Rank and File
A Clerk’s War
Sunday 1st to Tuesday 3rd April 1940
There being nothing urgent, I had Sunday off. Usually it is a good idea to stay out of the office on 1st April : some of the younger members of staff get a bit carried away with Aprilscherzen. Though maybe the fact we are at war and they all have close relatives and friends in harm’s way would have calmed them down. It doesn’t really matter, I enjoyed a very pleasant day strolling in the Volkspark Rehberge with Gisela. I still miss the fountain that used to be in the park – it was taken down by order of the Party in 1934 and I heard it had now been melted down. A real waste, just because it was erected to honour the Rathenaus, the famous father and son industrialists. But it is best not to talk too much of this.
Even though there was no official Cabinet meeting at the end of March, there were some decisions made. The one that impacted directly on the Reichskanzlei was a request (in reality a demand) that within three days the Cabinet be provided with a comprehensive summary of the Reich’s industrial, economic and financial situation. This would include all military expenditure and contracts, all stockpiles of raw materials and all construction projects over the length and breadth of Europe. A massive job, and within minutes I had clerks from every branch of the administration, searching for copies of contracts, agreements, budgets, tender documents, invoices and purchase orders. It is a good thing that I am well organised and prepare my section for just such “emergencies” as this. Why do they need it in three days? There is no point asking – it will get you nowhere. The only solution is to deliver.
Some of my staff searching for missing invoices: it is very musty down in the lowest basements!
I did hear a rumour that all this information is needed because of a general concern that the collaboration governments we have set up in Poland, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands and occupied Yugoslavia are not contributing to our industrial production. The decision to allow this degree of freedom was originally made to encourage volunteers to the Wehrmacht (whether as officers or other ranks), as well as to make it easier to find talented individuals to assist in our scientific, educational and diplomatic efforts. As demands on our factories increase however, it seems clear that we need manufactured goods rather than just manpower. The word from the Führer’s inner circle is that the collaboration governments will be replaced with either a military government or a full occupation within days. This will no doubt cause some unhappiness, but we have several garrison divisions nearly ready to be deployed.
Because of all this panic, it was late on Monday before I could spare the time to check on what was happening with war. Early on Sunday had General Ruoff shrugged off the threat of Yugoslav mobility, smashing Nedeljovic’s motorised infantry in Brcko. With only 9 casualties, 2.Infanterie (mot) “Vörwarts” and 3rd Gebirgsjäger Division killed or captured 199 of the enemy, and broke all resistance in just over 24 hours. Ruoff’s troops are streaming into Brcko, but there are alarming reports that his fuel stocks are running low and that supply is struggling to keep up with the rapid advance. General Guderian has acknowledged that Rommel’s forces in Spain are in greater trouble, but has pointed out that his lead units could be in Beograd in a week or so if they get their required fuel.
Also early on Sunday, General Herzog was back in motion, having received enough fuel and supplies in Pamplona to send his men across the Ebro into Estella. Initial reports were not promising, as 36.Infanterie (mot) struggled to get a foothold on the far side of the river, with General Rojo Lluch’s cavalry putting up fierce resistance. Once again the Sturmpanzer IIs of 1st Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment have been called upon to hammer the defenders, and Herzog says it is just a matter of time before his men can created a bridgehead. Once they have a pontoon bridge capable of carrying their vehicles, Herzog is confident that Spanish resistance will quickly collapse.
The Luftwaffe has also been active, obviously eager to repair the damage done to its reputation over the few days since Unternehmen Stierkampf began. As well as the normal bombing and fighter missions, brand new Arado Ar-232 transports of 1st Truppentransporterluftflotte began landing at the tiny Bayonne airbase, bringing desperately needed fuel and supplies from Nantes. Unfortunately, they are unable to continue this on a regular basis, as they have stripped the region around their home base of all available resources. Efforts to find another airbase within range with sufficient reserves to warrant a supply mission have been in vain. Commander Abernetty has advised that when convoys have refilled the Nantes warehouses he will again send his aircraft south. Regardless of when the next delivery can take place, our men at the Spanish front were no doubt grateful for what they received.
