Hitlers "Second Book"

[JaimeH]

Did anyone else catch the History Channels "Hitlers Secret Plan"? It relates how a second book was found in 1958 written by AH. (The experts used a black light on the pages and ID'd the typewriter as a 1927). How tough that would be to fake?
Anyways, the only somewhat suprising revelation was that AH planned on attacking the US once he conquered Europe. And had weapon plans for the aircraft etc.

[Peter_Suciu]

I didn't see the show. I guess I'll try to catch it when it reairs. But without seeing it I guess I'd have to ask whether Hitler really believed this was possible or just a dream. Napoleon thought of digging a tunnel to England, but most historians agree it was a fantasy at best. So I would argue that Hitler's "plan" of an invasion of North America is the same.

Supply would be virtually impossible, and as Rick says in Casablanca there are parts of New York the Germans wouldn't want to invade. Imagine the trouble Germany faces in a nation filled with gangsters and cowboys.

This makes for a great "what if" but unless the Germans can beat the British in 1940 and demand an occupation of Canada, and get Canadian volunteers to help, an invasion of America is a pipedream at best.

[JaimeH]

Peter, invasion wasn't mentioned. More like bombers and large battleships that would take the fight out of the US. It explained how AH initially thought the US was basically an aryan nation with a high number of German immigrants, but changed his mind by the second book because of race mixing, He feared the industrial might of the US, and figured he could drive us back into isolation. They claim that the second book was not released due to the slow sales of Mein kampf, and did not want to dilute the market.

I have to admit I lost some interest in the show when they verified the manuscripts veracity with a black light and old typewriter comparison, and I was playing guitar at the same time.

[Christophe]

This book has been published as soon as 1961, in German language, by the Dr Gerhard Weinberg, who "discovered" it. It has since also been published in English (2003).

Ch.

[Peter_Suciu]

More like bombers and large battleships that would take the fight out of the US.

Obviously Hitler never played Axis & Allies!

Bombers and large battleships? I'm sure once the Bismarck was sunk by Swordfish dive bombers, and then the Japanese basically sunk the Prince of Wales with fighter diver bombers Hitler was glad he didn't try that plan!

And on top of it the Luftwaffe didn't even have any bombers that had the range? Or any in serious development. Not exactly a well considered plan!

I love The History Channel but I do think they have a some great 30 minute programs...spread out over two hours!

[stevezz1]

Hi JaimeH,

I did'nt see that program, but i did watch the one about the German invasion of Crete........
Those paratroops did not stand a chance, some even falling into the sea and being dragged down by their equipment. One of the British defenders described it as a clay pidgeon shoot, only with humans...............
Even shooting para's that had got tangled in the olive trees before they had a chance to cut themselves free..........
He also mentioned two German prisoners that were taken away and bayoneted..........

Apparently, thanks to the code breakers at Bletchley Park, the officers and staff that were based on Crete knew the exact date and time of the planned attack.........But they forgot to pass this information on to the troops, so the first warning the defenders had was the drone of the transport planes.
Typical British upper class twits.....

There was some footage of a mint condition MP.38 being fired and a view of an equally mint Luger........Very nice

Steve.

[DP Jennings]

and as Rick says in Casablanca there are parts of New York the Germans wouldn't want to invade.

I can't imagine anyone lasting too long in the South Bronx.

[herr]

how can u guarantee the originality of those books by blacklight and typewriter u can get from grandma's attic ?

Yeah right ...

[DP Jennings]

Some of the program did seem a little far fetched but I can't say for sure as I've not read the "Second Book".

[Tim Schreiner]

It was determined through forensics that the same typewriter wrote both manuscripts. That is good enough for me.

[Dave Danner]

It was determined through forensics that the same typewriter wrote both manuscripts. That is good enough for me.

It was determined that the same model of typewriter was used, not the same typewriter.

The program had an awful lot of sensationalism and logic holes that led me to put in the same category as the History Channel's various UFO and supernatural programs.

That said, on a few specific arguments it made, alluded to above:

1. The argument that Hitler was planning on war with the US was that the so-called "Amerika-Bomber" and the Kriegsmarine's Z-Plan weren't expected to be completed until after the defeat of France and Great Britain, so they couldn't have been planned to address those threats. There are a number of holes in this argument familiar to military historians.

2. The America-focus of the "second book" reflected the America-focus of the "documentary" - Mein Kampf generally ignored America, and the documentary claimed this second book filled that gap. Supposedly, Hitler thought that the US had achieved its greatness because the best and most motivated Europeans, especially "Aryans", had left their homes on a quest for greatness. With America's abundant resources, natural and human, it would inevitably overwhelm Germany unless Germany also secured its needed resources, natural (through conquest) and human (through breeding). Hitler also supposedly admired the US for displacing or destroying its aboriginal populations and for its late 19th and early 20th century immigration laws which would preserve the USA's Aryan character (otherwise already diluted by all those Italians, Irish, Polish and other immigrants). Later, as Jaime notes, Hitler supposedly modified his thinking, and decided American was racially inferior due to the mixing of races and was bound for decadence. The way this argument was laid out in the documentary mirrors both general European anti-American thought of the past 2-3 centuries and the racial theories of American neo-Nazis, so whether Hitler supposedly made the argument too doesn't make the argument all that surprising.

3. The other argument of the documentary was that Hitler supposedly wrote this manuscript because Mein Kampf hadn't achieved the desired effects. The Nazis had done poorly in the 1928 elections, and Hitler thought he needed to make his message clearer. Initially, the publisher held the manuscript because Mein Kampf was selling poorly, and a new book would only compete. Then, after the Depression began, the Nazis grew in power, Mein Kampf began selling and power seemed within his grasp, Hitler forbade publishing the new manuscript for fear of tipping his hand to his real long-term plans.

That's about all I can remember from the program.

[Rob Brown]

The "Second Book" is on sale at amazon.

Check out link

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/...835927-1207862