements outlined above, because they were only using the term as a symbolism of what they really hated, democracy.

#News

[confusedbyinterface]

Today I read about how back in May 1938 everyone thought Hitler was about to invade Czechoslovakia and then nothing happened and everything was totally fine for uhhh about four months

#wages of Destruction #adam tooze #ww2 #sudetenland crisis

[historicity-was-already-taken]

The Sudetenland, and Ukraine

Yesterday I was reading yet another summary of Hitler’s 1938 annexation of the Sudetenland. I’m experiencing long-covid, with one of the most pronounced symptoms being brain fog. So while it didn’t jump out at me immediately, when I woke up this morning I was like FUCK. 

Here’s the short version of this episode: There were ~3.5 million Germans living in the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia as of 1938. Hitler, with his vision of the Third Reich as an ethnically German Empire, determined that the Sudetenland belonged to the Reich by virtue of its German population.  

British, French, and Italian leaders, hoping to stop a war before it started, met with Hitler in Munich. The English and the French bowed to Hitler’s demands for Reich annexation of the Sudetenland, with British PM Neville Chamberlain famously hoping that this act of appeasement would lead to “peace for our time.” Hitler annexed the Sudetenland, and assured the world that he had no more territorial ambitions.

The annexation severely destabilized Czechoslovakia, and, seeing an opportunity, Hitler mobilized his forces and ordered the President of Czechoslovakia, Emil Hacha, to Berlin on March 14, 1939. Hitler informed Hacha that he was about to invade Czechoslovakia, and gave Hacha two choices: 1) cooperate with Germany and sign a treaty allowing for a peaceful annexation of the State, or 2) Total War. After suffering a heart attack in response to German threats, Hacha signed the treaty.

Now, why the FUCK?

Well, Putin’s pretext for the planned invasions of the Ukraine is the “liberation” of the pro-Moscow “separatist” regions of Donetsk and Luhansk. Yesterday, February 21, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin “recognized” the independence of these two regions, and authorized entrance of Russian troops as “peace-keepers.”

He has since delivered speeches conveying that, in Putin’s eyes, Ukraine is not a justifiably independent country, but merely a historical region of Russia which rightfully belongs to Russia, and is only separate due to Western interference in Russian territorial autonomy.

Hence the FUCK. The FUCK of it all grows deeper upon review of Hitler’s political expansionist ideology + views on the 1919 Treaty of Versailes; and of the 1955 Warsaw Pact and the history of Former Soviet Republics, the EU, and NATO after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, 1989-1991.

Summary of the Sudetenland stuff from Dwork & van Pelt, Holocaust: a History, 2002. Mainly because I don’t have Mazower (Hitler’s Empire) or Snyder (Bloodlands) in front of me right now.

#history #modern european history #ukraine crisis #third reich #sudetenland #current events

[whentheynameyoujoy]

Staring in disbelief at all the U.S. lefties trying to both-sides Russia’s unprovoked imperialistic war on Ukraine. I really wish I could be the fly on the wall the moment you worthless larpers realize that due to your ‘murican exceptionalism you went to bat for a fascist dictator and failed to understand one of the clearest-cut examples of imperial conquest that could possibly occur in the modern world.

#ukraine #it's nazis this nazis that #and then when the sudetenland crisis repeats itself as a 101 baby's first war of conquest #they cry that the poor fascist dictatorship is oppressed and needs more lebensraum #fucking unbelievable that a group of such loudmouths can fail so hard at precisely the issue #they claim to care about #you people are a disgrace to leftism #and I unironically hate you

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

“To These Soldiers Prague Points With Pride,” Ottawa Citizen. September 21, 1938. Page 14. --- Symbolic to Czechoslovakia’s faith in her ability to fight, is this impressive picture of the notably efficient Czech army...tens of thousands of young soldiers, reported confident to the point of cockiness, tensed for the word that may mean a death struggle against Hitler and the great Nazi war machine.

#czech crisis #czechoslovakia #czechoslovak army #sudeten crisis #sudetenland #infantry march #military infantry #diplomatic crisis #road to world war 2 #lead up to world war 2

[mostly-history]

Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain gives his “Peace for our time” declaration at Heston Airport after his meeting with Hitler at Munich (September 30th, 1938).

