Background: The Nazis intended to rearm Germany from the beginning. These are pictures from a 1935 book titled Army, Navy and Air Force, a small book that wanted to demonstrate that Germany was surrounded by hostile countries. The book includes numerous photographs of the military of other countries. Here, I include maps and charts demonstrating Germany’s claimed military inferiority.
The source: Hans Riegler, Heer, Flotte und Luftwaffe. Wehrpolitisches Taschenbuch (Berlin: Verlag für vaterländische Literatur, 1935).
Army, Navy and Air Force
The map is titled “Demilitarized Germany.” The shaded areas are regions demilitarized under the Treaty of Versailles.
The caption says: “With an insufficient military, Germany can be blockaded both by land and sea.” Germany had suffered considerably during World War I under the Allied blockade, something the map suggests could happen again.
The black areas are industrial zones. The caption reads: “Germany’s industrial areas, unlike those of France, are defenseless in defortified or even demilitarized border zones.”
The table is titled “Military expenditures by the great powers.” The chart to the left is per capita military expenditures, the chart to the right military expenditures as a percentage of the overall budget. The chart suggests that Germany is being greatly outspent by the countries around it.
