276:
639:
291:. The new programme consisted of 57 committees which would study tactics, regulations, equipment, and doctrine. This effort was seen as important to put the experience of war in a broad light and collect this experience whilst it was still fresh. The output of the committees was to be short, concise studies on the newly gained experiences and in particular (a) what new situations arose that had not been considered before; (b) how effective were pre-war views in dealing with these situations; (c) what guidelines were developed for new weaponry during the war; and (d) which new problems put forward by the war have not yet found a solution.
510:
465:
769:
298:, and the military weather service. Military leadership was a key focus with seven committees covering different levels and aspects. In order to cover these areas experienced officers were appointed to serve on the committees. These officers were often ex-General Staff but specialist experts were included even if they were not. The T4 section's job was to collect and review the committee outputs and to recommend changes to the committee structure, to military regulations and to doctrinal manuals. Seeing the intense effort being made by the army, the air service within the
68:
726:
553:
596:
682:
50:
314:
demonstrate a high level of tactical thought. Experience from World War I was incorporated as seen in the new infantry regulation of
October 1922 where 10-12 squads included a light machine gun with the rifle section and fluid fire-and-manoeuvre stormtroop tactics are endorsed. It is also important to note that the manuals do not limit themselves to the armaments allowed by the Versailles Treaty envisaging tactics using forbidden
373:
turned some of the
Versailles limitations into advantages. The very limited number of officers forced it to rethink the roles at headquarters, and this dovetailed with the doctrine of decision at the front by those who can see the enemy. Correspondingly, despite a Versailles limit of 33 officers in a
422:
had the task of ensuring that old "trench warfare" and "positional warfare" tactics did not creep back into use. Cross-training régimes were reviewed, long-length operational order-writing was eliminated, and attack styles that took too long to prepare were eliminated. Innovation and flexibility for
305:
Whilst all the big nations revised their tactics post-World War I, it is a notable contrast that
Germany put its experienced General Staff officers of captain and above to the task whilst others put juniors of limited experience. For example, the UK assigned the task of rewriting the infantry manual
318:
for example. It is here that we see explicit strategic capabilities being built into the new unified doctrines, so such things as cross-training requirements being built into regulations; e.g. transport troops being required to train a set number of wagon drivers as cannon gunners and as engineers
409:
The increased demands upon NCOs required the new army to treat them differently than the old
Imperial had - in order to support them in their efforts. Hence all NCOs were now to have a barracks-room of their own and all soldiers were to be much better accommodated and trained than before. In the
374:
divisional HQ, the
Germans planned to have 30 - in stark contrast to a US divisional staff of 79. Again, this fitted with a force which would be attacking and making many more decisions outside of the headquarters, which could therefore be leaner. The Versailles Treaty placed no limitations on
313:
Most of the output of the committees has been lost but where it still exists there is a clear link to the new regulations and manuals that started to be issued in 1921. By 1923, the major outputs of this work were completed and the results show up in new manuals issued from that time which
418:'s plan to train squads, platoons and companies in the new regulations and doctrines and when ready then combining them in battalion and regimental exercises. The battalion and regimental exercises started in 1924, and the first divisional exercises in 1926. During this time the
183:, head of the military expert group adjunct to the German delegation, initiated a programme to rethink and rewrite German doctrine as well as reorganise the army to comply with the Versailles rules. On 1 October he became chief of the newly established
262:
contained a transportation section, T7 (there never was a T5 or T6). Altogether these three bodies contained two hundred officers, almost all ex-General Staff, who formed an efficient and practical organisation for guiding the rebuilding of the
365:
infantry division in 1939 showed very few changes from the patterns outlined in 1921. The cavalry division was similarly reinforced with support arms and armoured cars, making it capable of independent operations deep behind enemy lines.
