Post by Diarist on Mar 13, 2017 18:31:58 GMT 1
On the train to Berlin I spent most of my time with Wilhelm, Heinz and Erich. I'd already told Wilhelm that we need to talk with General Franco and ask his advice before planning anything. He agreed. I asked about something more sensitive. "Would the fired Jewish officers be interested in forming a brigade-sized unit for deployment in Palestine? With the option of remaining in Palestine if a Jewish state is formed and their families could join them later."
"A German brigade in Palestine?" Heinz asked.
"No. I'm suggesting a British brigade with German and other Jewish volunteers. A battalion-sized unit would be fine at first. It could help solve the problem we mentioned on Friday. How to re-integrate Jews back into everyday Germany. A legal ticket to Palestine would be a good option."
"An interesting idea," Wilhelm commented. "If General Beck approves it we could look for some interesting commanders. How serious is the situation in Palestine, Bob?"
"Syria is the problem at the moment but it may spread to neighbouring countries, Heinz. We are just monitoring the situation for the time being. The Suez Canal Zone has enormous strategic value for us so we are hoping that local authorities can keep things quiet. We prefer not go get involved. The French however have been very heavy-handed in Syria so they have a self-made problem."
"Aren't you and France cooperating there?" Wilhelm asked.
"We are loosely cooperating. Our commanding general is supposed to be meeting his French counterpart at least once a week and we are sending reinforcements there just in case. In fact George Patton and Irvine Miller should have arrived in Jaffa this weekend."
"Patton? He's an armour officer. What's he doing there? Patton is the infamous General Smith of Italian fame, Erich."
"George will command the 5th Armoured Brigade and Irvine is his Chief of Operations. The unit is still being formed and isn't operational yet. It does show that we mean business in the region though.
What are your senior officers expecting to hear from me later? I can't tell them too much because no formal agreement has been signed between our two nation."
"Just tell them what you said at the press conference this morning. It's behind closed doors, Bob, so you don't need to worry about any details being made public."
"In Ordnung. One hour at the most, agreed?"
"Agreed."
We arrived in Berlin at 16:20 then we were driven to the Hotel Adlon. A very exclusive hotel near the Brandenburg Gate. We changed clothes then were driven to the Wehrmachtamt where we were introduced to the most senior commanders of the Army, Navy and Air Force. After a short buffet and some small-talk I found myself on a stage facing ca. 200 officers. I first introduced myself and explained my position in the MoD and how I became the head of the British military delegation. "I understand that General von Blomberg has already informed you of the progress made in Luxembourg and Hamburg so may I suggest that you ask me questions. However I would like to remind you that there is not a formal agreement between Germany and Britain yet so please don't expect too much detail from me. Finally I would like to say that I am a strong supporter of an alliance between our two nations and I am very pleased with the progress that has been made so far. I am confident that there will soon be a historic non-aggression treaty between Britain, France and Germany because we all want the same thing. A lasting peace between our nations. Thank you. General?"
General von Blomberg stated that he is also very optimistic about an agreement with Britain and is looking forward to meeting their French colleagues in Paris next weekend. Admiral Raeder was the first to ask a question.
"Sir Robert, what can you tell us about your plans for the Kriegsmarine?"
"Admiral, we have no plans for the Kriegsmarine but we hope that there will be discussions between our three navies to arrive at a common naval plan. To be honest the Kriegsmarine isn't very popular in London. You were building U-Boats despite it being forbidden, you were demanding a separate agreement last June despite knowing that we were are bound by the London and Washington Treaties in addition to the more recent alliance with France following Hitler's announcement in the Reichstag in March last year. Making a ridiculous demand for 35% of our Royal Navy tonnage, a figure which you could never achieve. The arrogance annoyed us but we didn't expect better from Hitler's Germany.
I was at a Defence Council meeting only last Tuesday and learned that in 1936 alone eighteen new destroyers and three cruisers will join the fleet. In addition the keels will be laid down for six battleships with eight or nine 15" guns, two large aircraft carriers and four more old cruisers will be converted to light aircraft carriers. That is more than your entire current Kriegsmarine, Herr Admiral. You are competing for resources in Germany and the Kriegsmarine will never receive the resources you require for your grand design. My advice is to plan a navy which can prevent the Soviet Navy from reaching the Atlantic taking full advantage of air power and coastal artillery.
