Third Reich Day by Day: June 1939

Despite the appeasement of Great Britain and France, Hitler’s territorial ambitions could only be satisfied by the conquest of Poland. Great Britain and France finally realized that Hitler was determined to absorb Poland just as he had the Austrians and Czechs. They therefore signed treaties with the Poles guaranteeing to declare war on Germany should Hitler invade. But the world was stunned by the Russo-German Non-Aggression Treaty, which sealed the fate of Poland. On September 1 German forces attacked Poland. World War II had begun.

4 June

Armed Forces, Rallies

The British ambassador to Berlin, Sir Neville Henderson (left), who at first believed that Hitler would not go to war.
The British ambassador to Berlin, Sir Neville Henderson (left), who at first believed that Hitler would not go to war.

At Döberitz, the Legion is visited by Grand-Admiral Raeder, the commander-in-chief of the German Navy. The Grand-Admiral distributes decorations to the naval contingent and Generalfeldmarschall Göring presents decorations to the Luftwaffe members of the Legion.

6 June

Armed Forces, Rallies

The Condor Legion undertakes its last public appearance. At a special military parade held in the Reich capital, over 14,000 troops from the Legion, which includes 3000 sailors and 1000 men from the army, march past Hitler in review order. The Legion is led by Generalmajor von Richthofen and the three previous commanders: Volkmann, Sperrle and Warlimont. The population of Berlin give them a reception worthy of a victorious army. The Marble Gallery of the new Reich Chancellery is the venue for a special ceremony where Hitler, accompanied by Göring, presents the Spanish Cross in Gold to air force officers of the Condor Legion and naval officers from the pocket battleship Deutschland.

It would appear that there was no prerequisite for having a higher award, and the grade of the cross tended to be related to the rank of the person to whom it was awarded. Who received which grade was dependant upon the highest Spanish decoration a German volunteer received.