Crumbling Reich: A Weimar Republic Game (Gameplay Thread)

[KaiserDave]

Character Dilemmas



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The government has survived-for now. But while the government prepares policy, politics moves anyways. There is new intrigue, new problems, and new dilemmas for the men who may very well decide the future of Germany.

Comrade Thälmann, while you have tried to play politics behind the scenes in Berlin, revolutionary preparation goes on. Some enthusiastic communists in Kiel have taken this a step further. In the city that birthed the 1918 Revolution, local Communists are planning to launch a revolt, and soon, due to the threat of a new government that they believe will ban the party imminently. They plan to move with our without their leader, what can you do to temper them, or is the time for revolt now before reactionary terror begins?

Comrade Leow, many believe that the von Papen government will begin to enforce the ban on the RFB, no matter if the solely focus on civilian efforts or fighting the SA. As the leader of the Red Front Fighters, how will you respond?

Comrade Frank, the question persists as to your next steps. Will you try and bridge the gap between SPD and KPD for a united anti fascist front, or embrace one side entirely?

Herr Wels, you have done much in recent days. Republicans march in the streets under the flag, and your slogans are painted on posters throughout the land. Your personal popularity has soared with the masses. However the Reichstag caucus is boiling over. the vast majority of the caucus who voted to oust von Papen are furious at the minority who kept him in office. Strife is everywhere, what can you do to keep things stable?

Herr Schumacher, your opposition to von Papen is noted. Will you try and ride the SPD's anger to oust Her Wells, or will you seek to unite the party behind its leader to the defense of the Republic?

Herr Mahraun, as foreign minister and with the direct support of the Reich President your duties and responsibilities are great. What will your actions be, and how will you seek to continue to grow the newly powerful Jungdo?

Herr von Papen, everyone waits on the new government policy. But a no confidence vote could still strike at any time, and if you solely govern through presidential degree there could be even more chaos. The political labyrinth is vast and messy, but can you steer the ship of state?

Herr Schmitt, in an unexpected twist you have found yourself as Reich Minister for Justice. It is a meteoric rise that has made many fans of you. Many consider you amongst the most right wing Ministers. Associates of yours in the NSDAP have urged you to push for NSDAP inclusion in governing affairs, Herr Göring himself has visited you as an ambassador for the NSDAP. But your next choices are up to you, and you only.

Herr Hugenberg, supporters of Crown Prince Wilhelm have written you asking you to consider reconsidering your commitment to legitimist monarchism. If Wilhelm II would return certainly the French would mobilize against Germany. They ask that perhaps restoring the Crown Prince would be an alternative? In any case it is not entirely up to you, but you will be a part of the key discussions.

Mein Führer Hitler, the main right wing factions meet and plot without you. Despite the fact that you have a vast support amongst the German völk, despite your party's 100 strong standing in the Reichstag, and despite your growing popularity they exclude you. Do you push to enter these talks, or do everything to get a new no confidence vote to push for new elections? It's up to you.

[KaiserDave]

PM me if you have any concerns this is a bit of weird situation, but it did spark chaos...so mission accomplished for me.

The Reich



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The Storm, then the Quiet

Across the Reich there are trucks full of soldiers on the roads, there are motorcycles with a machine gun armed sidecar soaring down streets, and artillery guns from the Great War being wheeled out of old storage warehouses, the Reichswehr ensign flies on German territory. At the direction of the Chancellor, with the backing of the President the Reichswehr has been deployed to restore order in Prussia, including in the Reich capital to restore order to a country battered by political violence. For a long time the Reichswehr had stood on the sidelines while paramilitaries battle and local police forces strain under the burdens of both political violence and rising street crime. No longer.

In Kiel, rumors of a Bolshevik uprising led to entire divisions being deployed to the city. Alas however, despite rumors that local party leaders were convinced that the time to rise was now, no revolt occurred. No mobs overtook the streets armed to the teeth or carrying red banners, no committees of worker's, soldier's and sailor's deputies were set up, no stirring speeches were made from barricades. There was a group of a hundred or so Communists demonstrating against Papen and Hindenburg, but they were dispersed without violence. Reichswehr soldiers set up checkpoints and established order, and roughed up and arrested several KPD local leaders on charges of violating the Firearms Act and technicalities and fine print of a variety of laws, ordinances, and acts. But there was no revolution to put down. It is believed that Thälmann made sure the entire enterprise was canceled....or perhaps postponed.

However across Prussia the Reichswehr has stepped in. It is believed that the Reich Chancellor is making a power move. Take away the influence of the RFB and SA and Papen can have more control over the country, take away the influence of Der Stalhelm and the Jungdo and he can have more control over his own cabinet. Several Communist officials have been arrested by the Army, and more roughed up in the streets. But on the whole, the perceived imminent revolt has not taken place, but the Reich Chancellor has done much to protect his authority. There has been violence though, especially between the SA and the Red Front. But on the whole there is more order on the streets the before, a welcome reprieve for many. But this army deployment can only do so much, and the issue of police reform remains on the table. Will the Chancellor pass his agenda, or will new elections become inevitable?
 

[KaiserDave]

Note to party leaders: PM me or post the vote you are instructing your Reichstag members to vote

Major Reichstag Vote: Confidence in Minister Groener

Result: Ja!





Dereich




Communist Party of Germany - 77 seats

Vote: Nein!

Socialist Workers' Party of Germany - 1 seat

Vote: ?

Social Democratic Party of Germany - 142 seats

Vote: Ja!
German Centre Party - 68 seats

Vote: Ja!

German State Party - 20 seats

Vote: Ja!

German People's Party - 30 seats

Vote: Ja!

German-Hanoverian Party - 5 seats

Vote: Ja!

Bavarian People's Party - 19 seats

Vote: Ja!

National Rural League - 9 seats

Vote: Ja!

People's Justice Party - 4 seats

Vote: Ja!

German National People's Party - 93 seats

Vote: Ja!


German National Socialist Workers Party - 107 seats

Vote: Nein!

[KaiserDave]

Note: police reform proposals are next

Character Dilemmas



Wikimedia Commons


The government has survived-for now. But while the government prepares policy, politics moves anyways. There is new intrigue, new problems, and new dilemmas for the men who may very well decide the future of Germany.

Comrade Thälmann, revolutionary preparedness has had to go further underground but it still goes on. There are more arms caches, and more recruits. But on the political scene von Papen is settling in, if elections are not held soon he may become too popular, but what to do, what to do to make them happen?

Comrade Leow, there is building a split in the KPD. Factionalism has not develop but it threatens to. Is the time now for immediate revolutionary action to seize all state power, or should electoralism remain the path. Everyone is asking, what says Comrade Leow?

Comrade Frank, the question persists as to your next steps. Will you try and bridge the gap between SPD and KPD for a united anti fascist front, or embrace one side entirely?

Herr Wels, von Papen is settling in comfortably writing laws, empowered by an SPD faction which kept him in office. Despite the initial red, black, and gold excitement amongst your supporters due to the Republican movement, now people are asking for results. It is the near unanimous view that unless something is done to knock Papen down a peg, Wilhelm II is certain to return. What will you do?

