German Civil War

German Civil War
	Part of The Cold War
	File:Volksturm.webp From top to bottom: German Civil War Superevent, Speerite Volkssturm prepare to halt the advance of Bormann's forces.
Abilities	Equipment, Manpower, Advisors
Date	October 27, 1963 - Mid-1960s
Place	Germany
Result	Collapse of the Einheitspakt and German influence worldwide - Beginning of the Serbian National Uprising - Start of the Ostland Civil War - End of German bombing campaigns, leading West African nations to expand inland, with eventual wars breaking out such as the West Russian and West Siberian Wars of Unification - Start of the Warsaw Uprising - Formation of the Afrika-Schild and subsequent buildup to the South African War - Outbreak of the Franco-Burgundian War - Outbreak of the British Civil War - Dissolution of Reichskommissariat Moskowien - Eruption of the Transnistrian Bush War - Outbreak of the Ukrainian Civil War
Belligerents
Leaders
Outcomes

This page contains unmarked spoilers!
Don't say we didn't warn you!

The German Civil War is a conflict that begins on October 27, 1963, around 3 weeks after the death of Adolf Hitler in Germany. This war has immediate and long-lasting consequences that, in the short term, signals the collapse of German influence around the globe.

With the attempted assassination of Adolf Hitler after the Moon Landing towards the beginning of 1962, the Führer's health ever since rapidly deteriorates across the rest of the two remaining years that he remains alive, which beckons the question of who would succeed Hitler in terms of leadership. Ultimately, this power struggle would culminate in a civil war that erupts after Hitler's death, leading to not only the collapse of the German mainland, but the collapse of various Reichskommissariats and territories held by the Reich as well as the exit of many members from the Einheitspakt in hopes of surviving the consequences that follow the war.

In the aftermath of the Brüderkrieg, a lack of leadership in the African Reichskommissariats would lead to the formation of the Afrika-Schild and eventually the South African War, which a post-war reunited Germany has the option to help its former colonies in against the OFN-backed South Africa. The collapse and reunification of many Reichskommissariats under potentially unfriendly governments drastically diminishes the former German superpower's influence, which forces the victor of the war into another series of wars to reclaim the German lands in Europe.

Background

After the end of the Second World War, many within the German government were assured that the victories and successes of the Reich would last forever, securing the Endsieg it was destined to inherit. Within the first few years after victory, the taste of glory was already in the hands of the Thousand Year Reich, and with the construction of the Germania and various other infrastructure projects and continued economic prosperity, it really did seem as though German hegemony would last forever.

1950s Economic Collapse, Formation of the "Reform" and "Konservativ" Factions

Despite the illusion of eternal glory, The 50s economic crash impacted the Reich enormously from the average citizen to the most influential echelons of government in the Volkshalle.

Due to the failures of the slave-driven corporatist economic system, Reichsarchitekt Albert Speer, the main mastermind behind it all and responsible for its ultimate collapse, decided to rethink his ideals and economic viewpoint. In the end, he came to the foregone conclusion that slavery in Germany must be abolished, reform must be brought into the NSDAP and the economy must liberalise in order for the Reich to last and prosper. This ended up planting the seeds for the Reformist faction, attracting various liberals such as the Gang of Four and student movements towards it as it gave hope for change in the totalitarian fascist regime.

Standing in stark contrast to Speer's reformist movement, Martin Bormann and his fellow conservative party bureaucrats believed that the National Socialist system would stand the test of time, advocating for only the most minor of reforms while keeping the traditions and orthodoxy of National Socialism alive.

The West Russian War, Schutzstaffel Rebellion and formation of the "Militarist" Faction

As the West Russian War raged on later in the 50s, however, Heinrich Himmler, Reichsführer of the SS, grew displeased and skeptical of the National Socialist cause he had fought for. He decided that the party had grew degenerate and that a new pure form of National Socialism had to emerge, giving way to a renewed age of prosperity by further increasing the methods of brutality used to punish dissidents and undesirables.

