WesWorld

July 1, 1935 - Berlin

Luft Hansa has announced the planned initiation of non-stop flights from Berlin to Cleito, Atlantis aboard Luft Hansa's new Fw-200 aircraft. Flights will be twice weekly, on Mondays and Thursdays, with return flights on Tuesdays and Fridays. Flights are scheduled to begin mid-month.


July 4, 1935 - Kiel

The Kriegsmarine's 4th Security Battalion, formerly tasked with the security of the KM's base at Kiel, has boarded three ships and is sailing, in concert with the cruiser KM Prinz Eugen and the torpedoboats T-3, T-6, and T-7, to Memell. The convoy is expected to dock at Memel in the afternoon of July 7.

July 6, 1935 - Berlin

Grand Admiral Raeder was closetted with Foreign Minister Stressemann and Chancellor Jarres, as they discussed a possible opening with the new British government.

"What can we give them that will both not hurt us and make them feel safe? Certainly they should have no fear of the Heer, and the battlefleet we have, even counting those ships on the stocks, is too small in number to really threaten them. Last time it was the submarines that really hurt them. Is there anything there we can give them?" asked Stressemann.

Admiral Raeder steepled his fingers. "The Type I U-boats we're currently building are not real threats to the British people: they're too short-ranged and lightly armed for useful commerce raiding in the Atlantic. Their designed task was to protect Germany from invasions or raids by Nordmark or Great Britain, but more than that? Not really. With the collapse of the treaty regime at San Francisco last year, the KM has been looking into larger U-boats similar to the U-cruisers and middle-Us that served in the Great War. We weren't planning on asking for any until 1937 at the earliest however. There are some research projects ongoing right now that might change how U-boats are powered as well, those projects are doing well enough we're reluctant to put lots of funds into U-boats that might become obsolete very rapidly. So I think the KM can support some sort of long-range U-boat limitation proposals."

Chancellor Jarres added "We should keep the right to build some large U-boats the British are not the only possible adversary against whom they might be used. But if the KM does not feel the need right now for large numbers of such vessels, it makes some sense to use this to gain friends in the UK."


July 7, 1935 - Memel

The cruiser KM Prinz Eugen, the torpedoboats T-3, T-6, and T-7 and three ships carrying the Kriegsmarine's 4th Security Battalion, formerly tasked with the security of the KM's base at Kiel rode into Memell harbor late this morning.

July 10, 1935 - Berlin

The Heer has released a request for proposals for a medium AA cannon. The request is for an automatic cannon of 5cm-5.7cm bore, for use by the Heer against marauding low- to medium-altitude aircraft.

July 7, 1935 - Berlin

The Foreign Ministry released a statement today:

"In response to statements from Moscow and now Warsaw, Germany has this to say: Germany has no knowledge of any quid pro quo between Lithuania and Russia on the matter of Memel, as far as we know the Treaty of Stockholm was arrived at strictly by negotiations between the German and Lithuanian governments, with some assistance from the crown and government of Nordmark in reaching final agreement. Germany views the statements coming out of both Moscow and Warsaw in the past few days as unnecessarily bellicose and threatening. We ask that all parties refrain from actions that may grow larger than intended and take on a life of their own, resulting in circumstances that were not anticipated when the first steps were taken. We all too well remember the summer of 1914 and do not wish to see the mistakes of that time repeated."

July 8th, 1935 - Berlin

The Foreign Ministry released another statement today:

"In light of the continuing violence in Lithuania, Germany would like to propose the following:

1 - A cease fire, to begin at midnight local time on July 10th (or another date the parties agree on).
2 - Mediation between the government and their disaffected citizens to be conducted by 1-3 outside parties that can be agreed upon by both sides.


