Battle Lines Drawn, January – March 1940 | War Story

As the New Year dawned and the people of Britain faced the introduction of rationing, all eyes turned northwards to Scandinavia, where Adolf Hitler was preparing for full-scale invasion. U-Boat attacks increased and at Scapa Flow a German Air Raid claimed the first British casualties.
Produced and narrated by Liam Dale

the hard and heavy Tidings for which I called up in the house and [Music] think [Music] in the Autumn of 1939 the relative Tranquility that Europe had enjoyed since the end of the first world war was shattered as the leader of Nazi Germany Adolf Hitler ordered the invasion of Poland on September the [Music] 1st the invasion of the second polish Republic was an event which would shape the history of the world as Germany a nation embittered by poverty and disgrace borne from their defeat in the first Great War was driven to seize territory that they considered was rightfully theirs the glory days of the French and British Empires were over and as Adolf Hitler’s forces charged furiously across the continent it was clear that the devastating power of the Third Reich was now carving out a new and truly terrifying chapter in the pages of [Music] History while Stalin’s Red Army and the German verar roamed the terrain of Europe unchecked it would be some considerable time before the Allies could muster the strength to combat the Invaders Relentless advance and the months of January to March 1940 would be marked by cautious moves and [Music] Maneuvers although this period of the second world war is generally described as the phony War the storms now Brewing at Sea on land and in the political Arena would be of vital significance as hostilities between the the European nations [Music] escalated Adolf Hitler believed that for his Fatherland to rise once more from the economic Abyss a violent and terrible struggle would be necessary according to the Nazi fura since the French Revolution the world had been moving steadily towards a new great conflict and it was Germany’s duty to secure her own existence by every means possible he promised the Germans an improved economy the Reclamation of territory lost after the first world war and justice for the humiliation the country had faced as a result of the Treaty of [Music] versailes Hitler also harbored many more personal grievances including a deep rooted hatred of Jews and Communists and although his uneasy alliance with the Soviets as he stormed into Poland meant he had to tolerate communism for the time being he immediately set his plans for Exterminating the Jewish race in motion with a zealous determination to exact Revenge Hitler was ready willing and able to show the world that any attempt at diplomacy and reasoning would be futile the events leading up to the declaration of war had proved that Hitler was not to be trusted and with a seemingly Invincible military machine snatching what the Nazis believed to be rightfully theirs any nation that attempted to stand in their way was destined to be crushed Hitler’s star was most definitely in the ascendancy Czechoslovakia had been occupied Austria forcibly pushed into Union with Germany and as the 1930s had drawn to a close Poland was now the third Nation to see Nazi soldiers marching across its borders having signed the Anglo poolish agreement Britain allied with France had no alternative but to go to war with the Third Reich but just how to tackle the supremacy of Hitler’s troops was still to be decided while the Allies watched event unfold as January 1940 heralded the start of a most uncertain New Year still no action had been taken to intervene in the Nazi and Soviet invasion and on the war torn streets of Poland there was little to celebrate what more following the terror of the initial attack the German occupation was proving to be ever more [Music] devastating Hitler had no respect for the people of Poland who he viewed as little more than subhuman and it was soon evident that it was their country that he wanted for some time Hitler had advocated creating more living space for German civilians and he planned to clear all Poland’s inhabitants allowing only a designated number to remain working as slaves the crisis now facing Poland was truly appalling in January plans were drawn up for prison camps similar to those already existing in Germany to be built on polish territory the most notorious of these was located on the edge of the small village of aitz and to this day just the mention of its name conjures up all the horrors of the second world [Music] war many polls were systematically sent there to die among them countless men women and children of Jewish descent Hitler’s persecution of the Jews was gaining [Music] [Applause] momentum but these prototype concentration camps were only the beginning of Hitler’s plans for the Polish Nation he wanted all traces of Polish culture to be obliterated universities were closed or destroyed and professors teachers and intellectuals arrested and [Music] executed teenage boys and girls were rounded up and sent to Germany to work in factories while young children with Fair hair blue eyes and other Aryan traits were snatched from the arms of their parents to be brought up as Germans and Children of the Third Reich there can be no doubt that the war waged