A TTL version of Operation Cherry Blossoms against Australia, India or Vietnam could trigger it.
Stupid Luck and Happenstance.
- Thread starter Peabody-Martini
- Start date
A TTL version of Operation Cherry Blossoms against Australia, India or Vietnam could trigger it.
My hypothesis is that at the start of this war everybody needed to buy from the United States and so everyone just looked the other way and paid their cash, took what they bought and did not raise a stink about the other guy.
ITTL Abwehr was able to get the United States to stop selling to the Soviet Union and freeze their assets.
Now with Germany and the Allies winning and becoming bigger customers, they are pressuring the United States to stop selling or least restrict what they sell to Japan.
As long as no one starts sinking US flagged merchant ships or violate their sovereignty the United States has no reason to go to war and as long as the United States is not forcing the issue by demanding that the United States can ship whatever they want to Japan, no one is going to war against the United States.
Now as a way for the United States to stop trading with Japan, Abwehr could show proof that items that Japan is buying is really going to the Soviet Union in violation of the ban on selling to the Soviet Union.
ITTL Abwehr was able to get the United States to stop selling to the Soviet Union and freeze their assets.
Now with Germany and the Allies winning and becoming bigger customers, they are pressuring the United States to stop selling or least restrict what they sell to Japan.
As long as no one starts sinking US flagged merchant ships or violate their sovereignty the United States has no reason to go to war and as long as the United States is not forcing the issue by demanding that the United States can ship whatever they want to Japan, no one is going to war against the United States.
Now as a way for the United States to stop trading with Japan, Abwehr could show proof that items that Japan is buying is really going to the Soviet Union in violation of the ban on selling to the Soviet Union.
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Part 31, Chapter 358
Chapter Three Hundred Fifty-Eight
4th January 1944
Berlin
For the second day in a row this inane debate had raged on. Each faction had their own valid arguments. At the same they all had their own turf staked out and no one seemed willing to budge. Normally a matter like this would be of little consequence except in this case if the they got it wrong they would have the entire institutional establishment of the German Military furious at the Reichstag. Watching this debate with bemused detachment was Kapitan zur See Felix von Luckner, the director of the Military Museum and someone who was generally well respected by society at large. At Lang’s invitation, he had come to help sort this mess out and he had said was that they were all good ideas so why not do them all. That was totally at odds with how things were done in politics, there were always winners and losers. Weren’t there?
All this had come from the latest rounds of policy proposals. While the war was not over yet, the faint glimmers of light were visible on the Eastern Front. The problem was that the German Empire was nearly broke and the problems of demobilization would make those that had been encountered after the First Great War seem like a mild spring afternoon by comparison. The State would have to swiftly shift the economy back to a peacetime footing and have a post war boom if that was possible. At the same time, they had to absorb millions of men back into the workforce. They also had the matter of hundreds of thousands of women who had no desire to leave the workforce. But it wasn’t the discussion of postwar planning that had caused the latest impasse.
Old questions regarding education and career opportunities had come up. Emil Holz had told Lang that he felt that his receiving the Knight’s Cross, House Order of Hohenzollern, is what had opened those very opportunities for him. How that had come into play was that records revealed that the majority of medals issued had gone to officers. The medals that had the most stature were seldom issued to the other ranks and even then, it was always in the form of a lesser grade. There were rare individuals like Walter Horst who were the exception. He had received no less than three different grades of the House Order of Hohenzollern over his long career and was rumored to be on the verge of being the only man to ever to be inducted into the Order of the Red Eagle as a Knight after receiving the Order’s medal for Enlisted Men.
The question before the Reichstag was how to begin to redress what many perceived as a problem. There were ideas that many were throwing around that were good. But others were cautious about what might be seen as slighting existing accomplishments or were defending their own. There were several ideas that were being thrown around; an Enlisted Grade for the Pour Le Mérite, adding a Knight’s Cross to the Iron Cross that maintained the medal’s history of going to soldiers regardless of rank, class or nationality, creating a Federal Order of Merit on top of the existing Federal Merit Cross among others. Lang suspected that many present in this debate just liked the idea of designing costume jewellery.
