Rank and File: A clerk's war Germany 1936 (Semper Fi)

arasis said:

Way to go !! I really had some reading to do to catch up to the newest events. Everything is shaping up very nicely

About time the clerks family members get some decent wargear :rofl: but i bet they will have to get used to lots of new stuff till 1939

Oh and the money used in Germany during WW2 was called "Reichsmark"


I really hope Japan will be a better ally in 1.3 for you then it was for me in the previous patch. Else they wont be a big help

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Thanks Arasis - yes, I don't think they will last long unless they get an upgrade.

And you are right: they were Reichsmark until 1948 (I think). I just grew up thinking of the currency as DM (until the Euro). It is pretty hard trying to think of myself living in 1936!

I will edit it before anyone else picks up on the anachronism! If people find one, they'll look for others! I try to be accurate, but some always get through.

EDIT: I just realised I referred to the "Baltic Sea" - only English speaking (or Baltic States?) would do this. A German would always call it the Ostsee.

1st October to 31st October 1936

On the 1st of the month, I looked at my anticipated workload for the month and decided that if I was going to take a few days leave for a trip to Kiel, this was the time to do it.

In the first week the only item of note was news from the Kriegsmarine Luftkriegschule, where a new trainee naval pilot course has been developed. This will greatly assist the performance of our Dornier 217 pilots. The trainers have now focussed their attention on improving our naval strike tactics. We have carried out training bombing exercises with our new planes and the results have been very disappointing: hardly any of the bombs fell anywhere near the targets. Hitting moving ship –sized targets at sea is not as easy as it would appear.

There was also a garbled report about a resistance leader fleeing the country. I didn’t really take in the details – it doesn’t seem to have had any impact.

So off to Kiel. I had planned to catch the train, but I pulled a few strings and managed to get issued with an official Kanzlei vehicle for a few days. The perks of high office! The drive was about 250 kilometres, so it took me most of the day – there is no new autobahn yet connecting Berlin to Kiel, though I saw several road gangs on the way. No wonder we have no unemployment anymore: everywhere you go in the Reich people are busy constructing something.


Kiel was no different. My sister had told me that when she and Christoph arrived in 1933 the city had been quite run down. Its glory days at the turn of the century when it was the Imperial War Port had long gone. When the Allied Powers destroyed our navy, they also destroyed the economy of Kiel. Now, however, the city is booming again. With trade expanding, the Nord-Ostsee-Kanal is packed with merchant vessels. The major boost to the economy of course, is the growth of the shipbuilding companies. While construction is limited at the moment, there are many research establishments and as I drove to the naval accommodation area I could see that the population was growing steadily.

My sister was pleased to see me and immediately started to ask why Heinz and Ernst weren’t with me. I could defend Heinz (it would be hard for him to travel from his new base at Woldenberg on the Polish border) but she knows that Ernst’s unit was not moved during the recent re-organisation. I did my best but I fear they will be receiving nasty letters soon!

We had a pleasant meal at a local restaurant, and an early night.

Next day, Christoph and I spent the morning touring the base. I admired his Type VIIB submarine while we talked about the rumoured ocean-going submarines. He told me that they not a rumour- the Howaldtswerke design teams should be ready to start construction within months. (He told me that this company built Germany’s first submarine, the” Branteucher” in 1850. Having seen the early 1930s Type IIA “Einbaum”, the “Branteucher” must have been a death-trap!). At least Christoph is realistic about his boat. He says it extremely cramped and smelly after being at sea for a few days. But he loves the life and hopes for promotion to command his own vessel one day. Perhaps he will be given one of the new ocean-going Type XIs? “In my dreams” he laughs.


The following day we spent on a trip to the countryside (I may as well use the government car!). We had a picnic lunch and a lazy day cruising the quiet country roads and admiring the views along the coast. It was little alarming that the city appears to have no coastal fortifications, only a few anti-aircraft installations. Still, I am aware of the construction work taking place along the Nordsee, so perhaps Kiel will get some defences soon.

My brotherly duties completed, I headed back to the capital. As always, my desk was covered with work when I returned. (Never leave your desk – it is a magnet for other people’s “too hard” work!)

Top of the pile was a massive file from the Department of Agriculture. It was a compilation of research on ways to automate our agricultural industry, and identified several easy to implement labour saving initiatives. The immediate impact will be that tens of thousands of fit young men will be released for army duty. Minister von Blomberg will be relieved as he had often mentioned his concern about the number of men our expanding Heer will require.

An accompanying file informs the Air Minister (Goering) that it has been decided to improve Luftwaffe logistical strike tactics – our military doctrines require that we must be able to cripple the supply chain to enemy front line troops.

A motorised division has been sent to join the 2nd Lechte Panzerkorps on the Polish border. Heinz will have some new friends as the division will be near Landsberg, not far from Woldenberg.

Not much else happened during the month. Winter approached in Spain, and the fighting declined. Our military attaché at Franco’s headquarters says morale is low after a succession of defeats and withdrawals. A large oil deal has been signed with the USA. The Department of Trade has successfully argued that we should sell military supplies (even if it costs military production) to ensure that we build up our fuel stockpiles as much as possible).

Research is starting to suffer from foreign interference, despite the best efforts of our agents. About 4% loss this month, and only 14 spies captured. We have identified a Nepalese cell – there must be others. Some French and Polish spies are busy stirring discontent in our manufacturing plants.

And that is October. I am impressed with the enthusiasm and dedication I sensed at Kiel. The Kriegsmarine will be a modern and potent force in a few years, able to project our power across the ocean. How will the other arms of the Wehrmacht shape up?

1st November to 30th November 1936

The month started with another review of our leadership needs by the Office of Skilled Personnel. A reort was delivered for filing that showed a steady decrease in the number of talented officers available for the Wehrmacht. I suppose there was a lot of politicking behind the review's findings, but the Wehrmacht usually gets its way these days. A directive from the highest level (the Reichskanzler himself) prohibits any reduction in research, and to cut the number of spies you have to oppose Joseph Goebbels: usually not a wise decision. So the weak von Neurath has accepted that the number of recruit-level diplomats will be cut to about 10 per month, which will allow the more than 17 officers a day to be produced by the military academies.