by Hitler against Poland was to be one of complete and utter Annihilation by the end of the war in 1945 around a fifth of the country’s citizens would be dead the highest death rate for any country involved in the Second World War 3 million of those killed were Jews and as Nazi forces edged further West the events in Poland were about to become one of the greatest tragedies in human history and it wasn’t only the Nazis that the bagua poles had to contend with while the west of Poland fell beneath the shadow of the German occupation to the east the terrified citizens were facing the threat of a Russian invasion unlike the fierce fighting to the West Stalin’s Red Army had initially been met with Little Resistance following the great success of Soviet propaganda fed to the many ukrainians bellerians and pro Communists in the [Music] country they were convinced that the Soviets were there for their benefit and welcomed the Invaders with open arms in the confusion many polls believed that the Russian soldiers planned to fight the Nazis but it was soon clear that despite their differences Germany and the Soviet Union were now working together and the Polish would suffer as much at the hands of the Russians as they did Hitler’s commanders in August 1939 the Soviet Union had signed a non-aggression pact with Hitler which ensured that in the face of German belligerent the Russians would remain on Peaceful terms with the Nazis but there was also a secret protocol only discovered after the end of the war which revealed that Stalin and Hitler had made plans to carve Eastern Europe up sharing the spoils between Nazi Germany and the Communist Soviet Union in return for Stalin’s help in the conquest of Poland Hitler agreed to leave the East to the Soviets [Music] the Russians would also be allowed to occupy Estonia lvia and Lithuania without opposition from Germany as well as seizing valuable territory in Finland in the meantime Hitler would push further west ensuring valuable raw materials were safeguarded for the economy of the Third Reich militarily the relationship between the Soviet and German forces appeared to be a highly beneficial one but in reality Beneath The Smiling facade it was clear that the alliance was tenuous at least and with political ideologies that were Worlds Apart it was unlikely to be a lasting [Music] Arrangement on the Russian agenda Stalin was carefully constructing a buffer zone between his country and the west and he soon began pushing troops into ports around the tiny Baltic states which crumbled under Soviet [Music] pressure then early in October 1939 Stalin had begun to make demands on Finland he wanted to secure land near Leningrad islands in the Gulf of Finland and use of the Hang Naval base and in exchange he offered the fins Soviet territory on their eastern border but the fins were far from convinced Finland and the Soviets had a long and complicated history up until the beginning of the 19th century Finland had been part of Sweden until the Russian Zar Alexander I had driven his troops across the Frozen Baltic Sea and into battle with the fins in 1808 a year later Sweden lost the Eastern third of their country which was established as the grand duy of Finland a part of the Russian Empire little changed until just over a century later revolutionary ideas began to seep into the consciousness of millions of workingclass Russians and the borders of the Empire began to [Music] crumble with millions of Russian soldiers dying on the battlefields of the first Great War and Dreadful food shortages on the home front Revolution swiftly engulfed the country in 1917 soon the Red Army was marching through the streets of St Petersburg championing the Bolshevik cause and it didn’t take long for the zaris regime and its Mighty Empire to collapse into ruin leaving the country embroiled in a bloody Civil [Music] War the chilling River vertion swept through the land and affected All Nations that were part of the Empire and while in Russia the Red Army and communism would Prevail as civil war engulf Finland the white Army supporting the monarchy were victorious as Vladimir Lenin seized the Reigns of power and the Soviet Union Rose From the Ashes of the old regime vland became an independent state and freed itself from the shackles of the Russian Empire but there was no doubt that the Soviets were still a dangerous adversary just across finland’s Eastern Frontier the man who had led finland’s white Army to victory Baron Carl gustoff Emil manaheim had wanted to March as far as St Petersburg to beat back the bolics but in the end the fins settled for building great fortifications close to the Soviet border named the manaheim line in honor of the baron it would prove vital in the defense of Finland as the second world war gathered momentum by the end of November 1939 while negotiations continued between Finland and the Soviet Union Stalin had grown impatient and the Red Army was ordered to [Music] invade Baron manaheim was once again called upon to to take command this time against the Soviet General Merit sof who had predicted that his men would reach the Finnish Capital Helsinki within 10 days but while Soviet commanders scoured maps and worked out strategies they had little imagined how difficult the fight against the fins would prove to be without