“Bet you wished that you’d stayed in the museum giving tours to school children” Lang said to Luckner as they watched. Luckner liked to lead the student tours himself, filling the student’s heads with all sorts of wild stories of things that had actually happened.
“Those children are usually better behaved” Luckner observed, “Besides that, whatever they decide to do will serve to make the museum more interesting.”
That was an angle that Lang hadn’t considered.
Rangsdorf Airfield, Germany
It seemed like Kat’s return to England kept being delayed. Thorwald had sent her an order that she was to stay in Germany until further notice. The explanation that he had given was that he had an Abwehr operation pending. When he left for that she would need to return to Judenbach to oversee the camp until he returned. Kat had asked where Oberstlieutenant Gerhardt, the SKA’s XO, was. Thorwald said that he had been promoted and was now commanding a Regiment in the 2nd Fallschirmjäger Division.
In the meantime, Kat had been sent to Rangsdorf to evaluate the merits of a new aircraft that Thorwald had heard about and thought could be useful. He expected a full report on his desk of her opinions and suggestions regarding tactics that could be used with new aircraft.
That was how Kat found herself in the co-pilot’s seat of the Albatros AL-14 helicopter. It was most certainly different. When she had arrived at the airfield the pilot had insisted that she come with him as he flew around the airfield. He had told her that he just loved to fly the new machines and liked showing it off. The narrow windscreen and how the blunt nose that housed the radial engine sloped steeply away from the cockpit gave the pilot and co-pilot just enough of a view of what was in front of them to make this arrangement practical. The driveshaft that ran from the engine to the rotor overhead passed right between the shoulders of the two crew. It was covered but Kat didn’t care for the thought of that much steel spinning at several thousand RPMs just millimeters away.
As part of the walkaround that Kat had done with the pilot she had seen the small cargo compartment that was below and behind the cockpit. The idea was that four passengers could sit in there facing each other. The pilot had told her that Albatros was working on a larger, more advanced version. As someone who’d jumped out of airplanes and knew the disadvantages of parachute insertions. Kat could see a lot of possibilities with this new machine, it was just a matter of figuring out the practicalities.
4th January 1944
Berlin
For the second day in a row this inane debate had raged on. Each faction had their own valid arguments. At the same they all had their own turf staked out and no one seemed willing to budge. Normally a matter like this would be of little consequence except in this case if the they got it wrong they would have the entire institutional establishment of the German Military furious at the Reichstag. Watching this debate with bemused detachment was Kapitan zur See Felix von Luckner, the director of the Military Museum and someone who was generally well respected by society at large. At Lang’s invitation, he had come to help sort this mess out and he had said was that they were all good ideas so why not do them all. That was totally at odds with how things were done in politics, there were always winners and losers. Weren’t there?
All this had come from the latest rounds of policy proposals. While the war was not over yet, the faint glimmers of light were visible on the Eastern Front. The problem was that the German Empire was nearly broke and the problems of demobilization would make those that had been encountered after the First Great War seem like a mild spring afternoon by comparison. The State would have to swiftly shift the economy back to a peacetime footing and have a post war boom if that was possible. At the same time, they had to absorb millions of men back into the workforce. They also had the matter of hundreds of thousands of women who had no desire to leave the workforce. But it wasn’t the discussion of postwar planning that had caused the latest impasse.
Old questions regarding education and career opportunities had come up. Emil Holz had told Lang that he felt that his receiving the Knight’s Cross, House Order of Hohenzollern, is what had opened those very opportunities for him. How that had come into play was that records revealed that the majority of medals issued had gone to officers. The medals that had the most stature were seldom issued to the other ranks and even then, it was always in the form of a lesser grade. There were rare individuals like Walter Horst who were the exception. He had received no less than three different grades of the House Order of Hohenzollern over his long career and was rumored to be on the verge of being the only man to ever to be inducted into the Order of the Red Eagle as a Knight after receiving the Order’s medal for Enlisted Men.
The question before the Reichstag was how to begin to redress what many perceived as a problem. There were ideas that many were throwing around that were good. But others were cautious about what might be seen as slighting existing accomplishments or were defending their own. There were several ideas that were being thrown around; an Enlisted Grade for the Pour Le Mérite, adding a Knight’s Cross to the Iron Cross that maintained the medal’s history of going to soldiers regardless of rank, class or nationality, creating a Federal Order of Merit on top of the existing Federal Merit Cross among others. Lang suspected that many present in this debate just liked the idea of designing costume jewellery.
