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Originally Posted by Legbreaker
One important factor, at least in the initial stages of reunification, has to be time.
Although the generals, etc who were involved in the talks probably knew well in advance what was going on, the average soldiers, even the vast majority of the upper ranks would certainly have been kept in the dark right up until the last minute. Therefore, there would have been next to no opportunity for preplanning or even stockpiling of supplies of almost any sort to reequip the army of what was until then a seperate country.
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An interesting observation but what if it had come the other way around. Why not assuming that the small group of senior officers was backed by a large number of lower ranking officers (colonels and captains)? Then, while the small group of generals were conducting talks with the west, the lower ranks officers would start to prepare the army for the coup while most high ranking officers and officials were left in the dark.
That would resemble the Portuguese revolution of 1974 where the captains move in support of General de Spinola. As for Portugal, this could have come through a political movement that had undermine the army for months (if not years). Of course there was the STASI (PIDE in Portugal) and these would be the ennemy. They might put up some strong resistance and some will with no doubt join with the Pact. However, as in Portugal, the STASI could have underestimated that movement.