winter uniforms and lacking Provisions for a long campaign the Soviet troops marched towards the manaheim line as the second coldest winter in over a century swept across northern Europe though vastly outnumbered and poorly equipped the fins were well used to Winter fighting and soon had the upper hand wearing white camouflag suits and swiftly traversing The Familiar wintry terrain on skis they had a considerable advantage and the Soviet casualties were escalating as January 1940 progressed one of the most famous battles of the winter War the Battle of suom musami was coming to a close advancing from the North and the South two Russian divisions planned to link up at the Village of suom musami before heading west to the city of Olu thereby cutting the country in half with the prospect of facing the Russians attacking on two fronts the fins fought determinedly ski troops made wide circling flanking movements and caught to the rear end and middle of the Northern Division by surprise meanwhile to the South frozen lakes became death traps once crossing the waters the Soviets dark uniforms made them easy to spot against the white snow and Finnish homeg guard troops many of them being expert shots were able to pick them off one by one with the Finn Simo haha emerging as the deadliest sniper in history with over 500 [Music] kills meanwhile despite the Fin’s lack of sophisticated anti-tank weapons improvised petrol bombs called Molotov cocktails named after the Russian foreign minister proved equally deadly destroying nearly 2,000 tanks during the course of the war faced with tough opposition the Red Army were forced to retreat again becoming easy prey for the Finnish ski troops suffering in the freezing cold temperatures the Russian armies were divided into isolated groups and as they huddled around fires they were swiftly encircled and eliminated the forests snow covered lakes and roads of Finland were soon littered with the Frozen corpses of Russian soldiers as more and more fell victim to the bitter cold and the constant attacks from the fins by January the eth it was clear that the Russians had lost the battle of suus armi Finland had not only achieved a decisive Victory but could also take their pick of Soviet Munitions and tanks left abandoned across the landscape but this was one battle in a bitter war and Finland would not be able to hold off for long without the assistance of the Allies in Britain and France emotions were running high as the brave Finnish soldiers captured the public imagination even in the United States still adamantly neutral there were many who supported the fins and were keep to help some even went as far as going to Finland to fight as volunteers but as the winter War continued Hitler was all too aware that the Allies might well come to the aid of the fins and the thought of British and French soldiers venturing closer to the Nazi sphere of conflict was a cause for concern Finland was uncomfortably close to neutral Sweden and Norway countries that were of vital importance to the Nazi war machine supplying it with precious iron ore if they decided to send troops into Finland the Allies would have to cross these two countries and with a foothold in the area could easily seize ports and stations so vital to the economy of the Third Reich it was clear that the Allies would have to be kept at Bay and German Commander gird Von runestad urged the fura to begin preparations to seize strategic bases in Scandinavia before the British and the French could get there however the British government was still reluctant to take any positive action preferring to take a defensive [Music] stance the lone voice of Winston Churchill the first Lord of the admiralty continued to warn of Hitler’s evil intent and he lorded The Bravery of the Finnish troops and was Keen to send assistance as soon as possible he also criticized Norway and Sweden for remaining neutral saying each one hopes that if he feeds the crocodile enough that the crocodile will eat him last however prime minister Neville Chamberlain who’ worked so hard to secure peace for Europe before the outbreak of War following a policy of of appeasement right up to the moment Hitler marched into Poland was hesitant to come to Finland Aid in diplomatic terms this would not only mean a hostile act against Nazi Germany but the Soviet Union as well and the Allies simply did not have the military strength to fight [Music] both since Poland had been invaded the British had been preparing for war stepping up military production and conscripting men into the forces but the Germans had enjoyed years unchallenged building their military strength and were far superior the longer the British could spend building up the Army Navy and the Air Force the more chance they had of surviving a long War military drill and training days were organized to make sure people were at the peak of their physical condition should they be sent into battle or be needed to defend the home [Music] front there were also Allied troops pouring into Britain from the Dominion countries all over the globe from Australia New Zealand and Canada soldiers streamed off the boats to take up arms and fight for the Allies as well as preparations for battle record cautions were taken against a Nazi bombardment of the British Mainland gas