“Bet you wished that you’d stayed in the museum giving tours to school children” Lang said to Luckner as they watched. Luckner liked to lead the student tours himself, filling the student’s heads with all sorts of wild stories of things that had actually happened.
“Those children are usually better behaved” Luckner observed, “Besides that, whatever they decide to do will serve to make the museum more interesting.”
That was an angle that Lang hadn’t considered.
Rangsdorf Airfield, Germany
It seemed like Kat’s return to England kept being delayed. Thorwald had sent her an order that she was to stay in Germany until further notice. The explanation that he had given was that he had an Abwehr operation pending. When he left for that she would need to return to Judenbach to oversee the camp until he returned. Kat had asked where Oberstlieutenant Gerhardt, the SKA’s XO, was. Thorwald said that he had been promoted and was now commanding a Regiment in the 2nd Fallschirmjäger Division.
In the meantime, Kat had been sent to Rangsdorf to evaluate the merits of a new aircraft that Thorwald had heard about and thought could be useful. He expected a full report on his desk of her opinions and suggestions regarding tactics that could be used with new aircraft.
That was how Kat found herself in the co-pilot’s seat of the Albatros AL-14 helicopter. It was most certainly different. When she had arrived at the airfield the pilot had insisted that she come with him as he flew around the airfield. He had told her that he just loved to fly the new machines and liked showing it off. The narrow windscreen and how the blunt nose that housed the radial engine sloped steeply away from the cockpit gave the pilot and co-pilot just enough of a view of what was in front of them to make this arrangement practical. The driveshaft that ran from the engine to the rotor overhead passed right between the shoulders of the two crew. It was covered but Kat didn’t care for the thought of that much steel spinning at several thousand RPMs just millimeters away.
As part of the walkaround that Kat had done with the pilot she had seen the small cargo compartment that was below and behind the cockpit. The idea was that four passengers could sit in there facing each other. The pilot had told her that Albatros was working on a larger, more advanced version. As someone who’d jumped out of airplanes and knew the disadvantages of parachute insertions. Kat could see a lot of possibilities with this new machine, it was just a matter of figuring out the practicalities.
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Oh, boy. Not to mention all the men currently in the workforce who'd be displaced by returning veterans if reinstatement was part of the laws. Maybe Lang can get industries thinking about how they could convert to civilian products when peace breaks out.
Hmmm. Oberstlieutenant Gerhardt, the commander of the 1st Air Cavalry Regiment, formerly of the 2nd Fallschirmjäger Division. Just need to get better visibility under the nose and enough payload for gunship versions.
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Deleted member 1487
I'm still more partial to the bearded bear with bloody claws and a keyboard pic you had.
Part 31, Chapter 359
Chapter Three Hundred Fifty-Nine
9th January 1943
Near Borisoglebsk, Voronezh Oblast, Russia
CLANG!
Kurt had been dozing in the cupola, soaking in as much warmth as he could from the winter sun. Then came the sound of a bullet hitting the face of the cupola. As he ducked into the cupola Kurt could hear the sound of additional strikes on the side of the turret. From the sound of it, the gun that was being fired was a 12.7 machine gun and it wasn’t the turret that they were aiming for. The recoil of the gun was causing the bursts to go high while the gunner shot at the tracks. If the Panther threw a track they be a sitting duck for whatever heavy weapons the Russians had with them. As if to punctuate that thought a mortar shell exploded on the road a dozen or so meters in front of the Panther and infantry were scrambling for cover.
As the Panther turned in the direction of the fire Kurt scanned the tree line for the telltale puffs of smoke and steam that the heavy machine gun generated. He hauled the 13mm around in that direction as he spotted and returned fire. Just returning the favor, he thought as he watched the green tracers lit up the tree line. It came as a surprise when Volker fired a high explosive shell right into that same stretch of trees.
“Hit ‘em again!” Kurt yelled into the turret and a second 8.8cm tore into the tree line. This was followed by dozens more. If there were still any Russians still alive in there then they’d be hating that about now.