Herr Schumacher, the police reform proposals are widely characterized as enhancing the central government and the reactionaries who control it, what says the fervent voice of democratic socialism?

Herr Mahraun, your foreign missions go on with great success, but the more time you are away from Germany the more rumors fester with or without basis in fact. One such rumor going about in the halls of power is that you have agreed to sign away control of Danzig in perpetuity. The Reich President has even heard such rumors, and is beginning to distrust his liberal Foreign Minister. What will you do to combat such rumors?

Herr von Papen, seeing how things were but a month ago, you are doing remarkably well. Your police reform proposals are about to appear in the Reichstag. But there is still trouble to deal with. There is a growing sentiment in Junker circles that their support for you is dependent on a restoration of the Hohenzollern monarchy. But which monarch? Surely Wilhelm II is the legitimate choice, but the French and British would never allow such a thing. What of the Crown Prince Wilhelm, he is popular with the landowners? But legitimists would never speak of it. Or perhaps Crown Prince Wilhelm's second son Louis Ferdinand, he is very popular with the Junkers. The fork in the road is growing.

Herr Hugenberg, there is a new quandary for you. Many believe that the Stalhelm is losing worth. Surely when police reform is established and you Herr Hugenburg are at the head of thousands of armed constables the "gang of angry veterans without a single skill but the rifle" will become obsolete, and nothing but an obstacle to power? There are rumors that Franz Seldte plots against you. Or...do they remain a useful club? It's up to you.

Mein Führer Hitler, the National Socialists remain excluded from power, while Chancellor von Papen proposes sweeping police reforms, the NSDAP remains angry backbenchers. Everyone from Goebbels to Speer agrees, the NSDAP must push for immediate federal elections, but how to do it?

[KaiserDave]

Note to party leaders: PM me or post the vote you are instructing your Reichstag members to vote

Major Reichstag Vote: Police Reform Plan A: Centralized Interior Control

Result: Nein!





Dereich




Communist Party of Germany - 77 seats

Vote: Nein!

Socialist Workers' Party of Germany - 1 seat

Vote: Nein!

Social Democratic Party of Germany - 142 seats

Vote: Nein!

German Centre Party - 68 seats

Vote: Nein!

German State Party - 20 seats

Vote: Nein!

German People's Party - 30 seats

Vote: Nein!

German-Hanoverian Party - 5 seats

Vote: ?

Bavarian People's Party - 19 seats

Vote: Nein!

National Rural League - 9 seats

Vote: Ja!

People's Justice Party - 4 seats

Vote: Ja!

German National People's Party - 93 seats

Vote: Ja!


German National Socialist Workers Party - 107 seats

Vote: Nein!: 69, Ja!: 38

[KaiserDave]

Note to party leaders: PM me or post the vote you are instructing your Reichstag members to vote

Major Reichstag Vote: Police Reform Plan B: von Papen Reichspolizei

Result: Ja!





Dereich




Communist Party of Germany - 77 seats

Vote: Nein!

Socialist Workers' Party of Germany - 1 seat

Vote: ?

Social Democratic Party of Germany - 142 seats

Vote: Nein!

German Centre Party - 68 seats

Vote: Ja!

German State Party - 20 seats

Vote: Ja!

German People's Party - 30 seats

Vote: Ja!

German-Hanoverian Party - 5 seats

Vote: Ja!

Bavarian People's Party - 19 seats

Vote: Ja!

National Rural League - 9 seats

Vote: Ja!

People's Justice Party - 4 seats

Vote: Ja!

German National People's Party - 93 seats

Vote: Ja!


German National Socialist Workers Party - 107 seats

Vote: Enthaltung!

[KaiserDave]

Note to party leaders: PM me or post the vote you are instructing your Reichstag members to vote

Major Reichstag Vote: Autobahn Act

Result: Ja!





Dereich




Communist Party of Germany - 77 seats

Vote: Ja!

Socialist Workers' Party of Germany - 1 seat

Vote: ?

Social Democratic Party of Germany - 142 seats

Vote: Ja!

German Centre Party - 68 seats

Vote: Nein!

German State Party - 20 seats

Vote: Ja!

German People's Party - 30 seats

Vote: Nein!

German-Hanoverian Party - 5 seats

Vote: Ja!

Bavarian People's Party - 19 seats

Vote: ?

National Rural League - 9 seats

Vote: Nein!

People's Justice Party - 4 seats

Vote: Nein!

German National People's Party - 93 seats

Vote: Ja!

National Socialist German Workers Party - 107 seats

Vote: Ja!

[KaiserDave]

The Reich



Wikimedia Commons

The Political Struggle Escalates


The phrase of the immortal Carl von Clausewitz has never been more true, "War is the continuation of politics by other means." And politics is the continuation of war. As criminal activity and political violence has subsided in recent days, the political intrigue has developed to an extreme scale. The von Papen Ministry has celebrated its victory on police reform, with conservative circles declaring the Prussian catholic as a "genius of political strategy" and "at last the man with the courage to save the Reich." On the whole conservatives are overjoyed with the success of the proposal. Social Democrats and Communists watch in horror as the conservative establishment consolidates power, while the Nazis, to the confusion of many have not many any definitive statements on recent events.

However, new events have taken the attention of the press and public. While Foreign Minister and Jungdo leader has traveled to Paris and London brokering a rumored deal on war reparations, poisonous rumors that he signed over Danzig in perpetuity have threatened his standing, and the influence he holds over the Reich President. These rumors might have died on their own, as did the baseless rumor that he had an affair with the French Prime Minister's private secretary, but it was Reich Minister of the Interior and DNVP leader Alfred Hugenburg who fed the flames. His newspapers declared on their front-pages that it was treason. DNVP rallies were held angrily denouncing the acts. The Cabinet became divided between the liberal-moderate supporters of Mahraun and the reactionary opponents, all the while von Papen has tried to bridge the gap. The Jungdo and Mahraun's staunchest supporters, notably Oskar von Hindenburg rallied to his defense. But reactionaries and nationalists flocked to Hugenberg boosting his following. Adolf Hitler denounced Mahraun as a traitor, promising a no confidence vote. Otto Wels promised to bring down the government if Mahraun was ousted and their was a great amount of noise and fury as Brownshirts attacked Jungdo and Red Front Fighters in the streets. For the Chancellor, he has passed the Autobahn Act for the vast construction of roads and infrastructure with the critical support of the Social Democrats, but this new feud threatens to destroy the stability he had just won. Many believe new elections may be imminent, but it is hard to say.

On the political left, Ernst Thälmann has been out of the papers recently, but as the right feuds, many may flock to the left as a source of radical inspiration. The Red Front has provided a great amount of civilian aide, and while the main conservative figures squabble in the halls of power, the poor and destitute of Berlin, Dresden, and Hamburg have found someone they can trust. Ex-Nazi Otto Strasser has publicly pondered a return to German political life. With a suspiciously large financial backing from unknown sources, he threatens to make the Black Front a formidable force that could potentially threaten the NSDAP's unity.