masks were distributed to quell fears of the kind of gas attacks that had been used on the battlefields of the first world war search lights were installed around the major cities to illuminate enemy aircraft and nighttime blackouts became a way of life after the D damage caused by the German Zeppelin raids of World War I every effort was also made to safeguard Britain’s National Treasures sand bags were used to protect important buildings stained glass windows were taken away paintings were removed from the National Gallery and along with Priceless manuscripts from the British museum were stored in bombproof shelters [Music] there was also the civilian population to consider many children had been evacuated to the safety of the countryside from Britain’s cities the previous Autumn but by January 1940 with little evidence of any immediate threat the children had returned to their homes leaving many wondering if a real war would ever be fought against Hitler and Nazi Germany nonetheless despite a lack of fighting on the home front the citizens of Great Britain were beginning to feel the effect of the European War the nation imported 55 million tons of food every year from abroad and the German government believed that if they could cut off Food Supplies and disrupt trade the country would be brought to its knees Nazi uots and battleships had been attacking British Merchant ships since Autumn 1939 and even with a convoy system introduced to protect shipping there was still heavy losses hundreds of British merchant seamen had to bail out of sinking ships in these first few months of the phony war and those who didn’t die at sea were taken prisoner by the Nazi aggressors it was a conflict that would become the longest military campaign of the second world war and would be named by Churchill as the battle of the Atlantic meanwhile back on dry land food stocks were beginning to run low in Britain the government decided that rationing would have to be introduced in the first weeks of January 1940 everyone was issued with ration books and as the cues formed outside the shops people waited patiently in turn to receive their carefully weighed out portions of butter bacon and [Music] sugar as the months went on more and more Goods would be added to the ration books as supplies dwindled and as food imports dropped to less than a quarter of the normal amount this was only the beginning of the dramatic changes that people would have to get used to in Wartime Britain but if Hitler hoped to crush the spirit of the British he would quickly learn that it would take a great deal more than a personal hardship to Dent their [Music] morale it was inevitable that the situation would deteriorate as the war progressed and in an attempt to prepare for a further decline in Imports the British government called for every man and woman in the country to grow their own food on allotments even if that meant turning front Lawns Sports pitches and even formal Public Gardens into vegetable patches flowers were replaced with cabbages and while the politicians made their impassioned please for people to do their bit the acreage of British land used for food production had had increased by 80% are you helping to win the war on the kitchen front if you are saving our shipping uh by making the most of what we grow at home if you are growing vegetables on every bit of ground that you can get hold of if you are only eating what you need and not what you like and as much as you like then you are helping to win the war posters were soon seen everywhere from tube stations to offices encouraging everyone to dig for victory and many other catchy slogans were used but while homegrown food production increased it became evident that after Decades of migration to Urban factory work Britain was in dire need of agricultural labor there was a shortfall of around 50,000 workers and with more and more men being recruited into the forces it was now up to the women of Britain to play their [Music] part the women’s land Army was quickly mobilized to keep the Farms of Britain working and would actually Mark a major turning point for women in the 20th century as they cast off their traditional roles in society and stepped into positions usually filled by men men and it wasn’t only work on the land that women were encouraged to take up because as the war progressed they would also be recruited to work in factories and even join the Army Air Force and navy becoming every bit as important as their fathers husbands and Sons Fighting For King and [Music] Country however while Britain focused on how to survive with reduced food supplies and stepped up the preparations for war the Nazi threat was looming closer than they could possibly imagine the valuable raw materials of Scandinavia were not Hitler’s only priority because to the west of Germany and within easy reach of France lay what the fura described as the third reich’s Achilles heel the ru Valley after Germany’s defeat in the first world war France had occupied this territory which with its valuable coal Iron and steel production had been the richest region in all Germany the French occupation of the ru had contributed to Germany’s economic collapse at the end of the 1920s and despite the fact that a decade later French troops had already left the reinland in 