The long roots of friendship between Germany and Russia

The long roots of friendship… In the 1920s, the “Nazis” were not in power, and yet Germany had plans to destroy Poland together with Russia. Therefore, blaming the “Nazis” is just a desire to avoid responsibility.

“With Poland we come now to the core of the Eastern problem. The existence of Poland is intolerable and incompatible with Germany’s vital interests. She must disappear and will do so through her own inner weakness and through Russia — with our help. Poland is more intolerable for Russia than for ourselves; Russia can never tolerate Poland. With Poland collapses one of the strongest pillars of the Peace of Versailles, France’s advance post of power [is lost]. The attainment of this objective must be one of the firmest guiding principles of German policy, as it is capable of achievement — but only through Russia or with her help. Poland can never offer Germany any advantage, either economically, because she is incapable of development, or politically, because she is a vassal state of France. The restoration of the frontier between Russia and Germany is a necessary condition before both sides can become strong. The 1914 frontier between Russia and Germany should be the basis of any understanding between the two countries … ” – Johannes “Hans” Friedrich Leopold von Seeckt memo 1922

Johannes “Hans” Friedrich Leopold von Seeckt (22 April 1866 – 27 December 1936)

During the years of the Weimar Republic von Seeckt was chief of staff for the Reichswehr from 1919 to 1920 and commander in chief of the German Army from 1920 until he resigned in October 1926. During this period he engaged in the reorganization of the army and laid the foundation for the doctrine, tactics, organization, and training of the German army. By the time Seeckt left the German Army in 1926 the Reichswehr had a clear, standardized operational doctrine, as well as a precise theory on the future methods of combat which greatly influenced the military campaigns fought by the Wehrmacht during the first half of the Second World War. Almost all of the leaders of the Wehrmacht in World War II were men that Seeckt had retained in 1919–20.

“German officers, and especially members of the general staff, have never sought a fight for its own sake or been war-mongers.” – von Seeckt memo 1919

Seeckt saw the Second Polish Republic as the core of the problems in the east, and believed its existence was incompatible with Germany’s vital interests. He was in favor of an alliance with the Soviet Union, which along with Germany had also lost territory to Poland. After seeing encouraging signs from the newly established War Commissar’s Office of Leon Trotsky, Seeckt sent out his close friend Enver Pasha on a secret mission to Moscow to make contacts with the Soviets. In the summer of 1920, Enver Pasha sent Seeckt a letter from Moscow asking for German arms deliveries to the Soviet Union in exchange for which Trotsky promised to partition Poland with Germany. Seeckt regarded his informal alliance with the Soviet Union in practical rather than ideological terms. Both nations were weak at the end of the war, and had external threats. In working together, he believed the hand of both nations were strengthened: Seeckt saw Poland as the main enemy and the Soviet Union as a very useful ally against Poland.

On February 9, 1920, von Seeckt told his superior officers that if war broke out again, In the East, German troops would invade Poland and attempt to establish contacts with the Soviet Union, after which they would both march against France and Britain. He added that German war material would now no longer be sold or destroyed and that the army should be reduced on paper only.

In 1921, Seeckt negotiate the arrangements with Leonid Krasin for German aid to the Soviet arms industry. In September 1921 the details of an arrangement for German financial and technological aid for building up the Soviet arms industry in exchange for Soviet support in helping Germany evade the disarmament clauses of the Treaty of Versailles were agreed – created a shell corporation known as the Gesellschaft zur Förderung gewerblicher Unternehmungen-Company for the promotion of industrial enterprise that funneled 75 million Reichsmark into the Soviet arms industry.

“We must become powerful, and as soon as we have power, we will naturally take back everything we have lost” – von Seeckt memo 1925

The army that Germany went to war with in 1939 was largely Seeckt’s creation. The tactics and operational concepts of the Wehrmacht were the work of Seeckt in the 1920s. In addition, the majority of the senior officers and many of the middle-ranking officers were men that Seeckt had chosen to retain in the Reichswehr.

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