Time will tell how the political struggle unfolds....
 

[KaiserDave]

Wikimedia Commons

Office of the Reichpräsident

By the powers invested in me by the German constitution of 1919, and at the express request of the Reich Chancellor I hereby dissolve the Reichstag and the Reichsrat effectively immediately.

To that end I schedule Federal elections to the Reichstag on the 12th of September.

Cordially Signed,

Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg

President of the German Reich

[KaiserDave]

Federal Election of September 1932


Custom

Campaign Season


With intrigue and crisis in the political scene of the nation, with the once spinning wheels of government brought to a sudden halt by infighting, Chancellor von Papen and President Hindenburg have asked the German people to decide. Yes that means federal elections. Germany has a great many political parties, and while government by coalition is inevitable, these elections may very well decide how strong that coalition is, and who President Hindenburg will ask to form a new government afterwards. Will von Papen stay in the saddle? Will he be thrown out? Will the Communists and National Socialists seize a negative majority? Will the Weimar Coalition hold? The German people have the answers. Here are the major parties contesting the election, though there are many others unlisted due to small size or running in a joint list with larger parties, they are denoted by if they are supporting the current government.


Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands (KPD) Nein!
Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands (SPD) Nein!
Deutsche Zentrumspartei (DZP) Ja!
Bayerische Volkspartei (BVP) Ja!
Deutsche Staatspartei (DStP) Ja!
Vaterländische Union (VU) Ja!
Deutschnationale Volkspartei (DNVP) Ja!
Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (NSDAP) Nein!


The Social Democrats are currently the largest party in the Reichstag, but the Nazis are poised to take that mantle. The Communists are also expected to make gains. But what of the DNVP, and the catholic Zentrum? And new parties like the German State Party led by the imperious Arthur Mahraun? The seat count of every party will ultimately prove crucial.

Federal Elections: 12 September

Federal elections result will probably be posted Thursday or Friday evening, until then, campaign campaign campaign! Intrigue intrigue intrigue! Remember to try and appeal to a broad base if you want to win more seats, coalition building is everything. Results will be determined by a dice roll, quality of posts, historical precedent, and in game political alliances and maneuvers. Best of luck!

[KaiserDave]

Eger Beer Hall

Otto Strasser stood in the side entry hall to the stage reading over his prepared remarks. The vast community of Czech Germans was a hotbed for political activity, especially Pan-Germanic nationalism. While Otto Strasser preferred to discuss the vast restructuring of the economy he imagined, he nevertheless could get the applause of the crowd speaking for the need of a Germanic state in the heart Europe from Memel to Straßburg. The crowd had many members of the German National Socialist Workers' Party, an offshoot of the NSDAP in Czechoslovakia. Strasser's brand of Nazism was popular with some, but detested entirely by the elite German business class who preferred Hitlerism, which was far more friendly to business interests.

Strasser was about to head onto the stage, where his supporters had put up the hammer and sword flack of the Black Front. Before he walked down the hall though he remembered the helpful warning he had been given by a local Germanic police lieutenant, according to the officer it was a well meaning message from Minister Hugenberg himself. That Hitler had put on a price on Strasser's head, the price for attempting a return to German politics. Otto still wanted to return to German politics, the great funds he had received from his secret benefactor had made such a return easy. But it remained incredibly dangerous. Just last week a brick had been tossed into his flat window bearing a threatening message to stop writing his weekly radical column. His own brother had distanced himself from him. Well...he couldn't stay here forever.

Otto Strasser walked down the rest of the hall and onto the stage where the crowd applauded. Otto noticed a group of men in the back and a few in the front tables whose caps covered their faces. Ah yes, the secretive protection he was being lent from his benefactors. Otto saluted the crowd and launched into his prepared remarks. He had spoken for several minutes when he got to the controversial bits.

"....we must throw off the the shackles of the bourgeois class and build a true Volksgemeinschaft free of capitalist corruption and international Jewry. The so called "National Socialist German Workers' Party" has betrayed these aims for capitalist blood money, I stand before you as the only true representative of national socialism-"

He was interrupted by one in the crowd, a man stood, pointed his finger accusingly and shouted as he reached into his jacket.

"Damn Bolshevik! Heil Hitler!" Of the men around him, some ducked, others went to knock him down by the legs. The assailant revealed his handgun and fired two shots, ripping into the black flag behind Strasser. The capped men ran at the gunman drawing daggers as the crowd dispersed. Otto Strasser ran and then crawled behind the stage, checking himself for wounds. He found one, fortunately the wound was only a graze. Perhaps the gunman shouldn't have drunk all that beer, it may have affected his aim. And Otto thought he was safe in Czechoslovakia....

[KaiserDave]

Berlin

Otto Wels had just finished a brief meeting with party officials on the state of the campaign and was bounding down the stairs of the building which had the flat being rented by the party. The old stairs creaked as Wels walked with a brisk pace down the stairs. There was another meeting across town he had with Reichsbanner leaders he couldn't afford to miss. Opened the door and placed a bowler hat on his head. Wels nodded to the two Reichsbanner men at the door to the building who acted as his personal bodyguard. They began to walk to the car across the street, Otto waved to some of the pedestrians who recognized him and nodded with a vigilant look bringing a clenched fist to eye level as they waved back and then reciprocated.

Waiting by the car were two Reichspolizei officers on motorcycles who acted as his escort by order of Minister Hugenberg. As Otto reached the other side of the road he walked to the car but his attention was averted by man rushing towards him. He turned around to see him reaching into his morning coat, Otto ducked next to the car as his police escorts reached for their pistols and his bodyguards reached for their truncheons. Otto saw a glint of steel was the assailant reached for his weapon and shouted, "Jew lover!"

Two shots rang out. One struck a Reichsbanner man in the gut, the other banged off the car. The police officers fired next, sending the attacker to the floor bleeding from the mouth.

Otto slowly got back up and dusted himself off as a large crowd gathered and police sirens began to ring out. Which political leaders were safe from this new chain of assassinations?

[KaiserDave]

Note: Wow that took a while to compute and organize. But....here we are. Hope you like it!

The Reich



Wikimedia Commons

Federal Elections: The Results



From every corner of the German fatherland the votes have been counted. From Stettin to Munich, from Cologne to Königsberg, from the mountains of Bavaria to the soft banks of the Rhine, the German people have made their final decisions. The next Reichstag has been duly elected by the German people, and they have elected 646 deputies with a majority of 323+1. The exact compositions are listed below.


Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (NSDAP): 143 (+36)
Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands (SPD): 125 (-17)
Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands (KPD): 97 (+20)
Deutschnationale Volkspartei (DNVP): 95 (+2)
Deutsche Zentrumspartei (DZP): 78 (+10)
Deutsche Staatspartei (DStP): 45 (+25)
Vaterländische Union (VU): 28 (+28)
Bayerische Volkspartei (BVP): 23 (+3)
Nationale Landbund (NLB): 6 (-3)
Deutsche Volkspartei (DVP): 4 (-26)
Deutsch-Hannoversche Partei (DHP): 1 (-4)
Sozialistische Arbeiterpartei Deutschlands (SAP): 1



In some respects the results are not out of the ordinary, in other ways they are quite extraordinary. One must first note the turnout, with over 46,000,000 Germans voting. Many thought that the shortened campaign season would result in a smaller turnout, perhaps even a negative turnout and a smaller Reichstag, but alas not. It seems the calm, in many places, brought about by the new Reichspolizei muted street violence and intimidation as voters went to the polls. Extremist parties such as the KPD and NSDAP gained a substantial amount of seats, the NSDAP (though it was entirely expected) has even become the largest party in the Reichstag, though the gains they made were smaller compared to expectation. The Communists did well, gaining 20 seats, and getting almost 100 Communists in the Reichstag. The Social Democrats performed poorly at the polls, though many in the party were relieved, given that some speculated that the party could be reduced to double digits after the disastrous no confidence vote.

The government performed well, almost every pro-government party gained seats. Most notably the DNVP, Zentrum, the DStP and the new party led by Paul von Lettow Vorbeck, the VU. However it is the mathematical reality of the Reichstag that they may have trouble governing without NSDAP or SPD support. The German people have deployed their vote, but it will be up the politicians how the battle is won. Here is a breakdown of the results by popular vote percentage, and a breakdown of political alliances.



Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (NSDAP): 22.15%
Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands (SPD): 19.34%
Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands (KPD): 15.04%
Deutschnationale Volkspartei (DNVP): 14.74%
Deutsche Zentrumspartei (DZP): 12.06%
Deutsche Staatspartei (DStP): 6.94%
Vaterländische Union (VU): 4.33%
Bayerische Volkspartei (BVP): 3.52%
Nationale Landbund (NLB): 0.93%
Deutsche Volkspartei (DVP): 0.66%
Deutsch-Hannoversche Partei (DHP): 0.65%
Sozialistische Arbeiterpartei Deutschlands (SAP): 0.64%




German Rebirth League
Deutschnationale Volkspartei (DNVP)
Nationale Landbund (NLB)
Deutsch-Hannoversche Partei (DHP)

Vorbeck-Kaas-Held Pact
Deutsche Zentrumspartei (DZP)
Vaterländische Union (VU)
Bayerische Volkspartei (BVP)

Mahraun List
Deutsche Staatspartei (DStP)
Deutsche Volkspartei (DVP)






Wikimedia Commons

Interview with Otto Wels

Q. You have led many "Marches for the Republic" in recent days, what makes the Republic so important to you?

A. A republican governemnt is the most equal form. It allows us to reinforce the idea that all people, man or woman, Jew or gentile, are born equal,  a principle reflected in our uniquely progressive constitution.

This is an ideal that we hold dear. The right of the people to determine their own fate, to petition the government for a redress of grievances, and to elect their representatives. These are our ideals. Some may call us naive. I will not apologise for being an idealist.

Q.  Aside from protecting the constitution, what are the political goals of the SPD?

A. Our goal is to create a more progressive and equal society, where all can pursue their own form of happiness free of hunger, poverty and crime. Every advancement made in our Republic, social and political, has had its roots in the SPD. The eight hour work day, the 48-hour work week, unemployment insurance, the right of women to vote and hold public office. All SPD ideas, all adopted by our nation.

Progress cannot be acheived in our nation without recovery however. That is why we placed such an emphasis on economic recovery in our manifesto.

Q. Do you believe that cooperation with the KPD may be necessary to ward off reactionary dictatorship?

A. The only circumstances under which I would even consoder this notion would be if Herr Hitler managed to seize power so decisively that nothing else would be able to stop him. Otherwise, our historic point still stands: the communists are no better than the Nazis.

The omly real difference i see between the two is Herr Hitler's odious racial doctrine as espoused in Mein Kampf. Yes, I did take the time to read it, and aside from the truly awful ideas in it, it's also incredibly hard to read from a literary standpoint.

Q. What is the role of the German Jew in Germany?

A. The Jews are citizens of our republic, no more or less important than any other. It is truehowever, that they have been unfairly blamed for defeat in the Great War. We were not defeated the Jew, we were defeated by the by the British naval blockade, which made food beyond expensive. We were defeated by the tank, a steel-armoured, gun-bristling comnraption. We were defeated by the arrival of the Americans and by the Kaiser's loss of support from the army.

The German Jew is a citizen who has been put upon by demagogues. Men who exploit discontent to win a few votes. So I say this: we greet our persecuted friends, and i believe Social Democracy can draw strength from them


Q. You have made waves with your decisive condemnation of the Nazi Party leadership, are you afraid for your own life?

A. My life is not some precious thing to me. I would gladly martyr myself for the cause of our republic. However, I would fear for certain things: as long as radicals seek the downfall of our republic, my work remains undone. As long as one citizen goes jobless, my work remains undone. So long as one child goes hungry, my work remains undone.

I am also supremely confident however that my deputy, Kurt Schumacher, and the other party executives and senior figures, such as Hans Vogel and Arthur Crispien, are more than capable of carrying on our work in the event some deranged lunatic attempts to gun me down.

Q. You’ve just recently been attacked in the streets? Who do you blame for this political violence?

A. I wish I could say that there is one man alone who could hold the blame, but it is a group of men, led by Adolf Hitler.

These men, as I have stated, are all uniquely evil in their own way, and I believe Herr Hitler could not have risen to prominence without them.

The Nazi Party-I will never call them the NSDAP because it is a false appeal to our workers-are the direct root of all the political violence in this country. They are thugs, brutes, snakes. I will not be silenced by some two-bit Austrian corporal and his enablers.

[KaiserDave]

The Reich



Wikimedia Commons

Strasser is back!



The great National Socialist thinker and dissident Otto Strasser has returned to Germany. The leftist thinker and nationalist fled Germany after his expulsion from the Nazi party and the split from Hitler and his brother in 1930, but has continued to agitate for his brand of revolutionary national socialism. Just two months ago he was nearly killed, and Adolf Hitler has openly denounced him as a traitor worthy of death.

But today he has made a dramatic return to Germany. Returning through mysterious, reportedly clandestine means he has returned to Germany to retake his place in public life. He gave a speech in the outskirts of Berlin to a euphoric crowd of the Kampfgemeinschaft Revolutionärer Nationalsozialisten (Combat League of Revolutionary National Socialists), better known as simply the Black Front. He spoke in dramatic terms of the necessity of the German race to destroy the exploitative capitalist system and establish a society based on collective ownership of the means of production as opposed to "Jewish capitalism and freemasonry." He denounced Adolf Hitler as a "puppet of the war profiteers and capitalist industry" and a "traitor to the German workers."

He declared his intention to found a new political party to contend the next round of federal elections. So far this has been his only public appearance, at which the stage was surrounded by Black Front members armed with clubs.