1936 Hitler had made it a priority to send Nazi troops into the territory to safeguard it the progress of the war depended upon the possession of the ruer and one of Hitler’s greatest fears was that it would be taken from him once [Music] again in a speech to his followers he warned that if England and France push through Belgium and Holland into the rure we shall be in the greatest Danger as a consequence he was ready for action declaring I shall attack France and England at the most favorable and quickest moment breach of the neutrality of Belgium and Holland is meaningless no one will question that when we have won what Hitler proposed would in fact be a well-rehearsed battle plan as German troops had invaded Belgium only two decades earlier during the first world war and the outcome on that occasion had been far from satisfactory in Hitler’s view he had fought in the trenches for his adopted Homeland and had been devastated by the news of Germany’s humiliating defeat as the onon claimed their [Music] Victory with a burning desire for Revenge Hitler prepared to send the German Army back to Belgium to achieve the hopes that had been dashed by the Armistice of 1918 with fears of losing the precious Ru Valley growing by the day Hitler ordered the conquest of the low countries to be executed at the shortest possible notice to prevent France from occupying them first a Nazi presence in Belgium and Holland would also provide a basis for a successful long-term air and sea campaign against Great Britain a nation that Hitler feared although he was not afraid of Chamberlain who was still dragging his heels as prime minister it was the first Lord of the admiralty Winston Churchill that gave the fura most cause for concern Hitler was without doubt banking on the element of surprise but as Britain continued to watch and wait the German plans were unexpectedly revealed [Music] field on January the 10th 1940 a German reconnaissance plane took off from Berlin with Hitler’s Invasion plans on board and headed for a staff meeting in Cologne the plane would never arrive at its destination and its fate According to some would change the very outcome of the war lost in the fog the pilot Mook The Muse river running through Belgium for the r and when the plane suddenly ran into difficulties it was Miles off course forced to make a crash landing on the outskirts of mecklin in Belgium the pilot was a very long way from home while the two officers on board climbed from the wreckage Belgian border guards soon discovered the documents and when they were passed to Allied intelligence the plans for an attack on Belgium and the Netherlands were revealed within hours the shocking news was passed on to the relevant military and political leaders who were in the line of Nazi fire once informed of Hitler’s plans King leopo III of Belgium immediately telephoned the Dutch queen using the code phrase be careful the weather is dangerous and then told the Grand Duchess of luxemborg to beware of the flu the strange words indicated that a German attack was imminent more importantly he was also quicked to inform the French Supreme Commander Maurice gon who swiftly gathered his army commanders together to decide upon a course of action although there were doubts as to whether or not the documents might be the work of counterintelligence G Calon decided that this was the perfect opportunity to pressurize the neutral belgians into allowing a French Advance into their country indeed the French as Hitler had rightly anticipated intended to eventually execute an offensive against Germany as soon as they had built up sufficient military strength with just days before the predicted Invasion date gon ordered the first Army group and the third Army to March towards the Belgian Frontier news also reached Lord Gort the commander of the British expeditionary Force already stationed in France who were awaiting the Call to Arms in Germany meanwhile word had filtered back to Berlin that the precious documents may have fallen into enemy hands Hitler was Furious and removed all those he believed to be responsible from their posts while his chief of operations General Alfred yodel concluded that the situation was catastrophic the belgians however were doing an excellent job of keeping the extent of their knowledge secret and as yet the Germans had no idea as to the whereabouts of the documents and whether they had fallen into enemy hands nevertheless back in the Allied Camp there were complications in return for allowing French and British troops across their borders The belgians Wanted guarantees that in the event of War their territorial integrity and colonies in Africa would be protected and that they would receive financial aid although the French Premier delier was happy to confirm the guarantees the British government was not prepared to do so as the weather deteriorated in Belgium and heavy snow began to carpet the Border territory it looked increasingly unlikely that the Germans would attack at all and as Prince Leopold a staunch neutralist received Britain’s reply he decided upon a new strategy ordering Belgium border troops to stop removing border obstacles and to repulse by force any foreign unit which violated territory no matter what their nationality he made a determined stand galon was Furious