356:
instead of four. Numbers in support forces such as artillery, reconnaissance, transport, and signals all increased, with control in many cases pushed down the organisation. All of this related to the new
382:
had over 50% of enlisted manpower at NCO ranks, leaving only 36,000 privates. The high quality of German soldiers, made possible by the much reduced numbers forced by the treaty, meant that the
287:
One week after the dissolution of the
General Staff, von Seeckt started a programme to collect and analyse the experiences of the First World War and to create a new military doctrine for the
214:. The economic and political sections were placed directly under the control of the chief of the Army Command. Thus the core of the General Staff became the four new sections of the
254:
in the new army high command were the
Weapons Office and branch inspectorates. The relationship between these three entities was very close since between them they determined
171:, the Versailles Treaty specified that the post-war German Army could have a maximum strength of 100,000, of this number only 4000 could be officers. Article 160 determined:
638:
275:
325:, later a field marshal, served in both T1 and T4 at this critical time, as did many other influential generals, and described it as a professional schooling for him.
414:
often distributed soldiers throughout the country in battalion- and regiment-sized groups, only forming larger units for occasional exercises. This was part of the
147:. It completely revised German tactical and strategic doctrine and thereby conserved, re-energised, and unified the military thinking and capability of the
207:
310:, a 24-year-old lieutenant of limited experience. Even here, the War Office reinserted chapters from the 1911 manual where it deemed appropriate.
509:
768:
681:
725:
464:
858:
552:
595:
401:, responsibility, and capability below the officer level, which fitted with the delegated-authority doctrine necessary for
210:
Reich
Archives, the survey and maps section to the Interior Ministry Survey Office, and the transportation section to the
175:
The Great German
General Staff and all similar organisations shall be dissolved and may not be reconstituted in any form.
143:) was re-created. This subterfuge was deemed necessary in order for Germany to be seen to meet the requirements of the
136:
698:
302:
embarked on a similar programme and by mid-1920 the manpower that made up all these committees was over 500 officers.
211:
188:
375:
294:
This programme covered diverse topics from military justice and questions of troop morale to river crossings,
741:
206:
whilst other sections of the staff were transferred to government departments: the history section to the
568:
315:
144:
132:
386:
could employ NCOs in junior-officer roles (as platoon leaders, for example). This had two effects:
340:
set about reshaping the new army to fit its treaty constraints and its new doctrinal approach. The "
336:
With manuals and regulations now in place (even if under constant revision from this new base), the
873:
654:
341:
237:
307:
854:
391:
322:
192:
358:
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in 1933-34 they could easily promote these NCOs to officer positions as the army expanded.
345:
180:
55:
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mobile warfare were stressed over the carefully planned methods used in static warfare.
405:(war of movement), which calls for independent judgement and fast local decision-making.
867:
611:
525:
476:
295:
784:
247:
As von Seeckt said at the time "the form changes, the spirit remains the same".
202:
When the
General Staff was dissolved in 1919, its Operations Section became the
168:
398:
149:
73:
155:
353:
255:
349:
821:
The Roots of Blitzkrieg: Hans von Seeckt and German Military Reform
274:
179:
In late 1919, soon after the treaty was signed, Major General
135:
from 1919 through until 1935 when the General Staff of the
199:), this expanded to rebuilding a new army from scratch.
98:
94:
89:
79:
61:
43:
35:
23:
258:, doctrine, and training. In the early 1920s, the
8:
226:) the army section (operations and planning)
116:
853:, University Press of Kansas, Kansas 1992
823:, University of Kansas Press, 1992 page 35
430:
812:
438:
397:A tradition developed of much greater
20:
236:) the statistical section —(actually
191:. In 1920, when von Seeckt succeeded
131:) was the cover organisation for the
7:
361:doctrine that had been adopted. The
427:Chiefs of Troop Office (1919–1935)
344:" infantry division replaced the "
14:
767:
724:
680:
637:
594:
551:
508:
463:
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48:
16:German General Staff, 1919-1935
434:
1:
271:Development of new strategies
195:as Head of the Army Command (
690:von Hammerstein-Equord, Kurt
541:2 years, 10 months
390:When the Germans officially
352:-level staff and with three
234:Heeresstatistische Abteilung
224:Abteilung Landesverteidigung
757:2 years, 334 days
699:Kurt von Hammerstein-Equord
670:2 years, 246 days
584:2 years, 8 months
229:T2 the organisation section
39:11 October 1919–1 July 1935
890:
834:Heeresdienstvorschrift 487
800:1 year, 273 days
627:1 year, 3 months
189:Ministry of the Reichswehr
714:1 year, 31 days
378:numbers, and by 1922 the
319:specialising in bridges.