An Arado Ar-232 “Tausendfüssler” moves along the short runway at Bayonne. This aircraft is a marked improvement on the Ju-52, able to take off on only 200 metres of runway, which is useful at small bases such as Bayonne.
The precious (and costly) Arados were only allowed to carry out the dangerous supply mission to Bayonne because of the efforts of Christiansen’s 4th Jagdfliegerkorps. Westwall 1 and 2 geschwaders have been flying around-the-clock, combating clouds of I-15 and I-16 fighters and huge numbersof Tupolev bombers over our troop concentrations and airbases, as well as driving off the strategic raids on infrastructure in Bayonne. All day Sunday the Messerschmitts were busy over Pamplona, harassing Spanish bombers. Despite their best efforts, in many cases the SB-2s got through, though FARE losses were heavy. At debriefings on Sunday night, our pilots claimed that 1er and 2o Grupo Táctico had lost more than 50 aircraft between them, and the other two Spanish bomber units had also taken losses.
Bombing of Pamplona: the FARE, despite huge losses, continues to concentrate on the crowded roads to the front lines
The bad news, however, is that fuel and supplies are not the only things held up on the choked roads to Bayonne. Replacement parts for aircraft are stuck in the traffic jams, and Westwall 2 is now down to 81 effective planes, while Westwall 1 is only marginally better at 88. Not all of this can be blamed on the supply blockages, however, as Bayonne airbase was only intended to handle one geschwader, and currently has 700 aircraft operating from the one basic runway and attached facilities. It simply cannot carry out the necessary maintenance and repairs to keep so many planes in action. Workmen are busy day and night, but it will still be weeks before the new runway and workshops are ready.
Air Battle of Pamplona: 9AM 2nd April: our fighters are showing signs of wear and tear
General Bock, commander of 36.Infanterie Division, reported from Yugoslavia that his men have struck a slight problem while attacking north-east from Zenica into Zavidovici. The attack, taken in conjunction with a south-eastern drive by Geyr von Schweppenburg’s 2nd leichte Panzer Division, was supposed to be a simple exercise. Our reports were that the whole province was held by a few thousand headquarters troops, but our front-line officers have identified men from a regular Yugoslav Royal Army unit, 7 Potisko Pesadijsk. In addition, the enemy have a commander who shows more initiative and ingenuity than normal. This man, General Broz Tito, has been credited with stiffening the resolve of the units in the area, and could prove to be a problem in the future. To add to our problems, von Schweppenburg has warned that 2nd leichte is running low on fuel and he is not sure that he has sufficient reserves to allow a further advance.
Elsewhere in Yugoslavia, General Köstring’s has added to his string of victories. Glokova’s men put up only a token resistance in Mostar, and after taking 63 casualties 13 Hercegovacka Pesadjisk abandoned the province. 13.Infanterie (mot) only lost 25 men, and has plenty of fuel reserves, though it is not clear how this occurred when other units are starved of supply.
At dawn, General von Manstein launched another crossing attempt of the Ebro, from San Sebastián into Guipúzcao. As if the river was not enough of an obstacle, the mountains behind provided ample defence and artillery spotting opportunities for the men of 1/1a Division, led by General Dúran Martínez. Nobody knows how von Manstein managed to scrounge enough fuel to get his tanks, Marders and trucks rolling forward, but he has been around for a long time and I’ll bet he has contacts everywhere in the Heer, including the supply commissariat. While information on progress was scarce, it was clear that 3rd leichte Panzer was taking casualties and, as always, I wonder whether my brother Heinz is amongst them. But there is nothing to be gained from such thoughts, so I tried to concentrate on the other news from Spain.
It looks as if General Rommel decided that the threat to his left flank, no matter how slight and how difficult to remove, must be nullified. General Bieß has been ordered to take his Bitburgers into the mountains of Argelès-Gazost and eliminate any possible counter-attack by General Vivancos. By moving quickly, Bieß has prevented 8a Division from digging in and setting up the roadblocks that proved so annoying when we first entered the Pyrenees. As a result, the first messages received from the lead units were that although the Spanish were defending every village and cross-road, steady progress was being made.