and pleaded with dader to force the belgians to face up to their responsibilities but for now Belgium remained neutral in Germany yodel was surprised to note that Allied Forces had been suddenly put on alert and realized that the belgians must must have had access to the invasion plans captured at mechan the element of surprise had been lost and on January the 16th Hitler was persuaded to call off The Invasion for the time being at least the phony War would [Music] continue the metlin incident was far from being a total disaster for the Nazis however for they now knew how the Allies would react to an attack Hitler insisted that new Invasion plans be drawn up and his most experienced commanders began to develop a groundbreaking new offensive which involved invading not only to the north but marching the bulk of their troops further south through the Arden Forest what became known as the sickle cut plan would see the obliteration of all allies resistance and lead to the inevitable fall of [Music] France back in the Allied Camp the commanders were content that the danger had passed and the focus of attention was shifted from the Belgian border back to events in Finland after the disastrous defeat the Russians had faced in January Stalin had demoted and shot most most of the commanders responsible and placed the entire operation in the hands of Marshall seon timoshenko Finland had to be defeated at all costs and colossal reinforcements were now ordered to March into Western corellia a Soviet Army a million strong began to advance with support from their Air Force and as February began the fins came under Fire from the skies as the Russian started a campaign of blanket bombing that aimed to obliterate civilian and Military [Music] Targets on the global stage emotions were running high as the world watched the plight of the fins and British politician Anthony Eden condemned the Soviet attack saying not Russia only but Germany also Bears a terrible responsibility for what is happening in Finland at this hour Hitler and ribbon trop these men and their policies alone made Stalin’s aggression possible finally in Paris on February the 4th 1940 help seemed to be close at hand as the Supreme Allied war council made plans to send an anglo-french Force to Finland [Music] however they still had the problem of neutral Norway and Sweden to contend with the troops were scheduled to disembark at the Norwegian Port of narik and support Finland via Sweden while securing supply routes along the [Music] way while the Allied politicians deliberated and the fins found themselves very nearly out of ammunition the Soviets used an enormous concentration of artillery fire to break finland’s defensive position until on February the 14th they were forced to withdraw as the Nazis continued to perfect their attack plans for the invasion of France they were also keeping a very watchful eye on events taking place in Scandinavia matters came to ahead in mid-February when a German tanker called The ult Mark passed through Norwegian w ERS on board were hundreds of prisoners from the merchant ships that had been sunk over the previous months unfortunately Norwegian search parties failed to inspect the hold and allowed the ship to pass but a British plane soon spotted the tanker and raised the alarm the British Navy were put on full alert and one of their ships the CAC began to give Chase then on February the 16th the Royal Navy managed to board the German vessel armed with bayonets and after hand toand fighting managed to overwhelm the crew after months in captivity the British seamen were finally set free and despite the freezing Norwegian weather awaiting them they were delighted to leave their floating prison [Music] but they were soon Back at Sea and the next day HMS CAC approached a Scottish Port her decks packed with the British Seaman that had been rescued the Navy had achieved a rare victory for Britain in the quiet months of the phony War but it was destined to trigger the Nazis to make a further step towards the complete domination of Western Europe [Music] Hitler had been alerted to the fact that the British had no intention of observing Norwegian neutrality and two days after the rescue he made the invasion of Norway and Denmark codenamed operation veser Ruban a priority and for the time being the invasion of France would have to [Music] wait Britain’s flagrant entry into the territory Waters of a neutral country also had further repercussions infuriating the Norwegians and when the Allies requested Transit rights so they could assist Finland on March II they were refused the Swedish King was equally concerned that his country would become a Battleground between Germany and the allies and he too refused the Allies Transit rights to come to the aid of the embattled fins despite the promises of assistance from the Allies it seemed clear to finland’s Commander manaheim that with rapidly depleting troops and ammunition the longer help was in arriving the worse the losses for the nation would [Music] be by the 5th of March the Soviet Army had Advanced 10 to 15 kilm beyond the manaheim line and had entered the suburbs of vipere for Finland there was little point in fighting on and they admitted defeat on March the 12th signing a peace treaty and surrendering valuable territory military