Growing ever paranoid, this ultimately culminated in the attempted Schutzstaffel Rebellion. Despite its failure, the eventual partition of the Schutzstaffel into Burgundian and German portions alongside the creation of the Burgundian Order-State has popularised the idea of a more imposing, pure National Socialist ideology among the ranks of the German SS led Reinhard Heydrich and factions of the Wehrmacht.

With veterans returning to Germania from the east to quell the rebellion, the West Russian War effectively ended as the Russians splintered into bickering factions. Many still yearned the experience of war, while others, notably Reichsleiter Joseph Goebbels and Reichsmarshall Hermann Göring, noticed that war and conflict was the main contributor to the Reich's economic output, and hence advocated for a hawkish foreign policy combined with a military-controlled government to better ready itself for future conflicts. However, due to Goebbels' death, Göring was instead placed as the nominal head of the Militarist Faction.

Assassination attempt and gradual health decline of Adolf Hitler

By the 1960s, Adolf Hitler had grown old and increasingly incapable to rule, brewing theories on who would succeed the Führer after his death. With his insistence on his eternal rule, however, an official successor would not be chosen until early 1962.

In January 1962, Hitler is near-fatally wounded by a gunshot from a Burgundian operative disguised as a Kempeitai agent. Despite the risks imposed to his health, Hitler survived the assassination attempt at the cost of more future years that he would rule. As a result, he was forced to choose a successor out of the leaders of the 4 main factions. With tensions gradually increasing and simmering, the 4 factions and their leaders campaigned to impose their vision for Germany onto the populace, promoting their respective ideologies to the populace to try and garner popular support. This power struggle would continue on as Hitler's health gradually worsened due to the gunshot and long-term effects of drug addictions, worsening his ability to continue his role as leader of the German people.

Death of Adolf Hitler and collapse of German central authority

With Adolf Hitler dead on October 15, 1963, the Reichstag Emergency Council announced a mourning period and funeral service for the former Führer. Despite Hitler having chosen his successor, the other 3 factions refused to recognise the result. As a result, the leaders mobilised and prepared the nation for a civil war, with Heydrich mobilising the SS with assistance from Burgundy, controlling border regions in Alsace-Lorraine and East Prussia, Speer arming the student movements and inviting the Reichsbanner to fight alongside him, taking over the northwestern regions of the Rhineland and Hanover, Göring redirecting the Luftwaffe to allied airbases, establishing his presence in the northern coastal regions and Western Prussia and finally ending with Bormann controlling the Heer, assuming control over the south in Bavaria and Austria.

Only Germania and the surrounding Brandenburg Gau remained under the Reichstag Authority, with the four faction leaders recognizing only themselves as the rightful successor, ripping the Reich to pieces by declaring war against each other, starting the German Civil War.

In-game

The German Civil War has several unique mechanics exclusive to it, being a staple major event in the TNO lore.

Pre-war and preparation focus trees

After finishing the Moon Landing focus in the starting tree, Hitler will inevitably be shot by a Burgundian agent in disguise of the Kempeitai, which adds 20 points of world tension between Germany and Japan in the Cold War GUI. In the next few events, Hitler will go live on television and it is up to the player to choose between Speer, Bormann or Heydrich to be declared his successor (Göring was an option up until later TT versions, where his content and him as an option in Hitler's succession was subsequently removed and turned into a submod), which changes the focus tree to prepare for the chosen successor by increasing their soft power in the newly unlocked Power Struggle decisions tab.

For Speer, the preparation tree mainly involves giving in to the student demands by implementing mild reforms to welfare, appealing to the Reichstag, re-evaluating and defunding the military (particularly those aligned with Göring in the Luftwaffe), opening up the economy and favoring détente with the US.

As for Bormann, his tree focuses on damaging the reputation of the three other faction leaders (which further adds to his already large starting legitimacy), increasing ties and funding for the Kriegsmarine and Heer, grounding the Luftwaffe, increasing the loyalty of NSDAP party members and gathering support from the Reichskommissariats.