To the leaders of both sides in this conflict, Germany directs the following: Gentlemen, please consider this - your responses and decisions may well affect the rest of Europe, drawing the rest of Europe and possibly even the wider world into your struggle. If that happens, there can be no good foretelling of the events that will ensue. If the flames of your war rise higher and spread, those flames may well rage to a degree that set alight areas that seem safe now. We pray you hear our call and put down the rifle and the hand grenade, to instead pick up the paper and pen. Yes, this may not lead to total victory, as you might believe the other way may. But that other way can also lead to near-total ruin. We pray you, on both sides, heed our call to take up peace while you can.


Gustav Stresemann,
Foreign Minister of the German Reich"

Gravity of situation in Lithuania compels me to support proposal by my friend and colleague Gustav Stresemann, and I reiterate his plea for combatants to lay down arms and begin to talk about their grievances.

The Call from Foreign Minister Stressemann for a Mediation between the Polish, Lithuanian, and Lithuanian rebel leaders. To aide in this mediation, I am offering the use of my palace in Stockholm, as the venue for these talks, with each delegation being escorted to the meeting aboard a vessel of the Royal Nordmark Navy of the Baltic Fleet.

Signed,

His Majesty King Carl Phillip of Nordmark

July 8, 1935 - Berlin

The Foreign Ministry has released a statement in response to todays statement by the Polish government: "Germany will be pleased to use whatever offices it can to achieve a peaceful settlement in Lithuania. If it will help, once a cease fire is reached Germany is willing to provide aerial transport and escort for any leaders who need it to Koenigsburg, where they can meet with a Nordish warship to sail to Stockholm for peace talks."


July 8, 1935 - Berlin

The July 8 Heer Generalstab meeting was dominated by the combination of the Treaty of Kaunus and the July 5 speech by Russia's President Chernov.

"So, now Lithuania is, effectively, in the Russian orbit again. Makes you wonder why we bothered in 1917."

"True, but in their situation, the Russians were more eager to defend them than we were, so they accepted the offer. And it appears that it may have worked."

"For us, though, that leaves the Russians effectively on the border of East Prussia. Yes, the treaty doesn't quite say that, but as the Lithuanians are drawn deeper and deeper into the Russian orbit it will likely come to that. What will we do?"

"The first thing to do will be to strengthen the East Prussian border defences. The forts there date from before the Great War, they need to be updated. While that's going on, we'll need to reinforce the 5th Corps, as we had planned earlier and then put on hold. It's all but certain that the Reichstag will be ordering an increase in the size of the Heer in response to President Chernov's speech, so 4th Corps can be replaced with a new infantry corps to be stationed at Nuremberg."

"Speaking of an increase in our top-line, what should we recommend?"

"Current thought is to recommend an increase to 600,000 men by this time next year. Those will be infantry, it doesn't look like there will be enough panzers available to really add any panzer units we don't currently have planned in that timeframe."

"How about reserves?"

"The reserves are actually doing well at the moment, there are plenty of weapons and ammunition in store for them other than the usual shortages of artillery and now anti-aircraft and anti-tank weapons. With the growth of the Heer over the last 6 years and the graduation of 5 classes of draftees, we won't have to rely on Great War ex-soldiers as much now as we would have before, though they'll certainly allow us to leaven units with experienced soldiers should we need the reserves."

"Very well, I'll send the recommendations on to the Chancellor."

July 12, 1935 - Berlin

The RLM has sent a request to the German aircraft industry for an aircraft engine that produces 1800 KW at takeoff on no more than 1200 kg weight. Small physical size is seen as particularly desirable.

[The genesis of work on the Jumo 222 and DB-604 designs. Who knows, in WW, they might even get built in quantity! ]

Meanwhile, work progresses at Daimler-Benz on their follow-on to the DB-601, the DB-603. Work on the first prototype is expected to finish within six weeks, and then it will be sent to the test bench. Expectations within DB are that the -603 V1 should exceed 1200 KW at a weight of around 900 kg.

Over at Junkers, work continues on a pressurized-cooling version of the Jumo 211. The unpressurised cooling loop of the Jumo-211s currently being built limit the engine to low-to-medium altitude service, as the unpressurized coolant cannot add as much heat before boiling as altitude increases, a disadvantage that the competing DB-600 and -601 do not share.