----------------------------------------------------------------
The word was that there had been battle here earlier in the day. Scorch marks on snow and shattered trees were in evidence. Infantry without the right anti-tank weapons attacking a Panzer column seldom ended well for the infantry. Hans knew that as he looked at the tree line while they walked by. Apparently, there was a strategic crossroads and a major rail junction near here. That was why some Soviet Commander with huge balls but not much in the way of sense had made a stand here against the 5th Corps. By the time the 2nd arrived there wasn’t a whole lot left to do. That actually suited Hans just fine, let someone else get shot at for once.
Things were finally looking up for this outfit. Word had reached them that the 7th Corps along with the Romanian Army had reached the Caspian Sea near the mouth of the Volga. While it was still icy cold, the weather had briefly gotten better, warming up to almost to freezing. That was practically a heatwave around these parts this time of year. Now there was this latest development.
There were SPz-1 APCs and Panther I Panzers merging into the column along with hundreds of Infantrymen from the road that came north from Stalingrad. They were from the Italian Army. They might not have been the greatest soldiers in the world but they happened to have the best rations of any army.
“Make sure you see where their bivouac is so we’re next to them tonight” Hans told Jost “And don’t let anyone else take that spot.”
“I’d like to see them try” Jost said with light in his eyes and tight smile on his lips. He was always up for a good fight.
Abwehr/SKA Training Camp, Judenbach, Germany
As acting Camp Commandant Kat was surprised when the entire room snapped to attention when she arrived for the formal Sunday dinner that was ritual here in Judenbach. While she was in Judenbach she was usually the in Operations staff and would never be on the receiving end of such fanfare. “It’s what happens when you work your way up the ladder, Ma’am” Matthias said when he saw the confused look on her face. It was a sudden reminder of what Fleming had said to her about how Thorwald had plans for her beyond the end of the war.
Thorwald had departed suddenly the prior Friday, much to everyone’s relief he had taken Jonas with him. While no one questioned the ability of Thorwald’s spotter in the field, the Hauptfeldwebel gave everyone the creeps.
Earlier that week, Kat had been in Cottbus touring the Albatros factory. She had been doing her best to try to talk the executives into greasing the skids so that the 28th Regiment/SKA would get first dozen AL-214 helicopters when they went into production. The new design was a substantial improvement over the AL-14, it had a wider, deeper fuselage with wide doors on both sides addressing the biggest complaints. The cockpit also sat higher giving the crew a better all-round view.
The fact that she was in effect giving the Hellcats endorsement on an Albatros product wasn’t lost on her and it was something that Albatros desperately wanted, giving her leverage. Kat had studied the new designs and discovered that while Focke-Wulf/Albatros currently held the lead they were hardly alone in the field of helicopters. Heinkel had thrown their weight behind Anton Flettner’s company and were producing a smaller helicopter that was going to be used for recon and artillery spotting. It was only a matter of time before Albatros was in stiff competition as Flettner caught up.
There had been two messages waiting for Kat when she returned to Potsdam. One from Gerta saying that there was this painting that she absolutely had to see and the other from Thorwald saying she needed to come to Judenbach. Much as she might have wanted to go and have fun with Gerta, it was obvious what came first.
As Kat took her seat at the instructor’s table everyone else sat down. Next came the toast that she was expected to lead. She was starting to suspect that Thorwald had thought this up knowing that this day would come and someone else would be expected to follow through on it. Somewhere in Russia he was probably rolling on the ground, laughing.
9th January 1943
Near Borisoglebsk, Voronezh Oblast, Russia
CLANG!
Kurt had been dozing in the cupola, soaking in as much warmth as he could from the winter sun. Then came the sound of a bullet hitting the face of the cupola. As he ducked into the cupola Kurt could hear the sound of additional strikes on the side of the turret. From the sound of it, the gun that was being fired was a 12.7 machine gun and it wasn’t the turret that they were aiming for. The recoil of the gun was causing the bursts to go high while the gunner shot at the tracks. If the Panther threw a track they be a sitting duck for whatever heavy weapons the Russians had with them. As if to punctuate that thought a mortar shell exploded on the road a dozen or so meters in front of the Panther and infantry were scrambling for cover.