[KaiserDave]

The Reich



Wikimedia Commons

The Second von Papen Ministry


At last the Reich Chancellor has presented a new cabinet to the nation. After many days of debate, intrigue, and political wrangling among the political elite, and many days of rumor work, editorializing, and an explosive combination of fear and excitement amongst the populace, a government has finally been formed. And despite many predictions after the elections that Chancellor von Papen was finished, he has indeed survived, apparently, for now. While the details of the negotiations are hard to come by, it is believed that the new Ministry will survive with tacit National Socialist support. However, we can draw conclusions from the makeup of the new government, even as intrigue rages on behind the scenes.


Reich Chancellor: Franz von Papen (Independent)
Vice Chancellor: Alfred Hugenberg (DNVP)
Reich Minister of Foreign Minister: Erich Klausener (Independent)
Reich Minister of the Interior: Alfred Hugenberg (DNVP)
Reich Minister of Finance: Lutz Graf Schwerin von Krosigk (Independent)
Reich Minister of Justice: Franz Gürtner (DNVP)
Reich Minister of the Reichswehr: Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck (VU)
Reich Minister of Economics: Joseph Joos (Zentrum)
Reich Minister for Food and Agriculture: Paul Freiherr von Eltz-Rübenach (Independent)
Reich Minister for Labour: Heinrich Brauns (Zentrum)
Reich Minister for Postal Affairs: Franz Bracht (Zentrum)
Reich Minister for Transport: Franz Seldte (DNVP)
Reich Minister without portfolio: Kurt von Schleicher (Independent)
Reich Minister without portfolio: Fritz Schäffer (BVP)


It is hard to say where this cabinet is compared to the last one. Some say it is a slight shift to the center. The reactionary intellectual Carl Schmitt is out for one, but others say it is a shift further to the right. Mahraun, who was perceived as a moderating influence is out, and Hugenberg is now Vice Chancellor. The Republican figure and former Field Marshal Groener is out and monarchist war hero Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck is in. While Vorbeck is no friend of the NSDAP, it is undoubtedly a rightward shift.

While many Germans celebrate Oktoberfest with beer and pretzels something subversive may be brewing. With inertia paralyzing the government, some wonder if the new elections will do some again, but even more so with extremist parties obtaining more political power. There are rumors that among certain Bolshevist agitators the belief is that a time such as that may be ripe for a general strike, that could spiral into a Marxist revolution. And in military circles, many believe that the Reichswehr must step off the sidelines and intervene to protect the fatherland from such an insurrection, and to establish a far more powerful state.

Time will tell if Chancellor von Papen can steer the ship of state through stormy weather, or if it will sink....

[KaiserDave]

The Reich



Courtesy of Left Voice

GENERAL STRIKE


Protest mobs have swamped the streets of the major cities of Germany as the unions affiliated with the SPD and KPD, meaning the majority of the German labor movement. have declared a general strike at all levels of society. The SPD have KPD have in solidarity declared that any reactionary government dependent on support from the National Socialists is an act of aggression against the working class. Red flags have filled the streets of Berlin, Dresden, Hamburg, Frankfurt, and more. Signs bearing the slogans "Down with Fascism!" and "Down with Papen!" fill the streets, as deputies and leaders from the Social Democrats and Communists give fiery speeches, and committees of worker's deputies meet on the sidewalks and alleys of many cities. Communists and Social Democrats, arms linked have marched together in a show of force against the reactionary establishment. While they have many disagreements, with even some contentious arguments among the demonstrators erupting, they have united to lead millions of Germans out on strike to place pressure on the government. They have even been joined on some occasions by elements of the Strasserist Black Front. Otto Strasser himself issued a statement declaring the current government an, "alliance of war profiteers and bankers at war with the German workers." Many leftist demonstrators have struck up the tune just authored by Bertolt Brecht, the "Einheitsfrontlied" that places emphasis on working class solidarity and a united anti-fascist front.


Und weil der Mensch ein Mensch ist,
drum braucht er was zum Essen, bitte sehr!
Es macht ihn ein Geschwätz nicht satt,
das schafft kein Essen her.

Drum links, zwei, drei!
Drum links, zwei, drei!
Wo dein Platz, Genosse, ist!
Reih dich ein in die Arbeitereinheitsfront,
weil du auch ein Arbeiter bist.


On the side of the government, the newly minted Reichspolizei have come out in full force to contain the demonstrations and stop violence. Supported by local police forces, they have impressed in many places in preserving peace. Many have noted that in the Rhineland the presence of strikes has been minimal and the presence of police great, however some believe this is because the Catholic Unions did not agree to participate in the strikes. Der Stalhelm have also participated in suppressing the strikes, oftentimes armed with rifles and driving armored vehicles with mounted machine guns. Prompting of course vitriol from the crowds denouncing them as "criminal fascist dogs." Theodor Duesterberg, a Der Stalhelm leader simply said that, "if the Bolsheviks and their stooges attempt to overthrow the government of the Reich they will eat lead."

Across Germany there is a general strike, the nation is paralyzed in many places. Trains aren't running, garbage piles up, power outages have occurred in some places, ships remain in docks while their chains rust, and factories have become silent empty shells. However the effectives of the strike has been somewhat limited by the Catholic unions staying at work, and the major industrialists bringing in strike breakers. Yet, the strike goes on and it is up to the government or respond.

[KaiserDave]

Character Dilemmas



Wikimedia Commons


Berlin is again a red city. Red flags at every corner, speeches for leftist and Marxist politicians at every square, and strikers marching for bread and anti-fascism at every main road. Sub committees of worker's deputies meet everywhere feasible, and the new joint KPD-SPD enterprise the "Republican Worker's Committee" holds meeting to discuss the next steps for the strike and for anti fascist solidarity. In Hamburg, in Essen it is the very same. In the countryside the farmers continue working, in the vineyards, the cow pens, and the pig sty's the daily labor goes on, and even the rail workers have returned to work to deliver coal to the major cities, but the nation still remains at least partially paralyzed. Dock workers in the streets, Saxon miners on strike, and factory hands waving anti-fascist banners. The government of the Reich is faced with a major dilemma, and everyone will play a part.

Comrade Thälmann, there has never been more revolutionary zeitgeist in Germany. It truly feels like Red October come again, and that is exactly what party hardliners are saying. Is it really necessary to continue cooperation with the "social fascists" when power in the capital is within your grasp? Is now the time for revolution?

Comrade Leow, as leader of the RFB many prominent revolutionists have come to you. Do you support an armed insurrection to end the rule of misery and robbery and bring about the new socialist age?

Herr Schumacher, the strike is on! What will you do to participate in this exciting movement?

Herr Wels, the strike goes on! So many see the SPD as the great hope for deliverance from fascism. But for how long can the strike persist? Workers are beginning to grow hungry, funds for feeding them have run out. What will the guardian of the Republic do?

Herr Mahraun, after a lengthy power struggle, at least you are back in government. Many who have become dedicated to you are looking for your take on the general strike and what you will do to save the Reich from anarchy.

Herr von Papen, you are back in government yes. But nobody envies your position. Some in the army believe that now is the time to crack down. Others in government believe negotiation is key. In any case the tasks of government go on and it is up to you.

