The Secret Buildup of The

German Military

Once Hitler gained complete control over Nazi Germany, he directed his attention towards rebuilding the German military. Technically, the German government had already begun doing this in secret, but Hitler would go even further in strengthening the German military.

Hitler had several important goals for Nazi Germany.

- Revenge for WWI- Create the Third Reich (3rd German Empire)- Lebensraum (living space for the German people)- Ensure that the Aryans are the master race.

So, to achieve his goals, Hitler needed to make sure that the German military could handle the challenges of the coming struggle.

He promised, that this time things will be different. He promised a new type of warfare…

Unlike the trench warfare that they experienced in WWI.

In order for Germany to buildup its military forces, Hitler needed to make sure that the Allies would not stop or interfere with his plans. At least not until he was ready to face them.

The Wehrmacht (The Army)

Because of the Treaty of Versailles, the army was limited to 100,000 soldiers. Hitler got around that by forming the Hitler Youth Group, the SA, the SS, and other groups that were not technically part of the military.

Hitler Youth Group

Himmler’s SS

SA (the Brownshirts)

The Luftwaffe (The Air Force)

Since Germany was not allowed to have an air force, Hitler sent his pilots to Spain, to help Hitler’s ally Francisco Franco against his enemies in a Spanish Civil War. In Spain, the Luftwaffe pilots would gain experience and test the capabilities of its new airplanes.

Panzer Battalions

The French and the British realized that Hitler was secretly building tank for the German military. When they voiced their concerns to Hitler and reminded him of the Treaty of Versailles, Hitler assured them that Germany is just building tractors for its farms.The Allies believed him…

Kriegsmarine(The German Navy)

Under the Treaty, Germany was allowed to have only 15,000 sailors and six ships. Hitler ignored the treaty and ordered massive buildup of the German Navy.

Hitler’s plan was to increase number of sailors to 200,000. Plus 10 battleships, 4 aircraft carriers, 49 cruisers, 158 destroyers, and 249 submarines. Fortunately for the Allies, this didn’t happen, but the German Navy was still a formidable force in the seas.

As the German military grew in size and obtained new weapons of war, Hitler then publicly denounced the Treaty of Versailles and openly continued to strengthen its forces. By this time, it was too late for the Allies to stop Germany’s rearmament.

Now, Hitler was ready for the next phase of his grand plans.