For
us the army is the representational and actual expression of the strength of a
nation for the external defense of its interests.
Open
Letter to Brüning of October 14, 1931
The
victory of our ideas will convey to the whole nation a political and world-view
thinking, which puts the army into a real inner, spiritual relation to the whole
folk and hence rescues it from the painful fact of being an alien body within
the own folk.
Open
Letter to Brüning of October 14, 1931
Only the
man is a real one who also defends himself like a man, and a folk is only a real
one, which is ready - if necessary - to step onto the battlefield as a folk.
This is not militarism, rather self-preservation.
Speech
of April 27, 1923 in Munich
Only if
the nation’s defense question - which is foremost not a technical one, rather a
spiritual one, a question of will - is solved in the sense that the German folk
again comprehends that one can only pursue politics with power and again power,
is reconstruction again possible.
Speech
of May 4, 1923 in Munich
A
statesman...who is responsible for the well-being of his folk cannot allow it
that Germany is exposed to the danger that perhaps a neighbor could attack it or
drop bombs on our industrial works or wage a so-called preventive war simply in
order to divert from its own internal difficulties. Only for this reason - and
for no other - do we demand armed forces, which suffice for defensive purposes.
Interview of April 3, 1934 in Berlin
There is
only one arms-bearer in Germany, and that is the army.
Speech
of October 14, 1933 in Berlin
The
German youth is given military training in neither the work camps nor in the S.A.
and in the subordinate formations, which could tempt them to one day use it. How
much more, however, could Germany complain that in other lands year after year
millions of recruits receive real military training!
Interview of October 18, 1933 in Berlin
The
defense of the Reich’s borders and thus our folk’s life and our economy’s
existence today lies with our Reichswehr, which in accordance with the terms
imposed on us in the Versailles Treaty is to be viewed as the only really
disarmed army in the world. Despite the thereby conditioned smallness and
totally insufficient armament, the German folk may look with proud satisfaction
on its Reichswehr. Under the most difficult circumstances, this small instrument
of our national self- defense has emerged. In its spirit it is the bearer of our
best soldierly traditions.
Speech
of March 23, 1933 in Berlin
With
minute thoroughness the German folk has fulfilled the obligations placed on it
in the peace treaty, yes, even the back then approved replacement of our fleet’s
ships has - I may say: unfortunately - only been carried out to a small degree.
Speech
of March 23, 1933 in Berlin
Although
this fleet is small, all of Germany looks on it with joy. For it is the most
visible presentative of the German concept of honor and of German respect in the
world.
Speech
to the fleet in Kiel of March 23, 1933
The
German folk has destroyed its weapons. Counting on the loyalty to the treaty by
its former war opponents, it has even fulfilled the treaties with downright
fanatical loyalty. On the water, on land and in the air immeasurable war
material was disarmed, destroyed and scrapped. In place of the former million
army came in accordance with the wish of the diktat powers a small professional
army with militarily totally insufficient equipment.
Speech
of October 14, 1933 in Berlin
This
order (of division of the world into victor and vanquished states) finds its
worst effect in the forced defenselessness of one nation opposed to the
exaggerated armaments of the others.
Speech
of May 17, 1933 in Berlin
When
Germany today raises the demand for actual equal rights in the sense of the
disarmament of other nations, then it has a moral right for that through its own
fulfillment of the treaties. For Germany has disarmed, and Germany carried out
this disarmament under the strictest international supervision.
Speech
of May 17, 1933 in Berlin
Six
million rifles and carbines were turned over or destroyed; the German folk had
to destroy or turn over 130,000 machine- guns, the German folk had to destroy
huge quantities of machine-gun barrels, 91.000 guns, 38.75 million shells and
enormous additional stockpiles of weapons and ammunition. The Rhineland was
demilitarized, German fortresses were levelled, our ships turned over, airplanes
destroyed, our military system given up and the training of reserves thereby
prevented. Even the most necessary weapons of defense were denied us.
Speech
of May 17, 1933 in Berlin
Germany
has disarmed. It has fulfilled all obligations of the peace treaty imposed on it
far beyond the limits of any pettiness, yes, beyond any reason. It’s army
numbers 100,000 men. The strength and nature of the police are regulated
internationally. The auxiliary police assembled in the days of the (National
Socialist) revolution has an exclusively political character. In the critical
days of the revolt it had to replace the portion of the other police initially
presumed by the new regime to be unreliable. After the victorious carrying out
of the revolution, it is already in the process of be reduced and will be
totally dissolved by the end of the year. Germany thus has a completely
justified moral claim that the other powers for their part fulfil their
obligations, which result from the Treaty of Versailles.
Speech
of May 17, 1933 in Berlin
The only
nation, which could rightly fear an invasion, is the German one, for which one
not only banned offensive weapons, rather even curtailed the right to defensive
weapons and prohibited the establishment of border fortifications.
Speech
of May 17, 1833 in Berlin
Whoever
tries today to counter these undeniable facts with truly pitiful excuses and
evasions and to claim Germany had not fulfilled the treaties or had even armed,
I must from this position reject his view as untrue and unfair!
May 17,
1933 in Berlin
If
one...furthermore...does not count the trained classes of the other armies of
the world compared with the militarily totally untrained people (of the S.A.,
S.S. and Stahlhelm, who solely serve domestic political purposes), if one
consciously overlooks the armed reserves of the others, but starts to count the
unarmed members of political federations among us, then this represents a
procedure against which I must raise the sharpest protest! If the world wants to
destroy trust in right and justice, then this is the right means for that!
Speech
of May 17, 1933 in Berlin
The
claim that the S.A. and the S.A. of the National Socialist party have any kind
of relation to the Reichswehr in the sense they are militarily trained
formations or reserves of the army, is untrue!
Speech
of May 17, 1933 in Berlin
Germany
is furthermore ready without ado to totally renounce offensive weapons, if
within a certain time period the armed nations for their part destroy these
offensive weapons and their use is banned by an international convention.
Germany only has the one wish to be able to preserve its independence and defend
its borders.
Speech
of May 17, 1933 in Berlin
The
defensive works of other folk are, after all, built to withstand the heaviest
offensive weapons, while Germany demands no offensive weapons, rather only those
defense weapons, which in the future as well are not banned, rather permitted to
all nations. And here, too, Germany is ready from the outset to make due with a
numerical minimum, which stands in no comparison to the gigantic supply of
offensive and defensive weapons of our former opponents.
Speech
of October 14, 1933 in Berlin
Furthermore, the German government will reject no weapons ban as too
restrictive, if it is applied in the same manner to the other states.
Speech
of May 17, 1933 in Berlin
The
German folk has fulfilled its disarmament obligations in excess. It would now be
the turn of the armed states to fulfill the analogous obligations no less so.
Speech
of October 14. 1933 in Berlin
Despite
our willingness, if necessary to continue to the very end the already completed
German disarmament, the other nations cannot decide to simply fulfill the
assurances they signed in the peace treaty.
Appeal
of October 14, 1933
If
anybody in the world can feel threatened, then that is we alone!
Speech
of November 10, 1933 in Berlin
So, just
as the officers and soldiers of the armed forces obligate themselves to the new
state in my person, I will always view it as my highest duty to stand up for the
inviolability of the armed forces.
Letter
to the Reichswehr Minister of August 20, 1934
It is a
unique historical event that such a gracious bond in the service of the folk
manifested itself between the forces of the revolution and the responsible
leaders of the most extremely disciplined armed forces as well as between the
National Socialist party and myself as its leader on the one side and the
officers and soldiers of the German Reich army and navy on the other side.
Speech
of January 30, 1934 in Berlin
