German Reich

Berlin

Fascist

Axis (Leader)

The German Reich was instituted as the successor to the German Empire that was dismantled in the November Revolution of 1918/19 after WW1. The so-called Weimar Republic kept the name of German Reich until its dissolution in 1945. With the Nazis' rise to power in 1933, the country was transformed into a dictatorship led by Adolf Hitler. It was the primary Axis Power in the European Theatre. Historically, the German Reich precipitated the Second World War by attacking Poland on 1 September 1939, and the German Reich closed the European Theatre of the Second World War by its surrender between 4 May and 9 May 1945. In 1936, the Nazi party has all but secured its grip on power, facing little in the way of organized resistance and is preparing the country for the next war.

Geography[edit]

In 1936, the German Reich is one of the largest countries in Europe, spanning parts of both Western and Central Europe from the Rhine to Silesia, and from the North and Baltic Seas to the Alps. Clockwise from the north, Germany borders Denmark, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Switzerland, France, Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands. Additionally, the exclave of East Prussia runs from the Baltic Sea to the north to Lithuania to the northeast and has Poland to the east, south, and west. The border states of Rhineland and Moselland are demilitarised in 1936, and the German Reich cannot move forces into the area until it completes the Rhineland national focus, or if it gets involved in a war before doing the Rhineland national focus.

The coastline consists mostly of flat, arable land and the East Frisian marshes, which together form part of the North European Plain. Much of the German interior is heavily forested, most prominent being the Black Forest region near the Alsatian border. Foothills dominate the Czechoslovakian border. The southern border with Switzerland and Austria is somewhat mountainous, although very little Alpine territory actually resides within prewar German borders; Lake Constance (the Bodensee) forms part of this southern border with Switzerland and Austria. The Rhine and Danube rivers both run partially through Germany towards the North Sea and the Black Sea respectively, whilst the Elbe, Oder, and Weser all run to the German coastline and the major ports of Hamburg, Stettin, and Bremen. The Kiel Canal traverses the German state of Schleswig-Holstein to connect the North and Baltic seas, allowing German and allied vessels to bypass the Danish straits.

There are many large urban areas in Germany, and most German states host at least one major city. The capital, Berlin, and the regional hubs Frankfurt and Munich are the most important cities from a strategic point of view, and the large Rhine-Ruhr conurbation in the northwest is also a vital, highly industrialized region. Germany's largest naval bases are situated at Wilhelmshaven and Kiel, and the nation has a generally high infrastructure level.

Events[edit]

Main article: German events

National focus[edit]

German national focus tree.

Main article: German national focus tree

Germany, as one of the seven major powers, has a unique national focus tree.

The German national focus tree can be divided into 6 branches and 3 Sub-branches:

Four Year Plan Branch: This branch improves Germany's industry, adds a research slot, builds fort lines around Europe and allows the creation of puppets.

Air Innovations Branch: This branch improves Germany's air force and speeds up research of nuclear weapons and rockets.

Army Innovations Branch: This branch improves Germany's land forces and allows for an alliance with the Soviet Union.

Rhineland Branch: The Fascist branch allows war with the Soviet Union, and friendship with China or Japan. It leads to the Anschluss sub-branch with more annexation and war options.

Anschluss Sub-branch: This sub-branch under the Rhineland branch allows Germany to annex several states and to ally with or declare war on several countries.

Naval Rearmament Branch: This branch improves Germany's navy and befriends Scandinavian countries and the Netherlands.

Oppose Hitler Branch: This branch allows Germany to remove Adolf Hitler as leader via civil war and pursue a democratic or non-aligned path. It requires Waking the Tiger.

Return of the Kaiser Sub-branch: This sub-branch restores Germany's monarchy under Wilhelm II, gives war goals against the British and the French, and allows for restoring the Italian and Austro-Hungarian monarchies; Germany can also choose to be subordinate to the British and to fight against communist France. It also allies with eastern nations in order to fight the communist threat of the Soviet Union. It requires Waking the Tiger.

The Monarchy Compromise Sub-branch: This sub-branch creates a type of constitutional monarchy; it can happen under both Kaisers Wilhelm II and Wilhelm III. It creates a faction with Austria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Romania, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Finland in order to fight the Soviet Union and other communist forces. It also adds one more research slot than the regular five slots and gives boosts to nuclear technology. It requires Waking the Tiger.

Technology[edit]

Army Technology	Naval Technology	Air Technology	Electronics & Industry
Support Weapons II (1939) Infantry Equipment I Infantry Equipment II (1939) Motorized Interwar Armored Car Paratroopers I (1939) Mountain Infantry I Support Equipment Engineer Company I Recon Company I Light Tank II Medium Tank I (1939) Heavy Tank I Artillery Anti-Air Interwar Artillery (1939) Anti-Tank (1939)	1936 Destroyer Hull Passive Sonar Basic Depth Charges 1936 Cruiser Hull 1940 Cruiser Hull (1939) Basic Cruiser Armor Scheme 1936 Heavy Ship Hull Inclined Belt Armor Scheme (1939) 1936 Carrier Hull (1939) 1936 Submarine Hull Improved Ship Torpedo Launcher Basic Light Battery Basic Medium Battery Basic Heavy Battery Improved Heavy Battery (1939) Turreted Secondary Battery Transport Ship Contact Mine Minelaying Submarine Without Man the Guns: Destroyer II Light Cruiser II Heavy Cruiser II Heavy Cruiser III (1939) Battlecruiser I Battleship II Battleship III (1939) Carrier III (1939) Submarine II Transport Ship	Close Air Support I Close Air Support II (1939) Fighter I Naval Bomber I Heavy Fighter I (1939) Tactical Bomber I Strategic Bomber I	Synthetic Oil Experiments Oil Processing (1939) Fuel Refining I Fuel Refining II (1939) Advanced Machine Tools (1939) Dispersed Industry IV (1939) Construction IV (1939) Decimetric Radar (1939) Computing Machine (1939) Without La Resistance: Encryption - Polyalphabetical Ciphers (1939) Decryption - Frequency Analysis (1939)
Doctrines
Mobile Warfare Blitzkrieg (1939)	Trade Interdiction Raider Patrols (1939) Unrestricted Submarine Warfare (1939)	Formation Flying Direct Ground Support (1939)

Designers, Concerns and Theorists[edit]

By selecting a Design Company they will permanently affect capabilities on all equipment researched while they are hired.

