German Reich

Berlin

Fascist, National Socialist

Axis (Leader)

The German Reich was instituted in 1933 and 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 8 May 1945.

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.

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
Infantry Eq. I Motorized Mountain Infantry I Engineer Company I Recon Company I Light Tank II Heavy Tank I Towed Artillery I Towed Anti-Air I	Destroyer II Light Cruiser II Heavy Cruiser I Upgraded Deutschland Class Heavy Cruiser II Battlecruiser I Battleship II Submarine II Transport Ship	Interwar Fighter Interwar Bomber Close Air Support I Fighter I Naval Bomber I Tactical Bomber I Strategic Bomber I	Synthetic Oil I
Doctrines
Mobile Warfare	Trade Interdiction	Battlefield Support

Politics[edit]

National Spirit[edit]

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.

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) / Karl Donitz (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)	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: +25% Political Power gain daily
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 by coup or via National Focus (The Monarchy Compromise, requires Waking the Tiger)	20%	Yes	---
Wilhelm Pieck	Communism/Stalinism	Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands (KPD)	No, can come to power by coup	20%	Yes	---
August von Mackensen	Non-Aligned/Despotism	Militärregierung	No, can come to power via National Focus (Oppose Hitler, requires Waking the Tiger)	0%	Yes	Great War Hero: - +5% Stability - +5% War Support - +20% Division Attack on Core Territory - +20% Division Defense on Core Territory
Wilhelm II	Non-Aligned/Despotism	Deutschenationale Volkspartei (DNVP)	No, can come to power via National Focus (Return of the Kaiser, requires Waking the Tiger)	---	Yes	Anti-Democrat: - -50 Acceptance of Democratic Diplomacy - -0.02 Daily Democracy Support - +10% Stability Imperial Connections: - -25% Political Advisor Cost - -25% Mobilization Law Cost - -25% Trade Laws Cost - -25% Economy Cost - -25% Military High Command Cost - -25% Chief of Air Force Cost - -25% Chief of Army Cost - -25% Chief of Navy
Wilhelm III	Non-Aligned/Despotism	Deutschenationale Volkspartei (DNVP)	No, can come to power via National Focus (Return of the Kaiser, requires Waking the Tiger)	---	Yes	Popular Figurehead: - +5% Stability
Victoria	Non-Aligned/Despotism	Deutschenationale Volkspartei (DNVP)	No, can come to power via Event (Hindenburg Aflame in London, requires Waking the Tiger)	---	Yes	Victoria III: - +5% Stability Kaiserin of the People: - +0.10% Weekly Stability - +5% Stability - +5% War Support - +10% Division Defense on Core Territory - +15% Daily Political Power

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%

Staff and Designers[edit]

These are choices of ministers and design companies for the German Reich.

Political Advisors
Advisor	Type	Effect	Cost ()
Albert Speer	Armaments Organizer	Civilian to Military Factory conversion cost: -20 %	150
Ernst Thälmann	Communist Revolutionary	Daily Communism Support: +0.10	150
Fritz Todt	Fortification Engineer	Land Fort construction speed: +20 % Coastal Fort construction speed: +20 % Anti Air construction speed: +20 % Requires: Westwall focus	150
Heinrich Himmler	Prince of Terror	Effect of partisans on us: -25 % Foreign subversive activities efficiency: -30 % Non-Core manpower: +2.00% Having Himmler in your cabinet will allow the recruitment of foreign SS divisions	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 NOT Completed focus Demand Sudetenland	75
J.von Ribbentrop	Backroom Backstabber	Political Power Gain: +5 % Ideology drift defense: +15 %	150
Joseph Goebbels	Fascist Demagogue Propaganda Master	Daily Fascism Support: +0.10 War Support: +10 %	150
K. von Neurath	Smooth-Talking Charmer	Trade deal option factor: +10 %	150
Kurt Schumacher	Democratic Reformer	Daily Democracy Support: +0.10	150
Martin Bormann	Silent Workhorse	Political Power Gain: +15 %	150
Rudolf Hess	Silent Workhorse	Political Power Gain: +15 % Not: Rudolf Hess has undertaken his famous flight	150
Walther Funk	War Industrialist	Military Factory construction speed: +10 % Dockyard construction speed: +10 %	150

