The German Reich

In Part Two of this series, we will be taking a look at the symbols, leaders, tactics, and equipment of each of the major powers. This will be a small selection of archetypes, and is in no way comprehensive, nor does it try to be.

The German National Flag

The flag of Germany had been adopted in 1935, after an incident where a Nazi party flag had been stolen and destroyed by American protesters from a German ship in New York. The response from US officials to German ambassadors was that the flag was the symbol of the party, while the old Imperial black, white and red flag had been restored as the national flag when Hitler took power. As a result, in 1935 the swastika flag was adopted as the sole national flag of Germany.

The Reichsadler, national emblem of the German Government

The Reichskriegsflagge, war flag of Germany as well as naval ensign

The Balkenkreuz, used as a roundel by the Luftwaffe as well as German ground vehicles

Fuhrer Adolf Hitler
German Federal Archives

Adolf Hitler had taken control of the NSDAP in 1921, and had been named Chancellor of Germany in 1933, and when President Paul von Hindenburg died in 1934 the two offices were merged into that of the Fuhrer (leader). Hitler then led Germany through its rearmament, and successfully regained control of the demilitarized Rhineland, annexed Austria and convinced the Western Allies to hand over Czechoslovakia. After he ordered the invasion of Poland in 1939 he would lead Germany through a series of massive victories, followed by a series of increasingly disastrous defeats until he eventually took his own life in his bunker under Berlin. The Third Reich would outlive him by mere days.

German troops in 1940
German Federal Archives

The German soldier of the Second World War was issued a uniform that was a direct decendent of that worn by the Kaiser’s armies in the last war. The basic uniform consisted of a field grey wool tunic, with rank insignia on the shoulders and the Reichsadler prominently displayed on the breast. The new Stahlhelm, which served in several variants, was also a direct descendant off the M1916 model of the last war, which would itself remain in service as well. Other headgear included a forage cap, and later a universal ski cap, the M43, would become ubiquitous. The load bearing gear was made of leather and generally similar to the older styles of 1918, although as the war progressed canvas became more common. Items of field gear, such as the entrenching tool, mess kit and canteen remained very similar to their counterparts in the last war as well. As the conflict progressed the Germans would begin deploying a wide variety of camouflage patterns on their uniforms as well, to the point where American attempts to use it in Europe had to be aborted due to the confusion with German uniforms.

The Kar98k Mauser Rifle

The standard issue Kar98k Mauser rifle was an update of the older Gewehr 98 rifle from the last war. It would serve as the main service rifle of the Wehrmacht through the entire war, having been adopted in 1935. The rifle was extremely well made, as well as simple to use, although it required complex machining that resulted in it being difficult to produce. It fired the same 7.92mm cartridge of its older brother, and fed from a five round magazine as before, but now had improved sights, a bent bolt, and was generally shorter. It also had a unique sling attachment using a leather keeper and a hole through the stock. The rifle could also accept an improved short knife bayonet.

The Wehrmacht would also make use of a variety of older designs, such as Gewehr 98 and Kar98AZ rifles left over from the Great War, as well as weapons of annexed nations like the Czech VZ24 (a Mauser derivative very similar to the Kar98k, including its caliber) and the Austrian Mannlicher M95. As the war progressed the need would become apparent for a semi-automatic rifle, and the resulting program would produce the problematic Gewehr 41 and eventually the passable Gewehr 43. In addition, a revolutionary new design would emerge from Haenel, eventually become the Sturmgewehr (storm rifle), or STG44, the first modern assault rifle, which would see service in the second half of the conflict.

The Germans would also make widespread use of captured enemy weapons, with some designs seeing front line service while others were used to free up German designs from rear echelon duties.

The Walther P38

Despite the iconic image of the German soldier with the Luger pistol, it was replaced just before the war by the Walther P38, which was easier to produce as well as to use. This new design featured a modern double-action mechanism, along with a new decocking safety, although it still fired from an eight round magazine of 9mm Parabellum. The P38 was arguably the most modern handgun design in service during the war, and has served as the basis for many modern designs, including the US Beretta M9 pistol.

The older Luger would remain in service, however, as well as a large number of other designs both from Germany and occupied Europe. The Germans made good use of captured enemy equipment, sending the items that were standardized to the front to augment their forces and the non-standard items to the rear to free up the standard ones. In this way the German Military proved to be one of the most adaptable in the war.

