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Chapter VII: Death of a Patriot
After months of international tensions, most of the Western world welcomed the celebration of the FIFA World Cup, which would be hosted in Italy. It was the first time the competition had a qualifying round, and the first one in which thousands of fans from other countries came to cheer their national football teams. After a week of competition, the country was elated by the advance of the German team to the semifinal round, where they would play against the mighty Czechoslovakian team, but the great skill of Nejedlýy and his three scored goals eliminated the German team. In the final, the Czechs were the favorites to win the title, but finally the Italians, under heavy pressure by the propaganda of Mussolini and having a referee too favorable, managed to win the final and title. In the match for third place, Germany defeated Austria and achieved the bronze medal, and the players were welcomed as heroes after returning to the country.
Italy won the World Cup
The first of the three phases of re-industrialization planned by the Government was about to end, but most entrepreneurs were glad to learn that in just eighteen months Germany had increased its industrial capacity to surpass that of France and Great Britain combined. And there were not the only good news that the Minister of Economy and Armaments would receive, as the industrial conglomerate IG Farben announced a project to achieve an standardization of all products also applicable to other companies, reducing costs and production times.
But that was not all, for the different branches of the Army announced several successes with the recent modernization plan. The new Henschel 123 dive bombers were fully designed and ready to be produced, while the Reichmarinewerft began to develop a new type of torpedo, much more precise and devastating than the former ones. Finally, the ground forces began to plan the creation of specialized mountain divisions named Gebirgsjägers.
A new model of torpedoes is being developed
Meanwhile, Arthur Crispien started again a series of diplomatic visits to neighboring countries, and while still the allies were still distrustful regarding the will to achieve a lasting and stable peace in Europe, the governments of Yugoslavia, Hungary and Romania approached the German positions.In the rest of Europe, Bulgaria suffered a coup carried out by the Zveno organization and the Army, ensuring Kimon Georgiev´s seizure of power, while Turkey announced a program of rearmament. Further north, the Soviet Union signed a treaty of mutual border recognition with Romania and Poland, and announced the creation of a new state police, the NKVD or People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs. However, Minister Crispien scored another success with the signing of the Treaty of Berlin, by which the Soviet Union and Germany pledged to trade regularly and improved diplomatic relations.
The treaty of Berlin
But all that good news would be marred by a tragic event. At the age of 86, the life of Marshal von Hindenburg fade away, and Germany lost one of the most important figures in recent history. The president and war hero had been a key figure in bringing peace to Germany and preventing the access of the Nazis to power, and in all German ommerces the the national flag was hanged with a black ribbon on it. Upon hearing the news, Wels declared that "Germany was now an orphan nation but grateful to its generous and devoted father," and only the Communist Party refrained from issuing a statement of mourning. Finally, the German hero was buried at the Tannenberg Memorial in a ceremony attended by an estimated 200,000 people throughout all the day. Temporarily, Arthur Crispien assumed the presidency until elections were held.
A sad day for Germany
Quickly, the parties began to make their applications: the KPD announced that Thalmann would run again as a candidate, while the Nazi Party tried to regain the lost prestige by reintroducing Erich Ludendorff as a gesture to the memory of von Hindenburg and the DNVP and the BVP formed a joint candidature with Theodor Duesterberg as candidate. However, few expected the decision finally taken by Otto Wels, as according to what was published in the Adlon agreement he announced that the SPD would not present any candidate for election and called on his supporters to vote for the Zentrum candidate, Wilhelm Marx, who had previously agreed to remain as a representative figure without any more attributions than those strictly prescribed by the Constitution.
After hearing the news, the BVP withdrew his support from its joint bid with the DNVP and announced his support for Marx, and few doubted who the new president would be. The elections confirmed this trend as Wilhem Marx won the elections with an overwhelming majority of 63.1% of the vote, while the Nazi and Communist candidates received only 17% and 11% of the vote. On September 5, 1934, Wilhelm Marx was sworn as new Reichspräsident, and the sense of an stable and legitimate Government was reinforced.
Wilhem Marx is the new Reichspräsident
Man, I saw this thanks Facebook... I've not time to read all the content now, but it's amazing to see how's developing. Thank you, Nachopontmercy for this exceptional piece!
Marx's election as President makes the democratic order much more secure than it was with the anti-democrat Hindenburg in office. I'd imagine that if you start cosying up to Moscow the Comintern might do another flip flop and demand the Communists, if not allowed to actually join the government, at the very least start unquestioningly accepting the SPD line. That would be very interesting indeed.
Hoping to side with the Soviets against the reactionary and imperialist powers
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Hoping to side with the Soviets against the reactionary and imperialist powers
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I would like the oppinion of the readers upon one issue: the next 2 years will be probably be a little boring, primarily focused into research and some minor events. I was wondering if it would be better to keep the current pace, explaining how the Government works and some flavour events, or if it would be better to jump to end 1936, where the action starts to occur and I´ll start building units. All in all, we would be speaking of 2 or 3 updates if we keep a slow rythm, or just one if we speed things up until 1937 arrives, but I would like to know what do you think about it.