Tank Designers
Name	Specialty	Effect	Cost ()
Porsche	Heavy	Armor Research Speed: +15.0% Armor: Armor: +5% Hard attack: +5%	150
Henschel	Mobile	Armor Research Speed: +15.0% Armor: Max Speed: +5% Reliability: +10%	150
MAN	Medium	Armor Research Speed: +15.0% Armor: Reliability: +5% Soft attack: +5%	150

Ship Designers
Icon	Name	Specialty	Effect	Cost ()
	Germaniawerft	Atlantic Fleet	Naval Research Speed: +15% Carrier: Armor: +50% HP: +10% Capital Ship: Armor: +10% Heavy Attack: +10 % (without : Naval Firepower: +10 %	150
	Blohm & Voss	Raiding Fleet	Naval Research Speed: +15% Carrier: Surface Visibility: -10% Max Speed: +10% Deck Size: -10% Capital Ship: Surface Visibility: -10% Max Speed: +10% Heavy Attack: -10% (without : Naval Firepower: -10% Screen: Surface Visibility: -10% Max Speed: +10% Submarines: Sub Visibility: -10% Surface Visibility: -10% Max Speed: +10%	150

Aircraft Designers
Name	Specialty	Effect	Cost ()
Messerschmitt	Light	Air Research Speed: +15% Fighter, Jet Fighter, Carrier Fighter: Agility: +10% Max Speed: +10%	150
Junkers	CAS	Air Research Speed: +15% Close Air Support, Carrier CAS: Ground Attack: +10% Reliability: +10%	150
Focke Wulf	Medium	Air Research Speed: +15% Heavy Fighter, Tactical Bomber, Scout Planes: Reliability: +20%	150
Heinkel	Heavy	Air Research Speed: +15% Strategic Bomber: Strategic Bombing: +10%	150
Dornier	Naval	Air Research Speed: +15% Naval Bomber, CV Naval Bomber, Carrier CAS: Range: +10 % Naval Attack: +10 % Carrier Fighter: Range: +10% Agility: +10%	150

Materiel Designers
Name	Specialty	Effect	Cost ()
Rheinmetall	Artillery	Artillery Research Speed: +15%	150
Mauser	Infantry Equipment	Weapons and Equipment Research Speed: +15%	150
Opel	Motorized Equipment	Motorization Research Speed: +15%	150

Industrial Concerns
Name	Specialty	Effect	Cost ()
IG Farben	Refining	Industrial Research Speed: +5% Synthetic Resources Research Speed: +15%	150
Krupp	Industrial	Industrial Research Speed: +15%	150
Siemens	Electronics	Electronics Research Speed: +15%	150

Theorists
Name	Type	Effect	Cost ()
Wernher von Braun	Rocket Scientist	Rocket Research Speed: +15%	150
Werner Heisenberg	Nuclear Scientist	Nuclear Research Speed: +15%	150
Heinz Guderian	Blitzkrieg Theorist	Army Experience Gain: +0.05 daily Land Doctrine Research Speed: +10% Armor: Max Speed: +10%	150
Erich von Manstein	Mobile Warfare Expert	Army Experience Gain: +0.05 daily Mobile Warfare Doctrine Research Speed: +15%	250
W. von Richthofen	Close Air Support Proponent	Air Experience Gain: +0.05 daily Battlefield Support Doctrine Research Speed: +15%	250
Walther Wever	Air Warfare Theorist	Air Experience Gain: +0.05 daily Air Doctrine Research Speed: +10%	150
Ernst Udet	Dive Bomber	Air Experience Gain: +0.05 daily Air Doctrine Research Speed: +10% Close Air Support: Ground Attack: +10%	150
Alfred Saalwächter	Submarine Specialist	Naval Experience Gain: +0.05 daily Trade Interdiction Doctrine: +20%	250
Otto Ciliax	Naval Theorist	Naval Experience Gain: +0.05 daily Naval Doctrine Research Speed: +10%	150

Cosmetic names[edit]

Germany has many unique cosmetic names for its equipment, listed here.

Infantry & motorized techs
Type	1918	1936	1938	1939	1940	1941	1942	1943	1944
Support Weapons	MG 08 & leichter Minenwerfer		MG 34 & 5 cm Granatwerfer 36		MG 42 & 8 cm Granatwerfer 34		MG 45 & 12 cm Granatwerfer 42
Infantry Equipment	Gewehr 98	Karabiner 98k		MP 38			MP 43
Infantry Anti-Tank							Panzerfaust 30	Panzerschreck
Motorized		Opel Blitz
Mechanized					Sd.Kfz. 11		Sd.Kfz. 251		Sd.Kfz. 251/20
Amtrac						LWS		LWS II
Armored Car		Sdkfz 222			Sdkfz 231		Puma (Pakwagen)