As the Panther turned in the direction of the fire Kurt scanned the tree line for the telltale puffs of smoke and steam that the heavy machine gun generated. He hauled the 13mm around in that direction as he spotted and returned fire. Just returning the favor, he thought as he watched the green tracers lit up the tree line. It came as a surprise when Volker fired a high explosive shell right into that same stretch of trees.
“Hit ‘em again!” Kurt yelled into the turret and a second 8.8cm tore into the tree line. This was followed by dozens more. If there were still any Russians still alive in there then they’d be hating that about now.
----------------------------------------------------------------
The word was that there had been battle here earlier in the day. Scorch marks on snow and shattered trees were in evidence. Infantry without the right anti-tank weapons attacking a Panzer column seldom ended well for the infantry. Hans knew that as he looked at the tree line while they walked by. Apparently, there was a strategic crossroads and a major rail junction near here. That was why some Soviet Commander with huge balls but not much in the way of sense had made a stand here against the 5th Corps. By the time the 2nd arrived there wasn’t a whole lot left to do. That actually suited Hans just fine, let someone else get shot at for once.
Things were finally looking up for this outfit. Word had reached them that the 7th Corps along with the Romanian Army had reached the Caspian Sea near the mouth of the Volga. While it was still icy cold, the weather had briefly gotten better, warming up to almost to freezing. That was practically a heatwave around these parts this time of year. Now there was this latest development.
There were SPz-1 APCs and Panther I Panzers merging into the column along with hundreds of Infantrymen from the road that came north from Stalingrad. They were from the Italian Army. They might not have been the greatest soldiers in the world but they happened to have the best rations of any army.
“Make sure you see where their bivouac is so we’re next to them tonight” Hans told Jost “And don’t let anyone else take that spot.”
“I’d like to see them try” Jost said with light in his eyes and tight smile on his lips. He was always up for a good fight.
Abwehr/SKA Training Camp, Judenbach, Germany
As acting Camp Commandant Kat was surprised when the entire room snapped to attention when she arrived for the formal Sunday dinner that was ritual here in Judenbach. While she was in Judenbach she was usually the in Operations staff and would never be on the receiving end of such fanfare. “It’s what happens when you work your way up the ladder, Ma’am” Matthias said when he saw the confused look on her face. It was a sudden reminder of what Fleming had said to her about how Thorwald had plans for her beyond the end of the war.
Thorwald had departed suddenly the prior Friday, much to everyone’s relief he had taken Jonas with him. While no one questioned the ability of Thorwald’s spotter in the field, the Hauptfeldwebel gave everyone the creeps.
Earlier that week, Kat had been in Cottbus touring the Albatros factory. She had been doing her best to try to talk the executives into greasing the skids so that the 28th Regiment/SKA would get first dozen AL-214 helicopters when they went into production. The new design was a substantial improvement over the AL-14, it had a wider, deeper fuselage with wide doors on both sides addressing the biggest complaints. The cockpit also sat higher giving the crew a better all-round view.
The fact that she was in effect giving the Hellcats endorsement on an Albatros product wasn’t lost on her and it was something that Albatros desperately wanted, giving her leverage. Kat had studied the new designs and discovered that while Focke-Wulf/Albatros currently held the lead they were hardly alone in the field of helicopters. Heinkel had thrown their weight behind Anton Flettner’s company and were producing a smaller helicopter that was going to be used for recon and artillery spotting. It was only a matter of time before Albatros was in stiff competition as Flettner caught up.
There had been two messages waiting for Kat when she returned to Potsdam. One from Gerta saying that there was this painting that she absolutely had to see and the other from Thorwald saying she needed to come to Judenbach. Much as she might have wanted to go and have fun with Gerta, it was obvious what came first.
As Kat took her seat at the instructor’s table everyone else sat down. Next came the toast that she was expected to lead. She was starting to suspect that Thorwald had thought this up knowing that this day would come and someone else would be expected to follow through on it. Somewhere in Russia he was probably rolling on the ground, laughing.