Speaking of research, this has been another busy time for the naval technology groups I saw at Kiel. Obviously I was not allowed into any secret areas, but I don’t need to gain access to discover what is going on: everything is delivered to my desk. The geniuses in the naval shipyards have, within a matter of months, worked out how to construct an escort carrier. I thought that we would have rushed to start constructing them immediately – from the design I saw they are horribly complex and must take a long time to build. But the research team felt that the escort carrier was too small for fleet operations and recommended that more studies be carried out with a view to developing a "proper" carrier. The official seal indicated that this had been approved by the Minister for the Navy himself.


The army is persisting with its theoretical stuff. Call me old fashioned, but what is wrong with locating the enemy, loading up with ammunition and heading towards him at speed? It nearly worked for our fathers. Anyway, the elite have decided that we must be smarter, as well as braver, stronger and more dedicated. They have come up with a “Schwerpunkt” doctrine. The “heavy point” is apparently where we will concentrate our attacks and breakthrough the enemy lines. The Minister is a big supporter of these new ideas and has authorised further studies.

On the 9th there were more celebrations next door. I managed to get a photograph of the Fuhrer arriving with a man in military uniform, whom I later discovered was the Regent of Hungary, Miklos Horthy. Even a humble clerk such as I could work out that there was an important deal about to be signed. So it was no surprise when an excited diplomatic aide burst through the doors of the Kanzlei later that day to announce that Hungary had joined our Alliance. Now we are four nations (led, of course by the Reich!).


With all the excitement, a completion order from Messerschmitt barely raised a ripple of interest. Another batch of Bf 109D aircraft has been assigned to the Westwall Army – I would like to see the French and British get past such a modern fighter. Needles to say, Messerschmitt has won another contract, but at a reduced price and with a much shorter completion time: only 144 days now.

Of more importance in the long run (at least according to Minister Schacht’s proud boast contained in the monthly Cabinet Papers) was the construction and commissioning of two new industrial plants, one in Breslau, the other in Stettin. The Minister explained that the locations were to make it more difficult for enemy bombers to reach them. His main point, however, was that these new factory complexes would increase our overall production capacity. In addition, the knowledge we gained from the construction would make further increases cheaper and quicker. To prove his point, he reported that two more complexes had been started, and that completion time had been reduced from 328 days to 305, and industrial cost from 4.5 to 4.19units. We are on our way to becoming an industrial superpower!

I nearly missed a note from a group of road and rail workers in the province of Falkenburg, informing the Ministry of the Interior that infrastructure in the region had been significantly improved, though more improvement was possible.

Right at the end of the month, another jubilant message arrived from Minister Schacht’s boffins in the Ministry of Armaments. They have been working quietly all year on methods to improve the production of supplies, and have managed to squeeze another 5% from the factories. This will ease our trade problem. Demand for coal is declining, and we need more oil. By producing more supplies than we will need we can trade some of the surplus for foreign exchange.

The last file for the month contained a requisition for a team of technicians and engineers to move to Wilhelmshaven to work on improved anti-aircraft guns and mountings for our heavy cruisers. Admiral Raeder, concerned at the cost of these marvellous vessels, is worried that British aircraft could cause us problems. As we can’t afford to lose a single ship, authority has been granted and the design team is on its way to the Nordsee.


It is a good thing that Minister Goebbel’s counter-intelligence operatives have been more effective this month, as the Cabinet Papers show that the Fuhrer is very keen on speeding up our technological advantages, and he is getting exasperated with the delays. Despite only catching nine spies, Goebbel’s security men managed to reduce lost research time to 2% (caused by the UK and Iraq), and this probably saved their boss a tongue lashing. France and Poland concentrated on slowing production, but Minister Schacht doesn’t seem to get a report of lost time in the factories.

Winter has set in now, and snow is covering the streets. I imagine it is the same in Spain (does it snow in Spain?) Regardless, the weather has obviously forced both sides to halt operations, as our information shows no change in territory held. It is a case of no news is good news, the way Franco has performed. From the chatter we hear from the diplomats next door, there will be no more support for the Spanish General – he is on his own.

Next month it will be a year since the New Year's Conference and I should get copies of several annual reports. I wonder if the Fuhrer will be happy with our progress?

1st December to 31st December 1936


In mid-winter, with Berlin shrouded in snow and the days very short, we have still been working hard here at the Central Filing Division of the Reichskanzlei. Not only have we had our normal workload of minutes of meetings, confidential briefing papers, military orders, trade contracts, tenders for military contracts and research patents and scientific papers, etc but we have also been deluged with end of year reports from across the country.

The Heer continues to grow in size. A completely new infantry division has been formed and is on its way to X Korps. General von Blomberg has advised the Fuhrer that to keep the number of talented officers in non-productive roles to a minimum, the aim is to have 5 divisions in each Armeekorps. Anti-air brigades have assigned to several Armeekorps and divisions and V and VII Armeekorps HQ units have been reinforced with infantry brigades. 45. Infanterie Division is now up to full strength. Equipment 0rders and call-up papers have been issued to ensure that this growth continues.

Coastal fortifications are complete at Emden, reducing the risk of a flank attack on Wilhelmshaven; work has now begun in Bremerhaven. Similarly, Donaueschingen’s incorporation into the Westwall is complete, and extensions are underway in Baden.

Even in the lead up to Christmas and New Year, our scientists and technicians labour away – the last technical paper (success in our development of a new submarine engine) being delivered late on 31st December. We also have started to re-equip our fleets of tactical bombers (the elegant “Fliegender Bleistifft”) with new and more effective bombs, courtesy of the Luftwaffe experimental research team.


