Great General Staff

The Great German General Staff and all similar organizations shall be dissolved and may not be reconstituted in any form. --Treaty of Versailles, Article 160.

When Napoleon Bonaparte planned a move in the midst of a campaign, he conferred with overworked generals who were simultaneously commanding troops in the field. First to realize that the complexity of modern warfare rendered a good commander at the front a poor adviser at headquarters was Napoleon's old adversary, Prussian General Gerhard Johann David von Scharnhorst. To him goes historic credit for establishing the first general staff and setting up a War Academy to train its members.

All armies have since adopted the General Staff system, and only the most optimistic pacifists believed that Germany would not dodge Article 160 of the 1919 Peace Treaty at the first opportunity. Not till last week, however, did the world learn exactly how she had done so.

With brass bands blaring and flags fluttering, Realmleader Hitler, Air Minister Goering and other Nazi bigwigs last week attended the 125th anniversary of General von Scharnhorst's War Academy. With them stood a hard-working officer who for years has been known to the Press as "Chief of the Troop Office." His name was General Ludwig Beck. In the first brief account of the ceremonies an official press release casually gave him his real title--"Chief of the General Staff." Stepping to the rostrum, Chief of Staff Beck told how it had been done:

"As early as November 1919 General Hans von Seeckt gave initiative to the training of officers in the manner given in the former War Academy. It was to take place at the army district commands, which were furnished with special teachers for that purpose.

"In the summer of 1920 an examination was held for the first pupils, who were to act as assistants to the higher troop command. On Oct. 1, training began, fixed at two years. On Oct. 1, 1923 a third year at the Reichswehr Ministry was added. From Oct. 1, 1932 courses for leadership assistants were combined in 'officers' courses in Berlin. Since May 1, 1935 these courses again have borne the name 'War Academy.' With them, even in externals, the old example has been reincarnated, and the new army possesses that important training ground for leadership to which the old German Army owed so much."

Not only did Germany thus admit the existence of a General Staff but the German Navy announced no less frankly that the two new pocket battleships now under construction will not be "pocket" (10,000 tons or under) at all, as provided by the Versailles Treaty, but thoroughgoing capital ships of 26,000 tons each. Also forbidden to have submarines, Germany has already launched a dozen of 250 tons each, has sent them out with its Baltic Fleet.

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