Letters to David
Irving on this Website

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[Letter edited for clarity.]

Pawel
Szalamacha writes from Poland, August 31, 1998:

Dear Mr Irving,

I have read your
Hitler’s
War. Two quick points:

• You repeat the lie on the
  Polish cavalry charging German tanks in September 1939.
  There was not a single case. No officer would give such
  an order.

Actually, thanks to the new anti-tank rifle the Polish army struck off 30% of German tanks. This is a remarkable score, probably (my stress on probably) the best result of the war before campaign in
Russia.

• I have not read your book
  on the accident at Gibraltar which happened to Gen
  Sikorski. It appears that the Polish public opinion now
  seems to be convinced that this was no accident. The
  event happened close to the British military base, i.e.
  it was done either by the British, or with their
  approval. Note, that I am not blaming the British. We had
  the choice in 1939.

  Having considered the alternative (
  i.e. 45-89), I am prone to think that maybe we should
  have yielded to Hitler, given up Gdansk [Danzig]
  and given him access to [East] Prussia or Silesia
  if necessary. Then after the fall of France, go to Moscow
  as the ally of Germany. The “Buts:”
  (i) the Polish government although pretending
  to be autocratic was responding to democratic pressures
  in rejecting Hitler’s demands and accepting
  Franco-British “alliance”.

  I am afraid that a coup
  d’état would take place if Beck, Smigly,
  Moscicki would accept (compare Yugoslavia in 1941)
  (ii) the calculation was not that irrational,
  it was really in France’s interest (not because of love
  for Poles) to stand up to her obligations and launch the
  offensive say around Sept 12. Documents prove that all
  the time Beck was aware (in 1938 and later) that he is
  playing a risky game while thinking the French would
  fight.

  However, after August 26, that is after the
  Molotov Pact, Beck should have yielded.

Pawel
Szalamacha

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