https://www.axios.com/2025/09/30/trump-firing-generals-hegseth-quantico
The Atlantic
Trump: ‘I Need the Kind of Generals That Hitler Had’
The Republican nominee’s preoccupation with dictators, and his disdain for the American military, is deepening.
In 1938, Hitler called generals together on several occasions, most notably in May and August, to discuss his plans for military action against Czechoslovakia. His aggressive intentions caused alarm among the German military leadership, who feared a wider European conflict for which Germany was not ready.
Events surrounding the 1938 meetings
May 1938: Operation Green
Hitler informed his generals of a draft plan, codenamed "Operation Green," for an attack on Czechoslovakia.
He insisted he would only move forward under the right political conditions but ordered the acceleration of military preparations.
August 4, 1938: Generals express opposition
In a secret army meeting, German Chief of the General Staff General Ludwig Beck presented a detailed report outlining the military risks of attacking Czechoslovakia.
Beck warned that an invasion could trigger a larger war with Britain, France, and possibly the Soviet Union, for which Germany's army was unprepared.
The generals present agreed with Beck's analysis, but they stopped short of a collective resignation, leaving Beck isolated. He resigned shortly after.
September 1938: The Munich Agreement
Hitler's aggressive actions in the Sudetenland (a German-populated border region of Czechoslovakia) led to a major international crisis.
British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, French leader Édouard Daladier, and Italian dictator Benito Mussolini met with Hitler in Munich on September 29–30, 1938.
Without consulting Czechoslovakia, they agreed to allow Germany to annex the Sudetenland in a policy of appeasement. This temporarily averted war but emboldened Hitler.
Abolition of the War Ministry
In February 1938, before the military meetings regarding Czechoslovakia, Hitler took steps to consolidate his power over the military.
Following the Blomberg-Fritsch Affair, a scandal involving top military leadership, Hitler took direct command of the armed forces and abolished the War Ministry. This removed potential internal opposition to his military ambitions.
The Hossbach Memorandum (1937)
While not in 1938, an earlier meeting on November 5, 1937, was highly significant for understanding Hitler's intentions. In this meeting, recorded in the Hossbach Memorandum, Hitler revealed his long-term foreign policy goals, which centered on expansion and conquest. The document showed that Hitler's plans were not limited to peaceful means, confirming his intention to eventually wage a European war.
I'm sure it's all just a coincidence...
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