#history #military history #munich crisis #munich conference #german occupation of sudetenland #britain #england #germany #nazi germany #czechoslovakia #sudetenland #neville chamberlain #adolf hitler

[warsofasoiaf]

Was there ever a point pre-WW2 where Austria was close to joining Germany?

Heck, right after World War I, the newly-created rump state in 1918, the Republic of German-Austria that consisted of majority German-speaking populations in the old Austro-Hungarian Empire and consisted primarily of the lands where Austria is today, with the prominent exceptions being the Sudetenland and several cities that are currently in the Czech Republic. This new state wanted to unite with Germany, but that was forbidden by the Treaty of Versailles and the Treaty of Saint Germain (this was the treaty that dealt with Austria, to simplify for the sake of convenience, think of the aftermath of WWI this way: Versailles dealt with Germany, Saint Germain with Austria, Trianon with Hungary, Neuilly-sur-Seine with Bulgaria, and Sevres with the Ottoman Empire). That fell through, the Republic of German-Austria was not formed, and instead the First Austrian Republic was made, and the Sudetenland given to Czechoslovakia. During the Weimar years, union between Germany and Austria was popular across the political spectrum and favored by both popular opinion and elite opinion, particularly during the “Golden Weimar Years” when Austria faced a severe economic crisis.

Thanks for the question, Anon.

SomethingLikeALawyer, Hand of the King

#history #austria

[greatworldwar2]

• 1st SS Division Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler

The 1st SS Panzer Division "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler", short LSSAH, began as Adolf Hitler's personal bodyguard, responsible for guarding the Führer's person, offices, and residences. Initially the size of a regiment, the LSSAH eventually grew into an elite division-sized unit during World War II.

In the early days of the Nazi Party (NSDAP), the leadership realized that a bodyguard unit composed of reliable men was needed. Adolf Hitler in early 1923, ordered the formation of a small separate bodyguard dedicated to his service rather than "a suspect mass", such as the the Sturmabteilung (SA) under Ernst Röhm. Originally the unit was composed of only eight men, commanded by Julius Schreck and Joseph Berchtold. It was designated the Stabswache (staff guard). The Stabswache were issued unique badges, but at this point was still under SA control. In May 1923, the unit was renamed Stoßtrupp (Shock Troop)–Hitler. The unit numbered no more than 20 members at that time. On November 9th, 1923, the Stoßtrupp, along with the SA and several other Nazi paramilitary units, took part in the abortive Beer Hall Putsch in Munich. In the aftermath, Hitler was imprisoned and his party and all associated formations, including the Stoßtrupp, were disbanded. Later in 1925, Hitler ordered the formation of a new bodyguard unit, the Schutzkommando (protection command). The unit was renamed the Sturmstaffel (assault squadron) and in November was renamed the Schutzstaffel, abbreviated to SS. By 1933 the SS had grown from a small bodyguard unit to a formation of over 50,000 men. The decision was made to form a new bodyguard unit, again called the Stabswache, which was mostly made up of men from the 1st SS-Standarte. By 1933 this unit was placed under the command of Sepp Dietrich, who selected 117 men to form the SS-Stabswache Berlin on March 17th, 1933. The unit replaced the army guards at the Reich Chancellery.

Out of this initial group, three eventually became divisional commanders, at least eight would become regimental commanders, fifteen became battalion commanders, and over thirty became company commanders in the Waffen-SS. Later in 1933, two further training units were formed: SS-Sonderkommando Zossen on 10 May, and a second unit, designated SS-Sonderkommando Jüterbog in July. These were the only SS units to receive military training at that time. Most of the training staff came from the ranks of the army. On September 3rd, 1933 the two Sonderkommando merged into the SS-Sonderkommando Berlin under Dietrich's command. Most of their duties involved providing outer security for Hitler at his residences, public appearances and guard duty at the Reich Chancellery. In November 1933, on the 10th anniversary of the Beer Hall Putsch, the Sonderkommando took part in the rally and memorial service for the NSDAP members who had been killed during the putsch. During the ceremony, the members of the Sonderkommando swore personal allegiance to Hitler. At the conclusion the unit received the new title, "Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler" (LAH). The term Leibstandarte was derived partly from Leibgarde, a somewhat archaic German translation of "Guard of Corps" or personal bodyguard of a military leader. On April 13th, 1934, Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler ordered the Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler (LAH) to be renamed "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler" (LSSAH). Himmler inserted the SS initials into the name to make it clear that the unit was independent from the army. Although nominally under Himmler, Dietrich was the real commander and handled day-to-day administration. Hitler ordered all SA leaders to attend a meeting at the Hanselbauer Hotel in Bad Wiessee, near Munich. Hitler along with Sepp Dietrich and a unit from the LSSAH travelled to Bad Wiessee to personally oversee Röhm's arrest on June 30th. Later at around 17:00 hours, Dietrich received orders from Hitler for the LSSAH to form an "execution squad" and go to Stadelheim prison where certain SA leaders were being held. There in the prison courtyard, the LSSAH firing squad shot five SA generals and an SA colonel. This action succeeded in effectively decapitating the SA and removing Röhm's threat to Hitler's leadership. In recognition of their actions, both the LSSAH and the Landespolizeigruppe General Göring were expanded to regimental size and motorized. In addition, the SS became an independent organization, no longer part of the SA.