Battle of Argelès-Gazost
It was by now late in the afternoon of Monday 2nd, and I was surprised to hear that although the early reports had been of steady resistance in Argelès-Gazost, General Bieß was now claiming complete victory. What could have caused the Spanish to suddenly break and run? A quick review of the daily bombing summaries that were just coming in gave a possible answer. Due to the fuel delivered by Abernetty’s “Tausendfüsslers”, Löhr had been able to mount two bombing missions during the afternoon. “Hammer” and “Schwertz” had mercilessly dive-bombed every strongpoint identified by the forward scouts of 10.Infanterie (mot) and with their front line effectively destroyed, the Spanish in the rear had simply fled.
High above the Pyrenees, a Stuka poises before diving on hastily prepared Spanish fortifications in the mountain passes.
The additional fuel had also allowed Christiansen to commit 4th Jagdfliegerkorps to the defence of Pamplona again, where a further 25 Spanish bombers were shot down. Regrettably, it came at a cost: another 4 fighters lost. Unless we can get replacement aircraft to Bayonne, Christiansen will soon be unable to defend his own airbase. At the moment the Spanish fighters have been pulled back, no doubt to due to the losses inflicted in the first few days, but no-one doubts that they will reappear.
The last news from Yugoslavia was positive: General Tito has pulled out of Zavidovici. The expected tussle for possession of the province did not eventuate, to the relief of General Bock. The support on which he had been relying (von Schweppenburg’s tanks entering from the north-west) had disappeared, simultaneously with the last fuel for the tanks and other vehicles of 2nd leichte Panzer. The whole division is stuck motionless in Doboj, unable to move until the supply tankers arrive. Our intelligence is that Tito is moving at speed due west, and it is supposed that he has decided to cross the Nava and defend the approach to Beograd. That is a challenge we will have to face when we get there: at the moment General Guderian is glad that 36.infanterie did not get locked in a desperate battle in the hills of Zavidovici, fighting for their lives while 2nd leichte looked on helplessly.
A Panzer II sits motionless in Doboj, unable to proceed with the attack into Zavidovici due to lack of fuel. Its crew are nowhere to be seen, probably taking the rare opportunity to catch up on sleep.
The final news from Spain for Monday was short: General FW Müller has been given responsibility for the other potential threat to our left flank – Jaca. Held by Casado López, with barely 6,000 cavalry and headquarters troops, there are reports that another Spanish infantry division is moving to reinforce the defenders. 20.Infanterie is the first unit of X Armeekorps to reach the front, marching through the Pyrenees. For once the lack of vehicles is a benefit: the soldiers are carrying enough ammunition and food for to fight for days, and the lack of fuel has not slowed them at all. I suspect that the footsloggers of X Armeekorps will be involved in many more battles as we move further into Spain.
Republican Army troops march through a village on their way to reinforce Jaca: lack of fuel does not worry them
Tuesday 3rd April saw two garrison divisions sent to France to keep order. General von Axthelm has been complaining that his Frankreich Army is an army in name only. He has had no ground units with which to control the cities of France, and believes it is only good fortune that has prevented an uprising. 213.Sicherung has been sent to Paris under the command of General von Greiff, with General Fett and 141.Reserve now based in Nantes. Both leaders are well known for their logistical efficiency, which seems to tie in with what is now the most dominant talking point in Berlin.
This can be seen in the revised expenditure approvals, undertaken as soon as the budget for the two divisions was closed. The success of the Arados in rushing supply forward to Bayonne has electrified our logistical thinkers, who are now openly talking of a new strategy: lightning thrusts to capture enemy airfields that are then used to unload fleets of long-range transports. Orders for another geschwader of the “Tausendfüsslers” have been placed, and Arado factories will be working flat out for some time, as it is almost certain that this contract will be extended.
The owners of Arado are overjoyed: their gamble in producing this advanced aircraft (with its breakthrough concepts such as the rear loading ramp and the “millipede” wheels to allow easy loading) has paid off.