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Like the movie, but to early. As long as helicopters are being powerd by piston engines, they are underpowered (esp. hot & high). Wait a couple of years for the first tuboshaft jet enegine's. Mayby something like the Alouette III.
Part 31, Chapter 360
Chapter Three Hundred Sixty
14th January 1944
Moscow, Russia
Vyacheslav Molotov had to admit that it was possibly the most perfect weapon of terror that he’d ever encountered, not that he would dare to say to say that aloud. This week the small unmanned aircraft started to be seen flying over Moscow. The engine emitted a loud low-pitched buzzing noise until they were over the target, which was totally random, then the engine stopped and what followed was a moment of silence before they hit with enough explosives to level a city block. Molotov himself had observed the panic that resulted during that final moment. The Airforce was having difficulty with the things. They were just as fast as the fighters and when hit they could explode with enough force to take out the interceptor. Worse of all for every one that was shot down there was another that made it through.
It was the latest bit of bad news that they were attempting to avoid telling Stalin about. He’d grown increasingly erratic and paranoid of late. Simple incompetence was being elevated to enemy action and there was this expanding belief that the Abwehr and the small groups of highly trained partisans that the Germans employed were everywhere. Molotov knew that was hardly the case. The NKVD which had been waging a war in the shadows against those very people said that there were only a couple thousand them at most and they were spread thin across several continents. Just don’t say that aloud within earshot of Stalin unless you wanted to know what the weather in the far northern reaches of Siberia were like this time of year.
How had things gotten to this point? Everyone knew that Beria had been hung like a common criminal. The Germans had been so kind as to have several trial transcripts, including film, sent to Moscow. No one could argue that they had been unfair in the proceedings. They had even allowed a vigorous defense. No one could argue that Beria didn’t get what he deserved. If fact a shift execution was probably far better than he deserved. What was weighing on everyone here in the Kremlin was that they could expect exactly the same treatment unless they could pull out a win that seemed less likely with each passing day.
There came a low buzzing noise that cut off and was followed a moment later by thunderous explosion that rattled all of the windows in the building. How many of those cursed things did the Germans have anyway?
Near Tambov, Russia
It was anti-sniper tactics 101, locate the sniper and overwhelm them with superior firepower. If you couldn’t locate the sniper saturate the area with artillery. Thorwald remembered this as shell splinters shredded the trees around him.
He and Jonas had flown into Saratov with orders to carry out a mission that had seemed simple enough. Sneak in, eliminate Vasily Chuikov and be back in Judenbach before the Russians figured out what happened. Unfortunately, things hadn’t proven as simple as planned. Getting close enough to take the shot had proven complicated and once Thorwald had taken the shot then things had gotten real dicey. The barn where he’d taken the shot from had been hit by several tank shells as Thorwald and Jonas were heading out the back. Jonas had been hit by a nearly meter long wooden splinter through the thigh and had bled out while Thorwald had been trying to drag him to safety. Thorwald figured that the Russians, for whatever reason, had been expecting trouble from that direction and had responded faster than he had expected.
What had followed over the next day was that Thorwald had used every trick he knew to elude his trackers but in the end, he was boxed in. The Russians obviously didn’t know exactly where he was hiding among the trees so they had resorted to this.
After a spell, the shelling ended and Thorwald looked towards the road. There were dozens of white clad figures moving forward across the field. He shouldered his rifle and looked through the scope for someone who seemed to be in charge. Finding one he squeezed the trigger and watched that figure go down, knocked over by the heavy 8.5mm bullet. Thorwald spent the next few minutes firing as fast as he could reload. At some point panic set in and the Russians fled. Now, Thorwald thought to himself he needed to relocate quickly before the Russians…
There was loud crash. The ground, the rifle and Thorwald himself all flew in different directions. Did that, was the last thought that went through Thorwald’s head.
Washington DC, USA
The report was alarming. The problem from Senator Harry Truman’s perspective was that no one was the least bit interested in it. General Bradley had returned from his mission, coordinating the relief efforts in the Ukraine. What he had seen was massive armies fighting each other on a scale that actually dwarfed the Great War. Vast battles of movement that covered hundreds of square miles. Bradley had suggested that the current doctrine of the US Army was obsolete as well as much of the equipment used by the entire military. The idea that every airplane, rifle and nearly every vehicle might need to be replaced was about as welcome as a fart in a car. Truman knew that Bradley was not easily excitable. When Bradley said that the German’s standard tank, the Panther 2, was an ugly monster that could eat a Sherman for breakfast without breaking a sweat then Truman was inclined to believe him.