Herr von Lettow Vorbeck, what a sudden rise for the Lion of Africa! Already returning to politics and already Reichswehr Minister. In the Reichswehr you have undertaken many measures to improve its fighting capability. But some fear that it may be tested soon, in civil war. Many believe that civil war is an inevitable reality of the future and want to act. Of course however, you are the Minister and it will be up to you to decide how the army approaches the coming months of trial.

Herr Hugenberg, you have sent your Stalhelm into Berlin, but they are not disciplined police or soldiers. They are street fighters itching for a fight. Their finger rests on the trigger of their rifles as they stare down social democrats and communists in the streets. They want a war to wipe them out. Are you going to let them satisfy their ambitions or reel them in like the wild dogs they are?

Mein Führer Hitler, the National Socialists are on the sidelines again. They are out of the headlines, only mentioned in that they provide their tacit support to conservative government. Many in the SA are growing restless, a few have even crudely drawn the Strasserist sword and hammer over their swastika armbands and gone over. Some like Röhm want to abandon von Papen to his fate and launch a national revolution, others like Göring are far more cautious. But you must pick a course.

[KaiserDave]

The Reich



Wikimedia Commons

Rupprecht von Bayern is Staatskommissar


As October and now most of November have flown by, and winter is upon us the effect of the general strike has lessened from its pitch, many are returning to work, more are seeking the daily needs of survival from their jobs and not their comrades in the Union. However in the streets of Berlin at least the red flags are out each day ceaselessly, the Song of the United Front is sung in sleet, rain, and snow. The political crisis drags on as Herr Hitler turns his hack on von Papen and the nation remains paralyzed by chaos and inertia. In Bavaria at least a desperate play has been made to restore order and protect the social system. Bavarian Premier Heinrich Held announced that the Free State of Bavaria had installed the Crown Prince Rupprecht of Wittelsbach as Staatskommissar, a position with dictatorial powers to restore order the Reich's largest southern state. The Crown Prince declared that he will "sacrifice everything for the fatherland, and for my beloved Bavaria and will do everything possible to defend Bavaria from anarchy and villainy." The new Staatskommissar is a known opponent of Nazism, but also anti-Communist as any royal. The pretender to the Bavarian throne has never renounced his rights, and many believe this position will merely be a stepping stone to his coronation as King of Bavaria. How a Kingdom would exist within the Republic is a question lawyers are trying to answer, but perhaps the Republic will cease to exist by then.

[KaiserDave]

Wikimedia Commons

Office of the Reichpräsident

By the powers invested in me by the German constitution of 1919 and Article 48 of the German constitution, and in view of the persisting strikes encouraged by radical agitators, I hereby declare any newspaper or broadcast company that persists in the encouragement of strike actions after the pronouncement of this decree is in violation of the law and is will be subject to the full extent thereof.

Cordially Signed,

Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg

President of the German Reich

[KaiserDave]

The Reich



Wikimedia Commons

Roter Wedding: Bloodshed in Berlin


A crackdown strikes Berlin! German blood runs in German streets! This snowy morning as Communist demonstrators and aligned workers marched in Berlin waving red flags and singing songs, such as "Roter Wedding" the song of the Red Front Fighters, and the Internationale, song of international socialism, and calling for the downfall of all fascist forces. The Communists have kept up the strike as many Social Democrats have refocused on what seems to be inevitable elections coming up. But today, after the Reich President signed orders declaring press agitation of a strike illegal and the Interior Minister declaring that continuing strikes were an assault on the nation the forces of the right have finally responded with force on the left.

Der Stalhelm forces poured into the city the evening before, Reich Police officers doing nothing to aide or obstruct them. This morning they demanded the Communists disperse or surrender, to which the marchers only intensified in anti fascist rage. The forces of Der Stalhelm began firing warning shots and then began shooting in earnest. Shooting could be heard scattered across Berlin, but mostly in the poor neighborhoods where desperate and frigid masses of the unemployed, surviving only on soup provided by the KPD marched behind the red flag. Armed RFB men began firing back and firefights occurred in the city throughout the day. Marches for the day were ultimately pushed back, and the Reich Police in the afternoon swooped in to separate both factions. Estimates are that a few dozen marchers were killed, and that were 5-10 casualties among Der Stalhelm and 5-10 among the RFB. The snowy weather obstructed protracted conflict.

The question is, is this an emotional outburst from a few fascists in Der Stalhelm? Or the beginning of a violent government crackdown on the Communists?

In other news, the Swastika and the Red Flag fly together in Munich are anti-monarchist rallies are held, and Otto Strasser releases a statement from an undisclosed location launching the "Party of Revolutionary National Socialists" (or Partei der Revolutionären Nationalsozialisten, PRNS).

[KaiserDave]

Wikimedia Commons

Office of the Reichpräsident

By the powers invested in me by the German constitution of 1919 and Article 48 of the German constitution, I hereby order the creation of a pact between Reich Government and the Catholic Church in German for the benefit and nourishment of the poor and unfortunate. The Bolshevik agitators upon whom many of the workingmen and employed of Germany do not have their best interests at heart. In the spirit of Pope Pius XI's Quadragesimo anno encyclical, the Reich government will present an alternative to Bolshevik treachery for the poor in cooperation with the Church.

Cordially Signed,

Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg

President of the German Reich

[KaiserDave]

Wikimedia Commons

Office of the Reichpräsident

By the powers invested in me by the German constitution of 1919 and Article 28 of the German constitution, and in view of the imminent security threats to the Reich government and to well being of the German people I hereby declare the Reichstag to be temporarily suspended and order it to relocate to a safe location as long as the current crisis persists, with an interest to the safety of its members and the need for swift decision making in government.  

Cordially Signed,

Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg

President of the German Reich

[KaiserDave]

Wikimedia Commons

Office of the Reichpräsident

By the powers invested in me by the German constitution of 1919 and Article 48 of the German constitution, and in view of the current putsch being carried out by radical, dangerous, indecent, and detestable elements of the National Socialist party, I hereby declare that any energetic measures that shall be adopted in the defense of the Reich government have the entire backing of the Reich President.


Cordially Signed,

Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg

President of the German Reich

Wikimedia Commons

Office of the Staatskommissar

By the powers entrusted in me as Staatskommissar by the government of the Free State I hereby declare that a state of martial law now exists in the Free State of Bavaria in the interests of defending Bavaria and her people from the madmen now launching a coup against the Reich government in Berlin and any general anarchy that may occur. The Reichswehr and forces at the direction of the Free State government will take all possible measures to guarantee the safety, security, and stability of Bavaria. This is including by not limited to curfews, checkpoints, patrols, and temporary suspension of routine civil government procedure. It is the solemn and holy duty of my person to defend Bavaria and her people and I will take all possible measures to do so.

