Obviously, if Luxembourg mobilized first, they would’ve won against Germany way before the allies

Please never change your intro, legend

Two additional information: 1. In his memoirs, General Beaufre, who was a captain in the French general staff in 1936, partly explains the French non-reaction by a simple technical problem. The French army had not planned to be able to suddenly launch a "very partial" mobilization. It had to mobilized everyone, or at least certain classes according to the years of birth, to form a large part of the army. But we didn't have the lists ready to mobilize just a few divisions, in a few hours. Suddenly, the French government was faced with a problematic alternative: either declare a massive mobilization, which announced a total war, or do nothing at all. 2. Annie Lacroix-Riz, a French historian, contested because communist, but renowned for the seriousness of her studies, wrote a book entitled "the choice of defeat". In this book, she explains why the French elites, in the 1930s, were so unwilling to confront Hitler. At the time, the French Republic had three possible allies: Great Britain, Italy, the USSR. Initially, in 1935, the head of government, Laval, wanted an alliance with the English and the Italians. The Ethiopian war ruined this project. There was no longer any possible alliance with the Italians. It remained to choose between Great Britain and the USSR. However, in 1936, France absolutely needs the British alliance, because the Banque de France is on the verge of bankruptcy, and it is the City of London, through its large banks, which ensures the end of the month for French capitalism. Now, going to war in 1936 against Germany, without a clear British "go", meant choosing the Soviet alliance. Unthinkable: it was a few months before the government of the popular front, which was announced. It could lead France to socialism. The French capitalists of the "comité des forges" did not want to hear about it... It is likely that the inability of the army to move quickly within the framework of a targeted partial mobilization served as a pretext for the government to do nothing. This sequence of events partly explains France's poor performance in 1940. When German propaganda told French soldiers not to get killed for English financiers, the message was relatively credible...

Yet another gem from Dr. Felton ~ the only KZfaq creator, AFAIK, who consistently uploads lesser-known WWII happenings!

Mark Felton, the history teacher we do not deserve yet who we need in these troubled times. Thank you again Mr. Felton! I learn something new every time with your videos

I remember reading somewhere that a German general said of the Rhineland invasion (after the war) "If the French had posted a single constable on a bridge we needed to cross and that constable had refused to move, the invasion would have been over and Hitler would have been finished."

Though i have studied, a bit, WWII and the Nazi's, I had never heard of the "Winter Exercise". Your video was, as always, very interesting and well constructed, and pointed out how the British and French could have put Hitler in his place at the time. They didn't, and WWII ensued. Appeasement NEVER works for the appeasers, lesson learned?

I remember reading about the winter excercise long ago but this is the first ive seen it the subject of a documentary. You Dr Felton are a gold mine of history. Your research is impeccable and your presentations are consistently riveting. Well done sgain, sir!

as an ethiopian, its really interesting seeing photos of our then military 😁

Once again, another very interesting history lesson from Mark Felton, in great details too. Though being interested in WW2 for 55 years, this is a story not many worldwide governments like to tell as it's quiet embarrassing. Many thanks to you Mark for sharing your always great insights!

Great story. I do so enjoy Mark's little known or talked stories about European history.

Dr Felton, make a video about operation mammoth and Ramzi Nafi, its is widely unknown but very interesting topic where the The abwehr attempted to use kurdish nationalists to take over northern iraq in order to gain kurdish independence and to give oil to Germany in exchange in 1943.

Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat its mistakes.

This is chess not checkers. Fascinating as always Dr. Felton

Just think, if Britain and France would have made any kind of resistance to this token invasion, WWII might have been averted. Awesome video Mark, you never disappoint.

Its insane how much work is behind all these Videos. They are all neutral like a documentation but not as boring :D

Just a quick Thank you Mark. Really like your bite size. Not the Norm bit left field WW2 Vids. Having seen every Doc,Black & White clip of this most Fascinating period in time. Yours are a Breath of fresh air. Keep up the good work Mate.

Evening Dr F hope your doing well love your vids thanks for keeping my interest in history ongoing

You have the best videos on KZfaq. Thanks for educating and informing me and all the other viewers of your channel.

Great video, but you’re wrong about Stuka Usage in the Rhineland occupation, they first entered service in the JU-87A-0 version in the spring of 1936, after the invasion.

