The German army Flashcards
Did the army accept the Nazi accession to power?
Yes
What did the army cooperate in which led to what?
Cooperated in the manoeuvrings which led to the Night of the Long Knives
What were the generals confident in?
That once the radical element of the SA had been removed, they could then work with the Nazis
The army only succeeded in what in the short term by what which was what in the long term?
The army only succeeded in preserving its influence in the short term by a compromise which was fatal in the long term
How was the fatality of the compromise in the long term shown?
In the new oath of loyalty demanded by Hitler of all soldiers, and accepted by generals Blomberg and Fritsch
What was a German soldier bound by?
Obedience
The new oath of loyalty marked what?
A commitment which made any future resistance an act of treachery
Through the years 1934-7, the relationship between the Nazi state and Army remained cordial. The generals were encouraged by what?
Expansion of the rearmament programme from 1935
Reintroduction of conscription in March 1935, thereby increasing the size of the army to 550,000
Diplomatic successes over the Saar 1935 and Rhineland 1936
Blomberg issued a number of military decrees in an attempt to what?
Adjust army training according to Nazi ideology and to elevate the Fuhrer
Did Hitler respect the army hierarchy?
No, it was merely political realism which held him back from involvement in army affairs until 1938
When was the Blomberg-Fritsch crisis?
1937-8
When was the Hossbach conference meeting?
5th of November 1937
What Hitler outline to Germany’s chiefs of the armed forces in the Hossbach conference meeting?
His foreign policy aims for military expansion
What were Blomberg and Fritsch concerned by?
Hitler’s talk of war and conquest, especially bearing in mind Germany’s state of military unpreparedness
What did Blomberg and Fritsch’s doubts convince Hitler of?
That the army leadership was spineless
