Chapter VI
In which the gentle reader may learn about Wilhelm's new assignment and the re-armament of the Reich.
Wilhelm stepped into the office of Field Marshal von Weichs, commander of Heeresgruppe West, responsible for the defence of the entire Western half of the Reich. The man looked up from his papers, and recieved Wilhelm's salute.
- What can I do for you? - asked the old general. He was a veteran of the Great War, having served in the Heer for almost two third of his life, he already had his fair share of fighting. He was quite happy with his assignment of overseeing the construction of the mightiest fortress-system ever built in Germany.
- Sir, I'm Captain Wilhelm von Walsrode, and I was assigned to your office to replace the late Klaus von Klebelsberg. I was informed about his car accident last week. I'm terribly sorry.
- Yes, he was a fine officer, with a lot of potential. Quite a shame, really. But the same can also be said about you. - After some brief search, he picked up a file from the far end of his desk. - It says here that you had high markings at the Military Academy in Dresden, and that you volunteered for the Condor Legion in Spain. Quite a failure that affair was now, wasn't it?
- Yes, Sir, it was. But if I may, it wasn't the disaster it was because of how our soldiers performed, but rather beacuse the Spanish leadership went after its own head, disregarding the advice of von Thoma. He knew about the danger of Franco's Push, and he warned the Spanish High Command to no avail.
- Sometimes taking risks is profitable, other times it is absolutely crucial for victory.
- That much is true, Sir, but there's a difference between the bold and the overconfident. The plan to encircle Madrid and set up a siege of the city was a good one, but the implementation was poor, and the operation suffered. The timing was simply not right. The forces of the Army were still scattered, and there was no real chance of launching a strong enough strike against the rebels in Central Spain, while they were still not dealt with in the North. It would also more practical if the push were to be made on the Portugese border, and to link up with the troops in Seville along the way. The unprofessional passion of the Spaniards lost them the Civil War.
- That's some good insight there young man. So, you will serve as my new aide. Good. You never served in the Staff before, is that right?
- Yes, Sir.
- Then you will have quite a few new things to learn. Sit down. - Wilhelm sat down in front of the huge oak desk. - First of all, you need to understand that your work will mostly involve pushing papers.
- Whatever my country needs me to do, Sir.
- Good. Second of all, you will need to understand how our part of the Heer is built up, what does it do, and how it does it. Since you come from active duty (or at least as active as it can get during peacetime anyway), you were mostly familiar with the workings of your own level and down. Now your own level is only one step below the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht, and there's only one level above that: the Führer himself. So I'll brief you on the hierarchy. From top to bottom, it works like this: we are Heeresgruppe West, responsible for the defence of our borders with France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxemburg and Switzerland. From these, Switzerland is out of the equation due to their legendary neutrality, Luxemburg is not that important for obvious reasons, and that new foreign minister, Joachim von Ribbentrop supposedly secured our relations with the rest of the Low Countries. That leaves France as our only worry for the moment. The fortifications we are building right now are getting really awe-inspiring. Overseeing that project takes up most of our time.
Order of Battle of Heeresgruppe West in 1937. At the time, the Kriegsmarine was under the command of General von Pogrell, reporting to Field Marshal von Weichs.
- I see.
- But a great wall like the Chinese had in ancient times wouldn't be appropriate nor sufficient on its own, so we also need soldiers to man the fortifications against potential French invasion. For that purpose, there is the Erste Armee under my command, led by von Berendt. He has five Armeekorps under his command from I. through V., and each one of those have an Infanterie Division similarly organised as the one you came from. Field Marshal von Blomberg suggested that any General would be able to coordinate the efforts of five formations at most. More than that would probably cause confusion. Although this theory is yet to be proven in actual war. Now, you will mostly do paperwork for me. Check and double check inventories, type letters, handle the mail in general, relay orders, make coffee, etc. It doesn't sound like too thrilling, I know, but you can look at it like being the Squire of a Knight.
- I do what I'm ordered to, Sir.
- Exactly. There's no real place for authority or decisions in this assignment, unlike your role as a company leader. Then again, you probably won't remain a General's aide for the rest of your life, so don't worry.
*** *** *** *** ***
German soldiers parading in different locations throughout the Reich.
Martin was sitting in his office in the Ministry of Education and Propaganda on the Wilhelmplatz. He was currently working on a campaign to attract more men to the navy, explaining his ideas to his secretary.
- It has to be easy to recognise right away what the poster is about. It should suggest that life in the Kriegsmarine is full of adventure and excitement! Something like we did with the army poster. A photo could be good, but I would prefer a drawing. I picture a young sailor, standing on the helm, holding a wooden steering wheel for example, and in a colorful uniform. The wind blows his blonde hair, and in his eyes we see his eagerness to do anything for his country and his Führer. In the background, there's the captain of the ship, with his binoculars, standing over a map, and maybe some naval instruments. He looks experienced, and completely in control. He knows exactly what to do and when to do it. - Martin was very focused. He loved his job. - The captain wears his hat. His uniform looks magnificant. But this whole scene takes place out in the open, not in an actual room. Can you do this for me, Erwin? I will work out the slogan in the meantime!
- Yes, Sir, I'm sure I can do it! Wonderful idea, Sir! - Erwin, Martin's secretary was one of those overambitious clercks, behaving like a dog, ready to do the biding of his current superior, only to trample him into the ground and step over him at the first opportunity. Martin knew this exactly, but didn't really care.
- Thank you. Please, bring me those reports you mentioned earlier, then you can get to work!
- Yes, Sir. - Erwin brought the requested reports and then left for the drawing room to make the preliminary scetches.
The reports detailed the planned military parades for the next two months, held specifically to show the people that the re-armament process is going with full steam. Since last year, Hjalmar Schacht, in cooperation with the Chief of Staff, Field Marshal Ludwig Beck and Chief of the Army, Field Marshal Werner von Blomberg organised the formation and outfitting of thirty new Divisions of Infantry and also made some noticable progress in the modernisation of the already existing army, focusing on additional firepower through the employment of artillery formations. Whatever that means... With a recent contract with Rheinmetall, the Heer also replaced their armoured tanks with somewhat heavier versions: the fast, but lightly armed and armoured Panzerkampfwagen IIf tanks will be sold to foreign nations or used as training vehicles while the three Panzerdivisions will be using the more modern Panzerkampfwagen Neubaufahrzeug V. The report also stated that this design shows serious issues and the Divisions will be refitted with the Panzerkampwagen III at the earliest possibility. Which is important because then this temporary design shouldn't get too much emphasis in the parades either.
Martin moved on to the next pile of reports. They detailed the recently formed air wings of the Luftwaffe, composed entirely of the modern fighter planes, the Messerschmitt Bf-109D. As per the order of Ulricht Grauert, recently appointed Chief of the Luftwaffe, a squadron of these fighters will need to be included in the parade. The Air Marshal was very proud of his increasing fighter force, and obviously wanted the rest of the World to see it as well. The people will know that our skies are secure from any enemy intrusion. Also, the research team that Erhard joined last week, working on that RADAR gadget should be done by Christmas. That should be somehow included in the parade as well, but how? His train of thought was derailed by the ringing of his phone. It was the chief of his department.
- Good morning, Martin! How are you?
- I'm fine, thank you, Sir. How may I be of assistance?
- Have you ever been to the Far East?
- No, Sir... - Martin was a bit worried by this question. What could it mean?
- Great! Now here's your big chance! You are going to Japan!
- To Japan?... - Martin felt a strange déja vu.
Japanese forces exchange fire with Chinese troops in Shanxi territory. The Second Sino-Japanese War has started.
Index