The LSSAH provided the honor guard at many of the Nuremberg Rallies, and in 1935 took part in the reoccupation of the Saarland. On June 6th, 1935, the LSSAH officially adopted a field-grey uniform to identify itself more with the army, which wore a similar uniform. The LSSAH was later in the vanguard of the march into Austria as part of the Anschluss, and in 1938 the unit took part in the occupation of the Sudetenland. By 1939, the LSSAH was a full infantry regiment with three infantry battalions, an artillery battalion, and anti-tank, reconnaissance and engineer sub-units. Soon after its involvement in the annexation of Bohemia and Moravia, the LSSAH was redesignated "Infanterie-Regiment Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (mot.)". When Hitler ordered the formation of an SS division in mid-1939, the Leibstandarte was designated to form its own unit. The Polish crisis of August 1939 put these plans on hold, and the LSSAH was ordered to join XIII. Armeekorps, a part of Army Group South, which was preparing for the attack on Poland. The Leibstandarte division's symbol was a skeleton key, in honor of its first commander, Josef "Sepp" Dietrich (Dietrich is German for skeleton key or lock pick); it was retained and modified to later serve as the symbol for I SS Panzer Corps. During the initial stages of the invasion of Poland, the LSSAH was attached to the 17.Infanterie-Division and tasked with providing flank protection for the southern pincer. The regiment was involved in several battles against Polish cavalry brigades attempting to hit the flanks of the German advance. At Pabianice, a town near Łódź, the LSSAH fought elements of the Polish 28th Infantry Division and the Wołyńska Cavalry Brigade in close combat. Throughout the campaign, the unit was notorious for burning villages. In addition, members of the LSSAH committed atrocities in numerous Polish towns, including the murder of 50 Jews in Błonie and the massacre of 200 civilians, including children, who were machine gunned in Złoczew. After the success at Pabianice, the LSSAH was sent to the area near Warsaw and attached to the 4.Panzer-Division under then Generalmajor (brigadier general) Georg-Hans Reinhardt. The unit saw action preventing encircled Polish units from escaping, and repelling several attempts by other Polish troops to break through. In spite of the swift military victory over Poland, the regular army had reservations about the performance of the LSSAH due to their higher casualty rate than the army units.