Our experts are not ignoring other potential solutions, however. Five new industrial complexes are to be built in the east, at Königsberg, Ostrava, Brno, Breslau and Memel. The reasoning behind the construction is that these factories will not simply increase our manufacturing capacity and our ability to convert coal to oil, and hence to fuel. They will also provide forward supply points, allowing some supplies to be transported much shorter distances, reducing both time and wastage.
A supply map of Europe, showing improved lines of communication in Poland, and problems in Yugoslavia and Spain.
It is probably not coincidental that two massive trade deals were signed the same day. Italy has agreed to purchase 50,000 tonnes of coal a day for a sum of 1.88 million RM. Coal trains are already leaving the Ruhr and heading south, bound for the factories of Turin and other manufacturing centres. Despite its size, this deal was dwarfed by the agreement with the Soviet Union. We will pay them 8.07 million RM a day for 20,000 tonnes of raw oil. This is nowhere near what we would like, but it does slow the reduction of our stockpiles. Needless to say, such a vast expenditure cannot be met from income, and Treasury will be in significant deficit. Nobody cares: we have a vast surplus, obtained by our capture of several national banks, and we have nothing else to do with the funds. Oil is more important than cash.
Coal wagons loaded for delivery to Italy: we need to help our allies
Two battles began on Tuesday, one in Spain and one in Yugoslavia. In Spain, General A Jodl and 14.Infanterie (mot) invaded Tafalla, facing a determined opponent in General Kléber and 1a Division. Perhaps Jodl will regret having a tank destroyer regiment for support: a self-propelled artillery regiment would be more useful in crossing the Ebro than his Marders. There are already signs that this attack is not going well. If our aircraft cannot get fuel we could face our first unsuccessful attack in Spain.
General Volkmann had no such doubts: his enemy in Korcula is the badly mauled 13 Herzegovacka Pesadji, which has already lost battle after battle across Yugoslavia. Volkmann’s 1st Gebirgsjägers are fresh and full of spirit, a marked contrast to Glokovac’s men who are just as likely to surrender as to fight.
There was not much time in the afternoon to look at current events: all hands were required to finalise the document for Cabinet. The only thing of note that I remember was that General Ott reported to say he had entered Guernica which was completely abandoned: the Spanish had not left even a skeleton defence. At least 3.Infanterie (mot) did not use much fuel in securing another province.
Production Summary for the Reich: a “snapshot” at close of business 3rd April 1940
The first section of the Cabinet document looked at resources: raw materials, manpower etc. It was with some pride that Armaments Minister Hjalmar Schacht reported that we have more than 90 million tonnes of military supplies and nearly 82 million tonnes of fuel available. As he pointed out, this is a testament to the steady saving of these critical resources over the years leading up to war. Not only have we this stockpile, but we have also completely filled our storage facilities with coal and steel. We have no more room to store any more. The situation for rare materials such as non-ferrous metals, rubber, silk and some pharmaceuticals is not as good, but we still have 66 million tonnes in reserve. At our present rate of consumption, we could last nearly three years, assuming all imports ceased tomorrow and no fresh sources were located. The last material resource, oil, is a concern. We have 40 million tonnes, but would like to have a bigger stockpile to buffer our fuel reserves. Nevertheless, there will be no fuel shortages for years, no matter what happens.
Minister Goebbels was just as proud of his figures. Although the growth of the Wehrmacht (and some unexpected casualties) is a steady drain on the Reich’s manpower, we still have 1.1 million men available for call up: enough for a hundred full strength divisions. And while we have increased our research capacity to give us enough scientists to run 30 projects at the one time, we still have sufficient officers to allow every unit in the Wehrmacht nearly 1.5 times the minimum requirement.