Armor techs
Tech year	Amphibious	Light (TD/SPG/AA)	Medium (TD/SPG/AA)	Modern (TD/SPG/AA)	Heavy (TD/SPG/AA)	Super-Heavy (TD/SPG/AA)
1918		Leichttraktor
1934		Panzer I (Marder II / Bison / FlakPz I)			Grosstraktor (Sturer Emil / N/A / N/A)
1936		Panzer II (Marder III / (Wespe / FlakPz Luchs)
1939			Panzer III (StuG III / Grille / Möbelwagen)
1940	Schwimmpanzer II
1941		Leopard (JagdLeopard / WT Leopard / FlakPz 1602)	Panzer IV (JagdPz IV / Hummel / Ostwind)		Tiger (Elefant / Sturmtiger / N/A)
1942	Tauchpanzer III
1943			Panther (Jagdpanther / Brummbär / Wirbelwind)		King Tiger (Jagdtiger / GW Tiger / N/A)	Maus (Jagdmaus / GW E-100 / FlakMaus)
1945				E-50 (E-25 / N/A / Kugelblitz)

Artillery techs
Tech year	Anti-Air	Artillery	Rocket Artillery	Anti-Tank
1934		10.5 cm LeFH 18
1936	2 cm FlaK 30			3,7 cm PaK 36
1939		15 cm sFH 18
1940	2 cm Flakvierling 38		Nebelwerfer 41	7,5 cm PaK 40
1942		15 cm Kanone 18
1943	8.8 cm Flak 41		21 cm Nebelwerfer 42	12,8 cm PaK 44

Naval techs (Without )
Type	1922	1936	1940	1944
Destroyer	Type 23	Zerstörer 1934	Narvik Class	Zerstörer 1944
Light Cruiser	Emden Class	Leipzig Class	M Class	Q Class
Heavy Cruiser	Blücher Class	Hipper Class	Prinz Eugen Class	P Class
Battlecruiser	Yorck Class		O Class
Battleship	Deutschland Class	Scharnhorst Class	Bismarck Class	Hindenburg Class
Super-Heavy Battleship		Schlachtschiff H41		Schlachtschiff H44
Carrier	Flugzeugdampfer I	Seydlitz Class	Graf Zeppelin Class	Europa Class
Submarine	UB III Type	Type IIA	Type VIIC	Type XXI

Aircraft techs
Tech Year	Close Air Support (Carrier)	Fighter (Carrier)	Naval Bomber (Carrier)	Heavy Fighter	Tactical Bomber	Strategic Bomber	Scout Plane
1933		He 51 (Ar 168)			Do 23
1936	Ju 87 (Ju 87 C 'Stuka')	Bf 109 (Ar 197)	Do 22 (Fi 167)	Bf 110	He 111	Do 19	Hs.126
1940	Ju 87 G 'Kanonenvogel' (Ju 88 C)	Fw 190 (Bf 109 T)	Ar 196 (Ar 195)	Me 410 'Hornisse'	Ju 88 A	He 177 'Greif'	Fw 189
1944	Hs-129 (Ju 187 C)	Ta 152 (BV 155)	Fw 300 (Ar 215)	Ju 388	Ju 188	Ta 400
Jet Engine Technology
1945		Me 262 'Schwalbe'			Hs 132
1950		Ho 229			Ar 234 'Blitz'	H.XVIII

Politics[edit]

National spirits[edit]

Germany starts with two national spirits in the base game:

Bitter Loser

Ideology drift defense: +50%
Can create factions

Bitterness over defeat in the Great War dominates the politics of this nation.

General Staff

Division Organization: +5%
Planning Speed: +25%

The German General staff was responsible for the continuous study of all aspects of war, including the drawing up and reviewing of plans for mobilization or campaign. This contributed to a higher level of Organization in the army.

With the Waking the Tiger expansion enabled, Germany starts with an additional national spirit:

MEFO Bills

Consumer Goods Factories: -5%
Daily Political Power Cost: +0.20
Military factory construction speed: +25.00%
Air base construction speed: +25.00%
Naval base construction speed: +25.00%
Naval dockyard construction speed: +25.00%
Land fort construction speed: +25.00%
Coastal fort construction speed: +25.00%
Anti Air construction speed: +25.00%
Synthetic refinery construction speed: +15.00%
Fuel silo construction speed: +25.00%
Radar station construction speed: +25.00%

MEFO bills were promissory notes created by Hjalmar Schacht to enable the government to fund rearmament, acting through the balance sheet entity Metallurgische Forschungsgesellschaft to hide this rearmament from French and British eyes. These bills must be extended for six-month periods, or their recipients will have to be paid when they fall due.

Diplomacy[edit]

As a Fascist country, the German Reich begins with slightly negative relationships with most of the world. In Europe, only Italy has positive relations with the German Reich. The Treaty of Versailles demilitarized Germany's border with Belgium, Luxembourg, and part of the Netherlands and France. The German Reich is the leader of the Axis at the start of the game but has no allies yet at the beginning of the grand campaign. Following the 1.5 patch, Germany is able to form the German Empire through national focus, and the Greater German Reich or Holy Roman Empire through decisions.

Political parties[edit]

Political party	Ideology	Popularity	Party leader	Country name	Is ruling?
Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei	Fascist	60%	Adolf Hitler / Heinrich Himmler (if the SS takes control of Germany or after taking Berlin in the Civil War) / Hermann Göring (if Hitler dies after the Sudeten Crisis)	German Reich	Yes
Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands	Communist	20%	Wilhelm Pieck	Socialist Republic of Germany	No
Zentrum	Democratic	20%	Konrad Adenauer	German Republic	No
Non-Aligned / Deutschnationale Volkspartei (if Revive the Kaiserreich/Re-establish Free Elections is chosen) / Militarregierung (at the start of the German Civil War)	Non-Aligned	0%	Generic (If "Oppose Hitler" Focus has not been chosen) / August von Mackensen (If "Oppose Hitler" HAS been chosen) / Wilhelm II (If "Return of the Kaiser" has been chosen) / Wilhelm III (If "Return of the Kaiser" has been chosen but Germany backs down or Wilhelm II dies after he becomes leader of Germany)	German Military Junta (Mackensen) / German Empire(Random Leader/Wilhelm II/Wilhelm III)	No