I quite like the look of the DB 604. Its nice and compact and probably easier to use than the Ju 222 from the fewer cylinders. Cooling might become a bit of a problem, the annular radiators might not be able to cope.

The DB-604 and the Jumo-222 have the same number of cylinders, both have 24 cylinders (both, in their initial versions, 135mm bore and 135mm stroke). The major difference is layout: the -604 is an X with 4 banks of 6 cylinders, while the -222 is a star with 6 banks of 4 cylinders.

I could have sworn it was 6 banks of 6 cylinders. There still seems to be rather a difference in bulk.

Nope, 6 banks of 4 cylinders on the Jumo-222. The -222 will be a touch bigger frontally (though it's only 1.16m wide), but it will be shorter (it's only 2.4m long).

July 17, 1935 - Berlin

The government today has pushed through a bill authorizing an increase in the Heer to a total of 600,000 men. This is widely seen as a reaction to the speech by Russian President Chernov announcing plans to increase the size of the Russian army.


July 23, 1935 - Berlin

In response to questions after the speech by the British Foreign Minister, Foreign Minister Stressemann answered several questions about Czechoslovakia:

"Yes, we have had discussions with the government of Czechoslovakia, no agreement has been reached or is imminent. In fact, at this time any such agreement would probably be premature, as we don't know the true feelings of the people of the Sudetenland. We have received a large number of complaints, but we are not in a position to verify them ourselves. Those complaints will be forwarded to the League of Nations for investigation under the treaty signed in 1919. If the complaints prove to have merit, I expect there may be more discussions with my counterpart in Prague. It may prove, however, that the complaints are not merited, in which case we will have fewer concerns for our brethren just across our borders."

"No, no, absolutely not. Germany has no desire or wish to incorporate more of Czechoslovakia than the Sudetenland into the Reich. There is no intention in the government to attempt to reclaim all the lands of Imperial Germany, let alone the Austro-Hungarian empire. Those days are past, and will not come again."

"That is a purely hypothetical question, but it could be answered thusly: I would expect that, should a preliminary agreement be reached, a plebiscite similar to the one held in Austria before that country joined the Reich would be held in the Sudetenland. If that plebiscite should show a preference for joining the German Reich, then the governments of Germany and Czechoslovakia would need to work out details, such as how much compensation would need to be paid to the Czech government to cover the cost of dismantling and moving their border defences, what sort of contracts would be needed to ensure that the Czechs would still have electricity supplies that might come from the Sudetenland, whether any demilitarized zones are needed, whether any foreign guarantees of Czechoslovakian independence are needed and can be arranged, etc, etc. Quite a lot of work, much more so than in fact than Austria joining the Reich entailed since then we did not need to leave a completely functioning and stable state behind. As I siad, though, at this point that is completely hypothetical, no agreement even approaching that has been worked out."

"No, sir, I do not expect any resolution of this issue in the near future. As they say, Rome was not built in a day, and these things take time. If, as I hope, the League is given the information we have by the end of August, we cannot expect the League to complete it's investigation before the end of the year. And that is merely the investigation, any discussion of situations and remedies will take more time, The best hope, if the complaints we have turn out to be false or overstated, is that this situation will blow over by the end of the year. Otherwise, I expect it will continue for into the new year and the future beyond that."

August 12, 1935 - Manzell

First flight of the prototype Dornier Do-217. This aircraft, powered by DB-601s like the Do-215, is an improved design built along similar lines to the Do-17 already in service, but altogether a larger and more capable aircraft..


September 6, 1935 - Manzell

The prototype Do-217 crashed today in a ball of flames, killing the two-man crew. The aircraft, already noted to be underpowered and sluggish with 2 DB-601s, crashed during single-engine flight testing.

August 19, 1935 - Munich

The first BMW-139 radial engines to leave the BMW factory have been sent out. 6 went to Junkers, another 6 to Heinkel, and 3 to Focke-Wulf.

