Between Sept. 1939 and Nov. 1941, the Nazis marched across Europe, carrying out some of the most successful campaigns in military history. How and why was this war machine built? In this episode, we do a deep dive in the history behind the build up of the most impressive armies of all time, showing how Hitler literally began preparing for a new World War almost from his first day in office. The episode further details how the Nazis approach rearmament in the various services (Army/Wehrmacht, Navy/Kriegsmarine, Air Force/Luftwaffe), while also discussing how they hid this build up from the Allies before 1935 (MEFO bills, etc.). It also shows the strains this placed on the German economy, as Nazi experts raced to uncover every last cent of foreign currency in the Reich in the desperate quest to secure raw materials. In the end, it argues that this drive for resources helped push the Nazis to invade Austria, Czechoslovakia and ultimately Poland, perhaps at a point before the country was truly ready for world war. Allied inaction, however, gave Hitler the breathing space he needed to continue rearmament after 1938, allowing him to build the ultimate war machine.

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