28:
851:The roots of blitzkrieg
243:T4 the training section
212:Transportation Ministry
329:Transition to the new
284:
197:Chef der Heeresleitung
177:
163:Original establishment
153:, later to become the
278:
173:
95:Chief of Troop Office
647:von Blomberg, Werner
443:Chefs der Truppenamt
308:Basil H Liddell Hart
133:German General Staff
655:Werner von Blomberg
348:division", with no
279:Hans von Seeckt on
238:intelligence agency
285:
187:agency within the
832:Parts 1 & 3
819:Corum, James S.,
804:
803:
791:
754:30 September 1933
748:
708:30 September 1929
705:
667:30 September 1929
661:
618:
575:
532:
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359:"war of movement"
323:Albert Kesselring
208:Interior Ministry
193:Walther Reinhardt
145:Versailles Treaty
104:
103:
881:
849:James S. Corum,
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473:von Seeckt, Hans
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316:infantry cannons
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836:, Verlag, 1923
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664:27 January 1927
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492:11 October 1919
486:
483:Hans von Seeckt
480:
472:
469:
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453:Time in office
429:
334:
283:maneuvers, 1926
273:
181:Hans von Seeckt
165:
128:
125:
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67:
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56:Weimar Republic
49:
47:
17:
12:
11:
5:
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794:1 October 1933
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604:Wetzell, Georg
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403:Bewegungskrieg
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250:Alongside the
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15:
13:
10:
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4:
3:
2:
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859:0-7006-0628-9
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734:Adam, Wilhelm
732:
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612:Georg Wetzell
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583:
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578:February 1923
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538:February 1923
537:
535:26 March 1920
534:
528:
527:
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518:Heye, Wilhelm
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498:167 days
497:
495:26 March 1920
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296:flamethrowers
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106:Military unit
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84:Heeresleitung
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60:
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46:
42:
38:
34:
31:
27:
22:
19:
850:
833:
828:
820:
815:
783:
780:Generalmajor
779:
777:Beck, Ludwig
742:Wilhelm Adam
740:
737:Generalmajor
736:
696:
693:Generalmajor
692:
653:
650:Generalmajor
649:
621:October 1925
610:
607:Generalmajor
606:
581:October 1925
567:
564:Generalmajor
563:
526:Wilhelm Heye
524:
521:Generalmajor
520:
481:
477:Generalmajor
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419:
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126:Troop Office
111:
110:
108:
83:
80:Part of
29:
24:Troop Office
18:
797:1 July 1935
790:(1880–1944)
785:Ludwig Beck
747:(1877–1949)
704:(1878–1943)
660:(1878–1946)
617:(1869–1947)
574:(1871–1942)
561:Hasse, Otto
531:(1869–1947)
488:(1866–1936)
450:Left office
447:Took office
169:World War I
137:German Army
874:Reichswehr
844:References
569:Otto Hasse
420:Truppenamt
416:Truppenamt
412:Reichswehr
410:1920s the
399:leadership
384:Reichswehr
380:Reichswehr
371:Truppenamt
342:triangular
338:Truppenamt
331:Reichswehr
300:Truppenamt
289:Reichswehr
281:Reichswehr
265:Reichswehr
260:Truppenamt
252:Truppenamt
216:Truppenamt
204:Truppenamt
185:Truppenamt
150:Reichswehr
112:Truppenamt
90:Commanders
74:Reichsheer
30:Truppenamt
807:Footnotes
439:Portrait
363:Wehrmacht
354:regiments
232:T3 (also
222:T1 (also
156:Wehrmacht
868:Category
392:re-armed
256:materiel
99:See list
350:brigade
120:
44:Country
857:
697:Baron
346:square
167:After
71:
62:Branch
53:
36:Active
855:ISBN
369:The
141:Heer
117:lit.
109:The
435:No.
376:NCO
306:to
218::
870::
267:.
159:.
762:8
719:7
675:6
632:5
589:4
546:3
503:2
458:1
240:)
139:(
129:'
123:'
115:(
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