WesWorld

April 1, 1932 - Germany

The great plebiscite on union with Austria is tomorrow, and there is very little doubt how the country will vote. The entire political spectrum is in favor of the plebiscite (though perhaps with some silent reservations in some quarters), and the vote is expected to be a landslide in favor of unification. The only competition between the parties seems to be in who can place their banners more prominently, or who can turn out the largest pro-unification crowd.

In private, of course, there are some doubts in various quarters of the political elite. There is concern that Austria will pull Germany as a whole to the right, having a weaker left-leaning electorate, percentage-wise, than Germany. However, there are also concerns on the right that the Austrians might, instead, lean towards the center or toward Catholic parties rather than the nationalist right that is more common in Germany.

Those concerns remain for the future, though, for now, most are looking to the present and planning to vote an enthusiastic 'Yes' tomorrow.


April 2, 1932 - Germany

The plebiscite on German-Austrian union was held in a festive atmosphere today, with long lines outside the polling places seranaded by bands. No reports of trouble were received, even the KPD and NSDAP seemed to be on their best behavior.


April 4, 1932 - Berlin

Final results of the unification plebiscite have been received: the German people have overwhelmingly voted to unify with Austrie. The tally was 95% yes votes, with turnout of 92%. The result is that as of the beginning of the new year, Germany will gain a new province, and Austria membership in a more stable, prosperous, and peaceable nation.

Christian X, The Danish Government and the people of Denmark send their best wishes to the people of Germany and Austria on this momentous occasion, and wish them a smooth integration.

Rama VII, The Siamese Government and the people of Siam send their best wishes to the people of Germany and Austria on this momentous occasion, and wish them a smooth integration.

;-)

Siam and Denmark must be saving money by sharing speech-writers...

So, the results of the Austrian plebecite are in, and our former Imperial and Royal masters will be incorporated into Germany. How far has the former Imperial City fallen! Of course, we understand the motive. Wien, with all her glorious Imperial accouterments, requires an Empire to support her, but has none. Incorporated into Germany, her citizens can expect rising prosperity. We do not begrudge them that, and wish them well. This change will affect our country, there is no doubt of it. Skoda steel will be replaced by Krupp, so we will have to develop new markets for our manufactures. But new markets beckon among our brother Slavs. When he visited last November, Russian Foreign Minister Chicherin gave President Masaryk extensive assurances on this matter, as well as others. And fortunately, Wien will still have an insatiable thirst for good Pilsner.

April 6, 1932 - Berlin

The government has released a statement today: "Congratulations and good wishes have been rolling in for the German people from foreign governments, and the German government thanks them for the thought. In particular, the good wishes of the Czechoslovakian government are welcome, and the government hopes that Germany and Czechoslovakia shall continue in future to have friendly and mutually advantageous relations. The good wishes of the kings of Denmark and Nordmark are also gratefully accepted, and Germany looks forward to friendly relations with our neighbors to the north. The good wishes from far-away Siam are welcome as well, and they do point to the need to work very hard on the integration of the two nations during the time we have. That work we will be beginning today."


April 9, 1932 - Vienna

The heads of a number of ministries, both German and Austrian, are closeted in meetings throughout the Austrian capital today, beginning the work of integrating the Austrian departments into their German counterparts. In some cases, integration will be relatively easy: for example, the Austrian Army will be incorporated into the Heer as a new mountain corps (the 2nd), then later re-equipped with Heer-standard equipment. In other cases, the integration will be more complex, requiring a more interwoven set of changes.


April 10, 1932 - Bremen

The Focke-Wulf company has test-flown the prototype of a new aircraft derived from their F19a light transport. Reports say the aircraft is oddly shaped, with the tail in front of the wing, but it seemed to fly well enough.

Quoted

Originally posted by The Rock Doctor
Siam and Denmark must be saving money by sharing speech-writers...

LOL...My thoughts exactly!

...publishes the following "leaked" photograph:

April 15, 1932 - Berlin

The Kriegsmarine has announced the upcoming disposal of the battleship Helgoland. She will be retired with the new year, her crew going on to the new cruisers Blucher and Von der Tann. Given her age and design, it is expected that Helgoland will be scrapped, rather than sold, but certainly the KM is willing to listen to offers from interested governments.


April 19, 1932 - Berlin

The call for a vote under the Cleito Treaty on the planned battlecruisers for Chosen and Formosa came as little surprise to the government. Foreign Minister Stresseman commented, "It hardly took a prophet to foresee this vote coming, so soon after the vote on the Italian ship for the EAS, once the ships were first announced." When asked how Germany would vote, the Foreign Minister demurred, saying only, "Germany will vote either Yes or No, we will not abstain to give our No a fig leaf."

April 22, 1932 - Izmir, Turkey

The small fleet of ships from Germany dropped anchor today, with the handover ceremony scheduled for 3 days hence.


April 24, 1932 - Berlin

The Reichstag has set dates for the postponed elections: the presidential election shall be held on March 20, 1933, to be followed by Reichstag elections on August 10, 1933.


