German claims
Hitler, cheerful with a successful annexation of the Sudetes and joining Austria to the Reich, He decided not to interrupt his expansion, carried out according to uniting everyone “Germanic” lands within the limits of it “A thousand -year -old Reich”. The Free City of Gdańsk and Pomerania became the next purpose of his actions, which he considered an integral part of the German Reich, seized the German nation under “Versailles dictate”. These ambitions have become the basic reason for the outbreak of war between Poland and the Third Reich.
At first, Germany did not conduct aggressive policy towards Poland, believing in the annexation of the desired territories without a single shot, As in the case of Austria or Czechoslovakia. Hitler counted on it, that Poles, Having understood the intentions of German diplomats, intimidated by the unspeakable threat of war, They will immediately give Gdańsk to Germany. He also hoped, that by solving the matter with Poland in a peaceful way, in the form of an unlimited settlement, tells the Russians to suppose, that they should see the enemy in Poland, what could be dismissed by the threat of a possible war of the Reich from the USSR until, when the Germans were fully ready.
For this purpose, in October 1938 year, German Minister of Foreign Affairs, Joachim von Ribbentrop during a conversation with Ambassador Józef Lipski for the first time at Poland with a proposal to connect Gdańsk to the Third Reich and conduct an extraterritorial motorway and railway line through Polish Pomerania. He also suggested the accession of Poland to the anti -school pact. Poland in return to receive German guarantees by extending the non -aggression pact for further 25 years
Hitler was counting, that Poles, Wanting to remove the threat of German aggression without hesitation, they decide to accept the conditions they set for them. However, the Polish side replied clearly ? There is no question of such a solution. Hitler already began to anticipate, that he would fail his plan and he would not go as easily with Poland as with Austria, or Czechoslovakia.
Hitler repeated his grievances 4 January 1939, During the conversation with Józef Beck and they were no longer a proposal, but demands, which Poland categorically rejected. The German leader began to be aware, that the nationalist attitude of Poles, which excluded all submission to another country, accepting the words of Prosjailsudski as the motto “Be winned and not to succumb to this victory”, eliminated the possibility of joining Gdańsk to the Reich by peace.
In response to Polish opposition, Hitler 28 April gave a speech in the Reichstag, in which he pronounced the Polish-German system about non-aggression with 1934 year. The reaction of the Polish side to such actions was the speech of Józef Beck of 5 house, in which he gave the Germans clearly and publicly, that Germany will receive Gdańsk only after the Polish corpse. “I have to ask myself, what exactly is going on” – the Polish minister spoke from the Sejm stand – “or about the freedom of the German population of Gdańsk, which is not threatened, or about prestigious matters, or about pushing Poland from the Baltic Sea, from which Poland is impossible to push away. (…) We in Poland do not know the concept of peace at all costs. There is only one thing in people's lives, nations and countries, which is priceless: This thing is honor”.
Hitler definitely came to the conclusion, that Gdańsk will only receive by force. He has no longer taken any official actions aimed at convincing the Polish side, For he knew, that they would not come. He began to prepare for armed intervention.