WesWorld

{Error on my part, backdated to get it into the right timeframe, should have come out sooner.}

October 4, 1932 - Berlin

The Kreigsmarine has announced the planned sale of the battleship Helgoland to Bulgaria. Upon her transfer to new ownership in the new year, her crew will be reassigned to the new large cruisers Blucher and Von der Tann as those ships leave dockyard hands.

One of the recent news items got me thinking (always dangerous, I know...)

As I recall, Germany's joining of the Cleito treaty enabled the Versailles limitations on her navy be adjusted, but has anything been done to allow germany to be rebuilding it's army and airforce?

Quoted

Originally posted by ShinRa_Inc
As I recall, Germany's joining of the Cleito treaty enabled the Versailles limitations on her navy be adjusted, but has anything been done to allow germany to be rebuilding it's army and airforce?

It was assumed, by me and seemingly everyone else, that the lifting of the naval restrictions was in parallel with the lifting of the restrictions as a whole. Certainly no country has made a fuss, to this point, and Germany has not been at all secretive about the formation of an airforce, the enlargement of the army, etc. But I don't believe there was an explicit lifting of all of the Versailles clauses.

Beware the Canuck, at least in its' WW variety....

Is the Rhineland still demilitarized?

Quoted

Is the Rhineland still demilitarized?

I don't remember if that was a part of Versailles, or part of the consequences of not being able to make the reparations payments.

...so Germany is in blatant breach of the Versailles treaty, and at the same time embargoing Canada for not following a treaty it didn't actually sign.

hmm...

Not quite, as I said, it has been assumed (the sim being more concerned with matters naval than with matters on land or in the air) that the lifting of naval restrictions was in parallel with the lifting of the other restrictions. Certainly Germany would be rather more concerned with getting the army and air force restrictions lifted than it would be with the naval restrictions.

True the sim is naval based but that doesn't prevent other treaty's from applying IC.


Looks like we need to examine the other military aspects of the Versailles treaty and the issue of de-militarization.

I was wondering if the other Europeans were going to notice or not. Aside from some misgivings over Austria, there hasn't been much say on the matter on the continent nor from Britian.

Atlantis has noticed the build up, but expected it to be more naval oriented(Chalk that up to the naval basis of this sim).

Actually, I take it back, Versailles WAS discussed in relation to the Copenhavn talks, see the thread here.

December 30, 1932 - Berlin

President Braun addressed Germany and Austria today, in preparation for the great events to come in less than 36 hours.

"People of Germany and Austria, I salute you. In less than two days time, a dream of both countries will come true, the union of the peoples of our nations under a single flag. Preparations have been made for this event, but the possibility remains of some confusion during the change. I ask you, all of you, to be patient during this time of transition, your civil servants, soldiers and police officers will be doing their best in a time of change. But soon this transition period will be over, and then we will hold all in government to their usual high standards."

"I also stand here to remind all of you that there will be elections for the new national government this year. Those of who live within the current German borders know that our national elections for this past year were delayed, and I applaud all of you for understanding the reasons why. But those elections will be coming this year, for all national posts throughout the borders of the union of Germany and Austria. First, in April, there will be an election for President, then in August a new Reichstag will be elected. For those who live within the borders of Austria, the election laws are not so different than your current laws, but they have been printed and will be distributed throughout your land by the end of January of 1933, because the elections of 1932 were delayed into 1933 specifically to allow you to have a full say in your government."