Glantz published a book on history of Soviet military strategy and it revealed that most USSR war-games of the late 1930s always started with a German lead -pan European invasion of western Russia , just like their WARPACK scenarios started with a German lead NATO invasion seizing Berlin - Warsaw & Minsk.
Deist et-al report that German military lead in 1928 Pre Nazi Wehrmacht planned a three phased 15 year expansion of the army to 68 mobilised divisions in order to defeat a combined Franco-Polish attack. This expansion required an economic empire to support a total war economy and Reich Bank president , Schacht lead an initiative to build such a structure through out eastern Europe , the Baltics and the Balkans. Through the great depression most of these countries -seeing Germany recovery- entered into negotiation's with the Reich bank to establish bilateral trade arrangements with Germany based on credit and barter. This recovery allowed the army plans to increase to 'pre 1914 levels' [70-80 divisions plus 44 brigades] , while the Nazi took over power. But even back then Bloomberg was telling Hitler mass production was the only way to reach these goals by 1940.
German rearmament expanded accordingly until 1936 Hitler replaced it with his "four year plan"-to make Germany ready for war by the end of that decade. Hitler baulked at the original plan since it required the mid 1940s target to also build up a total war economy and many European countries were having doubts . Instead Hitler shelved the total war plans and doubled the rate of expansion pushing a mobilised army of over 100 divisions plus 40 reserve divisions...by the end of that decade. This was twice the number envisaged by Groner/Beck/Von Bloomberg & Schacht in 1928. Hitler knew better, he would fast track the empire building through bulling and short term agreements & alliances with these countries, based on this lightning war.
It appears that most European countries saw Stalin as a bigger threat than Hitler [Britain & France are just two countries in Europe]. It seems like a small leap to build a pan European anti Stalinist pack to protect Europe from the biggest threat.
Get rid of Hitler if you must- he is expendable.