The Ministry of Armaments has managed, with the assistance of all the major industrial companies, to not only develop ways of increasing industrial production by 2.5%, but at the same time to reduce the wastage of raw materials by the same amount. Ii may have taken them all year to compile their results, but the Kanzler is very pleased, and sent a personal note of congratulation to Herr Schacht, the Minister.

Fresh assignments for 1937 have been given to the research groups. Naval engineers are to look into increasing the armour and main armament on our light cruisers (to at least match what the British produced last year). There is also a combined Heer/Kriegsmarine project to form a “Marine Sturm” division: a military unit trained and equipped to carry our naval invasions. That should give the British in their “Island Fortress” something to think about!

Our man in Caballo has sent his end of year update from Spain, and it is not good. Morale in General Franco's headquarters is still low, and there doesn't seem to be any plan for an offensive once the weather improves. While the Nationalists still control much of the country, the lack of military success inthe past 6 months would indicate that it is just a matter of time before the Socialists triumph.

Spies still plague our universities and technical groups – 3% of time lost this month. Another 13 show trials saw the end of more foreign agents, but the United Kingdom and Tannu Tuva are still active in our research areas, and France persists in industrial sabotage. On a positive note, we now have 167 spies abroad, and the Head of Intelligence (my boss, Wilhelm Frick) has informed the Cabinet that next year he will start to give regular intelligence briefings on our potential enemies.

Minister von Neurath was in some trouble according to this month’s Cabinet papers. As Foreign Minister his job is to not only persuade countries to align with ourselves (and our Axis partners) but just as importantly, to prevent the Allies from increasing their power base. We heard on 19th December that the Irish Taoiseach, Eamon de Valera, had signed a formal Military Alliance Treaty with the United Kingdom. Cabinet had been assured that animosity to the British would ensure that the Dail would always vote to at least stay neutral. In fact, at the time of the announcement of the Treaty, Sean Russell, the new head of the Irish Republican Army, was in Berlin, seeking our assistance. Ireland is the first country to join the Allies since we started our program on 1 January 1936 – I hope it is the last as we don’t want to face the whole world.

On the other hand, we have our own allies, and the Wehrmacht has put together a file based on reports from our military attaches in Rome, Tokyo and Budapest.


You may remember that back in January our armed forces comprised 133 regiments, 11 air wings and 17 ships. The Chief of the Army had indicated that we needed to triple our strength to achieve our goals: it seem as though we are well on our way. The armed forces provided by our Axis partners are a welcome addition, even if some of them are of questionable quality.


According to the annual report form Minister Schacht the economy is standing up well to the strain of rapid expansion. Our daily consumption of coal is 430,000 tonnes, and we produce far more than than this. Our factories could run for about 200 days if we had to run-down our stockpile of 215,000 tonnes iron and steel, and we coulod last more than 300 days on the 107,000 tonnes of mixed rare materials if all imports ceased tomorrow. Oil is still aproblem, but we are building up a substantial reserve of f uel. What concerns the Minister is that our military program is highly geared to fuel-intensive equipment, so demand can be expected to increase markedly over the next few years.

Our research has been very successful, and the Office of Skilled Personnel has managed to continuously increase the number of projects that we can run simultaneously. In the report submitted to Cabinet by the Head of the OSP, the completed projects are summarised as follows:

Heer: Engineer Brigades, 2 Light Tank Armour projects,

Luftwaffe: Basic Medium Fuel Tanks, Basic Bombs

Kriegsmarine: Submarine Torpedoes, Hulls and Engines, Carrier Aircraft, 4 Destroyer projects, Escort Carriers.

Military Theory: Operational Level Organisation, Schwerpunkt

Air Theory: Fighter Ground Control, Naval Pilot Training

Industrial: Agriculture, Supply Production, Industrial Production and Efficiency.

The research co-ordinators acknowledge that there has been a preponderance of naval research this year, but this was always the intent. Because of the long construction times, we must “front-end” our naval development so that our construction can incorporate the latest technology. There will be more naval projects in the first part of 1937, after which we will throw all resources to the Heer and Luftwaffe. While we have completed 22 projects this year, the expectation is for this number to increase in 1937.


The large amount of naval research is reflected in the end of year "State of Knowledge" table. Naval Engneering has become our leading area of expertise, but this should only be temporary. Our high level of practical air knowledge is reflected in the cheaper cost of producing aircraft for the Luftwaffe. Other areas are starting to improve, and this will accelerate during the next year as our production and research experience accumulates.

The Fuhrer took the opportunity to congratulate the Ministers on their performance. The Wehrmacht is increasing steadily, our economy is expanding, we have signed up new allies and we have increased domestic morale, particularly through our re-occupation of the Rhineland. But we must not relax: we have a long way to go before we are ready to take on the might of France and Britain, let alone our ultimate foe: the Russians.

NilsS said:

I really like your style of writing

In my opinion you give some very nice insight into the daily life of a conservative, quite high-ranking official and one can see that you really have done some research. So keep up the good work (also if you would like to name your divisions "light tank corps" it had to be "1. leichte Panzerkorps" or "1. leichtes Panzerkorps")

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NilsS - thankyou for the positive comments. And of course you are right - my less than basic Deutschsprache has let me down again! I am well aware the it should be "leichte" but my English mind just skipped over the mispelling over and over again. I'll fix them up in the near future

January 1st 1937 to January 31st 1937

This year I was not required to work on New Year’s Day – no crucial Conference to disrupt my holiday. When I did come to work on the 2nd, there was a lot of commotion. For once it was the military staff who were running around in confusion (usually they adopt a Prussian stoicism to impress the clerical staff). Asking what had caused this excitement, I was told that news had arrived from our Russian Embassy that Stalin had ordered a purge of the entire Soviet Army. Purges of the Russian Army are not unusual, but the word was that this was on a different scale.


