Eisen, Blut und Fernhandel -German Unification in the 1860s
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Kitiem3000
Donor
Belgium wants parts of the Netherlands? Belgium can suck it!
Even though ITT I'm technically German, I'm simply annoyed at the attitude towards a beloved neighbour...
Even though ITT I'm technically German, I'm simply annoyed at the attitude towards a beloved neighbour...
Limburger then, or did I miss something else in the German-dutch border? Just curious.
Kitiem3000
Donor
No, you pretty much nailed it. I live in Heerlen, some 25 km east from Maastricht. Roughly 6 km from the border.
It bites a bit that I was annexed into Germany. It happens surprisingly little in other timelines.
Wolf1965
Donor
From the book "From West Frankia to Now - the History of France", Marc Bloch 1951
Plan XVII from outer Space
Some compatriots will snub me for the disparaging name I gave the main plan of France in the first part of the Big War. But what should I call a plan which was outdated by the time it was made already?
One thing Ferry and Rouvier were unable to reform, despite changing style in many areas, was the French military. For a lot of officers the loss in the Romanic-Germanic War was an anomaly. High attacking spirit had led France to most wins in the last century, so losing to the Germans had to be bad luck, not sub-optimal planning.
So in 1911 offensive a outrance (utmost attack) was still part of the French doctrines. And Plan XVII breathed this. Often called the "Romanic Schlieffen-Plan", it might have functioned in 1868, but that is debatable in light of the Moltke-Plan for that war, in 1911 definitely not.
Made by Generals Joffre and Foch, the basic ideas were sound. A sizeable French-Italian- British corps would attack Austria in the Po plains, with enough force so that Austria would need to call in help from Germany, weakening them further North. If failing that, they would at least prevent several Central Powers units from moving. The main forces of France-Belgium and another expedition corps of Britain would amass at the German west border. The main thrusts were aimed at the Elsaß-Mömpelgard region and through Luxemburg and German Wallonia (the Lüttich/Liege region).
Part of the swift and heavy attack on Germany was the try to throw the German forces into disarray before they could attack the Franco-Belgian regions. Since Germany had won a clear victory in 1868, it was believed that Germany would attack France first to knock the out of the war and then turn to fight or negotiate in the East. And what was known of the German planning, hinted at this to be true. Germany had made a lot of exercises in her western areas.
The surprise was big, when the Entente forces reached the German positions and found out that there was not a gigantic mass of Feldgrau waiting to attack, but sizeable defensive installations, which pounded the attackers with abandon. With heavy losses mounting, the Entente forces pushed on into German territory.
But in the end stood a bitter, heavy defeat for France and her allies. (like in OTL as well) Within weeks the Germans had largely pushed out the attackers. While Lüttich and Beffert were still beleaguered by Entente forces, beside these areas only a few bits of Luxemburg and Elsaß were in French hands. While it was not the Schwerpunkt of the German plans for now, the commanders in the west still had freedom to counterattack as far as their reserves allowed. Due to this, German troops were quite deep into Lorraine and Argonne at this point to build up a buffer zone. One thing Germany held a serious advantage in was the railways, of which Germany had a denser and better planned net. This enabled them to better counter the French attacks and made advances easier up to a certain point.
The first round in the west went mostly to Germany.
From the book "Die Geburtsstunde des Panzers" (The Tank´s birthing hour), B&G Verlag 2011
This year it is a century since Germany got her first tanks and this by courtesy of two dead men. Field Marshal Moltke and Count Schlieffen were already dead when the Great Conflagration broke out. But their plan made a difference.
Gunter Burstyn was a young, creative officer in the Austrian Army. After a tour of duty in the Albrechtsburg colony he was greatly impressed by the utility of torpedo-boats and thought about a "Land torpedo boat", but did not design one since he had no idea how to make that work. This changed in 1905, when he witnessed a tracked vehicle at an exposition. In his mind he combined his idea of a torpedo boat for land operations with tracks as the motive unit. Due to several reasons, he had few time for his idea and it was not until late 1910, when he began to design in earnest. In early 1911, still before the War, he presented his blueprint to the Austrian Army, but it was not accepted. The Austrian Army of that time was deeply conservative and even more important, the testing department was always short on money.
So Burstyn went over the border and to the German War Ministry. Here the design was deemed interesting, but not really needed. (That is the same reaction as OTL, by the way) Still, there was one thing which convinced the ministry to order a production test run, earmarked for the Heeresgruppe Ost. Since the Schlieffen-Plan called for a Russia first strategy, which meant going deeply into enemy territory if needed, the troops would need every help they could get.
The War Ministry was sceptical that Burstyn´s "Motorgeschütz"(motored cannon), as he called it, would be such a great help in a coming war. There are many documents in the archives which document how shocked the ministry was, when the first reports from the Eastern Front came back, together with an order from High Command East for as many "MoGs", as the frontline troops nicknamed them, as could be sent.
The problem was since the War Ministry did not count with a success of Burstyn´s brainchild, there were not more to be sent. One of the biggest oops on the Central Powers side. Hectic activity in the ministry broke out, to cover up this failing and cashing in on this development. It hurt them deeply that one of the most glowing reports about the MoGs came from one of the longest serving soldiers of all time, the later Field Marshal Mackensen.
While the Army found out soon that the Motorengeschütze had their shortcomings, they were still unbelievably useful and the shouts for more of them got louder consistently.
Meanwhile back in Berlin, the War Ministry had ordered every car producer in Germany, like Daimler in Stuttgart, to build and further develop the "Panzerkampfwagen 1"(lit. Armoured Combat Car 1). In order to better cover their blunder, the ministry thought it useful to change the name of the weapon. And in order to deflect critic the officials unknowingly would help the Uboot force to make a name for itself.
To give the appearance of being in the drivers seat, the War Ministry contacted the Navy and convinced them to send a few disassembled MoGs to the Army Group Far East.
Since it was top secret stuff sent around the world, Admiral Tirpitz decided to use one of his special loves, submarines. Willi Forstmann together with 3 other "Großboote", broke through the blockade and became the first Uboots to cross the Nicaragua Channel in wartime. Since they sunk 6 enemy ships during their travel, if no warships among them, the submariners got good press for the first time.
Back at the Eastern Front the soldiers had already nicknamed the new designation of the MoGs, a name that would stick to this day: Panzer
When you go into a technical museum and look at a Panzer 1, one thing is obvious. Despite not without flaws, for instance the driver´s position was already changed during the production of the first MoG, because it was so bad, Burstyn´s invention looks a lot more modern than the contemporary tanks the Entente would be producing in the World War.
A moveable turret, a cannon in said turret, that sounds quite familiar. While looking quite clunky by modern standards, the Panzer 1 would not look totally out of place among his newer brethen.
Less familiar is another of Burstyn´s inventions, the sticklike climbing helps sticking out in front of the tank. Back then it was a really good idea, but even just few years later the Panzer 3 did not need them anymore and the helps became obsolete due to technological advances.
