Reincarnated: Vive La France-Chapter 100: "Today, the German people stand united. Today, we rise from the shadow of Versailles."
Chapter 100: "Today, the German people stand united. Today, we rise from the shadow of Versailles."
March 16, 1935.
Berlin, Germany
The sky over Berlin was a dull gray when the gates of the Reich Chancellery swung open.
By 7:30 a.m., the corridors were already full of activity with boots, murmurs, and the rustle of paperwork.
In the map room, Adolf Hitler stood before a long oak table, his hands behind his back, gaze steady.
The generals and ministers had assembled.
Across from him stood Field Marshal Werner von Blomberg, Minister of War.
Hermann Göring lingered near the windows, fidgeting with his leather gloves.
Joseph Goebbels was leafing through final drafts of the speech.
Rudolf Hess remained near the back wall, silent and watchful.
"Today," Hitler began, his voice low but firm, "we move from recovery to resurrection."
No one interrupted.
"For sixteen years, the German people have lived under the shame of Versailles. Restrictions. Insults. Disarmament imposed by foreign hands. We have endured, but we have not forgotten."
He turned slowly, facing Blomberg directly.
"You will see to it that the Wehrmacht is no longer a skeleton."
Blomberg nodded, his voice deep and controlled. "The orders have been drafted, mein Führer. Conscription will begin at once. The Reichsheer will expand to thirty-six divisions. One year of service mandatory for every eligible male."
Göring cleared his throat. "And the Luftwaffe? The people need to know it’s not just foot soldiers being restored."
Hitler nodded. "Announce it publicly. Today is for clarity. The Reich shall no longer whisper."
Goebbels looked up. "The text is prepared. The broadcast is scheduled for 10:00 sharp. It will be heard in every city, every town."
"Make sure it’s printed by evening," Hitler said. "Let no citizen claim ignorance. The world will react, yes but not fast enough to stop us."
He paced slowly.
"This is not a threat," he said, "but a declaration of strength. Germany has returned to history."
9:55 a.m.
German State Radio Headquarters
Technicians fussed with microphones.
A clock ticked down the final seconds.
Goebbels stood just off-stage, nodding to Hitler as he stepped before the microphone.
The signal went live.
Hitler’s voice, stern and slow, filled the airwaves.
"German men and women,
For sixteen long years, the German people have lived under chains not of our own making shackles imposed by foreign victors, treaties signed under duress, and the constant humiliation of forced weakness.
We have obeyed, waited, hoped and in return, we have been met only with contempt, lies, and injustice.
The Treaty of Versailles was never a treaty of peace. It was a declaration of vengeance. It disarmed Germany but did not disarm the world. It demanded loyalty from our people but offered us no sovereignty in return.
Today, that Chapter ends.
The German government, in full unity with the will of its people, hereby declares the restoration of universal military service throughout the Reich.
Beginning immediately, conscription shall resume. Every able-bodied German man will take up his rightful role in the defense of our homeland.
Twelve classes of youth, beginning with the year 1914, will be called to serve the Fatherland with honor and discipline.
The Reichswehr, long kept artificially small by foreign imposition, will expand into a national army worthy of a sovereign state.
Our goal thirty-six divisions. Not for conquest but for security. Not to dominate but to defend.
Let me be clear
This is not an act of war. It is an act of dignity. No foreign power has the right to deny the German people the means to protect their own borders, their own cities, and their own children.
We have extended our hand in peace. We have waited for disarmament conferences. We have honored every signature.
But the world has answered our patience with silence.
France maintains the Maginot Line. Britain strengthens its fleet.
Poland expands its army. And Germany
Germany, they say must remain defenseless.
No longer.
Today, the German people stand united.
Today, we rise from the shadow of Versailles.
Today, we reclaim our birthright: to be strong, to be sovereign, and to be free.
We seek no conflict. But we will no longer kneel.
Let the world hear us clearly
We do not desire war but we will not accept servitude.
We stretch our hand toward peace, but it is a hand of strength, not weakness.
Germany lives again.
The future belongs to us.
And to that future, every German heart is now summoned."
11:30 a.m.
Ministry of War, Berlin
The War Office rang with energy.
Orders were already being transcribed for distribution to local Wehrkreise (military districts).
Reserve officers were being summoned by courier and telephone.
Blomberg stood before a chalkboard, outlining the organizational structure of the new Wehrmacht divisions.
"Three corps per army group. Panzer elements will remain limited, but mobile. Recruitment offices open by Monday. Every municipality will have posters printed by tomorrow."
A staff officer leaned in. "Sir, what of international protest?"
Blomberg didn’t even look up. "Let them write. While they do, we build."
1:00 p.m.
Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda
Goebbels watched a row of pressmen assembling steel stencils for the headlines.
He dictated with surgical precision.
"Top line: ’Germany Takes Its Place Again.’ No question marks. No ambiguity."
"Font?"
"Bold Gothic. Patriotic, not military."
Posters were already being glued to stone walls across Berlin.
"Serve the Reich. Rebuild the Fatherland"
"Honor through Discipline. Strength through Service"
He turned to his aides. "By tonight, I want interviews airing with war veterans. I want mothers talking about pride, not fear. We shape this. We do not wait for it."
3:30 p.m.
Luftwaffe Headquarters, Berlin
Göring met with his air commanders in a closed session.
"We will expand airfields quietly. Begin requisitions for trainers, mechanics, and engineers. Draft orders for expansion of the flight schools. The Luftwaffe will grow in parallel with the army."
"But, Herr Reichsmarschall, we are still underfunded..."
"Not after today," Göring said flatly. "Berlin has seen the will of the Führer. The money will come. And if it doesn’t take it from elsewhere."
He paused, then smiled faintly.
"France has the Maginot Line. Britain has the Channel. We have the air."
6:00 p.m. – Berlin Streets
Across Germany, radio broadcasts replayed Hitler’s address on a loop.
In homes, people gathered around sets, many in silence, others with pride.
Reactions varied.
At a tram station in Dresden, a war veteran wept quietly.
In a schoolhouse in Hamburg, young boys mimicked salutes.
At a university in Munich, a small group of professors exchanged worried glances.
One whispered, "If they draft students, there will be no more lectures by autumn."
But the fear, for now, remained hushed.
The louder voice was pride.
Unity.
Revival.
8:00 p.m.
The Chancellery
Hitler sat in his office, the desk cleared, a single telegram from Göring laid before him.
"Public response exceeds expectations. Momentum is with us. Luftwaffe expansion underway."
He read it once, then stood and walked to the window.
Berlin glittered below lamplight catching on wet cobblestones.
Rudolf Hess entered quietly.
"They’re celebrating in the Tiergarten. Speeches. Flags. Young men cheering conscription."
Hitler’s eyes didn’t leave the skyline.
"They should cheer. They’ve been sleeping long enough."
"And the world?"
"They’ll protest. They’ll convene. But they won’t act. Not yet."
He paused.
"And by the time they wake up, we’ll be too far ahead to stop."
11:00 p.m.
Outside Berlin
A train departed from Berlin Westbahnhof under heavy cloud.
Inside were sealed orders for every military district in Germany.
Officers in overcoats sat rigidly, eyes focused, hands gripping briefcases that contained the future of the Wehrmacht.
By morning, the machinery of the Third Reich’s military rebirth would be in motion.
A page of the Treaty of Versailles had not just been ignored, it had been torn out, thrown to the wind.