Signed,

His Royal Highness Rupprecht Maria Luitpold Ferdinand, Crown Prince of Bavaria, Duke of Bavaria, of Franconia and in Swabia, Count Palatine of the Rhine

Staatskommissar of the Free State of Bavaria

[KaiserDave]

THE MARCH ON BERLIN


Wikimedia Commons

The Brown Army

Berlin is a big city. Not just in the great volume of people, but the urban sprawl. The vast exurbs, neighborhoods, and the diverse collection of neighborhoods outside of the central Mitte. It is a city bursting with activity, with life, and the hustle and bustle of the modern day. It is hard to control, there is always something going on. In the winter this remains so, while the cities may remain caked with ice and snow, people go about their business in their coats and hats. In the early January of 1933 however the atmosphere was different. The New Year's celebrations were muted as it seemed the military presence was growing, ominous decrees came down from government, and government offices quietly shuttered. Checkpoints appeared on streets, and armored vehicles creaked through towns, everything knew something was about to go down.

On the evening hours of January the 4th, when the school children of Berlin had gone to sleep, but there was still some activity on the streets a radio broadcast when out on Nazi Party radio across the nation. It was a regularly timed evening broadcast, but instead of hearing the normal rants and raves on the Jewish question, the Bolshevik menace, and the ineptitude of parliamentary government Joseph Goebbels began with a stern, solemn tone.

In the history of every nation, there is a great time of choosing. Where great civilizations and empires take the path to degeneracy and ruin, or purity and immeasurable glory. The Romans, in all their glory faced this path, and Rome burned. The great Oriental, Chinese Empires fell to decadent failure as well. But this will not be the fate of the great German volk. The German nation is unconquerable, the German race is indomitable! But the path to total victory will be paved with the blood of heroes, with those willing to sacrifice everything for their nation and their Führer. The first steps of this road to immeasurable glory begin tomorrow. The Day of Victory is at hand for the German people, and the Day of the Rope is at hand for her enemies.

In the early morning hours of January the fifth, where the night was as dark as ever, Sturmabteilung Brigaden and Standarten took up their rifles, 30 rounds a man, and began a coordinated attack on the city. From _____, a country war room disguised as another party building organized the Second Hitlerite Putsch. Led by Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler, orders were directed to thousands of armed Brownshirts in the field. Across Germany Nazi storm detachments were moving into position to seize key government buildings, cut telegraph lines, seize radio stations, and join up with each other and what they hoped would be thousands of enthusiastic supporters and Reichswehr defectors. But the epicenter of the coup was in Berlin, the capital and natural heart of the Reich. It was not a Nazi city, but it was crucial to any attempt to seize power.

Brownshirts were also assisted by crack Schutzstaffel brigades, ready to seize key sites while Brownshirts marched and attacked. The number of armored vehicles was limited, but in Weimar Germany picking up on old Freikorp equipment wasn't all that difficult. But the main column of the assault was a marching column of rifle shouldering Brownshirts with Führer Adolf Hitler marching arm and arm with Ernst Röhm, Gregor Strasser, and Rudolf Hess all singing the Horst-Wessel song. As the sun began to peak over the Earth on the 5th day of 1933, the National Socialists began their attack on Berlin.

They attacked from all ends of the city. Minister Seldte had closed the trains but he could not close the city, they moved on foot from across the Spree and Havel rivers. They marched towards Pankow in the north, Köpenick in the east, and Spandau in the west. As they marched they picked up mutinying bands of fascist detachments of Der Stahlhelm. Not interesting in turning arms on what they viewed as their brethren, these steel helmeted brutes tugged swastika armbands on and began to approach the city too. As they entered the outskirts of the city, approaching bridges, crossing points, and other crucial sites they encountered sandbagged machine gun and rifle nests of the Reichswehr, and fighting began.





Wikimedia Commons

The Broad Coalition


It was not as if the National Socialists were unopposed. On the contrary this was hardly the March on Rome. The government, well supplied with knowledge of a nearing coup, and already wary of strikes and violence was ready. Minister Lettow-Vorbeck and Chancellor Franz von Papen had mobilized the entire Reichswehr across the nation, and as much as they wouldn't admit it had withdrawn the government from Berlin, when the Nazis reached the government buildings in the cities they meant to seize they found soldiers stationed ready to shoot. In Bavaria especially martial law had been declared, and despite the strong force of the National Socialists there, they found themselves up against a prepared enemy.

But it was not just the forces of the Reich government the Nazis faced. They had made the mistake of turning every political faction against them. The conservative infighting, the communists and their strike, and the Social Democrats feud with the government all came to a halt to face down a shared enemy. Perhaps they had different motives but they now fought together. The Red Front was mobilized, the Reichsbanner combat divisions, loyal groups of Der Stalhelm, and the Jungdo as well. Every political leader had sent out orders for forces, scrambling for the greatest numerical advantage, but in Berlin altogether they outnumbered the Nazis almost two to one.

It was a massive coalition, dedicated Marxist-Leninists, and hardened reactionaries. While they did gain numerical advantage, there was a haphazard nature to it all. Lettow Vorbeck and his Generals issued orders from the Benderblock, the Reich President and Chancellor could receive reports in Neudeck. but they could not control the Red Front, or the Reichsbanner, or the Jungdo. They couldn't direct angry civilians, or anticipate from where in the city Nazis may organize. Not to mention the sleet, the slush, and the ice in the city making everything more chaotic. At least they know that the fighting could not be that protracted, with the fierce weather conditions and the undisciplined nature of the combatants involved.

The Second Hitlerite putsch was in full swing.

[KaiserDave]

THE MARCH ON BERLIN


Wikimedia Commons

Berlin-Wittenau: 9:14 AM

Gustav Werner leaned as his comrade lit his cigarette. It was a cold morning, the ground was full of grey-white slush and fresh ice. Gustav's breaths turned to thick clouds in the air and the puffs of his cigarette looked as if it might freeze in the air. Private Werner stood, his rifle shouldered in front of the disordered line of sandbags him and his half a dozen comrades had laid down on this quiet Wittenau road. A few houses lined the streets, there were a few trees, and a turned around a bend around ahead. They had been stationed here to protect against a Nazi thrust from the north if that was such a thing. Nobody was quite sure how this would occur? Would it be like the Kapp Putsch? The Beer Hall Putsch? Nobody could be sure. Gustav listened as a few shots rang out in the distance. His fellow soldiers did as well. They felt close.  They heard chatter ahead. A few of the soldiers sitting against the sandbags smoking got up and listened. Boots slapping against the ice and stone.

"Achtung!" shouted the commanding officer of the group, a mere corporal. Around the bend ahead a Brownshirt was waving a swastika banner. Behind him came rung several pink faced brownshirt youngsters carrying carbines. Already they were shooting. Gustav lept down onto the sandbags and tore off his gloves to reach into his bag for bullets unhindered. He pushed a clip into his rifle, cocked it, and tried to look above the sandbag. Shots were now ringing back and forth, as Gustav now tried to contribute to the cacophony. Gustav winced a shot flew by him, and winced again as he heard someone near by hit the ground with a thud. He looked up briefly to see the flag bearer on the ground, his flag left on the ground. There must be two dozen of them Gustav thought. He saw about 10 charging towards them waving their rifles as clubs and a few still firing. He heard a brief sound as someone next to him threw something. Then there was a blast. Blood and bits of iron splattered the snow as the grenade exploded and the fresh faced nearly teenage Nazis ran, already tired of pitched battle.