I for one am not very familiar with this mod or the direction you've taken so don't be shy to have updates with little or no major events. Research is still interesting (to me at least) and minor events are still events. I wouldn't underestimate flavor events in a narrative AAR, they can be just as effective as more significant events in setting the tone and fleshing the world out.
You're doing a great job so far, no reason to change course now.
You're doing a great job so far, no reason to change course now.
I for one am not very familiar with this mod or the direction you've taken so don't be shy to have updates with little or no major events. Research is still interesting (to me at least) and minor events are still events. I wouldn't underestimate flavor events in a narrative AAR, they can be just as effective as more significant events in setting the tone and fleshing the world out.
You're doing a great job so far, no reason to change course now.
You made a good point there. Thanks.
I haven´t decided yet! Let´s see first if the allies want to...cooperate.
Why spoil the fun?
And if Stalin is anything like he was in the real world, Germans will probably get pissed at him somehow.
And if Stalin is anything like he was in the real world, Germans will probably get pissed at him somehow.
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Chapter VIII: Welcome back to the Reich
The year 1935 would open with a series of troubling events around the globe, but also with the continuity of the irrepressible German economic growth that surprised the rest of Europe and the whole World. Once the first phase of re-industrialization was consolidated, the state was able for the first time to devote himself to a comprehensive rearmament program, which at the moment would be limited to Air Force and Navy and would be done in secret facilities in the eastern parts of the country. However, several ground officers stressed the need for Mobile Headquarters units to stay constantly informed about news from the front, so an important set of resources was devouted into the development of such assets.
The new Air Force began to build the first models of the Henschel Hs 123 dive bomber and various interceptors to deal with enemy air forces. Similarly, both officers and pilots were subjected to an intensive training program, participating in various military exercises conducted in a joint effort with members of the Land Forces to test a perfect and effective coordination between both braches of the Army. The Luftwaffe was born.
The Luftwaffe will defend the German skies
Meanwhile, the Reichsmarine also began to modernize, and the first units of submarines began to be produced. Even if such models would render obsolete in a few years, these U-boats could serve as a reserve force in the future, and now would be used for training exercises. By the time these operations were reduced to a few navigation tests near Kiel, but it would be enough for the new Kaleuns to get familiar with the new type of naval doctrine proposed by Admiral Mootz.
A new U-boat model being tested near Kiel
In the economic field, only the Soviet Union and the United States, who returned to growth levels prior to the 29 crash, could compete with Germany, and the Government already had sufficient means to begin the construction of Autobahns and to start trading the carbon surplus for some rare harder to find in case of conflict.
All these events and expenses did not suspend technological research, and soon new models of civil transport aircrafts, anti-aircraft guns and the industrial standardization process proposed by IG Farben were avaliable. Similarly, the Wels Government decided to open a new Faculty in Berlin, focusing on the new theories about Atomic Science proposed by Dr. Einstein and Dr. Heisenberg. Similarly, the Army started to research and test new weapons to modernize the equipment of the few divisions that Germany had, and also a new logistics system and a network of modern campaign hospitals.
"Say my name..."
An Italian propaganda poster about Ethiopia and some miners arrested by Franco´s troops
But once again the courage and firmness of the Wels Ministry would put Germany on the headlines of every newspaper. Since the end of the Great War, the Saar territory had been administered by France, who had blatantly tried to get advantage plundering our mines and denying the rights of Germans residing in the area. However, it was evident in the eyes of all Europe that it was a situation incompatible with the current state of affairs, and Crispien stood a formal complaint to the League of Nations supported by the governments of most of Central and Eastern European countries, and even by the Soviet Union.
Saarland will be German!
Wisely, Crispien did not directly request the return of the territory, but only the holding of a plebiscite among its population to determine, "for the sake of the principles of democracy that both France and Germany respect and defend", under what administration should be the territory held. Finally, the French Government succumbed to diplomatic pressure and allowed the plebiscite, in which 90.3% of voters decided to be reinstated in the Reich. In January 22, 1935, the Saarland was formally reinstated into Germany and the troops symbolically sent there were met with cheers and applause by an exultant audience.
The voters massively supported returning to the Reich
OOC: Sorry if this update contained (even) more grammar and lexic mistakes than usual, but I was very tired and wanted to have it posted before returning home.
The Saar Plebiscite should receive a 99.6% vote for rejoining the Reich, since IRL the 8.8% who wanted status quo simply did not want the Nazis in their home :laugh:
Great AAR at always, and the future will be interesting.
Great AAR at always, and the future will be interesting.
Yes. Maybe my words are confusing, but IRL the 8.8% who voted to have statue quo in Saar merely voted so because they didn't want Nazis in their town. But in this AAR the Reich is a democratic, honorable and powerful Republic with minimal Nazi influence so the percentage for rejoining Deutsches Reich should be up to at least 99%.The Reich is a Republic
Yes, without nazis the percentage would have probably been higher, but I just wrote the one that appears in the event box for the sake of making the post coherent. Anyways, remember that even though we are a Republic the official name is still Deutsches Reich, and so it will be refered to.
It would be great if the US and USSR would try to keep pace with your industrial expansion.
Their is no good English equivalent for Reich. The best would be Realm. It is often translated to Empire though