German Reich

German Reich

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Capital:

Berlin

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Government type:

Fascist

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Faction:

Axis (Leader)

The  German Reich (or often just referred to as Germany for short in community parlance) is the current incarnation of Germany. After the collapse of the German Empire in the November Revolution of 1918/19 after WW1 the Weimar Republic was proclaimed, named after the German city where its constitutional convention was held. The troubled Weimar Republic would exist until 1933 when the NSDAP seized power and was transformed the country into a fascist dictatorship led by Adolf Hitler. By 1936 the NSDAP had cemented its power, having purged most of the opposition, and thus could focus on preparing for the next war.

Germany 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 would go on to establish a brief but notorious hegemony over continental Europe and the German Reich closed down the European Theatre of the Second World War through its surrender and fall between 4 May and 9 May 1945.

Germany is in many ways "the star of the show" in Hearts of Iron IV, with both historical and technical precedence, as it acts as the primary driving force of many early-game events in historical playthroughs and is also usually the instigator of World War II, with many of the in-game events and focus trees tailored to bring about a conflict roughly comparable to the real-life counterpart. That being said, the player can freely change the course of events and either change the course of Germany's path or steal the spotlight as another country.

Geography

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, even by European standards.

Events

Main article: German events

National focus

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 is the economic branch and improves  Germany's industry by adding factories, adds a research slot, builds fort lines around Europe in the East and West and also allows Germany to choose between turning  Hungary and  Romania into puppets or gaining even more factories. At the end of the branch, if Germany is Fascist, it allows them to create a set of Reichskommissariats, which are unique puppets that allow for more effective resource extraction and administration of occupied territories while at war.

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 opens up the aggressive expansion across Europe, allowing Germany to go to war with the  Soviet Union, and to befriende either  China or  Japan. It leads to the Anschluss sub-branch with more aggressive expansion and war options.

• Anschluss Sub-branch

This sub-branch under the Rhineland branch is full-on aggressive expansion, as it allows  Germany to annex several states and to ally with or declare war on several countries. Among other things, it leads to the annexation of  Austria and  Poland, the partitioning of  Czechoslovakia,  Yugoslavia and  Greece and finally war with  Netherlands,  Belgium,  Luxembourg,  France and  Switzerland. It also allows Germany to ally with  Hungary,  Italy and  Nationalist Spain. Additionally, the sub-branch also contains the option to befriend  Poland and  Czechoslovakia instead of just annexing and partitioning them, respectively.

Naval Rearmament Branch

This branch improves  Germany's navy and befriends the Scandinavian countries of  Denmark,  Norway and  Sweden as well as the  Netherlands.

Oppose Hitler Branch

This branch allows  Germany to remove Adolf Hitler and the NSDAP from power via civil war and restore the Germany Monarchy to 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, re-creating the German Empire that fell in 1918 and 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 ally them while fighting against communist  France. It also allies with eastern nations in order to crush the communist threat of the  Soviet Union in the east. It requires Waking the Tiger.

• The Monarchy Compromise Sub-branch

This sub-branch creates a 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 crush the  Soviet Union and other communist factions (like  France and any other country that turns communist through its focus tree). It also adds one more research slot than the regular five slots and gives boosts to nuclear technology. It requires Waking the Tiger.

Technology

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 Great War Tank Light Tank 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

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

Tank Designers

Icon	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

Icon	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

Icon	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

Icon	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

Icon	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

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 68)			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

National spirits

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

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. If Germany becomes Democratic, they may also form the European Union through a decision (West Germany may also form the EU if it is divided by the Yalta Conference, but East Germany cannot form the EU).

In terms of cores, outside of the cores granted through any of the formable nations, Germany can also gain cores on Austria (either through the Anschluss focus, or through an event that will fire off if Germany is either Democratic or Non-Aligned and in a faction with Austria - said event has a 90% chance of giving the positive answer, which will annex Austria and core them), West Poland (Danzig can be cored through Danzig or War even if Poland refuses; if the USSR conquers Poland and secedes West Poland, Germany will gain cores on all of West Poland, even if they took Oppose Hitler after signing the pact; Monarchist Germany can gain cores on Danzig, Posen, and Katowice if they do the focus "Danzig for Guarantee" and Poland accepts; Democratic Germany can regain Danzig and Poznan if they are in the same faction as Poland, Poland is Democratic or Non-aligned, Germany has completed the focus The Big Red Menace, Poland is at war with the USSR, and Poland has lost more than 30% of their victory points to the USSR), Alsace-Lorraine (if Germany takes Reintegrate Luxembourg and Alsace-Lorraine - which also cores Luxembourg - or is Monarchist and takes Reinstate Imperial Possessions), and the Sudetenland (if Germany either does the focus Demand Sudetenland and both the allies and Czechoslovakia agree, or if Czechoslovakia completes the focus "Deliver Sudetenland").