Something we covered in school nearly 50 years ago and which I had totally forgotten about. Great video as always, thank you.

Mark Felton day is always a good day!!

Many thanks for posting.

Another great video from Dr. Felton! Note the Blue Max on Blomberg!

that is such an important, yet often forgot piece of history and so interesting in context to another event in 1936 - The Olympic Games in Berlin.. thank you for telling it again 👏

Mark. Thanks for providing my Tuesday night Entertainment!

Keep making these wonderful videos! Thank you!!

And Hitler manage to still hold the Berlin Olympics that year. No cancellation or apparent national protest withdrawals. Amazing. Such moxie!

The picture showing Heinkel He 51at 8:35 was taken at Schleissheim Airfield. Left in the backgroud is Hangar building no. 61n, built in 1913, destroyed in 1944 and demobilished in 1945/46. The remains of this hangar ar still visible in Winter times. The building right in the background was the changing room for air crews. It was also damaged during WW2 and demobilished afterwards. The Heinkel He 51 in the foreground marked with no. 36 is a school plane belonging to the Jagdfliegerschule Schleissheim. Unfortunately the serial number 116 or 1?6 is not clearly readable. The origin of this picture is a slide. Copies of this slide were sold till the 1980ies in numbers by a staff member of the no longer existing book shop "Kaiser" once located in the city hall of Munich.

I remember reading Henry Kissinger's book "Diplomacy", where he lamented that the truly critical moment and correct course of action can usually only be recognized with hindsight (or words to that effect). We in 2023 recognize that 1936 the single best opportunity to smother the Nazi regime in the cradle, but in 1936 western leaders couldn't exactly fall back on "This will prevent WWII" when the Second World War hadn't even happened yet.

Excellent review and commentary.........

As always, amazing material. I had no idea it was such a complex operation with so much backstory.

Great video Mark! So interesting you never disappoint theres not many intelectual historians left

Superb content as always Dr Felton. Thank you

Great video with excellent narration. Keep it up! 👍👍

Always interesting, Mark!

I became curious about Mussolini’s “Roman” assertions. Are there some good book recommendations to learn more about the Italian side of the axis?

What a welcomed break..and just at the right time..as always a fascinating video of Hitler's invasions!

I love your videos! learning so much every time ❤

Another interesting and informative post, thank you for making my subway ride home from work bearable.

Mark how about a vid on the raid that the Lufftwaffe made on Ft Lamy in Chad to destroy Hurricanes being flown from Nigeria on the "Takoradi trail " a great story.

Absolutely fascinating, Dr. Felton. Thank you.

Very interesting as always . Thankyou for your efforts

Thanks for the video dr Felton !

Thank you

The Heinkel He 51 was not outdated in 1936. It was introduced in 1935. So they sent modern aircraft. The bf 109 was introduced in 1937.

Another great Mark Felton video!!

Excellent video. Highly important.

Allies could have stopped him right there. One of the great what ifs in history.

Seems like an appropriate lesson when dealing with Putin today. Thank you Mark Felton for this window on a historic opportunity to deal a death knell to Fascism in the mid 1930's. Hopefully we will learn from history, and your forewarning we will pay heed to. ✌️✳️☀️

*Thank U very much Mr. Mark Felton. I knew a lot, but thanks to your videos, I also have learned a lot, as well. So, I greatly appreciate your U-tube involvement !!!! Sincerely yours.* [Das~Boot] ... from Warszawa.

Very very interesting video! Always top quality. 👍

Dr Felton, I would love to see a video about the French squadron that fought on the Eastern front, if you haven’t already covered it! Big fan of your videos!

5:50 I always enjoy it when Dr. Felton uses this clip of Mussolini; he looks bombastic and ridiculous.

AGAIN FELTON...MOST EXCELLENT!

It's a wonderful historical coverage video. Thanks for sharing 11:04

Many thanks for producing such informative and analytical video, dear brother Mark.

Have you covered Memelland ultimatum? Certainly one of the lesser known of Hitler's pre-war territorial acquisitions.

A great very interesting video Mr.Mark as always.Unbelievable.

Great video thank you

Thank you for another excellent lesson Dr. Felton!

the allied occupation of the rhineland could be a video in and of itself, it was a strange period the Free State of Bottleneck, in between two occupation areas, might be worth a look too

Love your channel keep up the good work 💪🙏

Very Nice Dr Mark!! Thx Friend! JJ

Actually Hitler’s first invasion was the reoccupation of the Saarland in 1935.