Germany had deployed the first practical submachine gun in 1918, and despite the limitations imposed by the Treaty of Versailles was able to retain some of their MP18s for police use. This design would be improved over the following two decades and would appear around the world, but Germany itself looked to the future. In 1938 they adopted a new design from Erma, incorporating stamped steel construction with synthetic furniture and a folding stock, the MP38. This design would be adopted as the standard submachine gun of the Wehrmact, and the simplified MP40 variant has become iconic of the German military in the Second World War.

The Germans were also infamous for their machine guns during this conflict. Gone was the cumbersome MG08/15 light machine gun (for the most part), replaced with modern, lightweight and mobile general purpose designs like the MG34, which featured a quick change air cooled barrel, and the infamous MG42, a simple, stamped steel design that was capable of firing 7.92x57mm rounds at a rate of 1,200 rounds per minute. The German squad was in large part built around the mobile firepower these machine guns provided, particularly in defensive warfare.

Messerschmitt BF-109

The German Air Force, or Luftwaffe, was the best tactical air force in the world in 1939, with excellent fighters along with a large fleet of excellent medium bombers and ground support aircraft. Despite this, the Germans had a distinct lack of a dedicated heavy bomber. Notably for the Germans, the Luftwaffe controlled the paratrooper forces, as well as dedicated infantry and tank formations along with the Flak forces defending Germany.

The primary fighter aircraft of the Luftwaffe was the Messershmitt BF109, which was considered one of the world’s premier fighters at the beginning of the conflict. in 1939 the BF109E variant was the primary model in service, before being eclipsed by the 109F in 1941 and that by the 109G in late 1942. The design is notable for its adaptability and in many ways parallels the British Spitfire in development and in it’s upgrades keeping it a formidable opponent throughout the conflict, even as newer designs appeared in greater numbers. The Luftwaffe also made use of the excellent Focke-Wulf FW190, which comined armor protection with heavy firepower to make it the scourge of Allied bombers during the second half of the war, as well as a capable dogfighter. In the later stages of the war the Germans were the first to operationally use jet fighters with their ME262 and the later (and less effective) HE162.

German bombers were primarily intended to support the ground forces in the Blitzkrieg doctrine. Probably the most iconic of these is the JU87 Stuka, a dive bomber infamous for the screaming dive sirens attached to its fixed undercarriage, as well as the accuracy with which to could deliver its ordinance. The bulk of the Luftwaffe bomber fleet used twin engined medium bombers, with the most common being the Heinkel HE111, augmented by the Dornier DO17/DO217 and Junkers JU88. All three had been developed before the war, hiding in plain sight as civilian aircraft, and thus are notable for relatively limited armor and armament. The JU88, however, would prove to be the most versitile aircraft in the German arsenal, bein used as a bomber, reconnaissance plane and even a fighter, among other roles. German efforts to develop a heavy bomber were limited, with only the problematic HE177 entering service during the war.

Panzer IV Ausf. H

The German Panzer forces are infamous to this day, and were indeed some of the best available. The Panzer IV and Panther are among the best tanks of the war, and the fearsome Tiger was capable of destroying almost any Allied tank with ease. The Achilles Heel of the German tank forces was the complexity of its designs, resulting in them being prone to breaking down and being very difficult to produce in large quantities.

The basic German land doctrine was based mainly on the Blitzkrieg, which was the progenitor of the modern combined arms strategy. It relied on close cooperation between the mechanized infantry, tanks, artillery and air force to smash through enemy lines, followed by the slow moving dismounted and horse drawn forces to exploit the breakthrough. This tactic was needed, as the bulk of the German military was not mechanized, thus forcing them to prioritize sending mechanized equipment to specialized breakthrough units. The Germans also employed the same defense in depth tactics they had perfected during the Great War when forced to dig in and hold territory.

KMS Bismarck

The weakest of the German forces was the Kriegsmarine. Perhaps out of lingering animosity after the Imperial Navy led the revolution that toppled the Kaiser, the navy was given the lowest priority the rearmament programs of the interwar period. Despite this, the Kriegsmarine was left with the ambitious Plan Z, intended to rebuild the powerful pre-war navy. Powerful new battleships, fast cruisers, an aircraft carrier, and huge numbers of U-Boats (submarines) were planned. Despite these grand designs the navy was far understrength in 1939, with only seven Battleships and eight cruisers available in September, and still trapped in Germany by the might of the Royal Navy.