Political leaders[edit]

Leader	Ideology	Party	In power (1936)	Popularity	Unique portrait?	Leader trait
Adolf Hitler	Fascism/Nazism	Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (NSDAP)	Yes	60%	Yes	Dictator
Heinrich Himmler	Fascism/Nazism	Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (NSDAP)	No, can come to power via Event (Oster Conspiracy event chain/Hitler Found Dead event)	---	Yes	---
Hermann Göring	Fascism/Nazism	Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (NSDAP)	No, can come to power via Event (Oster Conspiracy event chain)	---	Yes	---
Konrad Adenauer	Democracy/Conservatism	Zentrum	No, can come to power via focus The Monarchy Compromise	20%	Yes	---
Wilhelm Pieck	Communism/Stalinism	Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands (KPD)	No	20%	Yes	---
August von Mackensen	Non-Aligned/Despotism	Militärregierung	No, can come to power via focus Oppose Hitler	0%	Yes	Great War Hero
Wilhelm II	Non-Aligned/Despotism	Deutschenationale Volkspartei (DNVP)	No, can come to power via focus Return of the Kaiser	---	Yes	Anti-Democrat, Imperial Connections
Wilhelm III	Non-Aligned/Despotism	Deutschenationale Volkspartei (DNVP)	No, can come to power via focus Return of the Kaiser	---	Yes	Popular Figurehead
Victoria	Non-Aligned/Despotism	Deutschenationale Volkspartei (DNVP)	No, can come to power via Event (Hindenburg Aflame in London)	---	Yes	Victoria III, Kaiserin of the People
Günther von Kluge	Non-Aligned/Despotism	Militärregierung	No, can come to power via Event (The Himmler-Putsch)	---	Yes

Ideology[edit]

Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (Fascist)

Can force government of another country to adopt the same ideology.
Can send volunteer forces
Justify war goal time when at war with a major: -80%

Political advisors[edit]

These are the ministers available for the German Reich.

Political advisors
Advisor	Type	Effect	Cost ()
Fritz Todt	Fortification Engineer	Land Fort construction speed: +20 % Coastal Fort construction speed: +20 % Anti Air construction speed: +20 % has completed focus Westwall	150
Albert Speer	Armaments Organizer	Civilian to Military Factory conversion cost: −20 %	150
Hjalmar Schacht	Captain of Industry	Civilian Factory construction Speed +10 % Infrastructure construction Speed +10 % Refinery construction Speed +10 % has completed focus Four Year Plan has completed focus Demand Sudetenland	75
Walther Funk	War Industrialist	Military Factory construction speed: +10 % Dockyard construction speed: +10 %	150
Ernst Thälmann	Communist Revolutionary	Daily Communism Support: +0.10 is NOT Supervised State	150
Kurt Schumacher	Democratic Reformer	Daily Democracy Support: +0.10 Is not Supervised State has completed focus Re-establish Free Elections	150
Joseph Goebbels	Fascist Demagogue Propaganda Master	Daily Fascism Support: +0.10 War Support: +10 % Current ruling party is Fascist Is not Supervised State	150
Rudolf Hess	Silent Workhorse	Political Power Gain: +15 % Not: Rudolf Hess has undertaken his famous flight one of the following must be true: Current ruling party is Fascist Reinstated Nazi Leadership	150
Heinrich Himmler	Prince of Terror	Non-Core manpower: +2.00% Foreign subversive activities efficiency: −30 % Damage to Garrisons: −25 % Having Himmler in your cabinet will allow the recruitment of foreign SS divisions one of the following must be true: Current ruling party is Fascist Reinstated Nazi Leadership	150
Martin Bormann	Silent Workhorse	Political Power Gain: +15 % one of the following must be true: Current ruling party is Fascist Reinstated Nazi Leadership	150
J. von Ribbentrop	Backroom Backstabber	Political Power Gain: +5 % Ideology drift defense: +15 % one of the following must be true: Current ruling party is Fascist Reinstated Nazi Leadership	150
K. von Neurath	Smooth-Talking Charmer	Trade deal option factor: +10 %	150
Hans Oster	Anti-Fascist Agent	Stability +10% Daily Fascism Support: -0.02 has completed focus Oppose Hitler	150
Alfred Hugenberg	Monarchist Media Mogul	Daily Support for Unaligned: +0.10 has completed Focus Revive the Kaiserreich	150
Carl Friedrich Goerdeler	Economist	Production Efficiency Cap: +5% has completed focus Revive the Kaiserreich	150
Julius Leber	Connected Citizen	Political Power Gain: +5% Stability +5% has completed focus Re-establish Free Elections	150
Theodor Heuss	Liberal Journalist	Political Power Gain: +5% Daily Democracy Support: +0.02 has completed focus Re-establish Free Elections	150
Wilhelm Canaris	Illusive Gentleman	Agency upgrade time: −15 % Operatives slots: +1 has created an Intelligence Agency	150

Economy[edit]

Laws[edit]

1936

Conscription Law	Economy Law	Trade Law
Limited Conscription 2.5% Recruitable population	Partial Mobilization 25% Consumer Goods factories +10% Military factory construction speed −10% Factory (type) conversion cost -10% Fuel Gain per Oil	Limited Exports 25% Resources to market +1% Research speed +5% Factory/Dockyard output +5% Construction speed +10% Civilian intelligence to others +5% Navy intelligence to others

1939

Conscription Law	Economy Law	Trade Law
Extensive Conscription 5% Recruitable population +10% Training time	War Economy 20% Consumer Goods factories +20% Military factory construction speed −20% Factory (type) conversion cost	Limited Exports 25% Resources to market +1% Research speed +5% Factory/Dockyard output +5% Construction speed +10% Civilian intelligence to others +5% Navy intelligence to others

Industry[edit]


Year	Military Factories	Naval Dockyards	Civilian Factories	Fuel Silos	Synthetic Refineries
1936	28	10	31 (-9)	2	0
1939	66	13	74 (-16)	2	4

Numbers in red indicate the number of civilian factories required to produce consumer goods, based on economy laws and the total number of military and civilian factories, rounded up.