Part of the problem was that while the rest of the world was busy ripping itself apart the United States had made a killing on selling material in splendid, peaceful isolation. Now the Nation was flush with cash and the economy was booming, so no one saw any need for change. Truman knew it couldn’t last. The war would end, the Krauts would be back to their old tricks in South America, the foreign markets would dry up and it could well be 1929 all over again.
14th January 1944
Moscow, Russia
Vyacheslav Molotov had to admit that it was possibly the most perfect weapon of terror that he’d ever encountered, not that he would dare to say to say that aloud. This week the small unmanned aircraft started to be seen flying over Moscow. The engine emitted a loud low-pitched buzzing noise until they were over the target, which was totally random, then the engine stopped and what followed was a moment of silence before they hit with enough explosives to level a city block. Molotov himself had observed the panic that resulted during that final moment. The Airforce was having difficulty with the things. They were just as fast as the fighters and when hit they could explode with enough force to take out the interceptor. Worse of all for every one that was shot down there was another that made it through.
It was the latest bit of bad news that they were attempting to avoid telling Stalin about. He’d grown increasingly erratic and paranoid of late. Simple incompetence was being elevated to enemy action and there was this expanding belief that the Abwehr and the small groups of highly trained partisans that the Germans employed were everywhere. Molotov knew that was hardly the case. The NKVD which had been waging a war in the shadows against those very people said that there were only a couple thousand them at most and they were spread thin across several continents. Just don’t say that aloud within earshot of Stalin unless you wanted to know what the weather in the far northern reaches of Siberia were like this time of year.
How had things gotten to this point? Everyone knew that Beria had been hung like a common criminal. The Germans had been so kind as to have several trial transcripts, including film, sent to Moscow. No one could argue that they had been unfair in the proceedings. They had even allowed a vigorous defense. No one could argue that Beria didn’t get what he deserved. If fact a shift execution was probably far better than he deserved. What was weighing on everyone here in the Kremlin was that they could expect exactly the same treatment unless they could pull out a win that seemed less likely with each passing day.
There came a low buzzing noise that cut off and was followed a moment later by thunderous explosion that rattled all of the windows in the building. How many of those cursed things did the Germans have anyway?
Near Tambov, Russia
It was anti-sniper tactics 101, locate the sniper and overwhelm them with superior firepower. If you couldn’t locate the sniper saturate the area with artillery. Thorwald remembered this as shell splinters shredded the trees around him.
He and Jonas had flown into Saratov with orders to carry out a mission that had seemed simple enough. Sneak in, eliminate Vasily Chuikov and be back in Judenbach before the Russians figured out what happened. Unfortunately, things hadn’t proven as simple as planned. Getting close enough to take the shot had proven complicated and once Thorwald had taken the shot then things had gotten real dicey. The barn where he’d taken the shot from had been hit by several tank shells as Thorwald and Jonas were heading out the back. Jonas had been hit by a nearly meter long wooden splinter through the thigh and had bled out while Thorwald had been trying to drag him to safety. Thorwald figured that the Russians, for whatever reason, had been expecting trouble from that direction and had responded faster than he had expected.
What had followed over the next day was that Thorwald had used every trick he knew to elude his trackers but in the end, he was boxed in. The Russians obviously didn’t know exactly where he was hiding among the trees so they had resorted to this.
After a spell, the shelling ended and Thorwald looked towards the road. There were dozens of white clad figures moving forward across the field. He shouldered his rifle and looked through the scope for someone who seemed to be in charge. Finding one he squeezed the trigger and watched that figure go down, knocked over by the heavy 8.5mm bullet. Thorwald spent the next few minutes firing as fast as he could reload. At some point panic set in and the Russians fled. Now, Thorwald thought to himself he needed to relocate quickly before the Russians…
There was loud crash. The ground, the rifle and Thorwald himself all flew in different directions. Did that, was the last thought that went through Thorwald’s head.