Berlin-Tempelhof: 10:16 AM

Eberhard Albrecht tightened the strap around his helmet, marked the distinctive SS runes. Him and his detachment of 30 SS had just breached a gap in the Berlin defense area around Buckow. They had terrified a few Reichsbanner bunnies into running after a brief amount of fighting, now they were in sight of the runways at Tempelhof. Securing the airport was vital, it was another way of getting into or out of Berlin. Eberhard again looked at his MP 18 submachine gun, the Reichswehr was not permitted to possess submachine guns, but the SS didn't play by the rules of liberals and foreigners. It would be quite the surprise. That's to say if the Reichswehr was even here. If all was going to plan the nearby Reichswehr would be occupied with SA assaults in Steglitz and Lichtenrade. The SS increased their speed as they approached the empty traffic circle at the front of the airport. With Tempelhof secured, an imaginative path to the Reichstag could be opened. Eberhard and his men would be rewarded handsomely by the Führer. The open lobby of the airport was largely empty, save for a few employees, baggage helpers and receptionists who scattered with a few screams upon seeing the black uniformed killers burst through the door.

Eberhard and his ran through the airport, was it really undefended? Eberhard heard a whistle outside. He ran towards an exit door, seeing a security officer there armed with a truncheon, he killed him with a symphony of bullets. He ran out, to see arranged on the airstrips what must be a few hundred Jungdo, and seeing several dozen soldiers further off running desperately towards the airport. The Reichsbanner must have found a way to communicate the SS assault to nearby units. Eberhard saw as a nearby small plane's motor began to run. He had distracted himself however, and his enemies had begun to shoot at him.




Berlin-Prenzlauer Berg: 11:32 AM


Bullets rang across the intersection as they flew into the air and ripped into the sides of buildings. Metal clashed on metal as the armored vehicle teetering through the center of the intersection emblazoned with a crudely painted swastika on its side was fired upon.

The fighting in Prenzlauer Berg and Heinersdorf had been the fiercest in all of Pankow. Experienced warrior brutes of Der Stahlhelm who had been campaign outside of Berlin had switched sides when the Nazis arrived, and had punched a bloody hole through Pankow, forcing retreats from inexperienced police and soldiers. Supported by Brownshirts they were putting the heart of the city, the Reichstag, the Presidential residence, and government buildings all at risk.

But here in Prenzlauer Berg the fascists would be stopped dead in their tracks. At least that's what Frederick Kröner hoped as he ran, hoping he wouldn't be shot, behind a crudely built furniture barricade. This area was defended only by the Reichsbanner, but Reichswehr reinforcements were coming from Treptow, and an encircling action had been ordered (at least that was the rumor), by General Beck and Lettow-Vorbeck to cut off the fascists here. But they had to buy time. Frederick grabbed a lighter from the man ducking next to him, the man who was now trying to load what looked like a Needle rifle from the Franco-Prussian War. Frederick had no firearm, only a club and a bottle of petrol. He lit the cloth and stuffed it into the bottle, and rose and chucked it at the armored vehicle in the street. The fire clawed up the side of the vehicle, as the top was thrown open as a few men climbed out. Bullets continued to ring out as the fighting persisted.




Berlin-Westend: 12:45 PM


Gregor Strasser ducked slightly as he thought he heard another bullet whiz by. He was puzzled by the Führer's decision to order much of party leadership, including Hess, Röhm, and himself to march into Berlin. It felt like a suicide mission, but the party trusted the Führer. Gregor wasn't so sure, but he couldn't argue with results. The motivated Brownshirts marching in step and operating with the support of commandeered vehicles, had beaten back inexperienced police and barely armed Reichsbanner, and with the support of nearby SS they had made ample gains. Onto the Reichstag was the chant, aside from the refrains of the Horst Wessel song over and over again. But as Gregor walked the occasional shots heard in the air had escalated into a steady rumble of gunfire. He begun to hear more noises ahead. With all the people around him he could see somewhat an equestrian statue ahead, and heard more shooting.

"What's going on?" he asked to a nearby SA officer running by with dust and blood on his face.

"Experienced soldiers, machine guns. It's a mess. They have snipers too!" Strasser could see ahead of him more movement, and nearby Röhm was standing by an armored vehicle with a mounted machine gun that had starting firing. Before he knew it there was shooting everywhere, Gregor had found himself much closer to the fighting than intended. Gregor waved to a couple of Brownshirts that didn't seem occupied in fighting as he backed behind a parked car.

"You four! I need protection, we need to regroup somewhere." The Brownshirt responded.

"Gauleiter Strasser, the Führer is with us here! This is where we must fight!" Gregor winced as more bullets whizzed by, the fighting seemed to be getting closer somehow. Gregor got up and shouted to a couple other armed Brownshirts to regroup. There was more shouting now. Then was even more. Somebody shouted then loudly enough to pierce the noise, and others would soon copy his exclamation.

"The Führer is hit!"




Berlin-Grunewald: 2:36 PM


Shooting rang out in the distance, machine gun fire rolled on in the distant sky, but here in Grunewald there was victory. Der Stahlhelm, Reich Police, soldiers, and Red Front fighters all ran forwards with a victorious cheer as the Brownshirts ran. Gunter Frank, a new recruit to the police force ran on with them. Running by the bodies of SS and SA on the street, and around onto a new street as he ran with many others of the broad anti-Nazi coalition. The damage to Grunewald was not much, barely superficial, but here was were the fascists were running. A Brownshirt march onto Grunewald had forced the police and Jungdo to retreat, an SS infiltration had put them further on the defensive. Then entire squads of police in the area had gone over, slapping on swastika armbands, it must have been 50. But with time they were able to push them back. Reichswehr units from the outside of the city made it to them, the long police line from Schmargendorf to Tiergarten marched into the neighborhood, but it was the morale shock that had won it. A rumor had spread, to the police and then to the SA that Hitler had been shot, then Frank was informed that in Heinersdorf and Prenzlauer Berg the Army and Red Front had surrounded a large contingent of Nazis and forced them to surrender at gunpoint, or be killed.

And here in Grunewald the Nazis were being chased into the river. Frank drew his revolver as he saw a few Brownshirts running with the fear of the lord into a side street, Frank fired a few shots down the alley, seeing one of them fall but kept running. There were more Nazis to catch.




With almost a day of fighting over the conflict is not yet concluded but the National Socialists, despite initial gains have been repelled on all fronts. Adolf Hitler has been shot, and the vast numerical superiority of the anti-Nazi alliance has seemingly won out in the city. Although Reinhard Heydrich has survived to organize SS outside Berlin, Gregor Strasser and Heinrich Himmler are missing, Hermann Göring has seemingly disappeared, and despite Nazi successes such as the seizure of a few industrial towns in the demilitarized Rhineland and in East Prussia, where control Königsberg still remains in question, the March on Berlin has failed to achieve its initial purpose. But the political and military situation has yet to be entirely answered....


If you have any questions on secret information related to your forces please message me. Any questions however are welcomed. The events of the initial March on Berlin are concluded but that's not say that the putsch is entirely over.