Finally, for Heydrich, his tree's main objectives are to crush the student protests, threatening and purging members of the other factions, dissolving the Reichstag, the expulsion of foreign ambassadors (increasing world tension in the process), bolstering SS units and gaining support from Burgundy, especially Himmler himself, for the upcoming civil war.

The Power Struggle mechanic

Despite the player's candid support for one of the factions, the other factions are still vying for influence in the Power Struggle tab. Bormann starts with the most influence (25), followed by Göring close in second (15), with Speer coming second in last (10) and Heydrich barely having any at all (5). The chosen faction will have the influence of the leaders above plus 5 extra influence points, being of Hitler's choosing which adds more starting legitimacy to their leadership.

This influence can be spent on diverting infantry equipment to loyal forces, building fortifications, gaining production units, fielding extra divisions in the civil war and even swaying the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia (Wehrkreis XIX) to your side (which if successful allows them to join later in the war as your side's puppet).

To gain this influence, the player can go through the focus tree, or wait every once in a while to unlock a decision titled "Look for Opportunities" (costing 25 political power) that creates an event for a faction (even the ones not chosen by the player) to gain 5 influence, and in some case, change assorted laws depending on which options are chosen in the events.

Outbreak of War

Upon the death of Hitler (October 15, 1963), the Reichstag Emergency Council will assume leadership of the Reich, and a short, abrupt funeral will be held for the dead Führer. No matter how much influence or whatever the player does, however, the chosen leader will not be handed the title of Führer due to the fact that "the Reich is still in a state of mourning", delaying the transfer of leadership.

In descending order, Heydrich, Speer, Göring and Bormann will declare themselves the rightful Führer, with their respective areas of control becoming demilitarised zones and any divisions within the areas deleted from selection. Upon the beginning of the war 12 days later, the central government loses control of these respective areas entirely, spawning each of the Germanies under their faction leaders alongside a good amount of divisions to fight in the war, with the player tagswitching to their chosen candidate. The chosen candidate (whether chosen by the player when playing Germany or by German AI when not playing Germany) will also get a national spirit (titled "Hitler's Chosen Successor", giving +5% Division Organisation, 5% Recruitable Population Factor and +0.05% Daily Compliance Gain), so that the chosen candidate would be more likely to win the civil war if chosen by the AI.

Each candidate's Germany (with the exception of Göring's, for the time being) has their own unique war-time focus tree, dedicated to gaining legitimacy, influence and other smaller bonuses.

Speer's tree primarily concerns freeing dissidents and slaves to fight as mobilised units in the war, getting foreign support from the United States and Japan as well as non-aligned nations in Europe and industrialising his territory towards a war economy.

Bormann's tree aims to rally the NSDAP bureaucracy to fight with their wealth (personally funding the war effort), "politically mobilising" by getting support from higher levels of German society and drafting manpower to try and finish the war quickly.

Heydrich's tree is different however, as unlike the other 2, his tree is forced to go down one of the three exclusive options for which SS to rely on throughout the war: the Burgundian SS loyal to Himmler, the German SS loyal to Heydrich or the Waffen-SS loyal to neither. The choice between the three branches will have consequences after Heydrich's victory, the most obvious being highlighted in the focus effects where Himmler's will be displeased with his choice should he choose either of the latter two options (i.e. less willing to send support), as well as different leadership options and a change of alignment for the Waffen-SS in the SS Civil War.

A week after the war begins (November 3 1963), Hans Speidel and Erwin Rommel will coup the Council in Germania, declaring neutrality and ordering remaining Wehrmacht units to protect the city and its surrounding areas in Brandenburg from the havoc of the war.

Reichsgau Gotenland, starting off a part of Germany will be released with its local Gau government under Franz Maierhofer, while the port of Nordstern will fall under the administration of the Norwegian government.