The appearance of the Panzer 1 on the battlefield was a shock for the Entente powers, but it´s impact goes beyond that. Russia, who was unable to field a good tank of it´s own during the whole war and had to rely on models sent by her allies, was deeply influenced by this. To this day, the two Russias are among the forefront in Tank development.
Germany is still among the forefront of Panzer development and use as well. In the Central Powers the Panzer became not only a symbol of military power, but one of industry too. When the fighting in the World War got more desperate, the Central Powers began a halfway concerted action to produce more tanks together. Many car firms in these nations exist because of this planning. Bulgaria´s premier car factory today was founded as a tank producer in the last year of the Big War.
The two Russias, the Chinas, the Central Powers and France are the major users and developers of Tanks and large Panzer Divisions. The successes of e.g. Germany, Tsarist Russia, Japan or Imperial China in conflicts after the World War depended on the use of their Armoured Corps. France learned to embrace Tanks fully in her African campaigns.
Among the other major powers on Earth, for example the US, Britain and the Republic of China have developed into a different direction. due to their experiences with Panzer over the years. While they have armoured corps too, it is mostly light stuff, not the rows and rows of Battle Tanks the Russians or Germans could field. Having had their conflicts mainly in regions adverse to tank use, the operational parameters are different.
They use Panzer mainly for Recon, harrasment, hit-and-run and Infantry support, not the "mini armies" the typical Panzer divisions are.
Plan XVII from outer Space
Some compatriots will snub me for the disparaging name I gave the main plan of France in the first part of the Big War. But what should I call a plan which was outdated by the time it was made already?
One thing Ferry and Rouvier were unable to reform, despite changing style in many areas, was the French military. For a lot of officers the loss in the Romanic-Germanic War was an anomaly. High attacking spirit had led France to most wins in the last century, so losing to the Germans had to be bad luck, not sub-optimal planning.
So in 1911 offensive a outrance (utmost attack) was still part of the French doctrines. And Plan XVII breathed this. Often called the "Romanic Schlieffen-Plan", it might have functioned in 1868, but that is debatable in light of the Moltke-Plan for that war, in 1911 definitely not.
Made by Generals Joffre and Foch, the basic ideas were sound. A sizeable French-Italian- British corps would attack Austria in the Po plains, with enough force so that Austria would need to call in help from Germany, weakening them further North. If failing that, they would at least prevent several Central Powers units from moving. The main forces of France-Belgium and another expedition corps of Britain would amass at the German west border. The main thrusts were aimed at the Elsaß-Mömpelgard region and through Luxemburg and German Wallonia (the Lüttich/Liege region).
Part of the swift and heavy attack on Germany was the try to throw the German forces into disarray before they could attack the Franco-Belgian regions. Since Germany had won a clear victory in 1868, it was believed that Germany would attack France first to knock the out of the war and then turn to fight or negotiate in the East. And what was known of the German planning, hinted at this to be true. Germany had made a lot of exercises in her western areas.
The surprise was big, when the Entente forces reached the German positions and found out that there was not a gigantic mass of Feldgrau waiting to attack, but sizeable defensive installations, which pounded the attackers with abandon. With heavy losses mounting, the Entente forces pushed on into German territory.
But in the end stood a bitter, heavy defeat for France and her allies. (like in OTL as well) Within weeks the Germans had largely pushed out the attackers. While Lüttich and Beffert were still beleaguered by Entente forces, beside these areas only a few bits of Luxemburg and Elsaß were in French hands. While it was not the Schwerpunkt of the German plans for now, the commanders in the west still had freedom to counterattack as far as their reserves allowed. Due to this, German troops were quite deep into Lorraine and Argonne at this point to build up a buffer zone. One thing Germany held a serious advantage in was the railways, of which Germany had a denser and better planned net. This enabled them to better counter the French attacks and made advances easier up to a certain point.
The first round in the west went mostly to Germany.
From the book "Die Geburtsstunde des Panzers" (The Tank´s birthing hour), B&G Verlag 2011
This year it is a century since Germany got her first tanks and this by courtesy of two dead men. Field Marshal Moltke and Count Schlieffen were already dead when the Great Conflagration broke out. But their plan made a difference.
Gunter Burstyn was a young, creative officer in the Austrian Army. After a tour of duty in the Albrechtsburg colony he was greatly impressed by the utility of torpedo-boats and thought about a "Land torpedo boat", but did not design one since he had no idea how to make that work. This changed in 1905, when he witnessed a tracked vehicle at an exposition. In his mind he combined his idea of a torpedo boat for land operations with tracks as the motive unit. Due to several reasons, he had few time for his idea and it was not until late 1910, when he began to design in earnest. In early 1911, still before the War, he presented his blueprint to the Austrian Army, but it was not accepted. The Austrian Army of that time was deeply conservative and even more important, the testing department was always short on money.
So Burstyn went over the border and to the German War Ministry. Here the design was deemed interesting, but not really needed. (That is the same reaction as OTL, by the way) Still, there was one thing which convinced the ministry to order a production test run, earmarked for the Heeresgruppe Ost. Since the Schlieffen-Plan called for a Russia first strategy, which meant going deeply into enemy territory if needed, the troops would need every help they could get.
The War Ministry was sceptical that Burstyn´s "Motorgeschütz"(motored cannon), as he called it, would be such a great help in a coming war. There are many documents in the archives which document how shocked the ministry was, when the first reports from the Eastern Front came back, together with an order from High Command East for as many "MoGs", as the frontline troops nicknamed them, as could be sent.
The problem was since the War Ministry did not count with a success of Burstyn´s brainchild, there were not more to be sent. One of the biggest oops on the Central Powers side. Hectic activity in the ministry broke out, to cover up this failing and cashing in on this development. It hurt them deeply that one of the most glowing reports about the MoGs came from one of the longest serving soldiers of all time, the later Field Marshal Mackensen.
While the Army found out soon that the Motorengeschütze had their shortcomings, they were still unbelievably useful and the shouts for more of them got louder consistently.
Meanwhile back in Berlin, the War Ministry had ordered every car producer in Germany, like Daimler in Stuttgart, to build and further develop the "Panzerkampfwagen 1"(lit. Armoured Combat Car 1). In order to better cover their blunder, the ministry thought it useful to change the name of the weapon. And in order to deflect critic the officials unknowingly would help the Uboot force to make a name for itself.
To give the appearance of being in the drivers seat, the War Ministry contacted the Navy and convinced them to send a few disassembled MoGs to the Army Group Far East.
Since it was top secret stuff sent around the world, Admiral Tirpitz decided to use one of his special loves, submarines. Willi Forstmann together with 3 other "Großboote", broke through the blockade and became the first Uboots to cross the Nicaragua Channel in wartime. Since they sunk 6 enemy ships during their travel, if no warships among them, the submariners got good press for the first time.
Back at the Eastern Front the soldiers had already nicknamed the new designation of the MoGs, a name that would stick to this day: Panzer
When you go into a technical museum and look at a Panzer 1, one thing is obvious. Despite not without flaws, for instance the driver´s position was already changed during the production of the first MoG, because it was so bad, Burstyn´s invention looks a lot more modern than the contemporary tanks the Entente would be producing in the World War.