Washington DC, USA
The report was alarming. The problem from Senator Harry Truman’s perspective was that no one was the least bit interested in it. General Bradley had returned from his mission, coordinating the relief efforts in the Ukraine. What he had seen was massive armies fighting each other on a scale that actually dwarfed the Great War. Vast battles of movement that covered hundreds of square miles. Bradley had suggested that the current doctrine of the US Army was obsolete as well as much of the equipment used by the entire military. The idea that every airplane, rifle and nearly every vehicle might need to be replaced was about as welcome as a fart in a car. Truman knew that Bradley was not easily excitable. When Bradley said that the German’s standard tank, the Panther 2, was an ugly monster that could eat a Sherman for breakfast without breaking a sweat then Truman was inclined to believe him.
Part of the problem was that while the rest of the world was busy ripping itself apart the United States had made a killing on selling material in splendid, peaceful isolation. Now the Nation was flush with cash and the economy was booming, so no one saw any need for change. Truman knew it couldn’t last. The war would end, the Krauts would be back to their old tricks in South America, the foreign markets would dry up and it could well be 1929 all over again.
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Ouch, V1s, Thorwald's demise, Kat's promotion, and Harry Truman+Bradley. Well done!
Kat wasn't promoted, it was a you're in charge until I get back sort of thing. The wait though, is going to be a lot longer than expected.
That's what I meant. I was presuming a promotion by virtue of her superior officer being KIA. But politics can and does interfere.
Heh.... In this case, Politics it's likely to interfere, BUT to ensure that she becomes the head of the SKA.
She has the rank, the accolades, the backing of the Kaiser and the Kaiserine, and she has a by now "infamous" reputation that if you cross her, luck will generally end up with the poor idiot who attempted to screw up with her either dead by lead overdose, a nice posting into shitburg's assend or such, or a nice martial court followed by a posting into the Frontline as a walking target.
In this case leaving her into the command of the SKA its the BEST option for those that do not like her, as it would keep her busy and out of the way....
She has the rank, the accolades, the backing of the Kaiser and the Kaiserine, and she has a by now "infamous" reputation that if you cross her, luck will generally end up with the poor idiot who attempted to screw up with her either dead by lead overdose, a nice posting into shitburg's assend or such, or a nice martial court followed by a posting into the Frontline as a walking target.
In this case leaving her into the command of the SKA its the BEST option for those that do not like her, as it would keep her busy and out of the way....
Well...
James Bond has M as Boss, and The Hellcats will have K (K for german Katze not the english C for Cat) as Boss.
What happens 10 or 30 years down the line when Kat plans to retire?
Is she going to train her successor (maybe Jehanne)? Then we would have J.
Now who is this person in a back suit and why is he wearing sunglasses just now?!^^
James Bond has M as Boss, and The Hellcats will have K (K for german Katze not the english C for Cat) as Boss.
What happens 10 or 30 years down the line when Kat plans to retire?
Is she going to train her successor (maybe Jehanne)? Then we would have J.
Now who is this person in a back suit and why is he wearing sunglasses just now?!^^
I don't see Kat as the commander of the SKA until she retires; I see her as possibly the head of the Abwehr. I don't see Jehane/Gianna in that life either.
Just don't look at the red light.
PRECISELY, it's because of that what i see Kat as the head of the SKA now.
Becoming its Chief it puts her in a initial command role from this date until near the end of the War, becoming a figure that the other Hellcats will revere, as she would fight tooth and nail for ensuring the BEST for those who are now HER Soldiers, be support, weapons, equipment and even to have the courage to tell their beloved ones from her own writing how they died , and that she would NEVER waste their lives.
And no matter the pressure, the tears and the political and regulations BS, she would stay there nearly from dawn to midnight, working relentlessly because she wouldn't trust anyone else with the welfare of her "Hellcats".
And after the end of the War, Schultz will finally step down from the Abwehr, and he will certainly point out WHO has the skills, knowledge and will to become the director of Germany's intelligence agencies, someone who directed the efforts of the SKA in the final and most critical parts of the Soviet War, someone who wouldn't waver of doing what its required to protect the welfare of Germany and its citizens...