The German Civil War mechanic

Throughout the war, the gathered influence in preparation for the chosen leader will carry on into the German Civil War decisions tab as legitimacy, which can be converted back into influence for 5 legitimacy.

Influence can then be used to start missions on capturing key cities, and upon capture will give 5 legitimacy as well as small amounts of stability, war support and political power, though these bonuses can still be gained even without starting the mission anyway. Not only that, influence can also be used to add debuffs to opposing factions by sabotaging their frontlines, giving +45% extra attrition and +25% supply consumption for 25 days to wane the abilities of faction militias. Additionally, influenced can also be spent on starting uprisings in opposing factions, spawning 2 militia units behind frontlines in their territories which can be used to disrupt their war effort further.

Influence can also be converted back into legitimacy, though it is far less profitable as it would cost 10 influence to get 5 legitimacy in exchange.

Despite how all this makes influence sound like the more important aspect to look for, legitimacy too plays a role in the civil war in the form of a national spirit "titled State of Our Legitimacy". If one side has a high amount legitimacy points, this will buff the spirit, whereas if one side has less or a low amount of legitimacy, that spirit becomes a debuff to the faction. The national spirit affect political power gain, production efficiency caps, training time, planning speed and daily compliance gain, each percentage changing depending on the amount of legitimacy one side has.

Outside the Reich

As Germany collapses, the Einheitspakt dissolves and all members of the German economic sphere leave, with Serbia being the first to fall into civil war (before the GCW starts or even the dissolution of the Pakt itself), followed by the completely loss of order in the Reichskommissariats, with Ostland, the General Government, Moskowien (at first falling into anarchy, then utterly implodes into a dozen warlords) and Ukraine. The Luftwaffe, now being focused on the war, ends its bombing campaigns over Russia and West Africa (removing the Luftwaffe Terror Bombing national spirit, though with the exception of Tyumen due to the end of their starting tree removing the spirit for them), giving way for the Smuta in West Russia and West Siberia, as well as the opportunity for West African nations to expand inland.

In Africa, the Reichskommissariats having lost contact with Germania form an alliance known as the Afrika-Schild, officially for defense, but unofficially to support the upcoming Boer rebels and escalate a war against South Africa, which later spirals into the South African War.

Without the restrictions of the Pakt chaining the Order-State, Burgundy launches a full-blown invasion into France, who because of their military restrictions from the Second World War, cannot resist with their weak military comprised of several untrained divisions. Burgundy also gives tacit support to Heydrich and his SS legions, sending equipment and manpower, but if he capitulates, Himmler supports Göring instead.

After a snap freeze in Britain killing thousands, the inability of the Reich to stage an intervention as a result of their own civil war and the death of prime minister Barry Domvile to a package bomb, Her Majesty's Most Loyal Resistance (HMMLR) led by former MI5 director general and partisan leader Maxwell Knight launches the Second General Uprising against the collaborator government in London now under Ronald Nall-Cain.

Due to the lack of German support and the nearby breakout of the Ukrainian Civil War, the Transnistria Governorate suffers from partisan activity, dragging Romania into and starting the Transnistrian Bush War and eventually causing the Odesa Hostage Crisis.

Possible leader changes may also occur in the following territories and countries:

Denmark (between Best, the Wehrmacht garrison, Danish democrats and Danish Nazis)

Norway (infighting between the radical, mainstream and moderate factions in the Nasjonal Samling, with a possible coup by the Milorg)

France after the Burgundian invasion (between Poujade, reformists and technocrats in the PN, Sidos' hardliners and Action Français under Gaxotte)

The Netherlands (between the NSB's Musserite wing, Amsterdam Group and Volkisch faction, as well as the Dutch SS under Feldmeijer if Heydrich wins)

The Caucasus (between Reichskommissar Pyrmont who has the option to remain a Reichskommissar or declare himself king, or Paul Pleiger's technocrats more loyal to Germania)