Chapter 40: Epilogue
The battle of the Philippines marked the end of large-scale battles in WW2 for the German side. Germany would off course continue with submarine warfare, which rapidly depleted Japanese transport capacity so that by 1943 all offensive action were impossible, and Germany would also contribute bomber squadrons throughout 1942 until the Japanese surrender in 1944. The participation in the naval surface battles were crucial diplomatic successes as it assured American goodwill towards the German third Reich. Because of the ongoing war effort, little emphasis was placed on the plight of the Jewish immigrants deported to Kameroon and Tanganyika. Here thousands died every year from 1942-52 while the fore-runners worked feverishly to accommodate the next wave of settlers. Also, because of the Jewish exodus, attention was drawn away from events in the occupied Russia. Here several millions disappeared every year and the native populations were used to run farms, expand the mining industries and to assist German settler families often under slave like conditions. Germany could use the surplus of food to establish positive trade relations with un-occupied Europe and China and gradually de-escalate the massive war mobilization the Germans found themselves in at the end of 1942
This is not to say that Germany de-mobilized into a small military, but it focused on creating an effective army for the coming decades. Russia could be reached with an effective bombimg campaign and all of Britain would become within reach of German cruise missiles and ballistic missiles stationed in based France. Such missiles would be armed with Sarin loaded warheads.
For the Navy, Germany realized that everything could not be left to the Italians now, but their navy’s capital ships were all but destroyed. The decision to rebuild Scharnhorst, Gneisenau, Bismarck and Tirpitz was taken for political reasons and the next building wave would focus on aircraft carriers and fast underwater submarines to dominate the North Sea. Hence, Germany would lay down 2 battleships and 6 new aircraft carriers in 1943.
For the land forces, a considerable strength was needed to maintain order in the occupied soviet union, and with the expectations that military dominance was required in Europe, Germany went for a 110 division army with a mobilization potential to 200 divisions. Over the next 6-7 years, it was the plan to replace most of the heavy equipment and mobilize the infantry divisions.
The full story of the scale of German murders in Eastern Europe only became gradually revealed, and many people would stay in denial, as was the official German response. In any case, by the mid-1950’s Germany was so integrated in an economic bloc with consisting of Europe and China with the middle-East as the minor players, that there was little to be done against the Third Reich.
Should something have been done? This remains a key question. Certainly, before the surrender of Japan and the development of the atomic bomb in 1945 nothing realistic could have been done, and thereafter, it didn’t take long before the Germans detonated their own bomb in 1948 and send their first rocket into orbit in 1949. After that, war mongers grew silent and favored a containment strategy of the Third Reich. Such a strategy included sending massive military aid to Siberia and hence fueled an arms race. Here, Hitler focused on the good defensive positions and a strategic strike capability to ensure that Siberia never became a strategic threat.