The German industrial capacity is formidable. Germany possesses the largest military production capacity out of all European countries and its civilian industry is on par with the other European major countries. The only thing Germany lacks is a sizable naval production capacity, something that eventually needs to be addressed in order to challenge the navies of other countries.

Resources[edit]


Year	Oil	Aluminum	Rubber	Tungsten	Steel	Chromium
1936	3 (-1)	137 (-34)	0	5 (-1)	412 (-103)	5 (-1)
1939	7 (-2)	139 (-35)	12 (-3)	6 (-2)	433 (-108)	6 (-2)

Numbers in red indicate how many resources are reserved for export due to trade laws.

As far as resources are concerned, Germany falls a little short compared to the United Kingdom and France. While Germany has access to a large amount of steel and a good amount of aluminum, they have a severe shortage of everything else and can easily become dependent on foreign import to fuel their military apparatus. Luckily, the Rubber and Oil shortage can be at least partially mitigated with synthetic resource refineries while metals (Tungsten and Chromium) can be secured throughout Europe.

Military[edit]

German Reich's Wehrmacht is a military force in Hearts of Iron 4 divided into three parts the Heer (Army), the Kriegsmarine (Navy) and the Luftwaffe (Air force).

Army[edit]

Army
Type	# 1936	# 1939
Infantry	24	99
Light Tank	3	11
Motorized	1	7
Mountaineers	1	3
Cavalry	1	1
Paratroopers		1
Total divisions	30	122
Manpower used	269.60k	1.10m

In 1936, German Reich's Heer is relatively small compared to the armies of the other major powers. However, quality is its strength, the Heer is well trained, with all divisions being regulars and thus receiving 25% bonuses in combat. The Heer is also well equipped, with no equipment shortages, large infantry divisions (a width of 18), and support artillery and engineers. Most importantly, it has a highly elite mobile segment, with 3 light tank Panzer divisions and one motorized SS division. The Panzers are mostly light tank 1, but light tank 2 is already researched and in production for upgrades. This 4 division unit can be dangerous if deployed effectively to punching through enemy lines on plains and then aggressively encircling enemies.

Thus, there is no need to wait for slow rearmament in single player. The player can easily crush the UK (through a surprise invasion) or France with its starting army with the right strategy. Even in peacetime, the elite mobile divisions can be sent as volunteers to Spain or Japan for extremely decisive impacts. Neither Republican Spain nor China will usually have countermeasures against aggressive encirclement by Panzers, that being said, ending the wars too quickly may have negative strategic effects due to rocketing world tension.

Examples of alternative division template names for German Reich include:

Mountaineers - Gebirgs-Division
Marines - Marine-Division or Marine-Korps
Paratroopers - Flieger-Division or Fallschirmjäger-Division (after 1943)
Motorized - Motorisierte-Division
Mechanized - Panzergrenadier-Division
Armor - Panzer-Division

Field Marshals
Name	Skill	ATK	DEF	PLN	LOG	Traits
Gerd von Rundstedt	3	3	2	3	2	Old Guard Urban Assault Specialist Defensive Doctrine
Günther von Kluge	3	4	2	2	3	Armor Officer Offensive Doctrine
Heinrich Himmler	1	1	1	1	1	Politically Connected
Walter Model	3	3	4	3	2	Brilliant Strategist Cautious Politically Connected Defensive Doctrine

Generals
Name	Skill	ATK	DEF	PLN	LOG	Traits
Albert Kesselring	4	3	4	4	4	Brilliant Strategist Cautious War Hero
Alexander von Falkenhausen	3	2	2	3	3	Infantry Officer
Alfred Jodl	3	2	2	3	3	Career Officer Politically Connected
Erich von Manstein	4	3	4	4	4	Brilliant Strategist Armor Officer Trickster Engineer (trait)
Ernst-Eberhard Hell	3	3	2	3	2	War Hero Engineer (trait) Winter Specialist
Erwin Rommel	4	4	4	2	3	Reckless Media Personality Armor Officer War Hero Trickster
Erwin von Witzleben	4	4	3	2	4	Career Officer Infantry Officer
Ewald von Kleist	2	2	1	2	2	Cautious Armor Officer
Fedor von Bock	4	5	3	4	2	Cautious Harsh Leader
Felix Steiner	3	3	2	3	2
Friedrich Paulus	1	1	1	1	1	Cautious Armor Officer
Friedrich Schulz	3	3	3	1	3	Infantry Officer
Georg von Küchler	4	3	2	4	4
Georg-Hans Reinhardt	3	1	2	4	3	Cautious Armor Officer
Gotthard Heinrici	3	3	1	3	3	Cautious Infantry Officer Engineer (trait)
Hasso von Manteuffel	4	4	3	3	3	Career Officer Cautious Armor Officer
Heinz Guderian	4	3	4	5	3	Brilliant Strategist Career Officer Armor Officer Trickster Panzer Leader
Hermann Hoth	3	2	2	3	3	Reckless Armor Officer
Johannes Blaskowitz	3	3	2	3	2	Infantry Officer
Kurt Student	4	4	2	4	3	Reckless Commando
Maximilian von Weichs	4	4	2	3	4	Cavalry Officer
Paul Hausser	4	5	3	4	2	Armor Officer Politically Connected
Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck	4	3	3	2	5	Trickster War Hero Media Personality Jungle Rat
Sepp Dietrich	4	3	3	5	4	Brilliant Strategist Reckless Armor Officer Politically Connected
Walter Krüger	3	3	3	1	3	Reckless Armor Officer Politically Connected
Wilhelm List	2	2	3	1	3	Inflexible Strategist Career Officer
Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb	3	4	3	1	2	Old Guard Infantry Officer

