The Rest Is History – Episode 620

The Nazis at War: Hitler Strikes West (Part 1)

Release Date: November 24, 2025
Hosts: Tom Holland & Dominic Sandbrook

Episode Overview

In this opening episode of a new series, Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook chart the critical period of late 1939 and early 1940, as Hitler pivots from the conquest of Poland to his fateful gambit against the Western Allies. The episode explores the military, political, and psychological factors that led to Germany’s plans to strike west, the deep anxieties of the German leadership, and the drama of the failed November 1939 bomb plot against Hitler. With trademark analysis and storytelling, Tom and Dominic lay the groundwork for the invasion of France and the unfolding catastrophe of World War II.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Scene: Hitler’s Rise and Calculated Gambles

• The hosts recap Hitler’s rise to power, his alliance with Stalin, and the brutal division of Poland, laying the groundwork for conflict with Britain and France.
• Hitler is cast as a gambler:

  "By instinct, he’s a gambler. He is always likely to roll the dice and see what happens." (10:48, Tom)

• Previous series are referenced for deepening context.

2. Hitler Addresses the Reichstag (October 6, 1939)

• The episode opens with a dramatic excerpt of Hitler's speech, revealing his bombastic style and warped logic underpinning German aggression:

  "The continuation of the present state of affairs in the west is unthinkable... There will never be another November 1918 in German history." (06:24–07:21, Tom as Hitler)

• The “peace offer” to Britain and France is analyzed as pure theater—Hitler still wholly committed to war in the West.

3. The “Phoney War” and Allied Inertia

• Despite declaring war after the fall of Poland, Britain and France undertake little military action; anxiety and malaise dominate the Allied capitals.
• The term "phoney war" is dissected, with Dominic quoting mass observation:

  "...a strong feeling in the country that this wretched war is not going on with. We can suspect Hitler has won round one in this war... Poland. We’ve got nothing, we’ve done nothing." (18:38, Dominic)

• French reluctance is analyzed: trauma from WWI and belief that Germany will self-destruct or get rid of Hitler.

4. Nazi Propaganda and Illusions of German Invincibility

• Tom recounts Nazi propaganda’s impact on French decision-making, especially inflating the perceived might of the Luftwaffe.
• Anecdote about the French air chief being duped by German staging of planes underscores the success of Goebbels’ propaganda.

5. Hitler’s Urgency: Economic and Strategic Motivations

• Discussion of Germany’s shakier economy than widely recognized and pressure for quick victories to stabilize the regime:

  "There is at this point a real Potemkin quality about the German economy and also about the German armed forces." (23:02, Tom)

• Hitler is keenly aware of the danger of another British blockade, recalling 1918.

6. The Challenge from Within: Army Doubts and Coup Plots

• A key thread tracks anxiety and plotting within the Wehrmacht:
  • Hitler's generals Brauchitsch and Halder (dependent and spineless, per Ian Kershaw) secretly discuss a possible coup to stop a reckless assault on the West.
  • The hosts detail the fraught meeting of November 5, 1939, where Brauchitsch nervously confronts Hitler and is promptly bullied into submission.

7. Georg Elser's Bomb Plot: The Munich Beer Hall Assassination Attempt

• Deep dive into the extraordinary (but doomed) assassination attempt by Georg Elser, an ordinary German carpenter.
• Dominic details Elser’s meticulous preparations over months, his capacity to evade security, and the final tragic coincidence—Hitler leaves early, escaping death by minutes.

  "He builds a secret door in the wooden cladding of the pillar that only he knows how to open..." (54:27, Dominic)

• The plot’s aftermath: Hitler is buoyed by public support, and Nazi regime security (and paranoia) intensifies.