April 25, 1932 - Izmir, Turkey

The German flag has been lowered for the last time on the 7 1918MOB destroyers, as the ships have now been turned over to their new owners. In addition, the CL Ankara has had her German pennant lowered and the Turkish flag run up, so the sale of these ships has now been completed.

May 1, 1932 - Munich

The 283mm guns and turrets ordered by Rumania a year ago have now been completed, and are being loaded onto Danube river barges for delivery to their owners.


May 2, 1932 - Fredricshafen

The second Do-17 prototype, the Do-17V2, has completed it's first flight. This aircraft, powered by BMW-132 engines vs the V1's DB-600s, will likely prove somewhat slower, but the BMW engine is in series production where the DB-600 is barely more than a prototype and series production is proving difficult.

May 7, 1932 - Berlin

The Reichstag has approved a bill encouraging the building of synthetic fuel plants in Germany, by offering subsidizies for the higher costs of fuel produced using these methods for use by the military. The Interior Minister, Dr. Jarres of the DNVP, whose party championed the measure, said, "The bill will have costs to the taxpayers, let there be no argument there. But it will also help us be more self-sufficient in the future, if an infrastructure is in place to create fuel that we might normally buy from outside Germany within our own borders."


May 16, 1932 - Grafenwohr

Designs have been received from both Porsche and MAN for the first tanks to be built in Germany since the end of the Great War. Reports suggest that both designs draw heavily on the Christie design already in service with the Heer, which should be no surprise as both companies have purchased a license for that design. Also submitted were a number of designs for half-tracked artillery tractors, and one design for a half-tracked personnel carrier (though the Heer currently does not have a requirement for such a vehicle).

May 19, 1932 - Kiel

The Bulgarian Naval Attache was seen visiting the port today, and there are rumors of possible negotiations between Bulgaria and Germany over a sale of naval vessels.


May 29, 1932 - Berlin

Preparations are being completed for the visit to Germany by the King of Nordmark. The government is hopeful that this visit means that the lingering ill-will between the two countries stemming from the events of the Great War is ebbing and that more friendly relations may be in the offing for the future. In any event, all pomp and ceremony is being prepared for the first visit by a reigning monarch in several years.

June 2, 1932 - Kiel

King Carl Phillip of Nordmark and his personal train have arrived in Kiel, to a full-scale welcoming ceremony. Bands played, confetti flew, and flags were waved on all sides. The King's train was rolled off the train ferry on which it arrived onto the tracks, and, after the tracks were confirmed to be clear, the train sped off for Berlin.


June 3, 1932 - Berlin

King Carl Phillip of Nordmark's arrival in the capital of the Reich was greeted with the rolling thunder of a 21-gun salute, the solemn marching of the honor guards, and the rather less solemn music of the marching bands and the flag-waving crowds. The King is expected to spend part of his time closeted with the government, discussing matters of state, and part of his time touring the country.

June 13, 1932 - Berlin

Luft Hansa has announced the entry into service of a new seaplane for mail deliveries over long distances. The new Dornier Do-18, equipped with 2 Junkers Jumo 205 diesel engines, will be used to fly the mails over distances greater than allowed by the current Do-15 'Wal'.



June 19, 1932 - Fredricshafen

Luftschiffbau-Zeppelin, Gmb. H. has announced the ordering of two new Zeppelins, based on an improved Hindenburg design, for use in passenger flights and to eventually replace Graf Zeppelin.

Note: Back in the 30s it was Luft Hansa, not Lufthansa as today... Just nitpicking.... ;o)

Junee 27, 1932 - Berlin

The German Foreign Ministry, in a diplomatic message sent to all of the Cleito Treaty signatories, makes the following proposal for discussion at the upcoming Cowes meeting:

1 - all nations currently allocated "Greek", "Indian", or "Australian" limits be given "French" limits under the Treaty.

2 - all nations currently allocated "French" limits be given "Dutch" limits under the Treaty.

3 - all nations currently allocated "Dutch" limits be given "Italian" limits under the Treaty.

4 - all other allocations to remain the same.

5 - "Greek" limits to be renamed to "Outside the Treaty" limits.

The SAE ambassador hands over a note from the South African King to the German Foreign Minister which includes a refusal of the proposal made on June 27. A general lift af all those limits is against the spirit of the Cleito Treaty. No arms treaty serves a purpose if it does not limit all signatories to the lowest possible level.

OOC sine I don't think the other nations will know about that note.
Ah yes... The SAE... They always like to tighten the limits a little bit more...
Hooman, I think we should grant you your wish then...

The South-African Empire. . . . . . . . . 8 . . 240,000 tons
The rest unchanged.

In theory, the German Foreign Ministry can understand the SAE's position. In practice, however, it seems extraordinarily unlikely that a country that is currently placed on an equal basis with another in the Treaty will voluntarily give up that position. That is the reason that all countries in a given bracket were treated the same, even if not all have complained about their current allocations.

In any event, the proposal was merely a point for discussion, if it is rejected the German government will not be upset.