July 9, 1935 - Berlin

The German government expressed it's sadness at the actions of the Lithuanian Government troops in continuing the attacks at Vilnius today. "The government has accepted the idea of a conference in Stockholm in the near future, and is working on it's delegation. Yet they continue attacking, at great cost in lives. Why? If the idea is to improve their bargaining position, it seems unnecessary. If the idea is to destroy the rebellion, then why accept the idea of the peace conference? The German government is disappointed in the actions we have learned of today in Vilnius, we had hoped for better."


july 10, 1935 - Berlin

Foreign Minister Stressemann put his head in his hands after reading the telegram reporting that the Poles had crossed the Lithuanian border. He muttered under his breath, "Bismarck had the Balkans, I have the Baltic. Bismark was right in his time, will we see the same from the Baltic?"

The German government released a statement on the news of the Polish incursion into Lithuania: "Germany is extremely concerned by this latest news from the Polish-Lithuanian border. If it is true that Polish forces, in numbers, have crossed the border, this has very serious implications for the peaceful future of Europe. Germany pleads with all sides in this conflict to accept the proposed cease-fire as of midnight tonight and for the removal of all Polish soldiers from within the borders of Lithuania."



july 10, 1935 - Berlin

At the Generalstab meeting, the question was what needed to be accelerated given the latest news.

"We need 4th Corps there NOW. How can it be accelerated?"

"It's move orders were only cut yesterday, with an arrival date of late August, so they're certainly not ready to move yet. That's not to say that they can't get moving faster, if ordered to, but it will likely be the end of the month before they can get there even with an order to speed things up."

"Well, do that."

August 22, 1935 - Grafenwohr

The competitors for the Heer's anti-tank gun competition have delivered their weapons. The Krupp entry is an enlarged version of the current 28/20mm Schwere Panzerbuchse 34, having a 42mm projectile that exits the bore as a 28mm projectile. The Rheinmetall alternative is a much more conservative design, using the 50mm KwK 35 cannon as used on the Panzer III tank as it's basis, and firing 50mm projectiles. The Krupp entry is lighter in weight, but the Rheinmetall entry would allow for more commonality with the already on order panzers (at least in their ammunition and barrels, the breech and recoil mechanisms, not to mention mountings, are different between the panzer cannon and the proposed anti-tank gun).


September 20, Munich

An additional 4 early production BMW-139 engines have left the BMW plant, headed for Manzell and the Dornier Werke. Given the timing, an easy guess is that these engines are intended to power another prototype of the crashed Do-217 bomber that Dornier is working on, but an alternative use might be on the Do-24 seaplane.


September 24, 1935 - Meppen

The three candidates for the Heer's medium anti-aircraft cannon competition have delivered their entries. The two domestic weapons, from Krupp and Rheinmetall, are both developmental models, needing some time before they would be ready for fielding. Both are 50mm weapons. The surprise entry, from Vickers of Great Britain, is a 57mm weapon, clip fed like the others, and is ready for purchase (barring any changes desired by the Heer).

August 14, 1935 - Berlin

General Udet, head of the Luftwaffe, was talking with Hermann Goering, the head of the RLM.

Udet: "One thing that that business in Lithuania showed is that we're lacking in recon aircraft. I couldn't have sent a plane up over Lithuania without taking the chance that someone would have gotten lucky and shot it down. A plane that could cruise above the reach of AA guns, and most fighters, would have been VERY useful, assuming of course that Zeiss or Leica could build lenses to take good pictures from 15,000 meters!"

Goering: "That would require some special engines, the Ju-49 didn't reach that high and it was designed just for high altitude testing."

"Could it be done, though?"

"Probably, though I don't know the details. We'd have to see what the manufacturers say."

"Ask them, we've a little money left in the budget."

Quoted

"Could it be done, though?"

Doubtful. Only military planes that could go that high were the Bv 155 and Ca. 183. For current, 10,000-12,000m should be adequate, which can be done without excessively complicated supercharging.