I'm hoping that given the choice between committing resources for one battleship, a 1,000 tanks or 1,000 aircraft, it won't be a difficult decision."
I don't believe that the Admiral was too pleased with that answer.
"So you are proposing that Germany concentrates on a strong Army and Air Force," General Wever asked.
"First my reply to Admiral Raeder was my personal opinion not that of the British Admiralty. Secondly I suggested that the Kriegsmarine be assigned a mission which it can fulfil. The proposed alliance needs to maintain naval supremacy in the Ostsee (Baltic) and I believe that Germany can do that. Britain already has a navy that can defeat the Japanese fleet so why waste resources building a huge Kriegsmarine. Those resources can be better utilized in the other services. My personal opinion. That's what I do in the Ministry of Defence. I cancel useless projects and channel the resources elsewhere. I've upset quite a few people, believe me."
General Wever repeated his question but phrased it differently.
"Yes, General. I shall be proposing that if my superiors in London agree. Britain's strength will be its Navy and Air Force. We recognize the importance of air power and the need to avoid an enemy gaining air superiority. Until last week that potential enemy was Nazi Germany. The new potential and probable enemy will be the Soviet Union and I believe they will become a formidable adversary in the years to come. To defend Eastern Europe and counter-attack we shall need at least 300 first-line divisions and possibly 10,000 combat aircraft. We have to share the burden somehow. Of course we are aiming for other nations to join our alliance. Poland is a fine example. It has a common border with Russia. They could raise 50 divisions but they will need modern equipment."
We also discussed multi-national corps and tenders in order to standardize our forces, projects which have I have mentioned earlier. There were many questions about who would command operations with joint forces. "To the best of my knowledge that has never been discussed. What I can promise is that if my section were to plan an operation, and my planning section will include Wehrmacht officers, then I would recommend the best capable and qualified commanders. I wouldn't allow politics to get involved. In the past my recommendations have not been rejected. A few of months ago I recommended that we start forming four panzer divisions and named three colonels and a brigadier as their commanders. Only the brigadier was a British officer. The three colonels were Canadian, French and a US American. Need I tell you who the commanders were? If the majority of the troops in a joint operation were German Army then I would recommend a German Army officer as the commander and if the operation were in Poland I would recommend a qualified Polish officer as the deputy commander. Are you getting the message. The key requirement would be a competent commander."
"That's how we do things in Germany, Sir Robert."
"I'm pleased to hear that, General Beck. I also don't allow industry or bureaucrats to decide which equipment the armed forces need. They can suggest a design but the military has the final say."
"It would be difficult to keep politics out of procurement when multi-national tenders are involved."
"General von Weichs, last month in Erfurt we talked about tank design and I seem to remember we agreed that reliability, mobility and firepower were the prime considerations."
"That is correct."
"I know that your Panzer III has a short 37mm gun while the French are planning a short 47mm infantry gun on their Char heavy tank. In England we have developed a 6-pdr anti-tank gun and a tank gun version is planned for our next tank which we call Crusader. It's a long 57mm L/50 gun which can penetrate the armour of any known tank. I'm suggesting that the British gun be used for the German and French tanks too. Would you reject my proposal?"
"Personally I would like to see that gun in our Panzer III."
"You would be allowed to produce the gun under licence here in Germany. It's too late to suggest a joint tank for all three nations but the next tank, Panzer IV, we could design together."
"An excellent proposal."
"This proposed alliance is changing our defence policy enormously. Seven European nation have orders for a British fighter aircraft but we insisted that they import the Rolls-Royce engines because we didn't want it to built in continental Europe. We feared the factory might eventually fall into German hands. If we become partners that restriction would disappear. You would then be required to prevent the factory being captured by the Soviets."
"There will be wide-ranging changes for Germany too. It's new territory for all of us."
