The German Imperial army IOTL was very volatile and powerful as it stood, not only in technology but in pure numbers as well as organization, however it can still always be improved upon, especially if given appropriate PODs. With a POD of no earlier ghan 1900, what can you do to optimize and improve the german army as much as possible?
Optimize German Army for WW1
- Thread starter Angel Grace
- Start date
I mean, something more specific and realistic would be much appreciated
- Develop kinda "Army-Group-Command" encompassing 2-4 Armies (?) under a single command as intermediary between OHL and the single Army.
- Would i.e. avoid the leadership problems between 1st, 2nd and 3rd Armies IOTL when they were all submitted under the commander of 2nd Army v.Bülow as only an additional burden for the man before 1st Marne.
- Don't let the additionally wished/planed for wireless-, pioneer- and railway-troops be cut from the 1912 and 1913 budgets
- even MOARRE MG-units
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German army did such good work that not sure how you can seriously improve that. Another thing might be make some fixing on command system and communication between OKH and army units.
... actually ... the idea about tanks isn't that far fetched ... if only someone at the Generalinspection of Military Transport ("Verkehrswesen" literally "Tarffic-matters" not the railways-department) - that's where Burstyns proposal was dropped off - wouls have been a wee bit more imaginative ...
... or learned about trench-warfare ...
... or would have shifted it to the Generalinspection of engineers and pioneers corps and fortresses, a department always much more open to technological solutions and inventions
... or learned about trench-warfare ...
... or would have shifted it to the Generalinspection of engineers and pioneers corps and fortresses, a department always much more open to technological solutions and inventions
That is the tricky part, somehow looking ahead and seeing trench warfare, maybe a book on the American civil war becomes required reading in German Military circles, especially the siege of Richmond, or even the Paraguay war,
Certainly more firepower as you suggest, more MGs, upgraded reserve corps artillery, pioneers and communications.
(perhaps a cut in the naval budget, post Morocco crisis as the navy was already pretty big to pay for the above, and it wasn't getting them much).
If the Germans could anticipate the total war coming, create stockpiles of phosphates and copper, rubber, nickel.
The Prussians knew well about trench warfare, and about the challenges of advancing through heavy enemy fire. They had experienced it firsthand against the French in 1870. The plan to defeat France before Russia was however predicated on the hope of winning through a quick and costly war of maneuver. If you concede that war in the West is most likely going to degenerate into trench warfare, it makes less and less sense to invade France through Belgium and get Britain on the Entente side, and more and more sense to stockpile resources for a long war and focus on bringing about a political collapse in Russia.
Trench warfare wasn't unknown but up until that point you just bypassed the trenches one way or the other, the problem in WW1 was that everything from the Swiss border to the sea is trenches. Anyways the Russo-Japanese war would be a much more relevant example than the ACW.
Given Kaiser Bills obsession with the navy (not at least because noone was a true specialist on anval warfare in Germany while Billy - unfortunatly - was only to awar of his lower than mediocre capabilities as a troop leader) would make this
And these
an obstacle of moonsize. ... Moon of Ganymede.
And these
would be blocked at least by something as big as one of the Uranus moons:
the economists
private as well as in the civil service on all levels (up to State secretaries [Reichsminister]) as such stockpiles would be considered as unporductive aka dead weight.How much bigger it could be? And size wasn't major issue but bad communication between OKH and units and lack of ways crush trenches.
Ramontxo
Donor
Open the army to the middle class aspiring officers that OTL went to the Navy. Reduce significantly the size of the said Navy (and so preventing the naval race with the UK) with the founds and manpower liberated form additional army corps and increase the number of trucks. And yes form NoMommsenArmy Group Headquarters
Recruit More and widespread use of colonial askari troops esp since obsolete artillery and rifles were available to equip them
Can more fortress artillery be mobilized and distributed to corps level ? Given the huge number of 15cm Ringkanones that were available
How many cartridges did the average German infantry man carried ? Can it be doubled to lessen a bit their dependence on logistics
A better helmet?
German cavalry carried lance rifle AND sword , was the lance necessary? Can they carry a revolver instead of lance ? And be used more in night raids
Dedicated counter battery fire units made out of the 10.5 cm light FH , over 1200 of these were available and would be ideal to take out the batteries of 75 with indirect fire from relatively invulnerable positions
Can more fortress artillery be mobilized and distributed to corps level ? Given the huge number of 15cm Ringkanones that were available
How many cartridges did the average German infantry man carried ? Can it be doubled to lessen a bit their dependence on logistics
A better helmet?
German cavalry carried lance rifle AND sword , was the lance necessary? Can they carry a revolver instead of lance ? And be used more in night raids
Dedicated counter battery fire units made out of the 10.5 cm light FH , over 1200 of these were available and would be ideal to take out the batteries of 75 with indirect fire from relatively invulnerable positions
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Ramontxo
Donor
Very few due to petrol being scarce. But in 1914 any number of trucks (with an strategic reserve of petrol to back them) would have been invaluable
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