under arrest. He had, however, played both sides in the drama well, even if he had miscalculated the finale. This time, a spirit of consensus -remarkable for the times â prevailed. The government saw little point in being vindictive, as it would need the support of the officer class. On their side, the officers realised that they could achieve far more by working through the republic rather than against it. Thus, there were no courts-martial or firing-squads. Noske was replaced as minister by Otto Gessler, and the rounded-up conspirators were released, though each one was now subject to judicial investigation for their role in the coup. Canaris, however, as a relatively junior officer, escaped any serious censure. Moreover, Gessler needed help with the navy which once again had shown itself to be bitterly divided at the time of the putsch, with ratings and noncommissioned officers disarming the officers and taking over command with alarming ease.
Posted to Kiel on 23 July, Canaris was given the task of assisting in some restoration of normality to what had become a demoralised, and in many ways paralysed, naval station. With the sinking or handing over of many ships to the Allies, naval personnel were now mostiy based on land. Unsurprisingly, discipline had collapsed, important installations were abandoned or under the slightest of guard; naval stores, including munitions, plundered and lost. Every ship, meanwhile, had to be approved by the terms of the Versailles treaty, while the loss of the Bay of Danzig to Poland, together with that countryâs imminent creation of a navy, reinforced the sense of hopelessness that prevailed. If the Ost See station was to play the important role of linking the thousands of Germans strandedin East Prussia by the terms of the Versailles treaty with the rest of Germany huge progress would have to be made
Canaris and his fellow officers were undaunted by the task. Gradually discipline was restored and the natural talent of the Germans for organisation was harnessed to restore order and regulation. Each week, Canaris would lecture the ratings, detailing the progress made and how everyone in the service had a role to play in rebuilding the navy. This was unconventional by the standards of the times, and progressive. Also, with his undoubted talent for persuasion, Canaris was able to put his experience to good use to secure ample provisioning in adverse circumstances. By March the following year, the Ost See Squadron was a functioning entity made up of four capital ships and nearly a dozen torpedo boats.
With these, however, the limits of the Versailles treaty were reached. Moreover, under the terms dictated by the Allies, naval personnel were reduced to 15,000 of whom no more than 1,500 were to be officers. Canaris was not one to be put off by such formalities. He was already drawing in the best officers of the disbanded, post-putsch naval brigade to be incorporated into the new navy. Now he set about forming a secret reserve, which would be invisible to those sent to enforce the Versailles treaty, in this instance the Allied Naval Control Commission at Kiel.
To achieve this, Canaris needed money. His encounters with Zaharoff and others had left him in no doubt how to acquire it. The sale of weapons was the easiest way, and there were plenty of old contacts who would help procure and sell them on. A Danish intermediary was found with links to customers, notably in the recently created Baltic States, who were desperate to equip new national navies. Indeed, demand soon outstripped supply, as the Danes proved highly energetic. As they took a forty per cent commission, their enthusiasm was perhaps justified.
Within months, assisted by his old comrade Leutnant Richard Protze, who would later troubleshoot on arms deals with Canaris in the thirties, a complete arsenal and training area was constructed under the very nosesof the Control Commission. The many radical, right-wing groups of
Posted to Kiel on 23 July, Canaris was given the task of assisting in some restoration of normality to what had become a demoralised, and in many ways paralysed, naval station. With the sinking or handing over of many ships to the Allies, naval personnel were now mostiy based on land. Unsurprisingly, discipline had collapsed, important installations were abandoned or under the slightest of guard; naval stores, including munitions, plundered and lost. Every ship, meanwhile, had to be approved by the terms of the Versailles treaty, while the loss of the Bay of Danzig to Poland, together with that countryâs imminent creation of a navy, reinforced the sense of hopelessness that prevailed. If the Ost See station was to play the important role of linking the thousands of Germans strandedin East Prussia by the terms of the Versailles treaty with the rest of Germany huge progress would have to be made
Canaris and his fellow officers were undaunted by the task. Gradually discipline was restored and the natural talent of the Germans for organisation was harnessed to restore order and regulation. Each week, Canaris would lecture the ratings, detailing the progress made and how everyone in the service had a role to play in rebuilding the navy. This was unconventional by the standards of the times, and progressive. Also, with his undoubted talent for persuasion, Canaris was able to put his experience to good use to secure ample provisioning in adverse circumstances. By March the following year, the Ost See Squadron was a functioning entity made up of four capital ships and nearly a dozen torpedo boats.
With these, however, the limits of the Versailles treaty were reached. Moreover, under the terms dictated by the Allies, naval personnel were reduced to 15,000 of whom no more than 1,500 were to be officers. Canaris was not one to be put off by such formalities. He was already drawing in the best officers of the disbanded, post-putsch naval brigade to be incorporated into the new navy. Now he set about forming a secret reserve, which would be invisible to those sent to enforce the Versailles treaty, in this instance the Allied Naval Control Commission at Kiel.
To achieve this, Canaris needed money. His encounters with Zaharoff and others had left him in no doubt how to acquire it. The sale of weapons was the easiest way, and there were plenty of old contacts who would help procure and sell them on. A Danish intermediary was found with links to customers, notably in the recently created Baltic States, who were desperate to equip new national navies. Indeed, demand soon outstripped supply, as the Danes proved highly energetic. As they took a forty per cent commission, their enthusiasm was perhaps justified.
Within months, assisted by his old comrade Leutnant Richard Protze, who would later troubleshoot on arms deals with Canaris in the thirties, a complete arsenal and training area was constructed under the very nosesof the Control Commission. The many radical, right-wing groups of
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