Hitler's lies keep his Allies onside

7th April 1943: The war must go on in the East - and there will be no withdrawal from North Africa

Adolf Hitler greets Benito Mussolini at his arrival in Kleßheim station, 7th April 1943

Italian prisoners taken near Stalingrad in early 1943. Involvement in the campaign had been a complete disaster for the Italian army. The scale of their losses was responsible for a drastic loss of support for the war - and for Mussolini - in Italy

In aftermath of the disaster at Stalingrad Hitler had to face his Allies and get their continued support for the war. He held a series of meetings with the leaders of Rumania, Italy and Hungary at the Klessheim palace in Austria - well out of range from Allied bombers. Here he maintained the fantasy that the Axis powers could still win the war.

The Italian leader Mussolini in particular favoured coming to terms with the Soviets so that the Axis forces could focus on the war in the West.

But no one could penetrate Hitler’s lies, subterfuge and self-deception. After the war the Russians interrogated Hitler’s personal aides and built up a picture¹ of how he maintained the charade: