The Rise of the Third Reich

Now the adjustment of Germany's armament construction plan is no longer something that can be decided by the High Command of the German Empire at a meeting. Because the EC's armaments had embarked on the route of joint development and cooperative production before the surrender of the British mainland. At the beginning, it was a joint arms construction with Germany and France as the core. Starting from the second quarter of 1943, the United Kingdom (mainland) also officially joined the European Community's joint arms plan, and in April 1943, a European Communist Party was formally established. The Joint Arms Committee is responsible for studying and formulating arms plans.

Of course, it is the German Empire that occupies the absolute dominant position in this armaments committee!

On June 26, after the German High Command passed a resolution to re-formulate the armaments plan, Imperial Marshal Hersmann temporarily handed over a large number of matters of the General Staff to Guderian. He and the leaders of the German navy, army and air force The Director-General of Arms, together with Albert Speer, Director-General of the German Armament Administration, went to Fort Europa, the capital of the European Community, to meet with France, the United Kingdom, Hungary-Croatia, Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Spain, Ireland, Bulgaria, Romania, Meetings with representatives of Greece and, of course, the Russian Empire, which is ready to fully participate in the European integration process.

Fort Europa is located in Strasbourg, the original capital of Alsace, on the west bank of the Rhine, across the river from the German state of Baden-Württemberg. The city, whose main inhabitants are German, belonged to the German Empire in the decades between the Franco-Prussian War and World War I, and was ceded to France after World War I. After France was defeated again in 40 years, the entire Alsace and neighboring Lorraine regions, including Strasbourg, were once again taken away from French territory.

However, Alsace and Lorraine were not officially incorporated into the German Empire. Instead, they became the "European Capital Region" and were named Central Canton. Strasbourg was renamed Fort Europa and became the capital of the European Community.

Of course, Center State and Fort Europa have been under the protection of the German Imperial Government since June 1940, and men of appropriate age must also serve in the German army. In fact, it is German territory!

Because it has become the capital of Europe, Central State and Europa Castle have been under construction in the past three years. When Hessmann arrived, Fort Europa seemed like a large construction site. However, the city, which is undergoing extensive construction, is still very clean, tidy and appears orderly.

The person responsible for presiding over the construction of the capital of the European Community was not a politician from the Nazi Party, but a politician from the Alsace-Lorraine region named Robert Schumann - the historical father of the European Community!

He was a German before World War I and served in the German army. After World War I, he became a Frenchman (it was not his fault, Germany agreed to cede the territory), and he also became a small local French party in Lorraine. The leader of the Republican Alliance became a member of the French Congress.

After Alsace-Lorraine became the Central State of the European Community, he became one of the first European citizens. At the end of the 1940s, he joined the European Unity Party, an overseas branch of the Fatherland People's Party (Germany), and won the The first mayor of Europa Castle was elected.

However, I did not see the "Father of the European Community" at the Europa Castle when I arrived in Herschmann by plane - there was no pandemic here in Germany, and Schumann's city government did not have much "entertainment expenses", and There are no gray areas to exploit.

Hirschmann's "soul" was not used to the rigidity of the Germans at first. Most of the humans here are stubborn. As long as it is a prescribed matter, they basically follow it, and they do so to the letter and cannot be accommodating. Therefore, it is difficult to break through things that are said not to be done as long as the rules and regulations are still there.

It is said that some people in later generations made fun of the Germans by posting "men" and "ladies" signs on the public phone booths, and arranged for a person to stay in the men's phone booth and not come out. As a result, German men who wanted to make calls queued up outside the men's phone booth, and no one went to the empty women's phone booth... Oh, it seemed that a man went to the women's phone booth later, but he was a Frenchman in Germany.

Therefore, in Germany, not only is the system very strict, but most people will consciously comply with it, so administrative costs are very low and efficiency is relatively high. However, for those in power, this kind of strictness and efficiency is also inconvenient... mainly because it is inconvenient to make money!

For a man as powerful as Hessmann, he has never taken any bribes or embezzled a single mark after being on stage for so many years. Moreover, the people who got promotions and large contracts from him didn't realize it at all, and no one secretly gave gifts to his family... Even if they did, they would definitely be kicked out by the cute and rigorous Chloe.