The name on everyone’s lips was that of Marshal Mikhail Tukhachevsky. I had never heard of him, but my Wehrmacht informants told me he was the most brilliant of the Red Army commanders. He has been executed, along with many of the other leading lights of the officer corps. Information started to arrive from agents, businessmen, trade delegations and other sources, all confirming the scale of the arrests and dismissals. An officer on Minister von Blomberg’s staff was detailed to consolidate all the information and prepare a list of officers confirmed to have been dismissed, arrested or executed. It was a massive exercise, but the final list showed that only 2 of the 5 Marshals remained, 13 army generals had gone, as had 8 of the 9 admirals. Of the 57 army corps generals, only 7 held their positions. The lower ranks of officers did not fare much better: 154 of the 186 divisional commanders were dismissed. Overall, 10% of all officers were removed.

Analysts have been poring over the figures and a preliminary report was sent to OKH. The file copy of the report is sitting on my desk and makes astonishing reading. The military view is that the Red Army will be crippled for up to a decade. Not only will the loss of the leading commanders have an immediate impact, but the missing lower level officers will mean that for years there will be a sharp reduction in the quantity and quality of men ready for promotion. For anyone planning to attack Russia in the foreseeable future, this purge has been a gift from heaven.

The news (on the 17th) of the abdication of King Edward VIII of England came as an anti-climax, although it did mean the removal of a friendly face in the British ruling class. The (ex) King has declared that he is giving up the throne for Wallis Simpson, who is disliked by the political establishment in the United Kingdom. I have heard rumours that Mrs Simpson had some sort of relationship with the German Ambassador, Joachim von Ribbentrop, but have never found anyone prepared to put his name to such a rumour. Anyway, this has given the British tabloid papers something to write about for few weeks. The King’s brother, Albert, will take the throne, as King George VI.

For some reason that I don’t fully comprehend (something to do with rushing research) a lot of our project teams complete their assignments in January. The new model destroyer teams have all finished their trials and are ready to put into practice armour, main armament, engines and anti-aircraft improvements. This allowed us to start research into a significant shortcoming identified by Grossadmiral Raeder’s evaluation teams: air defence. We can soon expect developments in BattleCruiser, Light Cruiser and Destroyer Anti-Aircraft Guns.

Hjalmar Schacht finally got his way and we have put together some of our best chemists to work on improvements in oil refining. For months I have seen his plaintive memos calling for better technology to ease the pressure on the oil industry – he has been listened to at last.

Construction has started on our third (and final?) Truppentransporterflottille. The second has left the shipyards to join the main transport fleet in Stettin. Several staffeln of Stukas have been assigned as Sturzgeschwader 77 to the 1st Sturzkampfkorps. As usual, a replacement order went into Junkers the next day (with a reduced price).

Trade saw little change during January, and politically conditions were stable. Only in Spain were there any significant changes, as the Republicans pushed the Nationalists from a few provinces.


Goebbels and Frick both signed the end of month counter-intelligence report: neither wanted to give the other any credit for the result. Whoever was responsible, there was no research time lost to enemy action, a truly great effort. The trial and execution of 20 spies probably helped. Some production was lost: I cannot understand how our security cannot detect Omanis, Yemenis and Bhutanis getting into our factories. Surely they do not resemble Swabians or Brandenburgers? Yet another mystery to consider as January ends and the long winter continues.

Tolroth said:

How's it going with that Messerschmith investment? Maybe you need some help keeping it from the eyes of people who might draw some dangerous conclusions?

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Tolroth: Don't worry - all our air bases are well back from the border! The French suspect nothing!

Baltasar said:

You seem to emphasise a lot on AA brigades, althoug I personally don't find them too useful. Whenever I build them, I rather attach them to HQ units to make it harder for the enemy to disrupt my command structure.

Having a light tank corps will proof to be quite a good idea to exploit enemy weaknesses. Just don't expect them to actually fight prolonged battles against dug-in troops, you'll need medium armor for that.

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Baltasar: Most of my AA is attached to frontline headquarters (Armeekorps level). Although the bulk of my infantry divisions will have ART or AT regiments, I do intersperse a few AA regiments (20%?) to deter any air attacks. This is mainly because I have seen how many casualties steady air attacks cause. The new manpower may ease my replacement issues, but I want to be safe. I have run out of men before as Germany, and I don't like it!

The 2 Light Tank Korps are mainly for the Polish campaign. Medium armour production will start in 1937, and I have no intention to build any more light tank divisions. But for now, the light tank korps are the only strike force I have. I like to have at least a couple of fast korps. But up to 1940, I don't see myself having enough medium divisions to replace the light tank units.

I am well aware of the fragility of the Pz IIs etc against a real enemy!

February 1st to February 28th 1937

In hindsight, February was a quiet month, although at the time I seemed to be quite busy. I suppose work expands to fill all available time.

Early in the month the Heer announced the doubling of our Gebirgsjager force as a second division joined 1st Gebirgsjagerkorps. Another division is being formed. I haven’t been able to find out why the Chief of Staff is authorising so much expenditure on mountain troops: obviously there are plans about which I have no knowledge.

The Ministry of Trade has been worried for a few months about our balance of trade: our cash reserves have been reduced due to the decreased world demand for coal, while Minister Schacht insists that we continue to import as much oil as possible to build up our fuel stockpiles. Luckily the British have stepped in: they have placed a huge order for military supplies that will solve all our money problems. There was a lot of discussion about whether we should help a country that we may be fighting in a few years, but the final decision was that we will need fuel, and currently this is the only way to get the money to pay for it.

More strange research arrived from those theoretical wizards at the military colleges. General von Blomberg has approved the findings of a study group into “Guerilla Warfare” and has actually asked them to continue the project. His handwritten notes on the file copy show that he believes this will not only increase the possibility of tactical ambushes during combat, but will reduce supply consumption by headquarters units (I have no idea how – I didn’t read the whole report as it looked a bit too abstruse for my liking).