In early 1940 the LSSAH was expanded into a full independent motorized infantry regiment and a Sturmgeschütz (Assault Gun) battery was added to their establishment. The regiment was shifted to the Dutch border for the launch of Fall Gelb. It was to form the vanguard of the ground advance into the Netherlands, tasked with capturing a vital bridge over the IJssel, attacking the main line of defense at the Grebbeberg (the Grebbeline), and linking up with the Fallschirmjäger of Generaloberst Kurt Student's airborne forces, the 7.Flieger-Division. On May 10th, 1940 the LSSAH crossed the Dutch border, covered over 75 kilometres (47 mi), and secured a crossing over the IJssel near Zutphen after discovering that their target bridge had been destroyed. Over the next four days, the LSSAH covered over 215 kilometres (134 mi), and upon entering Rotterdam, several of its soldiers accidentally shot at and seriously wounded General Student. After the surrender of Rotterdam, the LSSAH left for the Hague, which they reached on May 15th, after capturing 3,500 Dutch soldiers as prisoners of war. After the surrender of the Netherlands on May 15th, the regiment was then moved south to France. After the British counterattack at Arras, the LSSAH, along with the SS-Verfügungs-Division, were moved to hold the perimeter around Dunkirk and reduce the size of the pocket containing the encircled British Expeditionary Force and French forces. The LSSAH took up a position 15 miles south west of Dunkirk along the line of the Aa Canal, facing the Allied defensive line near Watten. However, on the following day of May 25th, in defiance of Hitler's orders, Dietrich ordered his 3rd battalion to cross the canal and take the Wattenberg Heights beyond, where British artillery observers were putting the regiment at risk. They assaulted the heights and drove the observers off. Instead of being censured for his act of defiance, Dietrich was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. On May 26th the German advance resumed. By the 28th the LSSAH had taken the village of Wormhout, only ten miles from Dunkirk. After their surrender, soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment, along with some other units (including French soldiers) were taken to a barn in La Plaine au Bois near Wormhout and Esquelbecq. It was there that troops of the LSSAH 2nd battalion, under the command of SS-Hauptsturmführer Wilhelm Mohnke committed the Wormhoudt massacre, where 80 British and French prisoners of war were killed. After the conclusion of the Western campaign on June 22nd, 1940, the LSSAH spent six months in Metz (Moselle). It was expanded to brigade size (6,500 men). A 'Flak battalion' and a StuG Batterie were among the units added to the LSSAH. A new flag was presented by Heinrich Himmler in September 1940.

During the later months of 1940, the regiment trained in amphibious assaults on the Moselle River in preparation for Operation Seelöwe, the invasion of England. After the Luftwaffe's failure in the Battle of Britain and the cancellation of the planned invasion, the LSSAH was shifted to Bulgaria in February 1941 in preparation for Operation Marita, part of the planned invasion of Greece and Yugoslavia. The operation was launched on April 6th, 1941 by aerial bombings of central-southern Yugoslavia, specially over Belgrade causing enormous destructions and thousands of victims and woundeds. After the LSSAH entered on April 12th into the Yugoslavian capital, then to follow the route of the 9.Panzer-Division. The LSSAH crossed the border near Bitola and was soon deep in Greek territory. The LSSAH captured Vevi on April 10th. LSSAH was tasked with clearing resistance from the Kleisoura Pass south-west of Vevi and driving through to the Kastoria area to cut off retreating Greek and British Commonwealth forces. The brigade participated in the clearing the Klidi Pass just south of Vevi, which was defended by a "scratch force" of Greek, Australian, British and New Zealand troops. With the fall of the two passes the main line of resistance of the Greek Epirus army was broken, and the campaign became a battle to prevent the escape of the enemy. On April 20th, following a pitched battle in the 5,000-foot-high (1,500 m) Metsovon Pass in the Pindus Mountains, the commander of the Greek Epirus army surrendered the entire force to Dietrich. By April 30th, the last British Commonwealth troops had either been captured or escaped. The LSSAH occupied a position of honor in the victory parade through Athens. After Operation Marita, the LSSAH was ordered north to join the forces of Army Group South massing for the launch of Operation Barbarossa.

Following LSSAH's outstanding performance during Marita, Himmler ordered that it should be upgraded to divisional status. The regiment, already the size of a reinforced brigade, was to be given motorized transport and redesignated "SS-Division (mot.) Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler". It was moved to Czechoslovakia in mid May for reorganization until being ordered to assemble in Poland for Operation Barbarossa, as part of Gerd von Rundstedt's, Army Group South. There was not enough time to deliver all its equipment and refit it to full divisional status before the launch of the invasion of the Soviet Union, so the new "division" remained the size of a reinforced brigade, even though its expansion and development was of concern. Through July it was attached to III Panzer Corps before finishing August as part of XLVIII Panzer Corps. During this time, the LSSAH was involved in the Battle of Uman and the subsequent capture of Kiev. In early September, the division was shifted to LIV Army Corps, as part of the 11th Army, during the advance east after the fall of Kiev. Hoping to capitalize on the collapse of the Red Army defense on the Dnepr River the reconnaissance battalion of LSSAH was tasked with making a speedy advance to capture the strategically vital choke point of the Perekop Isthmus but were rebuffed by entrenched defenders at the town of Perekop. In October, the LSSAH was transferred back north to help solidify the Axis line against fresh Soviet attacks against the Romanian 3rd Army and later took part in the heavy fighting for the city of Rostov-on-Don, which was captured in late November; there, the LSSAH took over 10,000 Red Army prisoners. However by the end of the year, the German advance faltered as Soviet resistance grew stronger. Under pressure from heavy Soviet counterattacks during the winter, the LSSAH and Army Group South retreated from Rostov to defensive lines on the river Mius.[47] After the spring rasputitsa (seasonal mud) had cleared, the division joined in Fall Blau, participating in the fighting to retake Rostov-on-Don, which fell in late July 1942. Severely understrength, the LSSAH was transferred to the Normandy region of occupied France to join the newly formed SS Panzer Corps and to be reformed as a Panzergrenadier division. The LSSAH spent the remainder of 1942 refitting as a panzergrenadier division.