Political parties

Political party	Ideology	Popularity	Party leader	Country name	Is ruling?
Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei	Fascist	60%	One of the following: Adolf Hitler (Default) Heinrich Himmler (if the SS takes control of Germany, if Hitler dies after the Sudeten Crisis or after taking Berlin in the Civil War) Hermann Göring (if Hitler dies after the Sudeten Crisis or if the SS takes control of Germany)	German Reich	Yes
Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands	Communist	20%	Wilhelm Pieck	Socialist Republic of Germany	No
Zentrum	Democratic	20%	Konrad Adenauer	German Republic (if Hitler dies during the Oster Crisis and a civil war breaks out in Germany) Germany (Monarchy Compromise)	No
Non-Aligned / Deutschnationale Volkspartei (if Revive the Kaiserreich/Re-establish Free Elections is chosen) / Militärregierung (at the start of the German Civil War)	Non-Aligned	0%	One of the following: Generic (If "Oppose Hitler" Focus has not been chosen) August von Mackensen (If "Oppose Hitler" HAS been chosen, or the Royal Family dies without a liaison being sent forward) Wilhelm II (If "Return of the Kaiser" has been chosen) Wilhelm III (If "Return of the Kaiser" has been chosen but Germany backs down, Wilhelm II dies after he becomes leader of Germany, or August von Mackensen dies of natural causes) Victoria (If "Return of the Kaiser" has been chosen, the Hindenburg was not destroyed, the Succession laws have been modernized, and a liaison is sent ahead to restore the British Titles) Günther von Kluge (If the Wehrmacht is asked to restore order after Hitler is assassinated by the SS)	German Military Junta (Mackensen) German Empire (Random Leader/Wilhelm II/Wilhelm III/Victoria/Günther von Kluge)	No

Political leaders

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

Ideology

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

These are the ministers available for the German Reich.

Political advisors

Icon	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

Laws

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

Year	Military Factories	Naval Dockyards	Civilian Factories	Fuel Silos	Synthetic Refineries
1936	28	10	32 (-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

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

 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

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

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

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

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

Chief of Army

Icon	Candidate	Type	Effects	Requirements
	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 Has completed focus Army Innovations.

Chief of Navy

Icon	Candidate	Type	Effects	Requirements
	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

Icon	Candidate	Type	Effects	Requirements
	Hermann Göring	Ground Support (Expert)	Air Superiority: +10%	150
	Ritter von Greim	All-Weather (Expert)	Bad Weather Penalty: −20%	150 Has completed focus Air Innovations.
	Albert Kesselring	Air Reformer (Expert)	Air Experience Gain: +7.5%	150

Military High Command

Icon	Candidate	Type	Effects	Requirements
	Ferdinand Schörner	Infantry (Expert)	Infantry Division: Attack: +10% Defense: +15%	150
	Erwin Rommel	Armor (Genius)	Armor Division: Attack: +15% Defense: +15%	150 Has completed 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 Has completed 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

The below is one of many player suggested strategies for German Reich. Bear in mind, due to the dynamic nature of the game, it may unfold differently for other players.

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 the player intends to invade the UK after capitulating France). Militarily, the priority should be to inflate Germany's 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 tanks 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 the player should take them. Germany is in a race against time to occupy Allied countries before they outgrow Germany 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 of the early to mid-game so it's important to keep in mind that fuel silos, refineries and trade are important parts of the pre-war buildup. After the war is declared with the Allies Germany can still trade with Romania and the Soviet Union without risking losing German convoys. Avoid trading with the Soviet Union, unless absolutely necessary, since Germany will likely be at war with them in the future and the player doesn't want to give them more civilian factories.

In the buildup to the war with Poland Germany has many strategies to choose from. However, one approach is to build up the army with tanks and motorized, while upgrading the 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 the 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 Germany have deployed a minimum of 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 the surface fleet in dock until the player thinks it can match the Royal Navy, and France has surrendered.

