ABSTRACT
Once it became clear in September 1939 that Britain and France as allies would not abandon Poland to its fate, it became imperative for the German army to defeat the Poles as quickly as possible. With the bulk of German forces committed in the east, Germany's western border was vulnerable to attack; if the campaign in Poland dragged on too long, the mobilized French army would be in a position to launch an offensive into Germany against only light opposition. The German public was undoubtedly apprehensive [Doc. 2, p. 97].