A moveable turret, a cannon in said turret, that sounds quite familiar. While looking quite clunky by modern standards, the Panzer 1 would not look totally out of place among his newer brethen.
Less familiar is another of Burstyn´s inventions, the sticklike climbing helps sticking out in front of the tank. Back then it was a really good idea, but even just few years later the Panzer 3 did not need them anymore and the helps became obsolete due to technological advances.
The appearance of the Panzer 1 on the battlefield was a shock for the Entente powers, but it´s impact goes beyond that. Russia, who was unable to field a good tank of it´s own during the whole war and had to rely on models sent by her allies, was deeply influenced by this. To this day, the two Russias are among the forefront in Tank development.
Germany is still among the forefront of Panzer development and use as well. In the Central Powers the Panzer became not only a symbol of military power, but one of industry too. When the fighting in the World War got more desperate, the Central Powers began a halfway concerted action to produce more tanks together. Many car firms in these nations exist because of this planning. Bulgaria´s premier car factory today was founded as a tank producer in the last year of the Big War.
The two Russias, the Chinas, the Central Powers and France are the major users and developers of Tanks and large Panzer Divisions. The successes of e.g. Germany, Tsarist Russia, Japan or Imperial China in conflicts after the World War depended on the use of their Armoured Corps. France learned to embrace Tanks fully in her African campaigns.
Among the other major powers on Earth, for example the US, Britain and the Republic of China have developed into a different direction. due to their experiences with Panzer over the years. While they have armoured corps too, it is mostly light stuff, not the rows and rows of Battle Tanks the Russians or Germans could field. Having had their conflicts mainly in regions adverse to tank use, the operational parameters are different.
They use Panzer mainly for Recon, harrasment, hit-and-run and Infantry support, not the "mini armies" the typical Panzer divisions are.
Wolf1965
Donor
From the stenographic notes of an Oval Office meeting 2016
"So you want the condensed findings of our investigation, Mr. President?"
"Yes, Dr. Harper. I will read your full report later on, but me and the secretaries need something short to start work with. What did you find out? What can we do to knit the North American Trade Zone as close together as the majority of the Zollverein is? Especially what Germany and Japan did? Can we repeat it with Efisga? For some decades they make movements into more independent policies."
"Well, Mr. President, Madame Vice-President, please do not take it the wrong way, but what you said at the election summit 3 years back is evidence of the problem itself."
"What do you mean?"
"Throwing Germany into one pot with Asian powers. That might be good election rhetoric, but it is simply wrong. Not only for our tries to understand them better, but also for our tries to copy what works for them."
"But they are Asia-"
"Pardon my interrupt, Madame Vice-President, but let me explain. Yes, the Germans have a massive asian minority. Roughly 20 million Asian-descended live there, in a nation with about 184 million citizens. First came the Japanese, then during 2 decades in the 20th century a number of Koreans and since the last twenty years or so some immgrants from the two Chinas.
But that does not make them Asian, neither does having a Japanese descended Foreign minister.
Germany has shrines, kimonos, asian food, loanwords and stuff and they still are Germany. There still is Neuschwanstein and other castles, they speak German, they write typical German novels, Shinto is an accepted, but still a minority religion, they eat their own cuisine, take your own further picks.
Japan is the same. They might be the most western- and German-influenced nation in Asia, but they still are Japanese. They still speak Japanese, they eat their food, they make their own stage plays... Seeing Japanese girls in Dirndls or being able to get 1 liter beer mugs in Japan, does not make Japan western or German.
As said, lumping them all together is good for a simplifying election campaign, but not for the government. Compared to some rivaling nations, we are lucky that we have times on and off with really good relations to Germany. So we can get hard information going above what we get now, if not by that much.
Well, the Germans are not immune to stereotyping too. Most of them believe we Americans are all Texans, because they are the Americans the Germans and Austrians see most.
Anyway, your question about how to bind the US and Efisga together like Germany and Japan shows how problematic the information level about some world regions and nations is. What a majority of newspapers and many scientists do not get, is that the cooperation of the USA and Efisga surpasses Germany and Japan in certain areas for decades already-"
"What? Are you drunk?"
"Your reaction shows that the truth is sometimes harder to believe than hearsay. Just follow my words for a moment. Our NATZ is the largest, continous English-speaking area of the world, the border with Efisga is the longest worldwide with such a low level of Armed forces controlling it. We are both nations colonised by rugged pioneers, our industries are massively entwined..."
"That might be the case, but Dr. Harper, the Efisgan government changed norms and such to loosen the bindings between our two great nations!"
"Yes, and how large was the impact on our industry? Not really much! Yes, some industry leaders and bankers wined like four year olds, but at the end of the day the costs were well managable. Ottawa made it to make a statement that Efisga is it´s own nation, not to hurt their or our industry. Take cars. We sell cars into regions where the metric system was introduced long before Efisga did. So installing instruments showing metric units in cars for Efisga costs our car makers nothing more, they already have such in storage, despite they did their best to wheedle consolations out of Washington back then.
Besides, as a personal input, Ottawa did the change because the metric system is more coherent than the imperial one as well.
Or look at the change to norms from the Union Romanique and the Zollverein. That might have been a bit more costly, but if more than a few dozen firms went down because of it, it would be a major surprise. And those which did, were definitely just a step away from folding anyway. But Efisga made it´s products more and easier sellable abroad. And if Efisga has more money because of it, the NATZ as a whole profits from it. They are not for nothing the second strongest nation.
Now what most people overlook when they compare the Zollverein with the NATZ is the following: The Zollverein is the prime example how close culturally very different nations can become, if done right.
But the cultural gap between most NATZ members is far less than those spanning the Zollverein nations and even more important, if we take the US and Efisga, we do not carry the baggage of a long history. While some regions here or up north are obsessed with giving themselves more history by declaring anything historical, even if just some VIP tied it´s shoe laces there, in one area the short history is a bonus.
We and Efisga are from a similar mold of pioneers we can be proud of. Africa, Europe and Asia have long equally proud histories, but these histories have shaped their lifes, be it in the good or the bad.
Friendships, rivalries, enemies and cultural filters have been in the making there for a long time and they are strong.
So yes, the US and Efisga are closer in certain areas than many of our friends and rivals anywhere. That might not be in the areas you politicians would like more, but it is so. I hope this gives you food for thought."
From the American TV-Guide for the 22nd week of 1964
Gunsmoke
In the new episode Marshal Matt Dillon is trying to solve a case of brutal robberies. An important evidence leads into the "Ottoman Belt" of Kansas, where a large amount of Turkish-Ottoman immigrants settled.
While Dodge City has settlers from nearly everywhere, Matt finds the culturally rather closed and different way of life in Hill City a hard to penetrate wall. Can Dillon´s part time deputy Hamid, who turns out to be the son of a Pasha (comparable to a Count or Margrave), help Matt and Festus solve the case? Or will the robbers use their superior knowledge and connections about and in Hill City to devastating effect?
