Fat Boy and the Champagne Salesman

Göring, Ribbentrop, and the Nazi Invasion of Poland

Rush Loving, Jr., Rush Loving

• Publisher: Indiana University Press
• Year: 2024
• Print ISBN: 9780253061942
• eBook ISBN: 9780253061973
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Historical Biographies
• Index: History

"A wonderfully researched, written, and fast-paced book about the inevitable march toward World War II, and the personalities who made it a reality." —Fred Rasmussen, Baltimore Sun

Fat Boy and the Champagne Salesman offers a compelling behind-the-scenes exploration of the road to World War II and the invasion of Poland by the Hitler's Third Reich. Focusing on the personal power plays within Hitler's inner circle, author Rush Loving details the struggle for Hitler's approval, long before the battle for Poland had begun.

The rivalry was between "Fat Boy," the moniker given to Hermann Göring by his fellow Nazi generals, and "the Champagne Salesman," Joachim von Ribbentrop, nicknamed for his previous career, and it was at the heart of Germany's plans for the expansion of the Reich into Poland. Göring, founder of the Lüftwaffe and the man who oversaw the armaments industry, was convinced that any invasion of Poland would lead to war with England and France, who were committed to its defense. Von Ribbentrop, Hitler's foreign minister, argued that the Allies would stand down and continue their policy of appeasement. Only one would be proven correct.
An engrossing and dramatic tale,  Fat Boy and the Champagne Salesman shows Göring and Ribbentrop playing a tug-of-war with Hitler's will. Loving's vivid narrative of the struggle between the two advisers lends a new understanding of the events leading to the opening days of World War II.

"A fascinating, meticulously researched account of the infighting at the top of the Nazi hierarchy during the run-up to the opening act of World War II."—Andrew Nagorski, Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Preface
• Introduction
• 1. Kaiser Wilhelm’s Legacy
• 2. The Eloquent Artist
• 3. The Champagne Salesman
• 4. Fat Boy’s Swedish Friend
• 5. “Close Your Hearts to Pity!”
• 6. A Performance of Bombast and Threats
• 7. “A Second Bismarck”
• 8. Et Tu, Bruté?
• 9. “It’s Enough to Kill a Bull”
• 10. The Speech That Fell Flat
• 11. Into the Wee Hours
• 12. A Shouting Match
• 13. “Where Is the Pole?”
• 14. The Intercepted Telegram
• 15. Invasion
• 16. Ultimatum
• 17. Finis
• Notes
• Bibliography
• Index
• About the Author