This meant that the SS Panzergrenadier divisions were full-strength Panzer divisions in all but name. The division also received nine Tiger 1 tanks, and these were formed into the 13th (schwere) Company/1st SS Panzer Regiment. The collapse of the front around Stalingrad and the encirclement of the German Sixth Army created a threat to General Feldmarschall Erich von Manstein's Army Group Don. Manstein requested reinforcements to halt the Soviet attack near Kharkov. The SS Panzer Corps was then ordered east to join Manstein's forces. Arriving at the front in late January 1943, the LSSAH was engaged in fighting in and around Kharkov as a part of Hausser's SS Panzer Corps. In March 1943 the division participated in the recapture of Kharkov. On March 12th, 1943, the LSSAH made progress into the city's center by breaking through the Soviet defenses in the northern suburbs. By the end of the day, the division had reached a position just two blocks north of Dzerzhinsky Square. Despite the declaration that the city had fallen, fighting continued on the 15th and 16th March, as German units cleared the remnants of resistance in the tractor works factory complex, in the southern outskirts of the city. While in Kharkov, troops of the LSSAH engaged in the murder of wounded Soviet soldiers that were located in the city's military hospital; several hundred were killed. Additionally, captured Soviet officers and commissars were routinely executed. The division was pulled back to rest and refit. Division commander Sepp Dietrich was promoted to form a new Corps, the 1st SS Panzer Corps Leibstandarte, and the LSSAH was to supply all the senior officers for the new headquarters. At the same time a new SS division would be formed from members of the Hitler Youth and the LSSAH would supply all of the regimental, battalion and most of the company commanders. Elements of LSSAH took part in Fabrikaktion "factory action" a/k/a/ Großaktion Juden "Major Action (on) Jews", an operation to capture remaining German Jews that worked in the arms industry. Men of the LSSAH helped the Gestapo round up Jews in Berlin; people were taken from their jobs and herded in to cattle wagons on February 27th,1943. Most of the captured perished either in Auschwitz or other camps in the East. The division, re-equipped with vehicles, arrived on the Po River Plain on August 8th, 1943. The LSSAH was given the task of guarding several vital road and rail junctions in the area of Trento-Verona. After several weeks, the division was moved to the Parma-Reggio area. During this period, the Leibstandarte was involved in several skirmishes with partisans. With Italy having announced an armistice with the Allies of September 8th, 1943, the division was ordered to begin disarming nearby Italian units. This went smoothly, with the exception of brief, bloody fights with Italian troops stationed in Parma, Cremona and Piacenza on September 9th. While on rear security duties in Italy, LSSAH men murdered 49 Jewish refugees near Lake Maggiore, in the Lake Maggiore massacres, who had fled there after the German takeover.

