Hitler wasn’t interested in the state of the German economy. The only thing that mattered was that in the summer of 1939 he had Europe’s most combat-ready army. Of course, economic difficulties made themselves felt. New tanks and automatic weapons were delivered to the troops with a major delay. Stockpiles of ammunition allowed only a limited war—for no more than a few weeks. From all of this, Hitler drew one conclusion: the blow had to be struck immediately, while Germany and Italy had the advantage over the Western powers. And relations with the Soviet Union were vitally important…