Plan for navy budget and armaments (1934-36), "with a primary view to readiness for a war without any alert period"

The Chief of the Naval Command Staff [Marineleitung]
Reg. No. A I st 1000/3U Gkdos
Berlin, 12 May 1934.
TOP SECRET
Copy No: 3
Armament plan [A.P.] for the 3rd. Armament Phase
1. General Preliminary Observations. 1. The war tasks, within the framework of the defence of the Reich, indicated to the Navy by the Reich Minister of Defence, form the basis for all military considerations and decisions.
2. The war and operational plans resultant from the war tasks provide the direction for a clearly defined armaments target.
3. The planned organization of armament measures is necessary for the realization of the target; this again requires a coordinated and planned expenditure in peace time. This organization of financial measures over a number of years according to the military viewpoint is found in the Armament Programme and provides:
a. For the military leaders a sound basis for their operational considerations and
b. for the political leaders a clear picture of what may be achieved with the military means available at a given time.
4. The A-Plan should accordingly be the directing factor in the composition of the annual budget.
5. Owing to the speed of military political development since Germany quitted Geneva and based on the progress of the army, the new A-Plan will only be drawn up for a period of 2 years. The 3rd A phase lasts accordingly from 1.4.34 to 31.3.36.
6. The 3rd A-Phase emphasizes reorganization. The expenditure becoming necessary owing to increases in strength of the correspondingly increased training activity lessens the amount available for purely A objects. In the meantime discomforts of all kinds (smaller barrack space and the forgoing of some ameni-
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ties for instance) will have to be accepted in order to enable the existing gaps in our armaments to be filled as far as possible. By the skilled apportioning and exploitation of arms and equipment available and under issue, expenditure on costly training equipment must be kept within limits commensurate with the progress of the armament programme.
7. All theoretical and practical A-preparations are to be drawn up with a primary view to readiness for a war without any alert period,. Measures which require for their execution and completion a longer period than is envisaged in the "A" plan are temporarily withdrawn.
II. Financial Basis. 1. The following assumptions will form the basis for the preparations of the A.P.
Mill. R.M.
Budget 34 amounting to ......................... 396.—
Budget 35 amounting to ......................... 434.— 830
For current peacetime expenditure including Personnel
1934 ........................................ 171.—
1935 ........................................ 190.— 361
Balance available for armament purposes of which for ship replacement construction ................... 469
1934 ........................................ 148.—
1935 ........................................ 175.— 323
Balance for other Armaments ..................... .146
(s. Table in Appendix D)
2. The budget resources detailed in para II, I include all sources available for naval purposes (public budget, conversion budget, B budget, labour programme etc.)
III. Armaments—Target (A-Target) for the 3rd A-phase (until 14.36)
1. General * * *
2. In Detail * * *
IV. Organization of the A.P. 1. The material organization in the new A.P. is arranged according to the following groups.
I = Now Construction
II = Air Defense (without munitions)
III = Improvement on ships (Ship = inch engine construction)
IV = Improvement on ships (Armaments)
V = Artillery—Munitions and Stores '
VI = Artillery measures
VII = Torpedo measures
VIII =: Barrage measures
IX = Signals measures
X = Bases inch Dock and Arsenal
XI =: '3- preparations (Supply) '
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XII = Training
XIII = Accommodation and Clothing
* * $ 4 # *
*
V. Order of Priority * * *
IV. Execution of the R.P. * * *
RAEDER
Distribution: A 5 copies, B 5 copies, E 1 copy, Fleet 1 copy, Stat. 0. 1 copy, Stat. N. 1 copy, W.A.(L) 1 copy, T.A. 1 copy, Reserve 4 copies: 20 copies.