Wow! Great video! A must watch video! 1:38 the treaty of Versailles. Looking back I'd say that so-called treaty was drafted with the intent to cause another world war. One group of people can not humiliate another group of people (as england, france and America did) and expect good results. 3:24 "London understood Germany had legitimate complaints regarding the treaty..." You bet they did! Germany finally paid off its debt from WWI in 2010! 6:27 the stain of Versailles. 3:56 France riven by political and economic problems, just as in 2023. 11:10 "the French did nothing, and the Germans stayed put!" And look at what Dr. Felton and history has taught us about appeasement. Bravo Dr. Felton! Bravo!

sir you inspire me to make films , direct , accurate and neither left nor right. just the truth as you understand it. pure genius

Very good, and indeed needed material.

I was just reading about the subject in "The rise and fall of the third Reich". Hitler told later on himself that had the French decided to march against his troops, they would have made mincemeat out of the german forces.

5:57 one of the best clips of Mussolini. Nothing more satisfying than seeing an Italian man be so sure of himself.

Thank you for providing details of this important milestone on the road to WW2.

Thank You Dr. Felton.

Before the battle, the Marshal explained: "The Emperor has three choices. To attack, and be defeated; to wait for our attack, and we will win anyway; or to retreat, which is disastrous for an army that lacks means of transport and proper organization for food and munitions." -- Marshal Badoglio in Ethiopia, before the Battle of Maychew, 1935

Hindsight is a wonderful thing ! I am suprised that when we saw Germany re Arming at the rate it was Steps weren't taken to restrict this The Germans were still having to import critical components for this build up of material and British French and other Countries were Selling Germany components that could be either re engineered or weaponized or both but a blind eye was turned out of expediency and the need to recover from the Global Financial Crisis...We knew or had a good idea of what was going on and where it would probably lead but like you said we Buried our Heads in the Sand ..or in the Case of France Buried themselves completely under Concrete Bunkers believing that would Discourage a Man like Hitler

Thanks for your work!

I was not aware of the Stresa Front. This was an eye-opening video.

Great video sir. A cautionary tale of not enforcing treaties that all parties agreed upon and dealing with problems when they are small and less costly.

This explains much of the political situation in Europe during the interwar period, which I think often gets overlooked.

Thank you.

Good vid Mark .

As always, a brilliant summary of the subject at hand from Mark Felton. I've always been a history buff, with WWII being my favorite part of that probably because my Dad was one of the participants as a Lt. in Patton's Third Army who, thankfully, made it home. Two things I always remind people of during any discussion of WWII is that (1) the horrific WWI Treaty of Versailles created Hitler, and (2) the Maginot Line was obsolete prior to completion because of the rise of air power.

Hitler probably felt he was Frederick after the Rhineland episode.

Glad to see this pivotal point in history get some attention!! Most documentaries simply mention this and move on but, like Munich, it’s a point in which Hitler could have been halted and world war prevented.

The Rheinland belongs to Germany since like times in the Holy Roman Empire.

Watching history repeat itself in so many ways.

Did not know that. Another great video!

great video

Thank you for the more nuanced look at this period of history. Most WWII docs that I've seen usually breeze over this little game of chicken that Hitler played.

I guess the big question is: to what extent do you think the Russia-Ukraine invasion is a replay of WW2, with the Russians substituted for the Germans? There seems to be lots of parallels.

I knew of the remilitarization of the Rhine, but this video filled in a lot of the contextual information that gives it new significance, thx

In the beginning what was the german building called? Another sweet video!

You can never meet an aggressive enemy with weakness and accommodation. It invites further aggression.

Appeasement has never prevented war; it has excused them.

Early Morning Mark ☀️ Have a Nice Day

I have learned so Much m0re with Dr Felton and enjoy every lesson🌟👍🏼🌟tfsharing ~

May this lesson never be forgotten!

If at first you succeed...try, try, try again until complete and under destruction and defeat.

good stuff

Thanks all important information ℹ️

The #1 Man in history and the research and telling of it, he always ensures that it is in order, factual based, and the most important thing researched/told truth and not sugar coated no flash just the raw truth and facts.