German leader Adolf Hitler today ordered a portion of the German army to relocate to the western border his country shares with France.
Hitler made this order in his latest ‘Führer Directive’, the third since war began. Troops will be moved from the invasion of Poland in anticipation of a possible attack by French troops in the west.
Should it be clear that some part of the Eastern Army and Air Force are no longer necessary for the completion of this task and for the pacification of occupied territories, arrangements are to be made to transfer these forces to the west.
Adolf Hitler, Führer Directive Number 3 For the Conduct of the War, 9th September 1939.
The directive also highlights that military action against Poland should continue, but that some land forces and aircraft are no longer needed in the attack. It also states that the British and French response to the invasion of Poland has been ‘half-hearted’.
Hitler’s Führer Directive 3 also includes:
- No military action against France or Britain should happen without Hitler’s approval.
- German warships are not permitted to engage French vessels.
- German aircraft should not fly beyond Germany’s western borders.
Führer Directives are written orders made directly by Hitler. They are absolutely binding and are to be followed to the letter without question. The Directives supersede all other laws in the Germany, including the German Constitution.
In other news, German troops moved in to occupy Łódź, the Polish city which surrendered yesterday.