troops were evacuated and thousands of civilians began the long journey to make new lives for themselves barbed wire marked out the new boundaries between Finland and Russia and an enraged Churchill wrote now the ice will melt and the Germans are the masters of the north Churchill had again been proven right in his assessment of Hitler and the dangers that the world faced but as first Lord of the admiralty despite holding well-informed opinions he was without power prime minister Chamberlain had been as hesitant as ever to make a stand against Hitler but public confidence in him was waning as Chamberlain’s reputation suffered a terrible blow rightous of our CA the French prime minister dader was also viewed as having failed to come to the aid of Finland and he was actually forced to resign over the affair what had happened in Finland was extremely worrying for the allies and while in Europe and Scandinavia events were gathering Pace across the Atlantic in America the people of the USA were also watching to see what would happen next next at this stage relations were rather strained between the American president and the British prime minister however Franklin D Roosevelt had made every effort to strengthen the ties between the two countries just months before the outbreak of War he’d invited King George V 6 and Queen Elizabeth to make a state visit and this had certainly helped to improve public relations but Roosevelt’s concerns over Hitler’s activity in Europe went Way Beyond a traditional feeling of Goodwill towards Britain it was thought that with conflict in Europe a new world order might not favor American interests with such concerns playing on his mind FDR decided to send an Envoy Su no Wells to the continent to see if anything could be done to secure peace before the phony War escalated into a global conflict sna wells’s first destination was Italy at the end of February as he attempted to prevent musolini from entering the war on the side of the Germans the Italian foreign minister who also happened to be melini’s son-in-law openly disliked the Germans and gave Wells reason to hope that the Italians could be drawn away from their alliance with Berlin but musolini was far from willing to denounce his German friends and driven by his desire to recreate the Roman Empire it seemed it would be difficult to steer the dictator towards a peaceful Solution by March the 10th Wells had reached London where he had a number of meetings with senior Statesmen an audience with King George II and the Prime Minister Wells was surprised by the anger Chamberlain demonstrated towards the Germans but his policy had always been one of avoiding conflict and Wells was heartened by the fact that the Prime Minister was considering appeasing Berlin further with Colonial concessions in Africa a visit was also made to the amaly to meet with Winston Churchill but this was less successful as far as Churchill was concerned the only course open to the Allies was to fight to The Bitter End and he doggedly rejected any peace solution that would not have at its heart the elimination of her Hitler as it happened Winston Churchill’s comments could not have been better timed because during the American envoys visit Nazi bombers crossed the North Sea to the Scottish Coast where the British Fleet had been secretly anchored at Scara flow on March the 18th 100 bombs were dropped in 25 minutes hitting warships injuring Naval personnel and killing a man who would become the first civilian to die on British soil during the second world war as RAF Pilots leapt into action and flew towards Germany to retaliate it seemed that while the phony War continued peace was far from the thoughts of those living in Europe flying over enemy territory the RAF targeted the German Airbase on the island of silz the damage turned out to be minimal but it was clear that the peace Roosevelt had hoped to promote was no more than an impossible dream in fact on the very same day that air strikes were being made on German and British territory Hitler was in talks with musolini in the austro Italian Alps at the Brena pass it was their first meeting since Munich in 1938 and contrary to America’s hopes that Italy would refuse Germany their assistance musolini informed Hitler that he was now ready to join Germany and its allies in the war against Britain and France at the decisive [Music] hour all attempts to promote peace had been in vain while the political Arena became increasingly heated France and Britain began to discuss invading Norway and Sweden to seize Germany’s supply of iron ore on March the 28th the anglo-french Supreme war council decided to begin mining Norwegian Waters but by then it was too late Hitler had given the command and the German warships were already on their way the phony War was about to come to an abrupt end and battle was about to commence with spring 1940 came the realization that the conflict ahead would be long hard and bitterly fought all hopes of anyone being able to make peace with Adolf Hitler were at an end and as he gathered his axis Partners around him a global war became inevitable what had gone before in Austria Czechoslovakia and Poland would change the course of history watching and waiting was over in the European theater of war the battle lines had been drawn [Music]