Division composition list
Division	Name list	Support companies	Combat battalions
Infanterie-Division	Infantry	Engineer, Artillery	9x Infantry
Sicherungs-Division^	Garrison		9x Infantry
Panzer-Division	Panzer	Motorized Recon, Engineer, Artillery*	4x Light Tank, 2x Motorized Infantry
Leichte-Division^	Light	Motorized Recon, Engineer	1x Light Tank, 4x Motorized Infantry
Infanterie-Division (mot.)	Motorized	Motorized Recon, Engineer, Artillery	9x Motorized Infantry
SS-Regiment^	SS	Artillery	3x Motorized Infantry
Gebirgs-Brigade*	Mountain		6x Mountaineers
Gebirgs-Division^	Mountain	Engineer	9x Mountaineers
Kavallerie-Brigade	Cavalry	Cavalry Recon, Artillery*	4x Cavalry
Fallschirmjäger-Division^	Paratrooper		5x Paratroopers
* marks a company or division that is removed in the 1939 start. ^ marks a company or division that is only available in the 1939 start.

Navy[edit]

Navy
Type	# 1936	# 1939
Battleship	2	4
Heavy cruiser	2	4
Light cruiser	8	8
Destroyer	12	32
Submarine	14	58
Total ships	38	106
Manpower used	21k	49.37k

The Kriegsmarine ("War Navy") is small and outdated in 1936, and without serious rearmament efforts, it won't stand a chance against the Royal Navy due to a lack of modern capital ships and air power. However, it can be rebuilt in the time available into an effective fighting force, especially if operating under the protection of the Luftwaffe.

Historically, the Third Reich had begun to implement a massive shipbuilding programme known as Plan Z that called for no fewer than ten modern battleships (including the Scharnhorst and Bismarck classes), four aircraft carriers (including the unfinished Graf Zeppelin) and three battlecruisers (the planned O-class) to lead a large fighting force of surface raiders capable of both operating far out into the Atlantic against convoys and fighting pitched fleet battles in the North Sea against the Royal Navy, but efforts stalled as resources and yards were diverted to more critical material following the outbreak of war.

Production shifted almost entirely to U-boats in a bid to cut Britain off from the resources of the Commonwealth and USA through unrestricted submarine warfare, and by the end of the war, the Kriegsmarine was overwhelmingly comprised of U-boats, many of very advanced design that heavily influenced post-War Allied submarines after the fall of the Third Reich. The player can choose either of these directions through the small naval branch of Germany's national focus tree, although Plan Z will take some more time to execute than the construction of a submarine raiding fleet.

Germany starts with some technological advantages in naval design, including 1936 designs for light cruisers, destroyers and submarines, and in 1936 has eight Type IIA U-boats and four Type 1934-class destroyers under construction, as well as the famous Admiral Graf Spee "pocket battleship" (heavy cruiser) about to leave the drydock. Two Scharnhorst-class tiers II battleships are under construction as well. It has two manufacturers to choose from - Germaniawerft and Blohm & Voss - which respectively confer bonuses for capital ships and raiding fleets.

Admirals
Name	Skill	ATK	DEF	MNV	COR	Traits
Alfred Saalwächter	4	4	2	3	4	Old Guard Bold
Erich Raeder	4	3	4	3	3	Battleship Adherent Naval Lineage
Günther Lütjens	3	4	1	1	4	Gentlemanly Career Officer Superior Tactician
Hermann Boehm	4	3	4	4	2	Craven Superior Tactician
Karl Dönitz	5	5	3	3	5	Career Officer Sea Wolf
Wilhelm Marschall	4	4	2	3	4	Old Guard Bold

Naval units list
Type	Class	Hull	Engine	# 1936	1936	# 1939	1939	Design note
CV	Graf Zeppelin^	1936 Carrier	Carrier II				1	3x Hangar Space, Anti-Air I, Secondary Battery I
BB	Bismarck^	1936 Heavy Ship	Heavy II				2	2x Heavy Battery III, 2x Anti-Air I, Fire Control I, 2x Secondary Battery II, Battleship Armor II, Floatplane Catapult I
BB	Scharnhorst	1936 Heavy Ship	Heavy II		2	2		2x Heavy Battery II, 2x Anti-Air I, 2x Secondary Battery I, Battleship Armor I
BB	Deutschland*	Pre-Dreadnought	Heavy I	2		2		Heavy Battery I, 2x Anti-Air I, Secondary Battery I, Battleship Armor I
CA	Deutschland	Panzerschiff	Cruiser I	2	1	3		Heavy Battery II, 2x Anti-Air I, Secondary Battery I, Cruiser Armor I, Floatplane Catapult I, Torpedo Launcher I
CA	Admiral Hipper	1936 Cruiser	Cruiser I		1	1	4	2x Heavy Cruiser Battery II, 2x Anti-Air I, Cruiser Armor II, Torpedo Launcher I, Floatplane Catapult I
CL	Leipzig	1936 Cruiser	Cruiser I	2		2		2x Light Cruiser Battery I, 2x Anti-Air I, Cruiser Armor I, Torpedo Launcher I, Floatplane Catapult I
CL	Bremse*	Early Cruiser	Cruiser I	2		2		Light Battery I, 2x Anti-Air I, 2x Minelaying Rails
CL	Emden*	Early Cruiser	Cruiser I	1		1		2x Light Cruiser Battery I, Cruiser Armor I, Torpedo Launcher I
CL	Königsberg*	Early Cruiser	Cruiser I	3		3		2x Light Cruiser Battery I, Anti-Air I, Cruiser Armor I, Torpedo Launcher I, Minelaying Rails
DD	Zerstörer 1936^	1936 Destroyer	Light II			5	1	Light Battery II, Anti-Air I, Torpedo Launcher I, Depth Charge I
DD	Zerstörer 1934A	1936 Destroyer	Light II		12	12		Light Battery II, Anti-Air I, 2x Torpedo Launcher I, Depth Charge I
DD	Zerstörer 1934*	1936 Destroyer	Light II		4	4		Light Battery II, Anti-Air I, 2x Torpedo Launcher I, Minelaying Rails
DD	Type 24*	Early Destroyer	Light I	12		11	6	Light Battery I, Torpedo Launcher I, Minelaying Rails
SS	Type VII	1936 Submarine	Submarine I			32	5	Torpedo Tubes II
SS	Type II*	Early Submarine	Submarine I	14	8	26		Torpedo Tubes I
* marks a variant as "outdated". ^ marks a variant that is only available in the 1939 start. Ship type terminology: CV - Carrier BB - Battleship CA - Heavy cruiser CL - Light cruiser DD - Destroyer SS - Submarine