National focus

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

Historical

1. Rhineland
2. Army Innovations
3. Treaty with the USSR
4. Four Year Plan
5. Autarky
6. Hermann Goring-Werke
7. KdF-Wagen
8. Extra Research Slot
9. Reichsautobahn
10. 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 --> Autarky --> 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:

17. Reassert Eastern Claims

18. Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact

19. Danzig or War

The reason we are doing Reassert Eastern Claims first is to not allow the Soviet Union to possibly take Lithuania (and thus Memel) before us. You may reassert eastern claims at any time, so long as it happens before the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact

Ahistorical (Democratic)

1. Oppose Hitler
2. Four Year Plan
3. Autarky
4. Kaiser Werke
5. Wilhelm Wagen
6. Extra Research Slot
7. Secure the New State
8. Re-Establish Free Elections
9. The Monarchy Compromise
10. Reverse the Brain Drain

The general purpose of this order is to minimize world tension generated by the player, and to prepare for the main focus of our conflict with the Soviet Union - as the German Civil War can vary for everyone, the 5 focuses in between Oppose Hitler and Secure the New State are to ensure that you have plenty of time. It's recommended that one rush the 2nd level of Industrial Focus (Concentrated/Dispersed Industry II and Construction II) before taking Four Year Plan to benefit the most from those bonuses - one does not need to have finished the respective techs to use the bonuses on the 1939 industry. If the civil war is still ongoing by the time you finish Extra Research Slot, feel free to add Army Innovations and Treaty with the USSR for more time and also to get Medium Tanks early (note you can take the latter focus any time as long as you haven't done Bulwark Against Bolshevism or the Great Red Menace, so if you want to hold off on taking them until you've flipped to Democracy, feel free to do so). If, on the other hand, you finish the civil war early, feel free to tackle Secure the New State early, and come back to what economic focuses you skipped after doing Re-Establish Free Elections while you wait for enough Democracy support to do the Monarchy Compromise.

Note that taking Großraumwirtschaft during the civil war if it lasts that long is also worth considering, as doing so will allow you to align Hungary and Romania and boost Democracy in those countries, thus preventing them from flipping to Fascism and joining either Novus Imperium Romanum or the Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere (in the case of Romania, the boost from Appoint Pro-Allied Government may also result in them flipping back to Democracy).

Ahistorical (Imperial)

1. Army Innovations
2. Treaty with the USSR
3. Oppose Hitler
4. Naval Rearmament
5. Naval Effort
6. Four Year Plan
7. Secure the New State
8. Revive the Kaiserreich
9. Return of the Kaiser
10. Focus on the True Enemy

Unlike with the Democratic tree, tension is not a limiting factor if pursuing the Kaiser and letting him restore the Central Powers - one can take some time to justify a few war goals before overthrowing Hitler; in particular, Switzerland or the Netherlands are ideal candidates (former gives one a second way of bypassing the Maginot if the French manage to secure the Belgian border; latter is ideal for gaining access to the Dutch East Indies and the oil, manpower, and other resources it grants), although if one wishes to have Wilhelm II, they should be mindful of how much tension they generate, as the UK and France can block the Netherlands from returning the Kaiser. Taking Army Innovations first allows for one to have some army XP to customize their divisions (in particular, adding 2 motorized units to the starting panzer division is very effective during the civil war), and Treaty with the USSR allows for one to get Medium Tanks early on. The two naval focuses are required to progress down Focus on the True Enemy (and getting more dockyards early means you can begin the construction of capital/screen ships earlier), and Four Year Plan's placement is to ensure that one at least has the chance to get started on the 1937 industry techs so they can research the 1939 ones ahead of time. Unlike with the Democratic Tree, however, it is advised that, if possible, for one to rush Return of the Kaiser as soon as possible; one can get enough Non-Aligned support by doing rounds of anti-Fascist/anti-Communist raids, and also banning the latter ideology.

Forming the Holy Roman Empire

The Holy Roman Empire is a very daunting, but powerful, path that Germany can form, consisting of the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Northern Italy, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Switzerland and some territory from France.

First, one should wait until they have enough political power to justify on Yugoslavia; while the country itself (and Romania, who is one of the 3 nations guaranteeing Yugoslavia) is not required to form the HRE, it is guaranteed by 2 nations (France and Czechoslovakia) who are. In the meantime, use your starting infantry to guard the border with France, convert all your starting units who aren't infantry to the Panzer Division, and have them prepare a naval invasion from Wilhelmshaven to either Dunkerque or Calais. Train and force deploy cavalry until you have 48 units, and use them to guard the Czech border - make sure to exercise them so they aren't lv 1. Have your navy exercise until they are at least lv 2, and then set them on strike force on the necessary bodies of water. Your focuses should be Naval Rearmament, Army Innovations, Treaty with the USSR, Air Innovations, Four Year Plan, and Großraumwirtschaft - use the 10 Army XP you get from Army Innovations to add 2 motorized units to your Panzer Division Template, to make them faster and stronger, and use the bonuses from Four Year Plan to go ahead of time on the 1939 Industrial and Construction techs. Note that while Align Romania would allow you to eventually bring Romania into your faction (thus allowing you to get around the Romanian guarantee of Yugoslavia), by the time Romania would be able to join your faction, France will have joined the Allies as well as having cancelled its guarantee on Yugoslavia, so it's best to just hold off on aligning Romania (and it's best to wait until after you overthrow the Nazi regime to get them as a puppet anyways).