"So you want the condensed findings of our investigation, Mr. President?"
"Yes, Dr. Harper. I will read your full report later on, but me and the secretaries need something short to start work with. What did you find out? What can we do to knit the North American Trade Zone as close together as the majority of the Zollverein is? Especially what Germany and Japan did? Can we repeat it with Efisga? For some decades they make movements into more independent policies."
"Well, Mr. President, Madame Vice-President, please do not take it the wrong way, but what you said at the election summit 3 years back is evidence of the problem itself."
"What do you mean?"
"Throwing Germany into one pot with Asian powers. That might be good election rhetoric, but it is simply wrong. Not only for our tries to understand them better, but also for our tries to copy what works for them."
"But they are Asia-"
"Pardon my interrupt, Madame Vice-President, but let me explain. Yes, the Germans have a massive asian minority. Roughly 20 million Asian-descended live there, in a nation with about 184 million citizens. First came the Japanese, then during 2 decades in the 20th century a number of Koreans and since the last twenty years or so some immgrants from the two Chinas.
But that does not make them Asian, neither does having a Japanese descended Foreign minister.
Germany has shrines, kimonos, asian food, loanwords and stuff and they still are Germany. There still is Neuschwanstein and other castles, they speak German, they write typical German novels, Shinto is an accepted, but still a minority religion, they eat their own cuisine, take your own further picks.
Japan is the same. They might be the most western- and German-influenced nation in Asia, but they still are Japanese. They still speak Japanese, they eat their food, they make their own stage plays... Seeing Japanese girls in Dirndls or being able to get 1 liter beer mugs in Japan, does not make Japan western or German.
As said, lumping them all together is good for a simplifying election campaign, but not for the government. Compared to some rivaling nations, we are lucky that we have times on and off with really good relations to Germany. So we can get hard information going above what we get now, if not by that much.
Well, the Germans are not immune to stereotyping too. Most of them believe we Americans are all Texans, because they are the Americans the Germans and Austrians see most.
Anyway, your question about how to bind the US and Efisga together like Germany and Japan shows how problematic the information level about some world regions and nations is. What a majority of newspapers and many scientists do not get, is that the cooperation of the USA and Efisga surpasses Germany and Japan in certain areas for decades already-"
"What? Are you drunk?"
"Your reaction shows that the truth is sometimes harder to believe than hearsay. Just follow my words for a moment. Our NATZ is the largest, continous English-speaking area of the world, the border with Efisga is the longest worldwide with such a low level of Armed forces controlling it. We are both nations colonised by rugged pioneers, our industries are massively entwined..."
"That might be the case, but Dr. Harper, the Efisgan government changed norms and such to loosen the bindings between our two great nations!"
"Yes, and how large was the impact on our industry? Not really much! Yes, some industry leaders and bankers wined like four year olds, but at the end of the day the costs were well managable. Ottawa made it to make a statement that Efisga is it´s own nation, not to hurt their or our industry. Take cars. We sell cars into regions where the metric system was introduced long before Efisga did. So installing instruments showing metric units in cars for Efisga costs our car makers nothing more, they already have such in storage, despite they did their best to wheedle consolations out of Washington back then.
Besides, as a personal input, Ottawa did the change because the metric system is more coherent than the imperial one as well.
Or look at the change to norms from the Union Romanique and the Zollverein. That might have been a bit more costly, but if more than a few dozen firms went down because of it, it would be a major surprise. And those which did, were definitely just a step away from folding anyway. But Efisga made it´s products more and easier sellable abroad. And if Efisga has more money because of it, the NATZ as a whole profits from it. They are not for nothing the second strongest nation.
Now what most people overlook when they compare the Zollverein with the NATZ is the following: The Zollverein is the prime example how close culturally very different nations can become, if done right.
But the cultural gap between most NATZ members is far less than those spanning the Zollverein nations and even more important, if we take the US and Efisga, we do not carry the baggage of a long history. While some regions here or up north are obsessed with giving themselves more history by declaring anything historical, even if just some VIP tied it´s shoe laces there, in one area the short history is a bonus.
We and Efisga are from a similar mold of pioneers we can be proud of. Africa, Europe and Asia have long equally proud histories, but these histories have shaped their lifes, be it in the good or the bad.
Friendships, rivalries, enemies and cultural filters have been in the making there for a long time and they are strong.
So yes, the US and Efisga are closer in certain areas than many of our friends and rivals anywhere. That might not be in the areas you politicians would like more, but it is so. I hope this gives you food for thought."
From the American TV-Guide for the 22nd week of 1964
Gunsmoke
In the new episode Marshal Matt Dillon is trying to solve a case of brutal robberies. An important evidence leads into the "Ottoman Belt" of Kansas, where a large amount of Turkish-Ottoman immigrants settled.
While Dodge City has settlers from nearly everywhere, Matt finds the culturally rather closed and different way of life in Hill City a hard to penetrate wall. Can Dillon´s part time deputy Hamid, who turns out to be the son of a Pasha (comparable to a Count or Margrave), help Matt and Festus solve the case? Or will the robbers use their superior knowledge and connections about and in Hill City to devastating effect?
Kitiem3000
Donor
Canada sounds so much better then Efisga. Efisga just sounds harsh.
I think it's funny how the Zolverein has such a reputation for being tightly knit. Good for them. People often try to live up to their positive stereotypes.
I think it's funny how the Zolverein has such a reputation for being tightly knit. Good for them. People often try to live up to their positive stereotypes.
Wolf1965
Donor
Coffee pause in a bureau of the Faculty of Political Sciences, Heidelberg, Germany 2016
(Chuckling)
"Anything funny in the news, Klaus?"
"Yeah, I read an article in 'Spektrum' about that Seamus Harper guy from the Toronto National U in Efisga. His new work about the major nations on Earth and how they are connected got a lot of scientific knickers in a twist. Hell, even his own compatriots blasted him nearly as much as foreign scientists. But it got him in the news and according to the article here in the Science magazine Harper is now considered for work in Ottawa and Washington.
Still, I do not get why his book created so many waves. A lot of Harper´s work is new, but some parts are about things Reipold already wrote about in the 19th century. Why are they surprised now, Richard? It is not as if certain informations and theories are so new!"
"Don´t underestimate the power of dogma, bias and PR. I was at the meeting where Harper presented his findings first actually. Wew, quite a hot spot that day, I tell you! I have to say most of Harper´s findings are well worked out and I applaud him for ripping away some self-perpetuing myths, but in parts he falls into his nations own propaganda."
"How so? Have clemency with a visiting poor, little pre-historian."
"Ha, as if you are so unknowing, you old rascal! As I said, I find it great that Harper took a really good look at the existing power blocks, alliances and stuff, ripping away some 'fanon'. There are alliances not really worth the paper they are written on, despite the picture they try to or are projecting. Others are functioning 'as advertised'. Some are are even performing better than they are normally seen and as shown, it is not always the normal suspects.
