Hello, Supposing that the Allies didn't declared war on Germany, there are statements or documentation saying that Germany would have attacked France anyway or there would be a possibility of Hitler pursuit his war in the East with the West neutral?
It depends on if Hitler felt the west would interfere in his further conquests of the east. a key factor is if there was a blockade or not.
From what I've read Hitler considered war with France inevitable. He didn't particularly want it when it happened though especially with Britain allied to France.
I think Hitler's attack on France was the result of Allied support of Poland. If there was no Allied intervention, I believe Hitler would have continued his expansion by negotiation. Although war with France was a goal of Hitler from the earliest times.
Hitler's main target was the Soviet Union. He wanted the resources of the west part of USSR and its land; secondly he wanted to eliminate the threat of the communism in the east. I Think without the Allied support of Poland the German dictator would have left quiet the west front. Naturally if, for him, France and Great Britain would not have been a threat for Germany during the war against USSR. Maybe, if Germany had defeat USSR, Hitler would have attacked France, but this is another question....
Hitler was convinced after seeing the Red Army parade films from the Red Square that he was not able ( at least yet ) to attack the SU by early 1940. After seeing the Red Army fighting in the Winter War he seemed to realize the true shape of the Red Army and started preparations for Barbarossa. So if Hitler wanted war he probably was looking for Poland first and then France, at least until the Winter War. And after taking the rest of the Czech in march 1939 he was not anymore trusted in the west, so if Hitler was not satisfied with his conquests by then he was bound to get to war with West by his endless requests.
I tend to agree with the majority that Hitler looked upon France as her "Traditional" enemy and presumed that at some point in time would find themselves at war. A French non-intervention in the attack on Poland would in my estimation bring an earlier start to Operation Barbarossa, one that would precede any war with France at Hitler's instigation. As a practical matter a move East, rather than west, would effectively prevent a war with France unless she herself declared it. Russia would absorb nearly all of Germany's military resources even without any other active front. Germany might secure some form of victory in the East with a lot of luck and a much better strategic plan, but this would take at least two years, probably 3 and possibly 4. The Third Republic, muddled as it was, would have had time to modernize and rearm. Germany with a vast Empire to control, would find it difficult to scrape up enough troops to give them an advantage large enough to hope for victory. I think Hitler would be content with the Empire he had.
If we believe what Hitler says in Mein Kampf...It was inevetable no matter what the time or reason. It was a must for him personally.
Also, German economy needed an infusion of looted resources and currency to stay afloat after the expensive re-armament program. Unlike FDR's New Deal, Hitler's "capital investment" in weaponry would not generate wealth except by conquest.
It wasn't just the rearmament program. By manipulating the currency the way they did they rendered it non viable in the foreign market which means that the Germans like the Soviets were essentially reduced to bartering as far as international trade was concerned. Germany lacked a lot more basic resources than the Soviets did though.
Germany\s capability to wage a long war was totally out of question at least until late 1940. For inctance Tooze gives the figures. If France and BEF and other Allied had been able to prolong the war, just prolong the war, Germany would have run practically out of artillery ammo in some months and would have been in deep trouble as other types of ammo for guns would have been needed to restrict in use. Hitler was pretty much saved by a miracle a.k.a. the Sichelschnitt.
Hitler was just looking to get into a stalemate with France so he could have airbases in range of Britain but, Manstein created a plan that took over France.
That pretty much sums it. Fall Gelb drawn by OKW in October 1939 envisioned only invasion of Low Countries and Northern France to gain air naval bases to wage war on Britain. That was Hitler's strategic directive in same month. Even modified Sichelschnitt plan did not foresee the extent of collapse France would experience in June 1940.
One of the gains of Adolf Hitler and the NSDAP was to bring back all German people, living in other countries, back in the Reich. His politics of 'anschluss' for Austria and the other 'former' German language parts in other countries was one of his political goals. This would have been done with or without the use of military force. Both France and Belgium had parts that were considered by the NSDAP as being German. These are Lorraine, Alsace in France and the area's of Eupen and Belgian Eiffel in Belgium. It is hardly thinkable that France and Belgium would have rendered these parts without the use of force.
