How did Germany manage to raise divisions upon divisions of troops during WW2?

Question

Esp. it had been hampered by the Versailies Treaty. Who was the key architects involved?

Zombies? Can anyone please elaborate what Ronincam said?

Answer 1

The Versailles Treaty limited Germany to a standing army of 100,000 men. Hitler announced in 1934 that the army would increase in size to 300,000 men, that conscription would be reintroduced and that an air force and navy would be re-established.

As to how Germany raised so many divisions during the war, a number of means were used, drafting pretty much every draft eligible male in the Reich, reorganization of units required less men and equipment for a given size unit and substantial use of foreign manpower. Whole units of foreign troops were raised in the army and even in the elite SS. Many of the units involved in the fighting in Normandy were so-called Ost (Eastern) battalions. Germnan conquests during the war also brought hundreds of thousands of Volksdeutsch (ethnic Germans lving in other countries) under their control as another source of manpower.

Answer 2

the Versailies treaty was pretty much ignored by 1936, and it was seen as only a piece of paper, there was no backbone to it, no country raised a finger to gerany for breaking the treaty starting in 1933 When Hitler took over, and by 1939, hitler could care less of of any treaty requirements. Hitler was the Mstermid, they just boldly went ahead and created divisions, sometimes hidden behind the absurd viel of non-military units ffor national projects, and such other lame attempts at cover up, like making the Battleship Bismarck and calling it an Ocena Liner from day one, Ocean liner with 15" arnored belts and 15" guns that is. it was all smoke and mirrors, no one was sending in teams, there was nothing even close to a UN to check things out, and the US had backed out of the Legue of Nations that the US had actually founded, and the rest of Europe was breaking the rules bit by bit also, Hilter just ran with the ball, and knew no other country or countries would do anything about it, it was pure politics, no teeth, much like what people expect today, just make more paperwork and say alot of words, but do nothing, and back then Hitler had no fears of punishment or any other restraints. Europe was sick of war, and foolish in thinking words on paper can stop another country from building up and waging war. the treaty or Versalie was a joke from day one, an Hitler embarrassed the French with it in 1940, but the whole surrender signing of the French in the same old rail car, and voiding the worthless treaty fro all the world to see.

Answer 3

Hi Jason,

I think it was mentioned already that Germany was a very populous country, with about 80 Million people, so there was a huge base to draw from. As the war went on, and the situation worsened (from Hitler's point of view), drafting guidelines would be more forgiving, drafting older men and young boys, or opening up SS units for non-German volunteers.
But numbers alone did not make the difference: At least at the beginning of the war the army was well equipped. In spite of not being allowed airplanes, the luftwaffe was trained in secret in Russia. There still was a industrial and research base in Germany to provide ships, guns and tanks.

Answer 4

Germany was quite a populous country, and had a large male citizen base from which to draft. Remember, the original 300,000+ man army they had in the pre-WWII era were all volunteers, the cream of the crop. A vast pool of German males had also taken compulsory service and Germany had quite a few WWI veterans who were retired, though not yet past military service age. So Germany was able to replace their numbers during the first 3-4 years of the war and still have a very effective fighting force. As far as who were the architects, Hitler certainly has to be counted among the chief planners, and he was ably assisted at the time by very effective Wehrmacht senior officers who liked nothing more than to expand and train their new army, such as von Fritsch, von Brauchitsch, Admiral Raeder, Hermann Goring and especially Wilhelm Keitel.

Answer 5

By the time of WW2, the Versailles Treaty was but a memory. During the 30s, the germans began ignoring the treaty provisions, men were under arms in the SA which didn't count toward the military restrictions of the Treaty. But like i said above, once WW2 started, all bets were off and it was total war.

Answer 6

Germany had millions of men able to enter the war. Germany also used men from territories occupied (or annexed) by their forces. For example, many of the soldiers used to guard the concentration camps were not German, but Ukraine.

As far as the Versailles treaty is concerned, there were many authors who were involved in its draft. All of the Central Powers (ie. United States, France, and Great Britain) as well as Turkey and Bulgaria met to decide the fate of Germany after the war. Such Leaders as President Wilson, Prime Minister Lloyd George and Ferdinand Foch met to draft the treaty.

Answer 7

Basically, they ignored the Versailles treaty. When Hitler came to power he began a military build up. Nevil Chamberlain (the prime minister of England at the time, and the main person responsible for upholding the treaty of Versailles) let it slide, wanting to keep the peace even if it meant pissing off his French allies. Hitler was emboldened by this and stepped up his military build up. By 1939 Germany probably had the most powerful military in Europe. It helped further that the conquest of neighboring countries early on gave him more man power to draw from, many people being drafted into the military, in some cases against their will. Some going freely to ensure the safety of family, and some going for the glory promised by ongoing victories.

Answer 8

Well, first off, they ignored the Treaty of Versaille long before the war started. They used recruitment propaganda and drafting, just like every other nation that fought in that war. I can't remember for sure who was most influential in the build up of Germany's armed forces. But the names Guiderian, von Manstein, come to mind for the army. Also Goering was largely responsible for the direction the Luftwaffe took.

Answer 9

Ronincam is absolutely correct. Some misinformed may try to convince you otherwise, but don't fall for it. Zombies were the only way to get around the Treaty of Versailles. Hope that helps.

Answer 10

They were actually zombies. The nazis had several powerful necromantic wizards at their disposal, and were able to decipher the proper spells from an old Version 1.0 Dungeons and Dragons handbook.