Chapter 443 Common Interests
On March 18, 1941, at the Supreme Command meeting held in the Ministry of Defense Building at Wilhelm 77 in Berlin, Chief of the General Staff Marshal Hersmann formally proposed to implement a general mobilization of the national economy and to shift the country to a total war mode.
The concept of "total war" was proposed by former President Marshal Ludendorff on the basis of summarizing the lessons of Germany's failure in World War I. Every executive or senior general who was qualified to attend the Supreme Command meeting had read Ludendorff's book "Total War" and naturally knew what total war was.
However, knowing about total war does not mean that you can implement total war, because total war is extremely resource-consuming and labor-intensive. Once total war is implemented, it means that factories in Germany and even European countries under Germany's leadership must produce military supplies at full capacity. And this large-scale production must have sufficient energy and raw material supply, and sufficient labor to maintain.
In the past, Germany did not have sufficient energy and raw material supply, so it was impossible to turn Ludendorff's theory into practice. On the contrary, Britain across the English Channel, because of its huge colonial resources and the support of the United States, can shift the country to a total war mode faster and better. After mobilization in 1939 and 1940 and continuous improvement of production capacity, Britain's total shipbuilding tonnage and total aircraft production now exceed Germany, and even the production of tanks is not less than that of Germany.
Taking into account the United States, which is constantly expanding its arms industry, the total production of various weapons and equipment by Britain and the United States in 1941 can crush Europe under the leadership of Germany.
In addition, there is also a "comrade and brother" Soviet Union, which is also constantly expanding its arms and preparing for war. If the Soviet Union also joins the British and American side at some point in the future, then at least in terms of arms production, Germany will be at a very unfavorable disadvantage.
The only way to reverse this disadvantage is to let Germany and even Europe switch to the total war mode as soon as possible and fully release the huge industrial and technological power.
At this time, everyone realized how valuable Hessmann's victory in the Mediterranean battlefield was. If there was no victory in the Mediterranean battlefield, even if Germany forcibly mobilized, the tanks and aircraft produced would not be able to start due to lack of fuel, and even the drivers who drove these aircraft and tanks would not be able to train due to lack of fuel.
Therefore, only after seizing the Middle East oil-producing areas with huge reserves, Germany could make its sea of planes and tanks play a real role.
However, it is not a matter of one order or one sentence to switch to the total war mode in Germany and even in Europe under its leadership. There must be a process of advancement. If you want Germany and Europe's armaments to reach their peak in 1943 and 1944, then you must start to act now.
Because armament expansion is a huge system project. If you want to expand the production of tanks and various vehicles, while ensuring the continuous increase in the scale of ship production, you must increase the production of steel, and it is not ordinary steel, but various special steels. This involves the mining and consumption of various non-ferrous metals.
To increase the production of aircraft, it is also necessary to increase the production of aluminum alloys, special plywood (used to produce wooden aircraft) and engines, which requires the production of high-strength or high-temperature resistant aluminum alloy materials. This also involves the mining and processing of a large number of rare metals, such as magnesium, nickel, manganese, molybdenum, and tungsten.
In order to make more advanced aircraft and tanks play their power, personnel training must also keep up, which is actually the most time-consuming and energy-consuming.
It is very fast to manufacture an aircraft on the assembly line, but it takes at least 20 months to train a qualified pilot (driver) according to the current standards of the German Air Force and Naval Aviation, and it also consumes a lot of precious aviation gasoline.
"The core of all problems is still oil!" Hessman said at today's headquarters meeting, "The shortage of non-ferrous metals can be compensated by reducing the design service life and increasing the weight. If there is no oil, there is really no way. Therefore, Europe's total war should still start with increasing oil and various synthetic fuels.
In the past, we had no oil fields, so we were powerless. But now we have mastered the oil-rich areas, with two super-large oil fields in Kirkuk and Khuzestan, so we must do our best to increase oil production from now on. In order to achieve this goal, we must not only give full play to Germany's oil extraction capabilities, but also give full play to the capabilities of the entire Europe in this regard. For this reason, I suggest the establishment of a European Community Oil Commission."