Something a bit more practical has come from a task force set up by the major vehicle manufacturers. They have submitted a commercially viable design for a tank that is far more heavily armoured than the light tanks which make up our existing Panzer divisions. While the Heer is enthusiastic, they have asked for a bit more research before putting the vehicles into full production. (There are misgivings about the power and offensive capacity of the new tanks in their current state of development). Work started immediately on a heavier gun, the3.7 Kwk 36 L/45.

Towards the end of the month, more good news on the political front: Portugal has joined our Axis of Steel! (Say what you will about Minister von Neurath, he seems to be excellent at persuasion). The Estado Novo government of Prime Minister Salazar signed a formal treaty on the 26th, but the official documents show that discussions have been going on for some time. The Portuguese are concerned about the success of the Republicans in Spain, and believe that it would be wise to have strong ties with ourselves and Italy in case of future border problems. The word around the corridors is that both the Kriegsmarine and Luftwaffe are excited at the prospect of Atlantic bases, let alone the possibility of using Portuguese colonies around the world.


As promised, we have received the first formal report on intelligence on our neighbours. Titled “Osterreich: the Road to Re-Unification”, the bulky file presented to the Cabinet detailed the most up to date information our spies can put together. (There was a preface apologising for the weakness in some areas: our agents have orders to give priority to assisting the NDSAP and sometimes have to neglect promising sources of information that might jeopardise the primary mission).

I won’t bore you with the detail, just the essential points. Although the economy is small (compared to ours) it is well run. There are no shortages of materials and production is only restricted by a lack of facilities (though it seems that not all production is used to full capacity). The army has approximately 13 units, and their military research is concentrated on infantry and militia related projects. There is no air force to speak of, and needless to say, no navy!

National unity is low, probably due in part to the efforts of our operatives. While support of the NSDAP is still only 5%, (up from 2% a year ago) we understand that the internal organisation of the Party is far higher. A top secret addendum to the report refers to our overall objective: a peaceful take-over of the country, and is very positive. The conclusion is that within 12 months Austria will be part of a Greater German Reich. I look forward to the day that the millions of fellow Germans rejoin the Reich, but I really hope they work on their accents. It sounds so rural to my sophisticated Berlin ears!

We now have more information from Spain, courtesy of Portuguese border observations. None of it is particularly good, though the Nationalists do seem to be making an effort to regain some territory.


Spies from Poland and Austria are slowing research by 2%, but production is unaffected this month (maybe this month our security men noticed the number of Yemenis and Omanis working in our factories?). 16 arrests this month.

As I said, a fairly quiet month, but steady progress made.

1st March to 31st March 1937

During this month the Ministry of the Interior was informed that Phase 1 of the long term plans to improve transport and supply infrastructure in the east has been completed. Road and rail gangs across 11 provinces were laid off, as we have more pressing demands for production capacity. The cancellation of further work led to the Chief of Staff, Major Bayerlein, writing a very strongly worded note to Minister Frick. One quote from the memo that I remember was “How can I be expected to supply a Panzer Division deep in Poland if the only road for my fuel trucks is a muletrack?” As the necessary tasks take a long time, I can’t see it being very long before money is found to get the repair and maintenance crews back at work.

The money and production saved, however, has been used to finance a further increase in manufacturing capacity: work on 3 more industrial complexes has been started. These should be ready in less than 10 months and will cost 20% less than similar work carried out last year. The Armaments Minister managed to also get in orders for 3 more artillery regiments and 2 more anti-tank brigades.


4 anti-aircraft brigades were completed during March, 3 of which have been shipped to Konigsberg and assigned to units in the Army of East Prussia. The other has joined 1st Gebirgerskorps headquarters. No new AA units have been requested: priority is being given to artillery and AT.

A new motorised division has joined 1st Leichte Panzerkorps, which according to its commander Lieutenant General Hoth, is finally combat ready (it now has 2 Panzer Divisions and 2 Motorised Infantry Divisions).

Following last month’s trade deal with the United Kingdom, the United States has also contacted us to purchase military supplies. The contract was signed, and on the strength of the cash inflow we then placed a massive order for oil from the USA. The money from our supply deals will allow us to order 20,000 barrels of oil a day which will go a long way to boost our fuel production. Unfortunately, only days after we were committed to the payments, Saudi Arabia cancelled a lucrative arrangement we had to provide them with supplies, so our cash problems persist.

A massive new naval engine suitable for battleships has been developed. Hopefully this will give any new ships we construct an edge in speed and range. The technicians freed up have been quickly grabbed by the medium tank improvement task force and put to work on armour design.


Minister Frick has delivered the second of his intelligence reports on our neighbours, this time on Poland. Once again, it is full of interesting information collected by our agents, diplomats and businessmen. The Polish economy is producing at full capacity, and though low on cash, has plenty of raw materials. Fuel is plentiful for an infantry based army. They have about 40 army units, and the air force has a fighter wing and a tactical bomber unit, both based at Danzig. The Polish Navy is small (2 flotillas?) and is also based at Danzig.

They have substantial reserves of manpower, but our military attaché thinks that full mobilisation could cause problems for them. Research is focussed almost exclusively on infantry weapons and tactics.

Politically they are very stable, with 100% national unity, but dissent is very high. Why is not clear, but there is a supposition that concentrating resources on building up the army has led to shortages of consumer goods.

The report ends by stating that if more detailed information is required (should we move closer to hostilities for example) then we could order our agents to be more active, but that at present they are acting as “sleepers”.

Only 1% research disruption this month, from Omanis. A new group of Mongolians have appeared in our industrial areas. Counter-intelligence is a never ending job: we stamp out one infestation only to find another.


The Portuguese report battles inside Spain – it seems a Nationalist cavalry unit has cleared a border area of Republicans. Could this be the start of a revival? Other information is less positive, as some southern provinces have been lost.

The month ended with a warning from the Ministry of Trade: cash reserves are reaching dangerous levels and we must do something urgently or risk the economy going into deficit.