Naval variants list (Without Man the Guns
Class	Type	+Reliability	+Torpedo	+Gun	+ASW	+Armor	+Anti-Air	+Stealth	+Engine
Deutschland	Heavy Cruiser I	1		2		1			1
Königsberg*	Light Cruiser I	2		2			2		2
Zerstörer 1936^	Destroyer II		2		2		2		2
Type VIIA^	Submarine II	1	1					1	1
* marks a variant as "outdated". ^ marks a variant that is only available in the 1939 start.

Air force[edit]

Air Force
Type	# 1936	# 1939
Close air support	80	390
Fighter	280	1148
Naval bomber	72	162
Heavy fighter		120
Tactical bomber	480	1036
Transport	4	132
Total planes	916	2988
Manpower used	28.16k	90.80k

The Luftwaffe in 1936 is smaller than the RAF, which is usually its main adversary, and the small fighter force is outdated. However, the German Reich does start with 1936 designs for all aircraft except carrier variants and heavy fighters, meaning that modern aircraft production can begin right away and research efforts can be diverted elsewhere.

Historically, Germany focused on flexible medium bombers such as the He 111 that could provide tactical support, and also pioneered close-in air support with dive bombers such as the Ju 87 operating in concert with ground troops on the offensive. Germany's default air doctrine and unique advisors allow for the execution of very effective ground support operations.

The Luftwaffe was rapidly built into a modern air force in the late 1930s, playing a key role in German offensives in Poland, the Benelux, and France. After losing to the RAF in the Battle of Britain, the Luftwaffe would go on to play a vital role in early German victories on the Eastern Front, although the lack of strategic bombers to destroy Russian industry beyond the Urals ultimately contributed to the failure of Operation Barbarossa. German aerial innovation continued throughout the war, even after the tide had turned against the Axis, leading to the development of both the first operational jet fighter, the Me 262, and the V-2 rocket, the first long-range guided ballistic missile.

Aircraft variants list
Name	Type	# 1936	# 1939	+Reliability	+Attack	+Range	+Engine
Bf 109E^	Fighter I		472	4	2	1	2
He 112^	Fighter I			2	1	1	0
Do 17*	Interwar Bomber		304	5	5	1	1
Ju 86*	Interwar Bomber	40		10	5	5	5
* marks a variant as "outdated". ^ marks a variant that is only available in the 1939 start.

Military staff[edit]

These are the military staff candidates for appointment of German Reich.

Chief of Army
Candidate	Specialty	Skill	Effects	Cost ()
Ludwig Beck	Army Organization	Expert	Army Organization: +8%	150
Wilhelm Keitel	Army Drill	Expert	Division training time: -10%	150
Franz Halder	Army Offense	Expert	Division Attack: +10%	150
W. von Brauchitsch	Army Maneuver	Expert	Division speed: +10%	150 Requires focus: Army Innovations

Chief of Navy
Icon	Candidate	Specialty	Skill	Effects	Cost ()
	Erich Raeder	Decisive Battle	Expert	Capital Ship, Screen: Attack: +10% Armor: +10%	150
	Karl Dönitz	Commerce Raiding	Genius	Convoy Raiding Efficiency: +20%	150

Chief of Airforce
Candidate	Specialty	Skill	Effects	Cost ()
Hermann Göring	Ground Support	Expert	Air Superiority: +10%	150
Ritter von Greim	All-Weather	Expert	Bad Weather Penalty: -20%	150 Requires focus: Air Innovations
Albert Kesselring	Air Reformer	Expert	Air Experience Gain: +7.5%	150

Military High Command
Candidate	Specialty	Skill	Effects	Cost ()
Ferdinand Schörner	Infantry	Expert	Infantry Division: Attack: +10% Defense: +15%	150
Erwin Rommel	Armor	Genius	Armor Division: Attack: +15% Defense: +15%	150 Requires focus: Army Innovations
Gerd von Rundstedt	Army Regrouping	Expert	Division Recovery Rate: +8%	150
Werner von Fritsch	Army Logistics	Expert	Division Attrition: -8%	150
Hugo Sperrle	Close Air Support	Expert	Close air support: attack: +3% defense: +3% agility: +3%	150 Requires focus: Air Innovations
Erhard Milch	Bomber Interception	Expert	Interception: attack: +3% defense: +3% agility: +3%	150
Kurt Student	Airborne Assault	Expert	Paradrop: attack: +2% defense: +5% agility: +5%	150
Erich Bey	Naval Air Defense	Expert	Naval AA attack: +15%	150
Günther Lütjens	Fleet Logistics	Expert	Naval Max range factor: +10%	150
Viktor Schütze	Anti-Submarine	Specialist	Submarine Detection: +10%	150

Strategies and guides[edit]

During 1936 a good construction strategy is to focus on improving infrastructure in states with lots of resources and factory slots, then building civilian factories in those states. Later in 1937 its wise to start shifting construction towards military factories (And dockyards if you intend to invade the UK after capitulating France). Militarily, the first priority should be to inflate your army manpower enough to reach the requirements of the "Anschluss" national focus as fast as possible. This focus will give you valuable Austrian factories, as well as some manpower, divisions and resources. One way to accomplish this is to only train infantry divisions as they are much cheaper and faster to produce than tank or motorized.

