WesWorld

January 4, 1931 - Kiel
On a raw January day, the keel of the first capital ship to be laid down in Germany since the end of the Great War began construction. The ship, currently titled Ersatz C, is to be equipped with 9 28.3 cm cannon, supported by 18 10.5 cm weapons.


January 15, 1931 - Berlin

The Reichstag has begun debate on a bill that will authorize a rise in the size of the Heer to 400,000 men and the Luftwaffe to 25,000 men by the end of 1933. Debate has been vociferous, with the KPD loudly opposed to this "waste of the workers tax marks, to fill the coffers of Krupp, Mauser, Rheinmetall, Heinkel and Dornier. The Reich does not need more arms or men carrying them, as the Reich has non-aggression treaties with all of the likely threats in Europe, and Europe is at peace besides!" The Interior Minister, Dr. Jarres, responded, "Europe was at peace in 1912 as well, and sometimes, as we all know to the Reich's cost, a solemn signed treaty is not worth the ink it is scribed with if a signer sees a profit in breaking their sworn word. The bill is not a bill for war, the bill is a bill to remain at peace and not be swept up in someone else's troubles. Keep in mind the words of that wise Roman: 'If you would have peace, prepare for war'."

Debate is not expected to finish for several weeks. So far the government has not stated a position on the bill, allowing it's members to speak as they would. This has revealed some splits in government on the issue, with the more leftist members of the SPD speaking with the KPD in opposition, while the DNVP, the Economic Party, and the more rightist members of the Catholic Center Party speaking in favor of it.


January 18, 1931 - Oberndorf

Word out of the MauserWerke is that there are 6 companies that have requested modified Mauser 98K's for the upcoming ammunition trials for a possible replacement of the 7.92mm IS cartridge in the infantry rifle. 2 companies, ERMA and GECO, have requested rifles chambered in 2 different cartridges, while the other 4 companies have requested rifles in only 1 cartridge. The companies are: ERMA (2), GECO (2) RWS (1), MauserWerke (1), Pedersen of the US (1) and Solothurn of Switzerland (1).

February 6, 1931 - Meppen

The handover of the first 3 35cm Langer Max guns for the Heer has been completed, the remaining three weapons will follow at 2 month intervals. The Heer has confirmed that no change in the excessive barrel wear issue has occurred yet, but that several companies are working on it (in concert or in competition).


February 16, 1931 - Kiel

The Peruvian Naval Attache was in the city today, touring the shipyards and seeing the progress on the new Ersatz C , which is growing apace in the shipyards. In addition to Ersatz C, he also was given a tour of the fitting out Admiral Hipper and was able to view the new U-1 and Z-214 in between their latest cruises.


February 17, 1931 - Cuxhaven
The Peruvian Naval Attache was in the city today, touring the shipyards and seeing the progress on the new Turkish CL Ankara. The Peruvian government may be in the market for some new warships, seeing the building of new warships for Brazil in the Phillipines and Chile at home and in Atlantis, and a modern CL like Ankara might be a reasonable choice. Or, perhaps submarines like U-1 or new destroyers like Z-214. What choice, if any, the Peruvian government will make remains to be seen.

February 20, 1931 - Fredricshafen

The new airship LZ.129, now christened Hindenburg has taken to the skies and begun her trials. Larger than Graf Zeppelin, and with lift provided by non-flammable helium, she heralds a new day for the Luftschiffbau-Zeppelin, Gmb. H. She is expected to become a staple on trans-Atlantic flights after her trials are completed, providing rapid connections between Europe and the US.


March 1, 1931 - German/Austrian border

As outlined in the tarriff union agreement, today the German and Austrian tarriff inspectors on the borders have ceased their duties. Now the border between the two German-speaking states is manned by border policemen only, who check papers and wave the travellers through. Trains of goods are now rolling almost unimpeded across the border, requiring only a brief confirmation of the crews papers. In the future, it is expected that a system of inspectors on either side of the border will be set up, with the inspection status of the trains relayed by telephone to the border to allow the trains to cross the border without stopping at all.

Quoted

The Peruvian Naval Attache was in the city today, touring the shipyards and seeing the progress on the new Turkish CL Ankara. The Peruvian government may be in the market for some new warships, seeing the building of new warships for Brazil in the Phillipines and Chile at home and in Atlantis, and a modern CL like Ankara might be a reasonable choice. Or, perhaps submarines like U-1 or new destroyers like Z-214. What choice, if any, the Peruvian government will make remains to be seen.

*grabs some popcorn and pulls up a chair*

I'll get the beer, Wes. :-)

I'll have to invest in new submarines at some point anyway. Mine are leftovers from the Great War.

March 28, 1931 - Berlin

An arms deal with Peru was announced today, Germany will be delivering 2 submarines, 2 large destroyers, 30 fighter aircraft (He-51s), along with 81mm mortars, and 7.65mm x 53 Mauser rifles to Peru. The two ship classes will be equipped with a mixture of German-built and Peruvian-provided weapons, with the Peruvian government providing the 40mm and the 25mm cannon to the builders so those weapons can be common with the weapons installed on the battleship Lima.

[Anyone know what caliber Peru was using for it's small arms at this time? My Small Arms of the World doesn't have a listing for Peru, nor does Peru show up in it's index.....]

[(6/21/06) - Hah, found it: Peru was using 7.65mm x 53 Mauser rifles, the same as Argentina, during this time period. Mention of Germany supplying machineguns has been dropped, as the Peruvians are using Danish Madsen MGs at this period.]