1st April to 30th April 1937


Financial disaster faced the Reich at the beginning of April. All else was put to one side as Treasury officials briefed the Cabinet. While we have been running a deficit for some time, our cash reserves have given us a buffer. What has prompted the current crisis can be traced back to our trade deal with the United Kingdom. On the basis of the cash flows generated by that agreement, we signed a contract with US oil companies for a colossal amount of money. Now the British have defaulted on the deal and have not paid us for the military supplies. They claim they will resume payment as soon as there income improves, but that doesn’t help us.

With the economy bleeding 10 million RM per day, our diplomats were ordered to sign any deal possible. Deliveries of coal to Panama, Hungary, El Salvador and Nicaragua were in place within days. (Nationalist Spain declined: are they in an even worse situation than we thought?) But these only brought in a few million RM. More drastic action was required.


It was with regret that we decided that our only option was to cancel some of our oil imports. Our older (more expensive) contracts were chosen and telegrams cancelling the deals were sent to the USA. Relations with the US government suffered, but we had no choice.

The impact of this first blow to our steady economic growth cannot be overestimated. A pall of gloom descended on the Reichkanzlei that stayed for weeks. Even the delivery of a pile of reports on successful research programs did not dispel the sense of disappointment that pervaded the corridors.

We have developed equipment and techniques that should markedly reduce deaths and injuries suffered by our troops in Arctic and mountainous conditions. This has allowed us to commence another two medium tank research projects. It shouldn’t be long before we can start production of new tank units. Our naval anti-air program continued, with new guns for our Schwere Kreuzer. Our submarines will be the next beneficiaries of the program. Light cruiser armour construction and manufacture has been upgraded, and we have decided that we must further improve our military supply production efficiency. This will take us some time, as we are years ahead of the rest of the world and will have to develop our own techniques from scratch. Cheaper supplies, however, will help solve our financial woes.

3 infantry brigades have been despatched to the East Prussian Army, which is acknowledged by OKH to be seriously under-strength. A new division, 52.Infanterie, has marched to Stettin, from where it has been transported to Konigsberg and assigned to I Armeekorps. A new division and more brigades are being formed.


4th Fliegerkorps has another wing of interceptors, and 1st Seeluftflotte has received more naval bombers. Both Messerschmitt and Dornier bid successfully for repeat orders.

None of these marvellous technical advances or signs of growing military strength could lift morale in the administration. What did manage to revitalise the whole of the country was the earth-shattering news released on the 21st – there will be an Anschluss with Austria!

Obviously this did not take place overnight, and I had seen signs that events were moving to a head. There had been a series of telegrams to and from the Austrians (my friendship with a clerk in the Kanzlei telegraph office has really paid dividends) and diplomats have been racing in and out of the Foreign Ministry and having urgent meeting with the Cabinet, which has been in nearly continuous session. I have heard that our negotiators flew to and from Wien, rather than suffer delays by travelling by road or rail!

Despite all the talk and written words, I think the Cabinet papers best sum up the activities of the past few days. Our agents in Austria built up the organisation of the Austrian NSDAP to a point where it could put real pressure (in the form of the “Heim ins Reich” movement) on the Austrian government. Chancellor Schuschnigg sought assistance from his allies and neighbours, but we have effectively isolated him. In recent times, Austria’s greatest defender has been Mussolini, but our alliance with Italy has removed this counter-balance to our demands (and this has been helped, no doubt, by the Fuhrer’s personal promise that the Reich accepts that the Tyrol is permanently part of Italy). Threats and offers have bounced backwards and forwards. There has been talk of invasion, but I know from the army disposition orders that no sizeable formations are anywhere near the border, so that was a bluff.


The final result was inevitable (at least that is what the Fuhrer told the Cabinet). Schuschnigg folded and it was not long after that the President, Wilhelm Miklas, agreed to appoint Arthur Seyss-Inquart as Chancellor. Within hours small army units entered Austria in what has been called the “Blumenkrieg”. A few days later the Fuhrer made a triumphant entry and announced the formal Anschluss and that from now Austria would be the German province of Ostmark.


The economy of the Reich has been boosted by the addition of Austrian manufacturing, mines and farms. It had been hoped that we could incorporate the army into the Wehrmacht, but on the recommendation of OKH, Cabinet decided that it is better to demobilise the Bundesheer and use the resultant manpower to build our own units.

There have been some problems arising from the incorporation of Austria into the Reich. A significant level of discontent has been reported among citizens who have suffered economically because of the political re-organisation. Cabinet has authorised a slight increase in consumer goods to slowly reduce this unhappiness, which is negatively affecting production.

It was no surprise that several countries have been taken affront at our actions. Worst affected are Italy and Czechoslavakia, but Hungary, France and the United Kingdom are also upset. As Italy and Hungary are our allies, and France and the United Kingdom our likely enemies, this is not a major concern.

What is more worrying is that our diplomats across the world report that we are perceived to be more threatening to peace and stability in Europe, and that the citizens of both France and the United Kingdom are notably more enthusiastic about their country’s intervention in foreign affairs. (So are the German citizens, but that is a positive as far as the Fuhrer is concerned).


The news from Spain is disastrous. Republican units are reported all along the border with Portugal, and the Nationalists are in retreat everywhere. According to our people in the ground, it cannot be long before the civil war is over.

Neither the news from Spain, nor reports that we lost 3% of research this month to disruption could offset the glow that Anschluss brought. Who cares if the agents of France, Oman and Bhutan were active in our scientific community? Or that Iraqis, Nepalese and Yugoslavs are trying to slow production? What is important is that millions of Germans have rejoined us and we are moving toward the goal of Grossdeutschland!

Prussian Prince said:

This AAR is getting better and better. Reading this helps pass the night. Keep it up.

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Prussian Prince: Thank you for the praise.

