Hello, and thank you for listening to a History of World War II podcast, episode 13,

the beginning of the end of piece.

So after some major technical difficulties, the podcast is back, the website is back,

and now on the link for that will be World War II podcast.net, and I want to apologize

to everybody who's had to wait, but I've got everything figured out, now when I'm back

and it won't happen again, so let's move on.

So it's September of 1938, by this time Hitler's already reoccupied the Rhineland, he's

taken Austria, and now it's time for him to take Czechoslovakia.

He's all ready to go, and he knows that Britain and France can't or won't lift a finger

to stop him.

But then he's surprised by Chamberlain offering him what he's trying to take by force.

So they pushed it to the very edge of war, or at least that's how it seems to the German

people, to the British people, to the French people, but Hitler knows that Chamberlain's

not going to fight, but still Hitler reasons with himself, why fight when he can get

it for free.

So the four leaders, Chamberlain, Hitler, Mussolini, and Deladier of France all meet him

unique, September 29th, and they're going to work this out.

Now the four of them are going to get together right afternoon that day.

So Hitler meets with Mussolini beforehand to work out a strategy, and Hitler basically

says, I want a quick agreement, or I'm going to use force because I've got my troops in

place anyway, and I'm ready to go.

Chamberlain did not seek out Deladier, Deladier, before the meeting, because to be honest

...