Manufacturing capacity, however, is struggling. To meet all the contracts that are currently valid, we would need 338 industrial complexes (ICs). (The goods and services on order are listed at the end of the report.) We could meet this demand, except that we also require 25 IC to update existing formations with new equipment and training programs, as well as a further 10 IC to repair and replace damaged gear. On top of this, the civilian population need 24 IC for various luxury and non-essential goods – the last thing we need is discontent at home! Finally, there are military supplies. While the “snap-shop” of the economy shows a need of only 8 IC, we know the real figure is more in the region of 65 IC. More than 460 industrial complexes would be needed to satisfy every demand on manufacturing capacity. We currently have 220 factory parks, and through a combination of technical skills, economic legislation and the personal qualities of the Head of State, Rudolph Heß and the Armaments Minister, Hjalmar Schacht, these factories produce the equivalent of 396 complexes. So it can be seen that we are some way off our desired target.
According to the document, we have been surviving by running down our stocks of military supplies, deferring upgrades and slowing the replacement of damaged equipment. I can just imagine the Führer’s response to the last two methods! He was an infantryman in the Great War, and has a soft spot for the common soldier. For a bureaucrat to send a soldier out with second-rate equipment would be, to him, a criminal offense. I think that the Cabinet will back him up on this, and that we will see a change of policy. Perhaps the start of the new industrial parks in the east is a sign that the policy has been “anticipated”: some bottom-covering already taking place. My prediction is that we will see a demand that the occupied territories provide more manufacturing capacity. There is no reason why they cannot take over responsibility for the consumer goods need by our population. The tighter control necessary for this will no doubt reduce volunteers, but we have plenty of men at the moment.
In addition, I think we see some slow growth in overall industrial capacity. We have plenty of raw materials, and no prospect of running out in the foreseeable future. So there is no reason why not to increase the number of factories. This will increase our ability to change our coal into fuel, especially if more research is carried to improve the efficiency of the process. And if the factories are built in the east, it should ease our anticipated supply problems once Barbarossa gets going.
The list of contracts extant was quite large, and I only include it for completeness. For convenience, I have split it into sections based on the “recipient”.
- Contracts Cost Completion Date
-
- Kriegsmarine
- Aircraft Carrier “Graf Zeppelin” 10.65 15/3/41
- Battle Cruiser “Gneisenau” 5.97 6/10/40
- Submarine 29th U-flotille 3.44 14/9/40
-
- Luftwaffe
- STRAT KG 27 “Boelcke” 14.43 13/6/40
- STRAT KG 28 14.94 9/11/40
- MPF JG 7 9.63 7/4/40
- MPF JG 20 9.63 18/7/40
- TAC KG 51 “Edelweiß” 12.00 22/7/40
- CAS SG 2 “Immelman” 7.06 6/6/40
- TRA KG zbv2 17.18 10/9/40
- Rocket Test Site 26.00 13/7/40
- Air Base Bayonne 1.15 19/4/40
- Air Base Note 1 5 x 1.15 24/8/40
-
- Heer
- Infantry Div 78, 79 2 x 6.65 13/4/40
- Infantry Div 81 6.65 14/5/40