However, Hirsmann, who has a clean sleeves, is actually very rich among the Junkers (Junker officers who have been granted nobility). After all, he married Chloe, the heir of the ancient earl family.

Moreover, in the past two decades, Hersman and Chloe have still carried out some operations, holding a large amount of gold before the economic crisis of the 1920s, and taking advantage of the crisis to purchase a large number of assets at low prices (mainly It is land, real estate, art and stocks of large companies). Based on the market value of 43 years, there is still property worth 70 to 80 million European marks.

In Germany's military and political circles, this person can be considered a wealthy man. But compared with the establishment in most countries in the world, his net worth can really only be considered poor.

However, the Juncker military group's ability to dominate Europe for so many years is inseparable from "poverty". If it were easy to make a profit, Juncker would have long become synonymous with playboys. How could it be possible for generations of famous generals to emerge?

…

The rigor and efficiency of the German Empire were now brought to EC affairs. There was not much prior communication and off-stage dealings, and the formal meeting took place the day after Hersman arrived at Fort Europa.

The meeting was held in the newly completed building of the Commission of the European Communities - the Commission of the European Communities is not the Senate of the Community, but the prototype of a common European government. The Commission Building is a very impressive building, which looks a bit like the German Chancellery.

In a small conference room that had just been renovated and still exuded the aroma of wood, Hersman met with military or government representatives from Britain, France, Russia, Hungary, Belgium, Norway, Finland, Spain, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece and other countries. Got the noodles.

There were no representatives from the New Roman Empire, the Netherlands and Sweden, two "quasi-European Community countries", and no representatives from Japan. They are all representatives of the members of the European Community. Only Russia is a little special, but it is also a country that is determined to join the European Community.

"His Royal Highness Prince Yusupov," Hersman greeted Russia's chief representative, Chief of General Staff Yusupov, at the beginning of the meeting. “Let me first tell you about the principles of the European Community’s armaments. Our European Community countries adopt common defense and common armaments.

In principle, all weapons and equipment are developed and used jointly by all countries in the European Community. This can maximize the resource and industrial advantages of the European Community and reduce the cost of weapon development and production.

But at present, this is only a principle that has just begun to be implemented, because there are still many old-fashioned equipment being produced and improved in the countries of the European Community. "

"We in Russia have no objection to this." Prince Yusupov replied, "We have received many arsenals in Petrograd, including production lines for the production of T-34 and KV tanks, as well as many designers and technical workers It also serves us. Therefore, we also hope to participate in the European Community’s weapons program and believe that we can also contribute to the design and production of European Community weapons and equipment.”

"This couldn't be better." Hersman smiled and nodded.

He has no disdain for Soviet tanks, although Soviet tanks may not be suitable for Germany's national conditions - Soviet tanks follow the path of caliber being king, while the Germans like small cannons and large vehicles, seeking stability. Accurate, the same idea as their battleships. Hessmann is not particularly fond of it, but the new generation of tanks from Germany and the European Community still have to continue to develop along the original German lines.

Then, Hersman continued: “Since the Russian Empire has returned to the European family and will become an important member of the European Community and a driving force for European integration, the European Community’s war policy and armament plans must Make adjustments accordingly.”

The Russian Empire became a preliminary member of the European Community and participated in European Community affairs. These two matters were unanimously supported by the three powers of the European Community (Germany, Britain and France) - because France wanted to unite with Russia, Germany wanted to integrate Russia, and the United Kingdom because of India The lifeblood was violated by the Soviet Union, so it supported replacing the Soviet Union with Russia, so the European Community Senate quickly passed the relevant resolution to accept Russia.

"Helping the Russian Empire replace the Soviet Union will be the European Community's top priority in the war, more important than defeating the United States." Hersman continued, "Therefore, in terms of armament work, the Army will also be more important than the Navy. The Air Force will be more important than defeating the United States." and naval aviation will maintain their original priority status.”

Hersman glanced at the representatives from various countries present and found no objection, so he continued: "In terms of the Army, the E-50 tank project and the further upgrade and improvement of the Tiger tank will be in the most important position. E- The prototype of the 50 project has been completed, and the first mass-produced model will be completed within this year. It is expected to be put into production in 2044. It is hoped that production will begin in Germany, France and the United Kingdom at the same time, and it will also be produced in Russia in the future. "