"Indeed it is but these discussions are a little premature. I have no idea what the priorities will be once an alliance has been signed. The politicians need to agree upon the treaty first but I believe that General Beck and I share the same opinion on most issues and that there are none which would prevent an agreement being signed by our political leaders. I wish Germany good fortune in your upcoming talks with the French leadership. Thank you the opportunity to explain the situation from a British point of view. I hope I haven't trodden on too many toes."
"A German brigade in Palestine?" Heinz asked.
"No. I'm suggesting a British brigade with German and other Jewish volunteers. A battalion-sized unit would be fine at first. It could help solve the problem we mentioned on Friday. How to re-integrate Jews back into everyday Germany. A legal ticket to Palestine would be a good option."
"An interesting idea," Wilhelm commented. "If General Beck approves it we could look for some interesting commanders. How serious is the situation in Palestine, Bob?"
"Syria is the problem at the moment but it may spread to neighbouring countries, Heinz. We are just monitoring the situation for the time being. The Suez Canal Zone has enormous strategic value for us so we are hoping that local authorities can keep things quiet. We prefer not go get involved. The French however have been very heavy-handed in Syria so they have a self-made problem."
"Aren't you and France cooperating there?" Wilhelm asked.
"We are loosely cooperating. Our commanding general is supposed to be meeting his French counterpart at least once a week and we are sending reinforcements there just in case. In fact George Patton and Irvine Miller should have arrived in Jaffa this weekend."
"Patton? He's an armour officer. What's he doing there? Patton is the infamous General Smith of Italian fame, Erich."
"George will command the 5th Armoured Brigade and Irvine is his Chief of Operations. The unit is still being formed and isn't operational yet. It does show that we mean business in the region though.
What are your senior officers expecting to hear from me later? I can't tell them too much because no formal agreement has been signed between our two nation."
"Just tell them what you said at the press conference this morning. It's behind closed doors, Bob, so you don't need to worry about any details being made public."
"In Ordnung. One hour at the most, agreed?"
"Agreed."
We arrived in Berlin at 16:20 then we were driven to the Hotel Adlon. A very exclusive hotel near the Brandenburg Gate. We changed clothes then were driven to the Wehrmachtamt where we were introduced to the most senior commanders of the Army, Navy and Air Force. After a short buffet and some small-talk I found myself on a stage facing ca. 200 officers. I first introduced myself and explained my position in the MoD and how I became the head of the British military delegation. "I understand that General von Blomberg has already informed you of the progress made in Luxembourg and Hamburg so may I suggest that you ask me questions. However I would like to remind you that there is not a formal agreement between Germany and Britain yet so please don't expect too much detail from me. Finally I would like to say that I am a strong supporter of an alliance between our two nations and I am very pleased with the progress that has been made so far. I am confident that there will soon be a historic non-aggression treaty between Britain, France and Germany because we all want the same thing. A lasting peace between our nations. Thank you. General?"
General von Blomberg stated that he is also very optimistic about an agreement with Britain and is looking forward to meeting their French colleagues in Paris next weekend. Admiral Raeder was the first to ask a question.
"Sir Robert, what can you tell us about your plans for the Kriegsmarine?"
"Admiral, we have no plans for the Kriegsmarine but we hope that there will be discussions between our three navies to arrive at a common naval plan. To be honest the Kriegsmarine isn't very popular in London. You were building U-Boats despite it being forbidden, you were demanding a separate agreement last June despite knowing that we were are bound by the London and Washington Treaties in addition to the more recent alliance with France following Hitler's announcement in the Reichstag in March last year. Making a ridiculous demand for 35% of our Royal Navy tonnage, a figure which you could never achieve. The arrogance annoyed us but we didn't expect better from Hitler's Germany.
I was at a Defence Council meeting only last Tuesday and learned that in 1936 alone eighteen new destroyers and three cruisers will join the fleet. In addition the keels will be laid down for six battleships with eight or nine 15" guns, two large aircraft carriers and four more old cruisers will be converted to light aircraft carriers. That is more than your entire current Kriegsmarine, Herr Admiral. You are competing for resources in Germany and the Kriegsmarine will never receive the resources you require for your grand design. My advice is to plan a navy which can prevent the Soviet Navy from reaching the Atlantic taking full advantage of air power and coastal artillery.