- Infantry Div 82 6.65 15/6/40
- Inf Brigade 68 1.92 16/5/40
- Inf Brigade 69, 70 2x 1.92 16/6/40
- Mot Div 20 (mot) 13.25 16/6/40
- Mot Div 60 (mot) 12.31 1/7/40
- Mot Div 10 (mot) 12.31 2/8/40
- Mot Brigade 58, 59 2 x 3.95 13/7/40
- Cavalry Div 8th SS “Florian “Geyer” 2.98 29/4/40
- Parachute Div 2nd Fallschirmjäger 9.66 23/4/40
- AA Brigade 25, 26 2 x 1.60 8/4/40
- AA Brigade 28 1.60 4/5/40
- AA Brigade 30, 31 2 x 1.60 4/6/40
- Garrison Div 221 Sicherung 6.04 15/4/40
- Garrison Div 143 Reserve 6.04 18/5/40
- Panzer Div 1st Panzer 19.29 18/7/40
- Panzer Div 2nd Panzer 19.29 28/8/40
- Panzer Div 3rd Panzer 19.29 10/9/40
-
- Industrial
- Factories Note 2 5 x 2.85 30/10/40
- Infrastructure Note 3 3 x 0.57 4/8/40
- Infrastructure Note 4 11 x 0.57 17/8/40
- Infrastructure Note 5 18 x 0.57 18/8/40
- Infrastructure Note 6 2 x 0.57 20/8/40
- Infrastructure Note 7 5 x 0.57 25/8/40
- Infrastructure Note 8 3 x 0.57 28/10/40
Note 1: Suwalki, Memel, Warszawa, Przemysl, Kraków, Innsbruck
Note 2: Memel, Breslau, Brno. Ostrava. Königsberg
Note 3: Bayonne, St-Jean-Pierre-de-Port, Orthez
Note 4: Memel, Silute, Grajewo, Lomza, Ostrów Mazowiecka, Gorlice, Ozenna, Tyrawa Woloska, Namyslów, Wieruszów, Wielun, Zdunska Wola
Note 5: Suwalki, Augustów, Bialystok, Sokolów, Bielsk Podlaski, Wlodawa, Chelm, Lódz, Warka, Miedzyrzec Podlaski, Warszawa, Prusków, Poznan, Slupca, Konin, Wloclawek, Plock, Kutno
Note 6: Swietlowice, Zory
Note 7: Innsbruck, Lienz, Matrei in Österreich, Wolfsberg, Sölden
Note 8: Pamplona, Irún, Hecho
Upgrading railways in Poland: the tracks seem to head east forever
Bombing Summary
Luftwaffe
Brcko: Kitzinger with 3rd Kampffliegerkorps (2 x Ju 88):
178
Osijek: Grauert with 4th Kampffliegerkorps (1 x Bf 109E4, 2 x Ju 88):
202
Estella: Kesselring with 1st Schlachtfliegerkorps (2 x Ju 87B):
94
Estella: Kesselring with 1st Schlachtfliegerkorps, 6th Kampffliegerkorps (2 x Ju 87B, 1 x Bf 109E4, 2 x Ju 88):
285, 229
Guipúzcoa: Sperrle with 1st Kampfffliegerkorps (1 x Bf 109E4, 2 x Ju 88):
150
Estella: Dörstling with 6th Kampffliegerkorps (1 x Bf 109E4, 2 x Ju 88):
96, 264, 242, 184, 191, 154
Zavidovici: Kitzinger with 3rd and 4th Kampffliegerkorps (1 x Bf 109E4, 4 x Ju 88):
117
Guipúzcoa: Sperrle with 1st Kampffliegerkorps, 1st Schlachtfliegerkorps (1 x Bf 109E4, 2 x Ju 88, 2 x Ju 87B):
301, 294
Zavidovici: Kitzinger with 3rd Kampffliegerkorps (2 x Ju 88):
91
Argelès-Gazost: Löhr with 2nd Schlachtfliegerkorps (2 x Ju 87B):
131, 82
Guipúzcoa: Kesselring with 1st Schlachtfliegerkorps (2 x Ju 87B):
66, 146, 184
Jaca: Sperrle with 1st Kampffliegerkorps (1 x Bf 109E4, 2 x Ju 88):
151, 277, 258
Korcula: Kitzinger with 3rd Kampffliegerkorps (2 x Ju 88):
156
Supply and fuel are still a concern in Bayonne, even after hundreds of tonnes were delivered by 1st Truppentransporterluftflotte
FARE
Pamplona: Camacho Benítez with 1er and 2o Grupo Táctico:
90
Pamplona: Bargo Giraud with 4 x TAC:
132, 74, 94
Unterseebootsflotte Activity Report
Horseshoe Seamount:
1 transport (UK): Dover - Kuala Belait: Wolf with 4th Unterseebootsflotte
East Azores:
2 transports (UK): Dover – Berbera: Aßmann with 1st U-flotte
Gibraltar Approaches:
1 transport (UK): Dover – Kuching: Wolf with 4th U-flotte
Eastern Biscay Plain:
1 transport (UK): Plymouth – Tarawa: Dönitz with 2nd U-flotte
Coast of Cádiz:
1 transport, 2 escorts (Spanish): Cádiz – Boston: Wolf with 4th U-flotte