Start with the "Four Year Plan" national focus and continue with the other industry focused focuses, as soon as the requirements for "Rhineland", "Anschluss", "Demand Sudetenland/Slovenia" and other diplomatic focuses are achieved you should take them. Germany is in a race against time to occupy Allied countries before they outgrow you industrially. Given enough time the Allied countries have enough factories and manpower to beat both Germany and Italy. Therefore it is recommended the player has declared war on France, Yugoslavia, Poland and/or the Benelux countries before 1939 is over.

Remember to send volunteers to fight for Nationalist Spain to gain military experience.

Germany suffers from a lack of fuel for most the early to mid game so its important to keep in mind that fuel silos, refineries and trade are important parts of the pre-war buildup. After war is declared with the Allies you can still trade with Romania and the Soviet Union without risking losing your convoys. Avoid trading with the Soviet Union, unless absolutely necessary, since you will likely be at war with them in the future and you don't want to give them more civilian factories.

In the buildup to the war with Poland you have many strategies to choose from. However, one approach is to build up the army with tanks and motorized, while upgrading your infantry template to include artillery and support divisions, air force with fighters and Close Air Support/Tactical Bombers and leaving the navy largely ignored as it won't help much in your wars with France, Poland and the Benelux countries. Use naval bombers and submarines to disrupt UK shipping and troop transports. This strategy largely follows the historical strategy of the German Reich.

Another approach is to focus on a strong navy, particularly submarines. While only producing a small amount of "elite" tank divisions and letting motorized/motorized artillery divisions be your "punching force". Air superiority is still very important and it's recommended you have deployed a minimum of a 1000 fighters at the outbreak of the war. Use submarines to sink as much of UK transports and trade convoys in the English Channel at the start of the war. Keep your surface fleet in dock until you think it can match the Royal Navy, and France has surrendered.

National Focus[edit]

A generally agreed upon order for national focus is as follows:

Historical[edit]

Rhineland
Army Innovations
Treaty with the USSR
Four Year Plan
Autarky
Hermann Goring-Werke
KdF-Wagen
Extra Research Slot
Reichsautobahn
Anschluss

The general purpose of this order is to use the early game to prioritize the building of the German economy. These choices, combined with research focused on industry, maximize the economy such that by 1939 it is possible to make a shift to producing updated military units at a very high rate. For example, Rhineland going first assumes the political power will be used on changing to a Free Economy which provides a significant early economic boost. One could consider choices 2 & 3 somewhat flexible, though these are presented as they provide very early medium armor, allowing for Panzer IV in 1938, which is highly desirable. The reason for taking four year plan in the fourth slot (as opposed to the second) is that it pushes the research bonuses gained from that focus to later years (assuming the player is researching industry at the start of the game), allowing the player to continue to focus on industrial tech research well ahead of time, and thus gain those bonuses for the longer term. Note that Four Year Plan --> Autark --> Hermann Goring-Werk --> KdF-Wagen is a chain that would almost always make senses to follow in any strategy being considered. Finally, while the last three listed are widely considered optimal, flexibility here is possible for certain specific strategies.

For a historical DOW on Poland (9/1/1939), the following chain needs to start by February 1, 1939:

Moltov-Ribbentrop Pact
Reassert Eastern Claims
Danzig or War

Ahistorical[edit]

Oppose Hiter
Four Year Plan
Autarky
Kaiser Werke
Wilhem Wagen
Extra Research Slot
Secure the New State
Re-Establish Free Elections
The Monarchy Compromise
Reverse the Brain Drain

Achievements[edit]

Don’t Die for Your Country

As Germany in a 1939 start, occupy all of Poland and France without taking more than 475 casualties.

Monarchy is Back in Fashion

As Germany, Bring back the Kaiser and ensure that Italy is controlled by Victor Emmanuel by killing Mussolini.

Operation Sea Lion

Control British mainland as Germany.

Our Other Place in the Sun

As Imperial Germany, conquer a Caribbean island.

True Blitzkrieg

As Germany have both Poland and France surrender before January 1st 1940

Why Die For Danzig?

As Germany, turn France fascist and occupy Danzig without going to war with France.

Countries

Europe

Albania Austria Belgium Bulgaria Czechoslovakia Denmark Estonia Finland German Reich Greece Hungary Ireland Latvia Lithuania Luxembourg Norway Poland Portugal Nationalist Spain Republican Spain Soviet Union Sweden Switzerland Turkey Yugoslavia

North America

Dominion of Canada Costa Rica Cuba Dominican Republic El Salvador Guatemala Haiti Honduras Mexico Nicaragua Panama United States

South America

Argentina Bolivia Chile Ecuador Paraguay Peru Uruguay Venezuela

Asia	Afghanistan Bhutan British Malaya British Raj Communist China Guangxi Clique Iran Iraq Mongolia Nepal Oman Philippines Saudi Arabia Siam Sinkiang Tannu Tuva Tibet Xibei San Ma Yemen Yunnan