Take Dr. Harpers own block, the NATZ and CONAM Defence Treaty. We leave the CDT outside for a moment, too many special articles to be an example, but the North American Trade Zone is an example of a zone better functioning than it is usually seen. What many observers overlook, not necessarily due to bad work, decades of all sides obfuscating their strengths has effects, the only reason the NATZ has so few members outside their core is the counter-pressure of Union Romanique, Asian Dawn and ourselves, the Zollverein.
Without one or two of these counters, the NATZ would play a larger role on the globe.
The Frenchies with their Union Romanique are a power block that is exactly what it says on the tin can. A new try to resurrect the Roman Empire, bringing it into the now with a strong French infusion and meant to show the world the admittedly not small power of mainly France and Italy.
The Central African League is what I would call more image than substance, unfortunately, I must add. The CAL is one of the few serious attempts to form a native African power block, the only other experiments into that direction are the Four Emirs Treaty and the Abessinian-led Savannah Union. I actually wish them luck, todays Africa has some interesting developments, but it is a patchwork of nations from large to micro-size worse than the Holy Roman Empire or India at their nadir.
The most developed parts of Africa, say Togoland, Afrique du Nord or the Rhodesia Dominion are attached more or less fast to existing blocks. They would be great linchpins for a budding African block. While Afrique is part of France and there will be no moves in such a direction for the forseeable future, I find it highly interesting that Togoland contemplates joining the Savannah Union and not Rhodesia, but British Kenia does it concerning the CAL."
"These are quite news to me. Is there some trouble in the making?"
"Well, Togoland has been independent for roughly a half-century now, it is not unusual that they begin to spread their wings. I do not see them breaking totally with Germany or the Zollverein, being ruled by us for 80 years left an imprint, but finding their own way, sure. My contacts in the Overseas Ministry, which watches a bit over our former colonies too, tell me the ministry is rather proud of Togoland, 'they are coming of political age' they say. As long as the relations Berlin-Lomé stay business as usual, Togoland has free hand.
I do not have as many connections into the Britannic Commonwealth as I have into say the NATZ, so what drives Kenia is a bit of mystery to me too. Either Kenia wants to leave Britain finally or it might be a try to 'infiltrate' the Central African League for BC gains. Maybe they want to go the Dominion route, might be as well.
But we drifted off the topic. As I mentioned several times already, Harper rightly earns his fame for his mostly bias-free work on the relations of the nations of Earth. But even he has some rose-tinted glasses on in some chapters of his book."
"And what are these, in your opinion?"
"Harper correctly points out that the unusual connectedness and closeness of the NATZ is underappreciated by the people and the scientific community, no question. But when he compares NATZ with other blocks and finds them more loosely connected, inferior to the compact feel of the North American Trade Zone, he becomes enamored with his own findings. Sometimes he simply does not ask himself: Is the distinction I found really as relevant as I think it to be?
Take the language factor. Yes, that most NATZ nations share English as the first language make some things easier for them and it is a show of commonality, but is it such a gamechanger? Not really, neither we nor take the Asian Dawn as an example, will ever have a common tongue beyond our working languages, but we still live! And as History shows, you can quite easily put your foot in the mouth even if you share the same mother tongue. The perk for the NATZ and some other cases is there, but it´s impact is limited.
Harper´s greatest mistake is one I doubt he can see, because of where he grew up. Even before the NATZ came to be, most nations which would form it were rather isolationistic. Long periods of time with few contact to nations outside the Americas were not unusual. While today there is more constant contact between Earth´s various regions, this state of being is just 3 decades old. Four, if we are magnanimous and count the early steps too.
For Harper and his collegues from over the Big Pond the 'we are an island' mood was the normal state of being while growing up and their history was full of that as well. I doubt he can correctly tax the impact of the Große Stille (Great Silence) following the Great Conflagration in other parts of the World.
His sharp analysis of why Zollverein, Asian Dawn or even the Union Romanique are less tightly knit together and more brittle than NATZ, the little Caribbean Trade Union or the image they project to the world is wellmade!
Scientifically speaking I even second his results that the diverse, varied cultures mashed together, the long histories with their political baggage mixed in prevent an integration and growing together as seamless as the NATZ or some smaller Unions did. We have many examples from around the globe how treaties and Unions broke apart when hitting rough waters if they shared few commonalities.
But I tell you why Harper´s conclusion lacks in the case of our Zollverein, the Union Romanique and where his life experience leads him astray.
While the UR has a very colourful membership, especially in the extra-European regions, the core members of France, Italy, Portugal and to a certain extend Romania share not only related languages, but a lot of history and cultural overlap. And the French, Italians and the Romanians were and are rather keen to export their culture and way of life to other regions. A new Roman Empire might not be in sight soon or maybe ever, but the UR´s mixing together of convenient parts of History with similar way of lives has created over time a pretty durable starting point to move from.
As far as our Zollverein is concerned: We are experienced with federal structures, unlike say Britain where London still is the focal point of government. We are used to slight differences in ruling and being an agglomeration of related tribes, going all the way back to the stem duchies of the old Kingdom of Germany over 1100 years ago and even earlier.
Where it comes to the most important members, our Germany and Japan built rather deep connections from early on and the Dutch are not so different from us as well.
Or take de-colonisation. Yes, we started ours because it was the right thing to do, but one point often overlooked by researchers is that a part of the reasons to do it was to get rid of regions which did not Germanise, Nipponise, etc. properly.
We don´t accept everybody into the Zollverein, even if it might be profitable, because the governments want members who agree to our political and economical basics. These points all show that the Zollverein is more tighly connected than it might seem in bare numbers, still Harper is correct that even with this UR and Zollverein are less integrated as the NATZ. due to their variance in cultures and people.
Now comes the reason why he is wrong and why the integration of Zollverein and UR might be less than than those of his own power block, but the stability is comparable. As I told you earlier, for the NATZ nations being comparativly insular is quite normal, so they think nothing of it and take it for granted that business as usual resumes fast.
But no matter the general political situation, in Eurasia staying in contact, even with your Archenemies was and is the norm. So the Große Stille following the World War was an anomaly, still this time left an impression. Four decades where few contact was made beyond some tourism and trade. The various treaties and blocks in Europe and Asia began to grow and look inward, becoming interconnected far more than it would be usually the case."
French High Command, Namur, Belgium Fall 1911
When the anticipated Grand offensive of the Germans did not materialise at the start of the war, to the astonishment of the western Entente powers, elation set in. The Germans had made a mistake! As planned, Belgium declared war on Germany on day 2 of the war, the French and British forces having waited just outside the border rushed through towards Germany, folowing Plan XVII.
The Belgian-British-French forces attacked Germany along the whole borderline from German Wallonia down to the Sundgau. The Entente advance had mixed results. In the northern part several breakthroughs could be made, in the South that was more limited. After 3 weeks the Germans made their countermove. The Entente had piled up an enormous amount of losses going against the entreched position of the Germans in their frst attack. So when the German counterattack hit them, not everywhere the positions held. On the other hand the Germans ran out of steam rather early, which the Generals Haig, Foch, Nivelle and Petain saw as a good sign.
