| The Italian delegation arrives by train for the 4 Power Conference. From left to right: Chef des Deutsche Arbeitsfront (DAF – “German Labor Front”) Robert Ley (February 15, 1890 – October 25, 1945); Oberbefehlshaber der Luftwaffe (“Supreme Commander of the Air Force”) Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering (January 12, 1893 – October 15, 1946); Italian Foreign Minister Galeazzo Ciano (March 18, 1903 – January 11, 1944); Italian Duce and Prime Minister Benito Mussolini (July 29, 1883 – April 28, 1945); General der Artillerie Wilhelm Keitel (September 22, 1882 – October 16, 1946), Stabschef der Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW); Führer und Reichskanzler (“Leader and Reichchancellor”) Adolf Hitler (April 20, 1889 – April 30, 1945); and extreme left, Generaloberst Walther von Brauchitsch (October 4, 1881 – October 18, 1948), Oberbefehlshaber des Heeres (“Commander-in-Chief of the Army”). Mussolini and Ciano, apparently from whose initiatives the conference resulted, were the 1st to depart for Munich. They left Rome by train at 1830 Hours on the evening of September 28. Hitler and Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop (April 30, 1893 – October 16, 1946) joined the same train on the German-Austrian border at Kufstein at 0930 Hours on the following morning. Hitler was excited; it would be pleasant to celebrate a peaceful international triumph in Munich. If Britain and France wanted war, then of course they could still have it. Indeed, rather to Mussolini’s alarm much of the conversation in the train centered on Hitler’s plans in the event of Franco-German war. Hitler was not bluffing in the sense of being willing to back down if called upon to put his threats into action. He was gambling, however, in the sense that he did not want a major European war. He calculated that since no 1 else did either, he would be allowed to get his way. For the sake of his own political survival he had committed himself too far. If the Western powers should prove obstinate, he would fight them. Since it had become clear that the British would intervene if the crisis were pushed to a military solution, much of the original thinking behind Case Green (war with Czechoslovakia and France) was now out of date. On September 27-28, some of the generals were again restless. Oberst Alfred Jodl, then Chief of Operations at Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW), commented in his diary for September 28 that: “Information about emergency measures by Berlin and France equal to partial mobilization increases. The Commander-in-Chief of the Army (von Brauchitsch) begs the Chief of OKW to remember his responsibility and to do everything possible with the Führer to make sure Sudeten territory is not invaded. Plans did exist to act if Hitler should go to war, but these were ineffectively organized and overtaken by events in so far as their aim was the preservation of peace. Apart from Ribbentrop, the immediate entourage was not thirsting for war and, as far as the Sudetens themselves were concerned, they were hardly likely to relish a conflict which would take place in their homeland. All in all, therefore, the bargain which Hitler seemed likely to achieve was 1 which pleased him. Chamberlain left London just after 0830 Hours, and was seen off by a surprise party consisting of members of the Cabinet. 3 hours later he was in Munich – followed shortly by French Prime Minister Édouard Daladier (June 18, 1884 – October 10, 1970). The French and British Prime Ministers did not discuss what course of action they should follow during the conference. It was another illustration of the casual nature of the Anglo-French accord. The suspicious chill of the entente cordiale remained until the end. Daladier and Chamberlain, 2 strangers, walked into the room of the Führerhaus masquerading as brothers. Hugo Jaeger (January 18, 1900 – January 1, 1970), a photographer, worked for Führer und Reichskanzler (“Leader and Reich Chancellor”) Adolf Hitler’s (April 20, 1889 – April 30, 1945) personal photographer, Heinrich Hoffmann (September 12, 1885 – December 16, 1957), from 1936 to 1945. This gave him direct access to the Führer and his entourage. He was a pioneer of color photography, working with Agfa film and developing chemicals. After the war, he managed to hide around 2,000 negatives near Munich, which he sold to LIFE magazine in the 1960s. | |
| Image Filename | wwii0819.jpg |
| Image Size | 474.44 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2010 x 1350 |
| Photographer | Hugo Jaeger |
| Photographer Title | |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | September 29, 1938 |
| Location | |
| City | Munich |
| State or Province | Bavaria |
| Country | Germany |
| Archive | |
| Record Number | |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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