Tank Designers
Designer	Type	Effect	Cost ()
Porsche	Heavy Tank Designer	Armor Research Speed: +15.0% Armor: Armor: +5 % Hard attack: +5 % By selecting this Design Company they will permanently affect capabilities on all equipment researched while they are hired.	150
MAN	Medium Tank Designer	Armor Research Speed: +15.0% Armor: Reliability: +5 % Soft attack: +5 % By selecting this Design Company they will permanently affect capabilities on all equipment researched while they are hired.	150
Henschel	Mobile Tank Designer	Armor Research Speed: +15.0% Armor: Max Speed: +5 % Reliability: +10 % By selecting this Design Company they will permanently affect capabilities on all equipment researched while they are hired.	150

Ship Designers
Designer	Type	Effect	Cost ()
Germaniawerft	Atlantic Fleet Designer	Naval Research Speed: +15.0% Carrier: Armor: +50 % Capital Ship: Armor: +10 % Naval firepower: +10 % By selecting this Design Company they will permanently affect capabilities on all equipment researched while they are hired.	150
Blohm & Voss	Raiding Fleet Designer	Naval Research Speed: +15.0% Carrier: Surface Visibility: -10 % Max Speed: +10 % Deck Size: -10 % Capital Ship: Surface Visibility: -10 % Max Speed: +10 % Naval firepower: -10 % Screen: Surface Visibility: -10 % Max Speed: +10 % Submarines: Sub Visibility: -10 % Surface Visibility: -10 % Max Speed: +10 % By selecting this Design Company they will permanently affect capabilities on all equipment researched while they are hired.	150

Aircraft Designers
Designer	Type	Effect	Cost ()
Messerschmitt	Light Aircraft Designer	Air Research Time: Speed: +15.0% Fighter: Agility: +10 % Max Speed: +10 % Carrier Fighter: Agility: +10 % Max Speed: +10 % By selecting this Design Company they will permanently affect capabilities on all equipment researched while they are hired.	150
Focke Wulf	Medium Aircraft Designer	Air Research Time: Speed: +15.0% Heavy Fighter: Reliability: +20 % Tactical Bomber: Reliability: +20 % By selecting this Design Company they will permanently affect capabilities on all equipment researched while they are hired.	150
Heinkel	Heavy Aircraft Designer	Air Research Time: Speed: +15.0% Strategic Bomber: Strategic Bombing: +10 % By selecting this Design Company they will permanently affect capabilities on all equipment researched while they are hired.	150
Dornier	Naval Aircraft Designer	Air Research Speed: +15.0% Naval Bomber: Operational Range: +10 % Naval Attack: +10 % CV Naval Bomber: Operational Range: +10 % Naval Attack: +10 % By selecting this Design Company they will permanently affect capabilities on all equipment researched while they are hired.	150
Junkers	CAS Designer	Air Research Speed: +15.0% Close Air Support: Ground Attack: +10 % Reliability: +10 % Carrier CAS: Ground Attack: +10 % Reliability: +10 % By selecting this Design Company they will permanently affect capabilities on all equipment researched while they are hired.	150

Materiel Designers
Designer	Type	Effect	Cost ()
Opel	Motorized Equipment Designer	Motorization Research Speed: +15.0%	150
Mauser	Infantry Equipment Designer	Small Arms Research Speed: +15.0%	150
Rheinmetall	Artillery Equipment Designer	Artillery Research Speed: +15.0%	150

Industrial Concern
Designer	Type	Effect	Cost ()
Krupp	Industrial Concern	Industrial Research Speed: +15.0%	150
Siemens	Electronics Concern	Electronics ResearchSpeed: +15.0%	150
IG Farben	Refining Concern	Industrial Research Speed: +7.0% Synthetic resources Research Speed: +15.0%	150