But good sign or not, the war in the west soon became static, with several hundred kilometers of trenches dividing the opponents. The first major offensive of the Entente had taken most of the land Germany won from Belgium in the Romanic-Germanic War. In German-Wallonia Germany only still held the beleaguered Lüttich area, the rest together with some kilometers of the Prussian Rhine Province was in the hands of the Entente. Likewise, most the western part of Luxemburg, won in 1868 too, and part of the eastern portion of the Grand Duchy were under allied occupation. Then came a bulge in the frontline from the major German counterattack, who had taken most of the Argonne and a strip of Lorraine meeting the German Diedenhofen-Metz region in the East.
Further along the line, the "Falkenberg Spur" had fallen to the Entente, the rest followed the post-1888 border until meeting the Diuze area. Here the Germans had taken the initiative in September and had expanded their territory, taking Nancy and were trying to push northward to encircle the Entente forces in the Falkenberg region.
East of the "Nanzig Brückenkopf" fighting was going on in the Vogesen Mountains, but with few exceptions the front mainly followed the ante-bellum border. One of these exceptions was Markirch, which had changed hands seven times since June and at the moment was French-held.
In southern Alsace and the Sundgau, the situation was not bad for the Entente. While the small French enclave from 1888 in Alsace had naturally fallen quick into German hands, the French forces had take most of the Sundgau. Only the beleaguered cities Mömpelgard and Beffert were holding out.
For the allied Command it was clear that the German army would surely try to regain connection with the two fortress cities before winter or in spring the latest. To prevent this, a late year offensive had been planned to push deep into southern Alsace as well. And helping the advancing forces would be a new invention. The first examples of a rhomboid monstrosity of a vehicle. It´s designers called it following the secrecy codeword of it - a Tank.
There were rumours that the Germans had a similar vehicle, but no British, French or Belgian soldier had ever encountered one at the front. No matter, the designers were convinced their brainchild would help win the war, the Generals were less convinced. The new offensive would show how useful these slabs of metal could be
(Chuckling)
"Anything funny in the news, Klaus?"
"Yeah, I read an article in 'Spektrum' about that Seamus Harper guy from the Toronto National U in Efisga. His new work about the major nations on Earth and how they are connected got a lot of scientific knickers in a twist. Hell, even his own compatriots blasted him nearly as much as foreign scientists. But it got him in the news and according to the article here in the Science magazine Harper is now considered for work in Ottawa and Washington.
Still, I do not get why his book created so many waves. A lot of Harper´s work is new, but some parts are about things Reipold already wrote about in the 19th century. Why are they surprised now, Richard? It is not as if certain informations and theories are so new!"
"Don´t underestimate the power of dogma, bias and PR. I was at the meeting where Harper presented his findings first actually. Wew, quite a hot spot that day, I tell you! I have to say most of Harper´s findings are well worked out and I applaud him for ripping away some self-perpetuing myths, but in parts he falls into his nations own propaganda."
"How so? Have clemency with a visiting poor, little pre-historian."
"Ha, as if you are so unknowing, you old rascal! As I said, I find it great that Harper took a really good look at the existing power blocks, alliances and stuff, ripping away some 'fanon'. There are alliances not really worth the paper they are written on, despite the picture they try to or are projecting. Others are functioning 'as advertised'. Some are are even performing better than they are normally seen and as shown, it is not always the normal suspects.
Take Dr. Harpers own block, the NATZ and CONAM Defence Treaty. We leave the CDT outside for a moment, too many special articles to be an example, but the North American Trade Zone is an example of a zone better functioning than it is usually seen. What many observers overlook, not necessarily due to bad work, decades of all sides obfuscating their strengths has effects, the only reason the NATZ has so few members outside their core is the counter-pressure of Union Romanique, Asian Dawn and ourselves, the Zollverein.
Without one or two of these counters, the NATZ would play a larger role on the globe.
The Frenchies with their Union Romanique are a power block that is exactly what it says on the tin can. A new try to resurrect the Roman Empire, bringing it into the now with a strong French infusion and meant to show the world the admittedly not small power of mainly France and Italy.
The Central African League is what I would call more image than substance, unfortunately, I must add. The CAL is one of the few serious attempts to form a native African power block, the only other experiments into that direction are the Four Emirs Treaty and the Abessinian-led Savannah Union. I actually wish them luck, todays Africa has some interesting developments, but it is a patchwork of nations from large to micro-size worse than the Holy Roman Empire or India at their nadir.
The most developed parts of Africa, say Togoland, Afrique du Nord or the Rhodesia Dominion are attached more or less fast to existing blocks. They would be great linchpins for a budding African block. While Afrique is part of France and there will be no moves in such a direction for the forseeable future, I find it highly interesting that Togoland contemplates joining the Savannah Union and not Rhodesia, but British Kenia does it concerning the CAL."
"These are quite news to me. Is there some trouble in the making?"
"Well, Togoland has been independent for roughly a half-century now, it is not unusual that they begin to spread their wings. I do not see them breaking totally with Germany or the Zollverein, being ruled by us for 80 years left an imprint, but finding their own way, sure. My contacts in the Overseas Ministry, which watches a bit over our former colonies too, tell me the ministry is rather proud of Togoland, 'they are coming of political age' they say. As long as the relations Berlin-Lomé stay business as usual, Togoland has free hand.
I do not have as many connections into the Britannic Commonwealth as I have into say the NATZ, so what drives Kenia is a bit of mystery to me too. Either Kenia wants to leave Britain finally or it might be a try to 'infiltrate' the Central African League for BC gains. Maybe they want to go the Dominion route, might be as well.
But we drifted off the topic. As I mentioned several times already, Harper rightly earns his fame for his mostly bias-free work on the relations of the nations of Earth. But even he has some rose-tinted glasses on in some chapters of his book."
"And what are these, in your opinion?"
"Harper correctly points out that the unusual connectedness and closeness of the NATZ is underappreciated by the people and the scientific community, no question. But when he compares NATZ with other blocks and finds them more loosely connected, inferior to the compact feel of the North American Trade Zone, he becomes enamored with his own findings. Sometimes he simply does not ask himself: Is the distinction I found really as relevant as I think it to be?
Take the language factor. Yes, that most NATZ nations share English as the first language make some things easier for them and it is a show of commonality, but is it such a gamechanger? Not really, neither we nor take the Asian Dawn as an example, will ever have a common tongue beyond our working languages, but we still live! And as History shows, you can quite easily put your foot in the mouth even if you share the same mother tongue. The perk for the NATZ and some other cases is there, but it´s impact is limited.
Harper´s greatest mistake is one I doubt he can see, because of where he grew up. Even before the NATZ came to be, most nations which would form it were rather isolationistic. Long periods of time with few contact to nations outside the Americas were not unusual. While today there is more constant contact between Earth´s various regions, this state of being is just 3 decades old. Four, if we are magnanimous and count the early steps too.