The LSSAH was sent to the Istria Peninsula and was engaged in several anti-partisan operations as part of Nazi security warfare. During its period in Italy, the LSSAH was reformed as a full panzer division, and redesignated 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler. In early November, the division was ordered back to the Eastern Front. The division was assigned to XLVIII Panzer Corps, a part of 4th Panzer Army, which was struggling to hold the line near Zhitomir. The division was transferred to the Cherkassy area at the end of January, where it was assigned to the III Panzer Corps, part of 1st Panzer Army. As part of the corps, the division took part in the relief attempt of German forces of Army Group South encircled in the Korsun Pocket in January–February 1944. The majority of the LSSAH, which amounted to 41 officers and 1,188 men, were withdrawn to Belgium for rest and refit, however a Kampfgruppe was left behind. On March 25th, the 1st Panzer Army was encircled in the Kamenets Podolsky pocket. The battle group took part in the fighting to escape the encirclement, forming a part of the spearhead which linked up with the II SS Panzer Corps near Buczacz on April 6th. The LSSAH Division was reformed in Belgium and was at full strength by April 1944. The division was transferred again as part of the I SS Panzer Corps which at this time consisted of the 101 SS Heavy Panzer Battalion, SS Division Hitlerjugend, SS Division Götz von Berlichingen and the Panzer Lehr Division. The LSSAH had been positioned north of the River Seine to counter any possible landing in the area of the Pas de Calais so the first units did not arrive in Normandy until after the Allied invasion there on June 6th, 1944. The first action they were involved in was the defense of Carpiquet village and airfield in the Allied Operation Windsor. There then followed a number of Allied attacks Operations Charnwood and Jupiter. On July 12th the LSSAH was holding the Caen south sector from Maltot in the west to the Caen – Falaise road in the east. On July 25th, 1944, US forces under General Omar Bradley succeeded in breaking through the German defenses as part of Operation Cobra and entered Brittany. Hitler forbade any retreat, and ordered a counteroffensive, codenamed Operation Lüttich, by the XLVII Panzer Corps, consisting of the 2nd Panzer Division, part of the LSSAH, the SS Division Das Reich and the 116th Panzer Division. The plan for the attack to hit the 30th Infantry Division east of Mortain, then cut through American defenses to reach the coast. The US response was aided by Ultra intelligence, which had revealed the plans for Operation Lüttich by August 4th. As a result, Bradley was able to obtain air support. The LSSAH and other divisions went on the attack on August 7th, the weather was not suitable for flying that morning, which disadvantaged the Allies. The SS Division Das Reich recaptured Mortain, and an armored battle group under Joachim Peiper reached Bourlopin, but had to halt due to US counterattacks and air strikes. The much-reduced division was encircled in the Falaise pocket by US, Canadian, and Polish forces. Some LSSAH units broke out of the pocket on August 22nd, leaving behind all their tanks and artillery. The division sustained 5,000 casualties during the Normandy campaign. The LSSAH would later participate in the Battle of the Bulge.

During March 1945 elements of the LSSAH were called for Operation Spring Awakening which was the last major German offensive launched during World War II. It began in great secrecy on March 6th, 1945. The German forces launched attacks in Hungary near Lake Balaton. This area included some of the last oil reserves still available to the Axis. The operation involved many German units withdrawn from the failed Ardennes Offensive on the Western Front, including the 6th SS Panzer Army and the LSSAH. Operation Spring Awakening was a failure for the German side. Within a week, the early gains were halted by massive counter attacks by Soviet forces. After the failure of Operation Spring Awakening, Sepp Dietrich's 6th SS Panzer Army retreated in stages to the Vienna area. The Germans prepared defensive positions in an attempt to hold the city against the fast arriving Red Army, in what become known as the Vienna Offensive. The Germans could not hold Vienna, which fell to the Soviet forces on April 13th. Part of the LSSAH ended the war fighting in Berlin. On April 23rd, 1945, Hitler appointed Brigadeführer Mohnke the commander for the central government district (Zitadelle sector) that included the Reich Chancellery and Führerbunker. Mohnke's command post was under the Reich Chancellery in the bunkers therein. He formed Kampfgruppe Mohnke which was divided into two weak regiments made up of approximately 2,000 men. After Hitler's suicide, they received orders to break out. Prior to the attempt, Mohnke briefed all commanders who could be reached within the Zitadelle sector about Hitler's death and the planned break out. It started at 2300 hours on May 1st. Mohnke led the first of ten small groups. Several very small groups managed to reach the Americans at the Elbe's west bank, but most, including Mohnke's group, could not get through the Soviet lines. Many were taken prisoner and some committed suicide. On May 2nd hostilities officially ended. After Vienna was captured, the LSSAH had fewer than 1,600 men and 16 tanks. Apart from the remains of Berlin Guard Battalion, the LSSAH surrendered to US forces in the Steyr area on May 8th, 1945.

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