When the war breaks out, launch your naval invasion as soon as France gets called in - while the starting French navy is stronger than the starting German navy, there is a small period where they will not be deployed in the English channel; even if you lose naval superiority during the invasion, as long as the naval invasion starts while you have superiority, you'll be able to carry it out. As soon as your 6 panzer divisions land on France, call back your navy and have them rush the victory points; due to the Disjointed Government spirit, if you can take Paris and a few other cities, they will capitulate easily (and the 2 motorized units you added will make the divisions very fast). After capitulating France, during the peace conference, take all of mainland France and Corsica as well as any resource-rich territory (French Indochina, France's South American territory, and some of their African colonies) and territory that isn't attached to a nation, and then liberate the rest - while you want to cause some world tension, you do not want to cause too much, as you want the British to like you (and if the tension gets too high in the civil war, there is a chance Italy could intervene on the Reich's side), yet you also want tension to be high enough so that you can form a faction with Austria (to annex them through an event) and Romania (after taking "Align Romania"). If you wish to go for House of Kurds on this playthrough, it's recommended that you liberate an extra African territory to compensate for the tension taking the French-held Kurdish territory will generate (alternatively, one can liberate Brittany, as it is not required for the HRE; liberating Occitania is not a good idea, as one of the Occitanian cores, Savoy, is required for forming the nation). Do not puppet any nations - when the civil war breaks out, any puppets you have will join the Reich, and will go free after the Reich falls.

After the peace deal with France, take your Panzer Divisions and have them enter the tile of Czechoslovakia that borders Poland; this tile will not be fortified, and will go down easily. Have the Panzers rush the Victory points and capitulate them. After this, use your cavalry units to stop the Romanians from entering (as neither France nor Czechoslovakia will have joined a faction, you will not have to worry about capitulating a faction leader; that being said, if you justify any more war goals while at war, they will be guaranteed by the British, so don't), and disband the rest of your army. As soon as Czechoslovakia capitulates (take all states; while you only need the Czech states and not the Slovak states, you might as well take everything), take Oppose Hitler, and 1-2 days before that focus completes, disband your existing units (the Romanians will not be able to get to any of your cores in this time), and send all your equipment to either Nationalist or Republican Spain (or one of the Chinese Warlords, if the Sino-Japanese war has broken out). After the war fires, cancel the lend-lease, take the Decision "Sharpen Air Safety Regulations" (to ensure that you do not get the Hindenburg Disaster; the only other guaranteed way to prevent it is to remain at war until May 6, 1939, which is not practical), and train Panzer Divisions (6 at a time) - the AI's troops are nowhere near as strong as even force-deployed Panzer Divisions. Romania and Yugoslavia will still be at war with the AI Controlled German Reich, but they will not be at war with the German Military Junta (if you wish to have the Romanian occupied lands in Czechoslovakia revert to your control, give Romania military access). It's also recommended that you change your conscription and mobilization laws now if you want to - going to Extensive Conscription as Germany is a very good idea, as Fan Prussian Militarism can offset the training time increase Extensive Conscription has, and you won't get another chance to go to War Economy for a while. During or after the war, form a faction with Austria - this will get you an event that allows you to peacefully annex them after a random amount of time (if you form a faction with them during the war, the event can still fire, which will result in not only a new front opening for the Reich, but also you getting their well-equipped troops). After completing the war, consider taking "Align Hungary", "Align Romania", and "Integrate War Economies" to get Romania as a puppet (Hungary won't become a puppet as you own Czechoslovakia, some of the states it has claims on). If historical is on and one has Death or Dishonor, by 1938, Romania should flip to Non-Aligned (the "Align Romania" focus will help tremendously), and will accept an invitation to your faction. If one has La Resistance, consider setting up a collaboration government on Italy by this point for later.