For Harper and his collegues from over the Big Pond the 'we are an island' mood was the normal state of being while growing up and their history was full of that as well. I doubt he can correctly tax the impact of the Große Stille (Great Silence) following the Great Conflagration in other parts of the World.
His sharp analysis of why Zollverein, Asian Dawn or even the Union Romanique are less tightly knit together and more brittle than NATZ, the little Caribbean Trade Union or the image they project to the world is wellmade!
Scientifically speaking I even second his results that the diverse, varied cultures mashed together, the long histories with their political baggage mixed in prevent an integration and growing together as seamless as the NATZ or some smaller Unions did. We have many examples from around the globe how treaties and Unions broke apart when hitting rough waters if they shared few commonalities.
But I tell you why Harper´s conclusion lacks in the case of our Zollverein, the Union Romanique and where his life experience leads him astray.
While the UR has a very colourful membership, especially in the extra-European regions, the core members of France, Italy, Portugal and to a certain extend Romania share not only related languages, but a lot of history and cultural overlap. And the French, Italians and the Romanians were and are rather keen to export their culture and way of life to other regions. A new Roman Empire might not be in sight soon or maybe ever, but the UR´s mixing together of convenient parts of History with similar way of lives has created over time a pretty durable starting point to move from.
As far as our Zollverein is concerned: We are experienced with federal structures, unlike say Britain where London still is the focal point of government. We are used to slight differences in ruling and being an agglomeration of related tribes, going all the way back to the stem duchies of the old Kingdom of Germany over 1100 years ago and even earlier.
Where it comes to the most important members, our Germany and Japan built rather deep connections from early on and the Dutch are not so different from us as well.
Or take de-colonisation. Yes, we started ours because it was the right thing to do, but one point often overlooked by researchers is that a part of the reasons to do it was to get rid of regions which did not Germanise, Nipponise, etc. properly.
We don´t accept everybody into the Zollverein, even if it might be profitable, because the governments want members who agree to our political and economical basics. These points all show that the Zollverein is more tighly connected than it might seem in bare numbers, still Harper is correct that even with this UR and Zollverein are less integrated as the NATZ. due to their variance in cultures and people.
Now comes the reason why he is wrong and why the integration of Zollverein and UR might be less than than those of his own power block, but the stability is comparable. As I told you earlier, for the NATZ nations being comparativly insular is quite normal, so they think nothing of it and take it for granted that business as usual resumes fast.
But no matter the general political situation, in Eurasia staying in contact, even with your Archenemies was and is the norm. So the Große Stille following the World War was an anomaly, still this time left an impression. Four decades where few contact was made beyond some tourism and trade. The various treaties and blocks in Europe and Asia began to grow and look inward, becoming interconnected far more than it would be usually the case."
French High Command, Namur, Belgium Fall 1911
When the anticipated Grand offensive of the Germans did not materialise at the start of the war, to the astonishment of the western Entente powers, elation set in. The Germans had made a mistake! As planned, Belgium declared war on Germany on day 2 of the war, the French and British forces having waited just outside the border rushed through towards Germany, folowing Plan XVII.
The Belgian-British-French forces attacked Germany along the whole borderline from German Wallonia down to the Sundgau. The Entente advance had mixed results. In the northern part several breakthroughs could be made, in the South that was more limited. After 3 weeks the Germans made their countermove. The Entente had piled up an enormous amount of losses going against the entreched position of the Germans in their frst attack. So when the German counterattack hit them, not everywhere the positions held. On the other hand the Germans ran out of steam rather early, which the Generals Haig, Foch, Nivelle and Petain saw as a good sign.
But good sign or not, the war in the west soon became static, with several hundred kilometers of trenches dividing the opponents. The first major offensive of the Entente had taken most of the land Germany won from Belgium in the Romanic-Germanic War. In German-Wallonia Germany only still held the beleaguered Lüttich area, the rest together with some kilometers of the Prussian Rhine Province was in the hands of the Entente. Likewise, most the western part of Luxemburg, won in 1868 too, and part of the eastern portion of the Grand Duchy were under allied occupation. Then came a bulge in the frontline from the major German counterattack, who had taken most of the Argonne and a strip of Lorraine meeting the German Diedenhofen-Metz region in the East.
Further along the line, the "Falkenberg Spur" had fallen to the Entente, the rest followed the post-1888 border until meeting the Diuze area. Here the Germans had taken the initiative in September and had expanded their territory, taking Nancy and were trying to push northward to encircle the Entente forces in the Falkenberg region.
East of the "Nanzig Brückenkopf" fighting was going on in the Vogesen Mountains, but with few exceptions the front mainly followed the ante-bellum border. One of these exceptions was Markirch, which had changed hands seven times since June and at the moment was French-held.
In southern Alsace and the Sundgau, the situation was not bad for the Entente. While the small French enclave from 1888 in Alsace had naturally fallen quick into German hands, the French forces had take most of the Sundgau. Only the beleaguered cities Mömpelgard and Beffert were holding out.
For the allied Command it was clear that the German army would surely try to regain connection with the two fortress cities before winter or in spring the latest. To prevent this, a late year offensive had been planned to push deep into southern Alsace as well. And helping the advancing forces would be a new invention. The first examples of a rhomboid monstrosity of a vehicle. It´s designers called it following the secrecy codeword of it - a Tank.
There were rumours that the Germans had a similar vehicle, but no British, French or Belgian soldier had ever encountered one at the front. No matter, the designers were convinced their brainchild would help win the war, the Generals were less convinced. The new offensive would show how useful these slabs of metal could be
I´m so relieved that this is still alive and kicking, because it´s definitely one of my favourite TLs!
Wolf1965
Donor
Best regards from Beer:
German Empire
Among the great Navies of the World, Germany´s is, by typical convention, the youngest, even if the old Reich had a combined Navy for a time. It might be this history why the official naming of the German Fleet, something even official bureaus very rarely use, is in rather old-fashioned German. The Kaiserliche Marine des Deutschen Heeres der vereinten Länder deutscher Nation (Imperial Navy of the German Armed Forces from the United Countries of German Nation) is today simply called Kaiserliche Marine or Kaiserlich deutsche Marine anywhere.
It is not only the open connection to the land forces in the official name, but many things big and small, why the role of the Germany Navy is a curious one. Having been raised because a Great Power with a coast needed a larger Navy, long trade routes to protect, a high-quality land army, thus limited naval funds and few traditions to lean on, the Kaiserliche Marine was the first major one to develop a type of infrequently used doctrin to it´s end. Called by various early authors Sea Denial Doctrin, Asymetric Sea warfare, Commerce Raiding or Handelskrieg (Trade War), it was only after the World War that it got it´s now used German and english name. In Germany, the Freie-Wege-Doktrin (Free Roads Doctrine) and in the English-speaking world, the Limited Sea Control Doctrine, which were coined by Admirals Saalwächter and Jellicoe.