I have had the day off work today and have taken the opportunity to catch up a bit. Will get one more month and maybe another completed tonight. Then I will be only a few months behind my game. It was getting a little confusing remembering what happened, though I keep good (well, cryptic) notes.

1st May to 31st May 1937

May has been a quiet month for the diplomatic service. After the political success of Anschluss and frantic deal-making of the cash-flow crisis, the Foreign Office and its diplomats have been content to simply sign off on a few small trade offers. It was reassuring that one of these was from the USA – our bad faith in breaking the early oil deals has not damaged our relationship too much. There was a note from our representative in New Zealand that the United Kingdom was trying to influence the government, but otherwise I cannot recall a single significant document crossing my desk that originated in Minister von Neurath’s office.

The desperate actions last month staved off bankruptcy, but our oil refining plants have stopped processing oil as a result of the cancellation of the oil contracts, leading to a reduction in fuel reserves. Armaments Minister Schacht believes this is acceptable as long as it is temporary, but the Chief of Staff, Fritz Bayerlein is worried. He has become famous for his nagging memos about supply, rail capacity, wastage etc. Still, he is very good at his job, and I suppose that it what he is supposed to worry about.


Our scientific community has not relaxed. The aircraft carrier team at Kiel have claimed success, as have a group carrying out trials of a new main gun for our light cruisers. Both have now been assigned to a “Carrier Technology” task force and are currently researching engines and armour for a new class of vessel. We have a long way to catch up with the rest of the world. Our new allies the Japanese have helpfully pointed out how advanced their aircraft carriers are, but our friendship does not extend to sharing blueprints. I would have thought we could just “borrow” some of these, and so apparently did some-one in the research group. There was a note on the file from a Gestapo officer attached to the Japanese Kempeitai, warning of the counter-intelligence efficiency of that group. The note detailed the extensive powers of the Kempeitai and their ruthlessness, and I could understand why anyone would be reluctant to undertake espionage in Japan.


The joint Kriegsmarine/Heer study into the possibility of a military unit specialising in naval invasions has also been declared a success, and as a result a new Marine Sturm Division is being formed. Again, the highly talented members of the team have been assigned to the Carrier Technology Task Force, this time to develop advanced hangar designs.

At last our submarine torpedo technology is on par with the rest of the world (and if our spies are to be believed, well above the Americans!). Submarine research has been placed on hold and production started on two flotillas of Type IX long range ocean going U-boats. Will Christoph get a chance to serve on one of these beauties, I wonder?

The military theoreticians have finished stage one of their “Large Front” studies, and have started Phase 2. Already some of their findings have been put into operation and minor savings in supply requirements have been detected. They claim that commanders using these techniques will have a greater chance of obtaining a “Shock” during attacks, but this is still supposition: some of the more traditional officers are taking a "wait and see" attitude. They will only believe it when it is tried in actual combat conditions.

Destroyer and light cruiser anti-aircraft guns have been improved and the Kriegsmarine is now satisfied with the level of air defence available for its ships.

As a result of all the completed projects, the Office of Skilled Personnel has approved some new projects related to the economy. The first is supposed to take our industrial production years in advance of our competitors, making our factories the most productive in the world. The second is to match that level of productivity with efficiency in using raw materials (our use of non-ferrous metals is becoming a concern). The families of the scientists and technicians seconded to these programs have been warned not to expect to see them for some time.


The final program started this month is very experimental and very hush-hush. All I know is that it is something to do with a “computing machine”. The only “computing machine” I know is old Hermann in Accounts – he can add up a column of figures in his head in second! But I doubt he is what they have in mind. It seems to be some sort of mechanical calculator which the mathematics professors of Berlin’s Universitat unter den Linden think will allow us to forge ahead in research in every field. It is worthy object, so I hope it succeeds, but it sounds a little far-fetched to me. They say the British are working on a similar project, so I suppose we had better not let them get ahead of us.

We are slowly completing our western defence fortifications. Bremerhaven now has basic coastal forts along the coastline, and work has begun in Cuxhaven. The Westwall now passes through Baden and the construction teams are moving to Hinterzarten.

The Truppentransporten construction contract is finally finished and we have sufficient capacity to carry a full armoured division with room to spare. At last the Danzig Corridor does not make our defensive positions in East Prussia vulnerable.

With shipyards becoming idle, the Kriegsmarine has moved quickly. As well as the submarines I mentioned earlier, orders have been placed for a new “Nurnberg” class light cruiser and two flotillas of Z17 Class Zerstorer.

The Luftwaffe has had to be content with a repeat order of tactical bombers from Dornier, and the order was only approved because the cost was reduced to only 12.75 units, down from 15.52 just 18 months ago. With delivery time also greatly reduced (by 38 days) it was a bargain offer by the manufacturers that could not be refused. The completed Kampfgeschwader 28 has been assigned to a new Taktischeflotte, the 5th.

We do not discuss Spain any more. The word is that the Fuhrer is bitterly disappointed with the performance of General Franco and will not allow his name to be uttered in his presence. The latest news shows that it is all over: the last remnants of the Nationalists are holding out in the forests around Carballo and the port of La Coruna, but there is no hope of a counter-attack. Will we ever know how many good German lads died in this conflict that once promised so much?


Minister Frick did not present the Cabinet with an intelligence briefing on one of our neighbours this month as he has been trying to salvage some resources from our Austrian spy networks. Unfortunately he reports that his agents have become too enmeshed in the political system there, and we will have to dispense with their services. As a result, the total number of spies abroad at the end of this month has been reduced to 162. Research disruption is still acceptable at 2%, but the Minister has made handwritten notes on his copy of the report to the effect that the Fuhrer has stated that any reduction in research is a personal wound to him. That seems like a fairly clear warning that efforts must be doubled to clear the British and Iraqis out. To end on a bright note, there has been no industrial sabotage this month.

maestro42 said:

I am really enjoying this aar:looking forward to following herr clerks travels and travails

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Thankyou Maestro42 - another episode to be loaded in a few minutes - but that will be it for the day! Hope you enjoy it.

