1939 Die Vier Ringe Issue 21

Summer turns to autumn 1939 and Auto-Union's house magazine, Die Vier Ringe, is published for the last time. After months of political crisis, the long simmering border dispute with Poland over the Danzig Corridor erupts into full blown war. Against expectations German forces smash through the Polish lines and find.... nothing in the rear. In attempting to hold the border, the Poles are left without a reserve and once German forces penetrate the defenses, the Polish defense collapses. The Polish government flees and the German army races to the east. Not only has Germany recovered its lost Silesian and Prussian provinces, it appears they will claim the entirety of Polish lands. The Soviets in the east, cognisant that the Germans had promised them a 'sphere of influence' in the former Russian lands east of the Vistula in the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact signed only a month earlier, protested the German advance. The Polish ambassador was summoned to the Kremlin and notified the Soviet army would advance across the eastern border. The ambassador only noted that without a functioning government in Warsaw, he did not know who to advise. The Soviets roll across the border and, once again the nation of Poland disappears temporarily from the map.      

With total victory in Poland, Germans anticipate that Britain and France will recognize the futility of their joint declaration of war and the matter will be settled and peace will return. The marketing department at Auto-Union probably begin planning for the 1940 edition of Die Vier Ringe. There is the new F9 Hohnklasse to unveil... But there will be no Issue 22. The war will expand and consume everyone in its terrible fire.