Wiederbewaffnung

Wiederbewaffnung (rearmament) refers to the United States of America plan to help build up West Germany after World War II. They could not function outside an alliance framework. These events led to the establishment of the Bundeswehr, the West German army, in 1955. The name Bundeswehr was a compromise choice suggested by former general Hasso von Manteuffel. Wehrmacht had been vetoed by the American occupational authorities.

Heinz Guderian stated that the fight was mainly between the Soviet Union and the United States. “People resent the fact that while the United States followed a policy of German disarmament and of friendship with Russia after the war, it now advocates rearmament they could just as easily argue that it was for cooperation with the Soviet Union and to change its policy”. On August 29, 1949, the Soviet Union exploded an atomic bomb at Semipalatinsk in Kazakhstan. This forced a reevaluation of the defense requirements of Western Europe. In June 1950, The Korean War began and scared West Germans greatly. Many saw a comparison between the actions of North Korea and the possible actions of East Germany. Both France and the United Kingdom were wary of the revival of German martial potential with any rearmament. They had both been severely tested in both World War I and World War II. American political figures such as Senator Elmer Thomas of Oklahoma stated that West Germany needed to be included in a defensive system, “several divisions of German troops should be armed by the United States without Germany herself being permitted to manufacture arms.” German Prime Minister, Konrad Adenauer was determined to use offers of rearmament to regain sovereignty for West Germany.

During the NATO meeting in September 1950 France decided to become isolated for the operation because they did not want Germany to join NATO. The Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) wanted to join NATO because the then German chancellor Konrad Adenauer decided that it would appease the fears of its neighbors and it would gain Germany's trust and show willingness to cooperate. At first the US was skeptical about the whole operation, but after Dwight D Eisenhower agreed to endorse the deal then the US was for the operation. The Federal Republic of Germany in Paris, France, agreed to support the operation. One of the better known attempts to gain West Germany the right to re-arm was the European Defense Community or EDC. A modification of the Pleven Plan it would permit the raising of West German forces but integrate them into a European Defense Force. When West-Germany embraced an edited plan and the push for rearmament seemed to be assured, France decided to kill it in August 1954. In 1955 West Germany joined NATO.

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