Hersman made the first suggestion, concentrating the power of all Europe to develop Middle East oil! This is necessary because Germany's own oil industry is not well developed - Germany has no oil fields to exploit. France, Belgium and the Netherlands have relatively developed oil extraction industries. France has oil fields in Syria, participated in Poland's oil development during the interwar period, and has been engaged in oil exploration and processing in Algeria for a long time. The Belgian Oil Finance Company participated in the development of Romania's oil fields. The Netherlands is even more powerful. The Dutch Shell Company is a world-renowned large oil company that has developed many large oil fields in the Dutch East Indies and British Malaya.
Moreover, France, the Netherlands and Belgium all have oil processing industries, especially France's oil processing industry is still very developed, and its processing capacity before the war even exceeded that of Germany. France and Belgium's heavy industry is also very developed and can produce all the equipment needed for the oil industry, so they have the conditions to rapidly expand the scale of their own oil industries.
If these countries are allowed to participate in the development of Middle East oil, not only will the speed of mining be greatly accelerated, but it will also ensure that the oil that is finally mined can be refined into high-quality finished oil.
In addition, European countries such as France, the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark also have large fleets and shipbuilding capabilities, which can transport the mined oil back to Europe.
Therefore, if Germany wants to speed up the development of Middle East oil, it must involve countries such as France, Belgium and the Netherlands.
And there is another great benefit in involving these three countries in the Middle East to dig for oil. This is the rhythm of everyone making money. With common oil interests, France, Belgium and the Netherlands will truly stand with Germany.
"I think we can use the joint development of Middle East oil as a trump card to attract France, Belgium and the Netherlands." Hersman said with a smile, "This will make them and us have real visible and tangible common interests!"
Having common interests cannot be empty talk, you must come up with something. And the oil in the Middle East is undoubtedly the most attractive big cake, far more attractive than the monthly supply of tens of thousands of tons or hundreds of thousands of tons of oil that Hitler took out.
Hitler seemed reluctant to part with it - the Dutch were fine, but even the French and Belgians could get their hands on Middle East oil...
"Leader," Hessman looked at Hitler and said, "If we win the war, the Aryan nation will get the whole world, and giving up some Middle East oil benefits is nothing.
And if we share the benefits of the Middle East with everyone, then we can ask France, Belgium and the Netherlands to share their colonies in Africa, America or somewhere else with Germany, which will be very beneficial for our integration of Europe."
"Okay," Hitler nodded and said to Hess, "Rudolf, when you arrive in France tomorrow, mention this to Marshal Pétain. As for the Netherlands, you can ask the Crown Prince to talk to him."
Now the Hitler government is actively trying to win over France, the Netherlands and Spain to join the alliance. Ribbentrop left for Madrid yesterday afternoon. The negotiations with France are in the charge of Minister Hess. The diplomatic work of the Netherlands is handed over to the German royal family, which has close ties with the Dutch royal family. Because Emperor William is old and weak, his heir, Crown Prince William, travels between Germany and the Netherlands.
"If France and the Netherlands are willing to join," Hessman said with a smile, "then the advancement of the total war will be easier. We can give more production tasks to France and the Netherlands, which will help us quickly expand production. I think that by 1943 we need to increase the number of regular aircraft to 18,000, and the number of regular tanks and assault guns should be increased to 12,000."
Herssman proposed "regular numbers", which refers to aircraft and tanks equipped to the troops and ready for combat at any time. The actual annual output of weapons is generally higher than this number!
Goering was shocked by this number and immediately reminded: "Marshal, if we want to maintain 18,000 commonly used aircraft and 12,000 commonly used tanks and assault guns. Then the actual annual output of the factory will be 1.5-2 times this number."
Hersmann thought for a while and said: "Tanks and assault guns can be formulated according to the same scale as the commonly used number. The assault gun is tentatively planned to be mainly No. 3, and at the same time, a lower-cost tank destroyer assault gun should be studied. If there is a tank destroyer with a lower cost but equivalent power to No. 3, it can replace part of No. 3. Tanks are mainly No. 4, which should account for 60% of the total output, and the rest are allocated to No. 5 and No. 6."
Tanks and assault guns can be repaired if they are damaged. As long as the German army can continue to win, the consumption will not be too large, and it may even increase. But planes are not good. There is no way to repair a plane that has been shot down.
"As for aircraft," Hessman continued, "considering the possibility that we may have a fierce sea and air war with Britain and the United States, the annual production must reach at least three times the usual number! In addition, we must speed up the training of pilots and tank crews. The number of pilot and tank cadets recruited this year should increase by 100% compared to 1940."