1st June to 30th June 1937

The first 10 days of June were bliss. Not a single issue worthy of my attention crossed my desk! Everything in the Reich must have been running like clockwork. No Cabinet minutes, no urgent memos from diplomats reporting crises, no technical breakthroughs necessitating high level decisions. With the glorious summer weather it was like a holiday camp at the Reichskanzlei. From the highest ranked Ministerial advisers to the lowest clerical assistants the staff picked up the relaxed mood and there was a cheerful buzz from the offices all day.

It could not last, not with the Cabinet set on achieving the objectives set by the 1936 New Year’s Day conference.

Things started to pick up slowly. On the 11th a business delegation arrived from the United States, looking to acquire military supplies. Given our need for cash, there was little need for negotiators to travel that distance, but the security detail outside the Kanzler’s office whispered to me that half the delegation were intelligence operatives from the US Department of State. I was amazed to be told that the USA had no formal structure to gather foreign intelligence, but each department carried out its own operations. How naïve! And how inefficient!

A few days later box loads of files started to arrive from the Office of Skilled Personnel. They had commissioned a study into improving the number and standard of our tertiary graduates, to increase the “leadership” cadre of our nation. This study was now being implemented and there was expected to be a 5% increase in available talent. At about the same time I received another pile of documents relating to supply transport: Fritz Bayerlein has been hounding his people to reduce supply transfer costs and they have met his demands by developing new procedures. The saving is only 0.01, but this multiplies over distance and will, according to the documents, end up providing a significant reduction in supply losses.

Replacement projects to soak up the available technical resources started immediately of course. (There is no way anyone wants the Fuhrer to think they are responsible for research delays!) The Luftwaffe obtained resources for improving installation strikes by its tactical bombers, and the Heer School of Military Theory received a huge grant to study “Central Planning”: something that will not only allow us to mount counter-attacks more frequently, but will also improve the integral defence of our headquarters units. I remember reading some time ago that General von Blomberg is keen for every unit to be able to take its place in the front line, so this would seem to tie in with his strategy.

With the increase in leadership material recruits, OSP has reshuffled allocations, and this has allowed an increase in the number of simultaneous research programs. A new team has been allocated to another of these top-secret units. This one is to research “radar” and has been set the task of developing a working radar station. Some months ago I saw a Luftwaffe research topic that mentioned this: something to do with fighter control if my memory serves me well. Anyway, the “Wurzburg A” project has been given a very high priority so it must be important, even if I don’t understand how or why.

The news on the 16th was depressing, even if it was expected. Our representatives with General Franco reported from captivity (luckily only temporary – they were repatriated within weeks). The Republicans have stormed the last bastions of the Nationalists and, amid scenes of indescribable butchery, captured the General and all his senior officers. There will be series of trials, but we all know the verdict for defeat. Coded messages told us that the men of the “Condor Legion” and the many unacknowledged “volunteers” had been smuggled across the Portuguese border some time ago, and are now on their way back to Germany on tramp steamers. Uncomfortable, but far better than a Spanish gaol cell. And so ends the Spanish Civil War. Still, we hope to learn a lot from the combat veterans and they will be extensively debriefed when they land back home.


With the Republicans in control of the whole country, Minister Frick briefed the Cabinet on what we have been able to find out about them. They have managed to eliminate completely any vestige of support for the Nationalists: the country is now completely unified under the Government of Dr Manual Azana Diaz.


Economically they have survived quite well, and it seems any damage to manufacturing and mining plant has been minimal. Agriculture, although relatively inefficient, is capable of easily feeding the country and supplying the large army. The slaughter of the last year has had one effect – manpower reserves are at zero.


As far as we can determine, the Ejercito de Tierra has about 16 units, mainly infantry, but at least two cavalry units and one mountain unit (sighted by Portuguese observers). The Ejercito del Aire has two formations, at least one of which is a fighter wing. The fleet is still in existence, but we do not know how many Nationalist vessels surrendered or were scuttled. We do know that the light cruiser “Miguel de Cervantes” was sunk during the war, but we are in the dark about the current strength of the Armada Espagnola.


Late in the month a series of finalised research projects were sent for archiving. A basic main gun for our new medium tanks has been developed, and the fighter ground control system is ready to be issued to the Luftwaffe ground crews. (This is the one that ties in somehow with the secret “radar” installations that are being designed by another group).

We have started to design a new training program for our naval bomber bombardiers, following disappointing results from live ammunition bombing exercises. The Kriegsmarine (under pressure from Major Bayerlein I suspect) has agreed to look into ways of increasing the efficiency of its naval bases.

I had thought we had designed every sort of anti-aircraft gun the naval engineers could ever want, but another file of blueprints landed in my office in the last week of June. These detailed a new weapon for our Panzerschiffe. And the design team has moved immediately to carry out a similar exercise for our proposed aircraft carriers. I am fairly sure, however, that this will be the last time that Grossadmiral Raeder will get his way: I have seen the memos to Cabinet grumbling about the lack of new weaponry being designed for the Heer, and Air Minister Goering is quite open in his demands for a new generation of aircraft.

Despite the warnings by the Fuhrer last month (and the execution of 19 spies this month), disruption in academia and the technical colleges is now 3%, due to our old friends the Omanis and Iraqis and their British spymasters. The French continue their efforts to hurt our industry. Luckily for Ministers Goebbels and Frick, the news from Spain seems to have distracted the Fuhrer during this Cabinet meeting, and he did not react to the poor counter-intelligence results. I saw the two ministers leave the Cabinet Room, and they definitely looked relieved.

It is late on 30th June and I am still in the office, making sure that all our files on the Spanish Civil War are correctly labelled and ready to be taken to a secure location for permanent storage. When I am done, it will signify the end of the first major conflict in Europe for some years. But not, I suspect, the last.