Theorists
Theorist	Type	Effect	Cost ()
Alfred Saalwächter	Submarine Specialist	Naval Experience Gain: +0.05 daily Trade Interdiction Doctrine: +25 %	250
Erich von Manstein	Mobile Warfare Expert	Army Experience Gain: +0.05 daily Mobile Warfare Doctrine Research Speed: +15.0%	250
W. von Richthofen	Close Air Support Proponent	Air Experience Gain: +0.05 daily Battlefield Support Doctrine Research Speed: +15.0%	250
Heinz Guderian	Blitzkrieg Theorist	Army Experience Gain: +0.05 daily Land Doctrine Research Speed: +10.0% Armor: Max Speed: +10 %	150
Ernst Udet	Dive bomber	Air Experience Gain: +0.05 daily Air Doctrine Research Speed: +10.0% Close Air Support: Ground Attack: +10 %	150
Otto Cillax	Naval Theorist	Naval Experience Gain: +0.05 daily Naval Doctrine Research Speed: +10.0%	150
Walther Wever	Air Warfare Theorist	Air Experience Gain: +0.05 daily Air Doctrine Research Speed: +10.0%	150
Werner Heisenberg	Nuclear Scientist	Nuclear Research Speed: +15.0%	150
Wernher von Braun	Rocket Scientist	Rocket Research Speed: +15.0%	150

Economy[edit]

Laws[edit]

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

Industry[edit]

Factories 1936
28 Military Factories	10 Naval Dockyard	32 Civilian Factories

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]

Total resources 1936
Oil	Rubber	Steel	Aluminum	Tungsten	Chromium
4	0	470	158	4	4

Total resources 1939
Oil	Rubber	Steel	Aluminum	Tungsten	Chromium
87	44	500	159	4	4

These numbers represent the available resources, depending on trade law a certain amount may be traded away.

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]

Army[edit]

1936 scenario:

24 Infantry Divisions	1 Motorized Division	1 Mountain Divisions	1 Cavalry Division	3 Light Tank Divisions

Total: 30 Divisions | Manpower Used: 269.60K

In 1936, German Reich's Wehrmacht is relatively small compared to the armies of the other major powers. However, quality is its strength, the Wehrmacht is well trained, with all divisions being regulars and thus receiving 25% bonuses in combat. The Wehrmacht 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

Navy[edit]

Capital ships 1936
2 Battleships	2 Heavy Cruisers

Screens and Submarines 1936
6 Light Cruisers	12 Destroyers	14 Submarines

Total: 36 Ships || Manpower Used: 22.40K

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.

Air Force[edit]

Aircraft 1936
80 Close Air Support	280 Fighters	72 Naval Bombers	480 Tactical Bombers	4 Transport Planes

Total: 916 Planes | Manpower Used: 28.16K

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.

Military Staff[edit]

These are the Military Staff candidates for appointment of German Reich.

Chief of Army
Candidate	Type I	Type II	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 % Requires: Army Innovations	150

Chief of Navy
Candidate	Type I	Type II	Effects	Cost ()
Erich Raeder	Decisive Battle	(Expert)	Capital Ship Attack: +10 % Capital Ship Armor: +10 % Screen Attack: +10 % Screen Defense: +10 %	150
Karl Dönitz	Commerce Raiding	(Genius)	Convoy Raiding Efficiency: +20 %	150

Chief of Airforce
Candidate	Type I	Type II	Effects	Cost ()
Hermann Göring	Ground Support	(Expert)	Air Support: +10 %	150
Robert Ritter von Greim	All-Weather	(Expert)	Bad Weather Penalty: -20 % Requires: Army Innovations	150
Albert Kesselring	Air Reformer	(Expert)	Air Experience Gain: +10 %	150

Military High Command
Candidate	Type I	Type II	Effects	Cost ()
Ferdinand Schörner	Infantry	(Expert)	Infantry Division Attack: +10 % Infantry Division Defense: +15 %	150
Erwin Rommel	Armor	(Genius)	Armor Division Attack: +15 % Armor Division Defense: +15 % Requires: Army Innovations	150
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 % Close air support defense: +3 % Close air support agility: +3 % Requires: Air Innovations	150
Erhard Milch	Bomber Interception	(Expert)	Interception attack: +3 % Interception defense: +3 % Interception agility: +3 %	150
Kurt Student	Airborne Assault	(Expert)	Paradrop attack: +3 % Paradrop defense: +3 % Paradrop agility: +3 %	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.