8. Consequences: Failed Coup, Emboldened Führer

• The bomb plot’s failure extinguishes any remaining will for a military coup and paradoxically swells support for Hitler.
• Hitler frames his survival as providential, bolstering the self-myth of his irreplaceability:

  "Germany’s secret weapon is me. As the last factor, I must in all modesty, describe myself. I’m irreplaceable. I couldn’t be replaced by either a military man or a civilian. I’m convinced of my powers of intellect and of decision." (66:42, Dominic as Hitler)

• The hosts probe why the army and establishment did not act: divided loyalties, Hitler’s popularity, and widespread national consensus around his leadership.

9. The March to Catastrophe: Operation Plans and Radicalization

• The planned attack on the West is postponed only by weather, not dissent.
• The Nazis' radical policies—including anti-Jewish measures and the euthanasia program—are accelerating in tandem, with genocide foreshadowed but not yet fully planned.
• Future episodes will tackle the invasion of Norway and Denmark, the Blitzkrieg in the West, Dunkirk, the Battle of Britain, and Operation Barbarossa.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Hitler's view of war:

  "Hitler sees the human condition as one of fighting... the life of man is a dreadful struggle for existence." (13:14, Dominic)

• On French morale in 1939:

  "...All the men were raring to go at the outset, but now they’re dying of boredom. The war machine is running in neutral." (18:38, Dominic quoting Sartre)

• On Georg Elser’s lone plot:

  "He’s the most impressive person in this whole series, frankly. And this series has got Churchill in it." (53:13, Dominic)

• On the perpetual radicalization of Hitler’s circle:

  "...the whole time people in the regime have this ideal of Hitler and what Hitler would want... They assume that Hitler would always want the most radical, most decisive and reckless possible outcome." (68:11, Dominic)

• Tom, with trademark dry humour, after Hitler’s missed assassination:

  "In that way Hitler is like me." (57:40, Tom, joking about calendar appointments and missing death by bomb)

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Time | Segment | |--------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 06:24-07:21 | Dramatic reading of Hitler’s Reichstag speech | | 09:16-12:32 | Hitler’s worldview, war as natural state, and exterminatory policies | | 13:14 | Hitler’s explicit war ambitions and plans against "England" | | 18:38 | The phoney war and French/British inactivity; Mass Observation/Sartre quotes | | 23:02-23:41 | The fragility of the German economy | | 25:04-25:47 | Hitler’s order to prepare for attack in the West; General staff resistance | | 31:28-36:17 | Discussion of military coup plots and army resistance; Brauchitsch and Halder | | 46:21-54:27 | The Georg Elser bomb plot, preparations, and Nazi security failings | | 57:42-59:51 | The near-miss: Hitler escapes, the bomb goes off, aftermath | | 66:42-67:09 | Hitler’s megalomania—‘I’m irreplaceable.’ | | 68:11-68:24 | Importance of Hitler’s unique radicalism and why the Nazi state followed him into reckless war | | 70:42–73:02 | Setting up the next phase: plans for Scandinavia, Western Blitzkrieg, and the trajectory of Nazi policy |

Tone and Style

• Conversational, engaging, and vividly anecdotal
• Frequent dry humour and irreverent asides (e.g. Tom joking about his diary, comparisons to Hitler’s scheduling)
• Mixes scholarly insight with accessible storytelling, making complex events vivid for listeners without dumbing down

For New Listeners

Even if you’re new to “The Rest Is History,” this episode provides a comprehensive primer on the late-1939 context: Hitler’s psychology, Nazi propaganda, Western paralysis, and the unfinished business of WWI. The episode offers an astute examination of why Germany launched its gamble in the West—and how so many in the German elite recognized the coming disaster, yet proved powerless to stop it.

Stay tuned for Part 2, where the war explodes into Scandinavia and the Western Front—ushering in the “Blitzkrieg” and the fall of France.

Further Reading & Next Steps:

• Look for upcoming episodes on Norway, Denmark, the Blitzkrieg, Dunkirk, Battle of Britain, and Operation Barbarossa.
• Rest is History Club members can access all of these episodes early.

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