Especially in modern times with the technical developments, Germany, sitting on the main landmass of Earth, is not as dependent on the Seas for power projection as some of her rivals, like Britain or the US.
The German Navy does not care much who controls the Seas as long as her core routes remain useable. The main tasks of the Kaiserliche Marine are keeping Germany´s core sealanes free for Navy and merchant fleet, capture or sink enemy merchant vessels and to deny the sea for her enemies. This is an important difference to the majotity of the Great Naval Powers on Earth, which tend to follow the full Command of the Seas Doctrine.
The German Fleet is geared for that tasks. Various Cruiser classes, large and small, and the biggest submarine fleet on Earth dominate the ranks of the Kaiserliche Marine. Land- and Space-based weaponry round out the offensive potential.
Since the various operational parameters are mainly set towards sea denial and a lot of the Naval Air branch is land-based, the German Fleet, like the French Navy, gets by with a comparatively "small" size. The KM is about half the size of the British or American fleets. Current commander is Grand-Admiral Sigrid von Tirpitz, the Great-Granddaughter of Alfred von Tirpitz.
Here taking a page out of the British cookbook, the official flagship, but actually only used for representation, is the modernised Battlecruiser Derfflinger. Day-to-day flagship is the Heavy Missile Cruiser Brandenburg.
The main weakness of the Kaiserliche Marine is a certain overspecialisation. She does her job very well, but for some tasks her usefulness is limited. For example, while the German Navy can do unassisted landing operations, this is not on the size level of say, the British, US or Japanese fleets.
The second weakness is actually one reason for the first. Germany is a major landpower and mainly focused on this. So as long as it is "business as usual" on the High Seas, Germany is fine with that. The Kaiserliche Marine is geared towards defending this situation. Unlike the German land and air forces, the German Navy lacks a major strategic vision beyond the obvious applications, because the general sight is: The Marine covers the back (the sea in this case), Heer and Luftwaffe do the rest.
Due to this, the longterm naval planning in the Central Powers is mainly done by the Japanese and Dutch navies.
The main bases of the Kaiserliche Marine are:
High Command / Main Anchorage / Atlantic
Walter Forstmann Naval Base, Wilhelmshaven, metropolitan Germany
Baltic / Artic Sea
Tirpitz Naval Base, Kiel, metropolitan Germany
Atlantic Fast Response
Franz Hipper Naval Base, Cork, Ireland (Basing treaty)
U-Boot Fast Response
Keroman Naval Base, Galway, Ireland (Basing treaty)
Magellan Strait / Antarctica
Humboldt Naval Base, Neulasbek (Punta Areas), Patagonia
Indian Ocean
Luckner Naval Base, Kamorta, Nicobaren Islands
Central / Eastern Pacific Ocean
Perlenhafen Naval Base, Theoderichshafen (Honolulu), Bentheiminseln (Hawaii)
Western Pacific Ocean
Nekomura Naval Base, Hakodate, Ezoland
German Empire
Among the great Navies of the World, Germany´s is, by typical convention, the youngest, even if the old Reich had a combined Navy for a time. It might be this history why the official naming of the German Fleet, something even official bureaus very rarely use, is in rather old-fashioned German. The Kaiserliche Marine des Deutschen Heeres der vereinten Länder deutscher Nation (Imperial Navy of the German Armed Forces from the United Countries of German Nation) is today simply called Kaiserliche Marine or Kaiserlich deutsche Marine anywhere.
It is not only the open connection to the land forces in the official name, but many things big and small, why the role of the Germany Navy is a curious one. Having been raised because a Great Power with a coast needed a larger Navy, long trade routes to protect, a high-quality land army, thus limited naval funds and few traditions to lean on, the Kaiserliche Marine was the first major one to develop a type of infrequently used doctrin to it´s end. Called by various early authors Sea Denial Doctrin, Asymetric Sea warfare, Commerce Raiding or Handelskrieg (Trade War), it was only after the World War that it got it´s now used German and english name. In Germany, the Freie-Wege-Doktrin (Free Roads Doctrine) and in the English-speaking world, the Limited Sea Control Doctrine, which were coined by Admirals Saalwächter and Jellicoe.
Especially in modern times with the technical developments, Germany, sitting on the main landmass of Earth, is not as dependent on the Seas for power projection as some of her rivals, like Britain or the US.
The German Navy does not care much who controls the Seas as long as her core routes remain useable. The main tasks of the Kaiserliche Marine are keeping Germany´s core sealanes free for Navy and merchant fleet, capture or sink enemy merchant vessels and to deny the sea for her enemies. This is an important difference to the majotity of the Great Naval Powers on Earth, which tend to follow the full Command of the Seas Doctrine.
The German Fleet is geared for that tasks. Various Cruiser classes, large and small, and the biggest submarine fleet on Earth dominate the ranks of the Kaiserliche Marine. Land- and Space-based weaponry round out the offensive potential.
Since the various operational parameters are mainly set towards sea denial and a lot of the Naval Air branch is land-based, the German Fleet, like the French Navy, gets by with a comparatively "small" size. The KM is about half the size of the British or American fleets. Current commander is Grand-Admiral Sigrid von Tirpitz, the Great-Granddaughter of Alfred von Tirpitz.
Here taking a page out of the British cookbook, the official flagship, but actually only used for representation, is the modernised Battlecruiser Derfflinger. Day-to-day flagship is the Heavy Missile Cruiser Brandenburg.
The main weakness of the Kaiserliche Marine is a certain overspecialisation. She does her job very well, but for some tasks her usefulness is limited. For example, while the German Navy can do unassisted landing operations, this is not on the size level of say, the British, US or Japanese fleets.
The second weakness is actually one reason for the first. Germany is a major landpower and mainly focused on this. So as long as it is "business as usual" on the High Seas, Germany is fine with that. The Kaiserliche Marine is geared towards defending this situation. Unlike the German land and air forces, the German Navy lacks a major strategic vision beyond the obvious applications, because the general sight is: The Marine covers the back (the sea in this case), Heer and Luftwaffe do the rest.
Due to this, the longterm naval planning in the Central Powers is mainly done by the Japanese and Dutch navies.
The main bases of the Kaiserliche Marine are:
High Command / Main Anchorage / Atlantic
Walter Forstmann Naval Base, Wilhelmshaven, metropolitan Germany
Baltic / Artic Sea
Tirpitz Naval Base, Kiel, metropolitan Germany
Atlantic Fast Response
Franz Hipper Naval Base, Cork, Ireland (Basing treaty)
U-Boot Fast Response
Keroman Naval Base, Galway, Ireland (Basing treaty)
Magellan Strait / Antarctica
Humboldt Naval Base, Neulasbek (Punta Areas), Patagonia
Indian Ocean
Luckner Naval Base, Kamorta, Nicobaren Islands
Central / Eastern Pacific Ocean
Perlenhafen Naval Base, Theoderichshafen (Honolulu), Bentheiminseln (Hawaii)
Western Pacific Ocean
Nekomura Naval Base, Hakodate, Ezoland