I'm hoping that given the choice between committing resources for one battleship, a 1,000 tanks or 1,000 aircraft, it won't be a difficult decision."
I don't believe that the Admiral was too pleased with that answer.
"So you are proposing that Germany concentrates on a strong Army and Air Force," General Wever asked.
"First my reply to Admiral Raeder was my personal opinion not that of the British Admiralty. Secondly I suggested that the Kriegsmarine be assigned a mission which it can fulfil. The proposed alliance needs to maintain naval supremacy in the Ostsee (Baltic) and I believe that Germany can do that. Britain already has a navy that can defeat the Japanese fleet so why waste resources building a huge Kriegsmarine. Those resources can be better utilized in the other services. My personal opinion. That's what I do in the Ministry of Defence. I cancel useless projects and channel the resources elsewhere. I've upset quite a few people, believe me."
General Wever repeated his question but phrased it differently.
"Yes, General. I shall be proposing that if my superiors in London agree. Britain's strength will be its Navy and Air Force. We recognize the importance of air power and the need to avoid an enemy gaining air superiority. Until last week that potential enemy was Nazi Germany. The new potential and probable enemy will be the Soviet Union and I believe they will become a formidable adversary in the years to come. To defend Eastern Europe and counter-attack we shall need at least 300 first-line divisions and possibly 10,000 combat aircraft. We have to share the burden somehow. Of course we are aiming for other nations to join our alliance. Poland is a fine example. It has a common border with Russia. They could raise 50 divisions but they will need modern equipment."
We also discussed multi-national corps and tenders in order to standardize our forces, projects which have I have mentioned earlier. There were many questions about who would command operations with joint forces. "To the best of my knowledge that has never been discussed. What I can promise is that if my section were to plan an operation, and my planning section will include Wehrmacht officers, then I would recommend the best capable and qualified commanders. I wouldn't allow politics to get involved. In the past my recommendations have not been rejected. A few of months ago I recommended that we start forming four panzer divisions and named three colonels and a brigadier as their commanders. Only the brigadier was a British officer. The three colonels were Canadian, French and a US American. Need I tell you who the commanders were? If the majority of the troops in a joint operation were German Army then I would recommend a German Army officer as the commander and if the operation were in Poland I would recommend a qualified Polish officer as the deputy commander. Are you getting the message. The key requirement would be a competent commander."
"That's how we do things in Germany, Sir Robert."
"I'm pleased to hear that, General Beck. I also don't allow industry or bureaucrats to decide which equipment the armed forces need. They can suggest a design but the military has the final say."
"It would be difficult to keep politics out of procurement when multi-national tenders are involved."
"General von Weichs, last month in Erfurt we talked about tank design and I seem to remember we agreed that reliability, mobility and firepower were the prime considerations."
"That is correct."
"I know that your Panzer III has a short 37mm gun while the French are planning a short 47mm infantry gun on their Char heavy tank. In England we have developed a 6-pdr anti-tank gun and a tank gun version is planned for our next tank which we call Crusader. It's a long 57mm L/50 gun which can penetrate the armour of any known tank. I'm suggesting that the British gun be used for the German and French tanks too. Would you reject my proposal?"
"Personally I would like to see that gun in our Panzer III."
"You would be allowed to produce the gun under licence here in Germany. It's too late to suggest a joint tank for all three nations but the next tank, Panzer IV, we could design together."
"An excellent proposal."
"This proposed alliance is changing our defence policy enormously. Seven European nation have orders for a British fighter aircraft but we insisted that they import the Rolls-Royce engines because we didn't want it to built in continental Europe. We feared the factory might eventually fall into German hands. If we become partners that restriction would disappear. You would then be required to prevent the factory being captured by the Soviets."
"There will be wide-ranging changes for Germany too. It's new territory for all of us."
"Indeed it is but these discussions are a little premature. I have no idea what the priorities will be once an alliance has been signed. The politicians need to agree upon the treaty first but I believe that General Beck and I share the same opinion on most issues and that there are none which would prevent an agreement being signed by our political leaders. I wish Germany good fortune in your upcoming talks with the French leadership. Thank you the opportunity to explain the situation from a British point of view. I hope I haven't trodden on too many toes."