Hitler's speech to the German Reichstag on September 1, 1939
The speech on September 1, 1939 in front of the German Reichstag was given by Adolf Hitler on the occasion of the German attack on Poland . In it Hitler justified the attack on Poland with which the Second World War began in Europe . From the speech comes the well-known quote “ Since 5:45 am there has been a backfire! "
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Hitler began his speech, which was broadcast on Großdeutscher Rundfunk , with the remark that Germany and the German people would suffer from “unbearable conditions” because of the Treaty of Versailles . He stated that he had often tried to change these conditions through peaceful proposals and that these had been rejected by Poland. He then claimed that Poland had been fighting the Free City of Danzig for months and that the German minority living in Poland had been disenfranchised and abused. There had been border incidents lately and there had been three very serious border incidents the night before his speech. However, Hitler did not explicitly mention the attack on the Gleiwitz transmitter (which was actually faked by the SS ) . He then expressed incomprehension about the fact that the Western European countries - meant Great Britain and France - interfered in the conflict. He also thanked fascist Italy , which had supported him all along. He then praised the German-Soviet non-aggression pact and justified it on the one hand with the fact that neither Germany nor the Soviet Union planned to export their ideology to the other country, and on the other hand with the fact that “Russia and Germany fought against each other in the world war ] and that both were ultimately the ones who suffered ”. He then stated that the Wehrmacht “did not want to fight women and children” and that the Air Force wanted to limit itself to military goals; Poland should not derive a license from this. The most famous part of the speech followed:
“Tonight, Poland fired for the first time on our own territory with soldiers who were already regulars. They have been firing back since 5:45 a.m. And from now on, bomb will be rewarded with bomb! Whoever fights with poison is fought with poison gas. Whoever distances himself from the rules of humane warfare can expect nothing from us other than that we take the same step. I will fight this fight, no matter against whom, until the security of the empire and its rights are guaranteed. "
Then Hitler declared that Germany was much better prepared for war than it was in 1914, and stressed that it would never surrender. He even said that he would either win or not see the end of the war. He also appointed Hermann Göring and Rudolf Hess as his successors if something should happen to him. At the end of the speech, Hitler pointed out to the members of the Reichstag that they were responsible for the mood in their area. He concluded the speech with the words:
“If we form this community, closely conspired, determined to do everything, never willing to surrender, then our will will be master of every need. I close with the confession I once made when I began the struggle for power in the empire. At that time I said: If our will is so strong that hardship can no longer force it, then our will and our German steel will also master the hardship! Germany - Sieg Heil! "
The whole house joined in with the healing calls. Following the speech, the Reichstag unanimously passed the law introduced by the NSDAP parliamentary group leader and Reich Interior Minister Wilhelm Frick on the reunification of the Free City of Danzig with the German Reich . At the end of the session, Hermann Göring, in his function as President of the Reichstag, emphasized that the German people were convinced of victory in this war. At the end of the session, the Deutschlandlied and the Horst-Wessel-Lied were sung.
Self-portrayal of Hitler
Hitler also used the appearance in front of the Reichstag to stage himself in a new propagandistic role as the “first soldier” of the Reich. This role was based on a special proximity to the fighting troops. He presented himself as a "comrade and comrade" who supposedly shared the troubles, hardships and dangers of the soldiers. Caesar , Alexander the Great or Napoleon can be regarded as historical models for this , but especially Frederick the Great , who accompanied his troops into the field as a roi connétable . In order to visually underline his new role, Hitler put on a field-gray uniform without a badge that was specially tailored for him for the first time .
In his speech he theatrically proclaimed himself the "first soldier":
“I don't ask anything from a German man other than what I myself was willing to do voluntarily for four years. There shouldn't be any privation in Germany that I don't immediately take on myself. From now on my whole life belongs to my people. I don't want to be anything else now than the first soldier of the German Reich.
I put on that skirt again that was once the most sacred and dearest to me. I'll only take it off after the win or I won't see this end! "
Two days later, on September 3, 1939, Hitler went on his special train to Poland to fill his new role as “first soldier” with a series of so-called “trips to the front” in September and October 1939.
Others
The claim that the attack on Poland began at 5:45 a.m. is false. In fact, at 4:47 a.m., the Schleswig-Holstein liner opened fire on the Polish garrison on the Westerplatte . According to eyewitness reports, the attack on Poland began even earlier with the air strike on Wieluń , namely at 4:37 a.m.
literature
- Christoph Raichle: Hitler as a symbol politician, Kohlhammer Verlag, Stuttgart 2014.
Web links
- Meeting of September 1, 1939 on reichstagsprotlog.de
- Adolf Hitler, declaration of the Reich government before the German Reichstag, September 1, 1939 on 1000dokumente.de
Footnotes
- ↑ Christoph Racihle: Hitler as a symbol politicians . Kohlhammer Verlag, Stuttgart 2014, p. 159-171 .
- ↑ Philipp Bouhler : The great German freedom struggle . 2nd Edition. tape 1 . Eher-Verlag, Munich 1940, p. 25th f .
- ↑ Christoph Raichle: Hitler as a symbol politician . Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 2014, p. 171-206 .
- ↑ Helge Hesse : Here I stand, I can't help it. Through world history in 80 sentences. Eichborn, Frankfurt am Main 2006, ISBN 978-3-8218-5601-8 , p. 272.