Regardless of if you decided to Integrate the Economies of Romania and Hungary or not, take Restore the Kaiserreich and Return of the Kaiser, but disband all your units before the latter finishes - as long as you have fewer units than the Dutch, they will block the return of the Kaiser (note that units that have yet to be deployed are not counted; as such, feel free to queue up a large number of units before disbanding your army; make them a single cavalry or infantry division to get them out quickly). Rather than declare war in response, accept their decision to get Wilhelm III (if one has caused too much World Tension, the British can threaten war instead of the Dutch blocking you, but as we need to have the British on our side, we can't let that happen). Then, wait for some of the tension you caused to go down (now would be a good time to take Fan Prussian Militarism, as well as any other economic focuses you want), and take the decisions "Reinstate Wilhelm's Line of Succession" and "Modernize the Succession Laws" (the latter will allow Victoria to become Kaiserin). Afterwards, take "Expatriate the Communists", and let the tension die down more - do not take "See to the Eastern Front" until after you have restored the British Titles, as it will raise world tension (and thus lower British opinion of you. After a few months (stockpiling PP in the meantime), take "Acknowledge British Naval Dominance" and "An Alliance with the Shade", join the UK (making sure to request military access beforehand), and after getting their opinion of you to 100 (if improving relations doesn't get it, guarantee their independence) request the restoration of British Titles. When they accept, opt to send a liaison forward, and the rest of the royal family will die in an event, letting you get Queen Victoria - if the Hindenburg Disaster was gotten instead of the Hindenburg incident, you will not be able to get Victoria and will instead get August Von Mackensen again, and have to restart. Note that it's recommended that if you wish to build any more capital ships, you do so before acknowledging British Naval Dominance (an Aircraft Carrier or two is not a bad idea, especially since you have more than enough Chromium from New Caledonia); after the focus finishes, divert all dockyard production to submarines/destroyers and convoys afterwards (as well as repairing your existing ships).

With the Royal Titles restored, and the Kaiserin on the throne, you now have the Benelux, Italy, and Switzerland left to conquer before you can form the HRE. While you can manually justify a war goal on Italy (as a non-aligned nation, tension will be high enough, and Italy will have caused world tension), it is much easier to guarantee the independence of either Greece or Yugoslavia, and have them call you in when Italy inevitably declares war on one of them (naval invasions on the Italian coastal cities in combination with a few collaboration governments should do the trick). Afterwards, defeat Italy, take the northern Italian territories (Piedmont (158), Lombardy (159), South Tyrol (39), Veneto (160), Emilia Romagna (161), Tuscany (162) and Istria (736)) required, and leave the Allies (feel free to take See to the Eastern Front and Danzig for Guarantee to return Memel to your borders and have East Prussia connected at this point; you can later form a faction with Poland if you wish, who likely are still non-aligned and are inclined to join a faction with you). Garrison troops on the UK's victory points, justify on the Benelux countries or Switzerland (due to how high world Tension is, if the UK is controlled by an AI, they will guarantee them), and when the war is declared, the British will join, which will cause them to come close to capitulating, if not instantly capitulating. If Man the Guns is installed, there's a very good chance that the Netherlands has joined the Allies by this point, so you could justify on either Belgium or Luxembourg and also get the Dutch in the peace deal. If playing with Man the Guns, it's recommended that one do this sooner rather than later, as there is a chance that if the British have not taken their political focuses, they will take a Change in Course and go Fascist/Communist (if they take the former, they'll join the Japanese on historical; if they go the latter, they'll join the USSR). Take whatever you want during the peace deal (while you cannot get territory from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, or South Africa unless you occupied them, fought them directly, or dropped one bomb on them through strategic bombing, you can satellite British Malaya and the Raj; if you do wish to go after the British dominions, however, you should have territory to stage naval invasions from thanks to the French lands of Madagascar (543), St. Pierre and Miquelon (730), and New Caledonia (635), and compared to the Royal Navy, the colonial navies are relatively weak), and then focus on taking down the remaining Benelux countries and Switzerland - the latter can be defeated easily if you use a trap, tricking them into coming onto territory you control (outside of the mountains), and then rushing their victory points. Afterwards, take the decision and restore the HRE. If you took Danzig for Guarantee and See to the Eastern Front, congratulate yourself on restoring not just the HRE, but Prussia to German hands.

By this point, there are very few nations that can stand up to you (the United States, USSR, and a fully unified China are the most notable examples), so feel free to do whatever you want.

Achievements

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.

Not much fun in Stalingrad

As Germany, capitulate the Soviet Union without taking Stalingrad.

Countries

Europe

Albania Austria Belgium Bulgaria Czechoslovakia Denmark Estonia Finland France Free France Vichy France German Reich Greece Hungary Ireland Italy Latvia Lithuania Luxembourg Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Nationalist Spain Republican Spain Kingdom of Romania Slovakia Soviet Union Sweden Switzerland Turkey United Kingdom 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 Brazil Chile Colombia Ecuador Paraguay Peru Uruguay Venezuela

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

Africa

Kingdom of Egypt Ethiopia Liberia South Africa

Oceania

Australia New Zealand Tahiti