Surrender in the West?

In less than a month, in spite of the reinforcements we have mentioned, the number of German divisions facing the Red Army had dropped from 164 to 135. Most of these were below strength and some were down to the equivalent of an

V Russian bridge-builders at work in the Oder. Only with the completion of a heavy duty bridge could the bridgehead on the west bank be considered at all secure. Note the considerably more primitive, yet nevertheless effective, construction methods of the Russians compared with those of the Western Allies.

Infantry regiment. Under these circumstances, Guderian understandably thought that Ribbentrop should be informed of the situation. He suggested that the two of them should approach Hitler to recommend that Germany lay down her arms in the West. Ribbentrop was unwilling, so Guderian attempted to win Hitler over to a manoeuvre which, for some weeks at least, would avert the threat to Berlin.

"I resolved,” he said, "to demonstrate once more to Hitler that the Hungarian offensive had to be abandoned. Instead we would attack the Russian salient on the Oder between Frankfurt and Kiistrin by going for its flanks, which were not very strong, in the south on the line Glogau-Guben and in the north of the line Pyritz-Arnswalde. I thus hoped to strengthen the defence of the capital and the interior of the Reich and gain time to conclude armistice talks with the Western powers.”

But this proposal, which presupposed the evacuation also of Kurland, Norway, and Italy, merely provoked Hitler to an attack of maniacal fury.