The Iron Eagle II - Days of Strife

[Kaiser of Brazil]

Are the Coalition troops in Israel fighting as “volunteers”?

Cracking chapter btw.

They are under the banner of the Coalition of Nations as a whole.

 

[Kalga]

If Goebbels simply flattens Israel and all Collation forces on 7th rest of the world can either accept defeat or further massively escalate. This may actually be safer option. As in, allies will blink first.

If Reich simply accepts widespread usage (even more so than currently) of tactical nukes Coalition has to respond in kind and we are fully in the escalation loop.

Yep, a full strategic nuclear strike (probably bombers only though, since missiles might trigger some of the more automated response systems) to blast the holy land into the sea would either shock the allies into backing out, or trigger full exchange... which regardless would by exactly what Goebbels want.

Especially as ideological fanaticism is no substitute for the reality that most people do not want to die, with ideological fanaticism going up against the oldest of human instincts and all that.

Self preservation has been the only thing standing in the way of the Reich from achieving its final victory over their decadent and weak enemies.

 

[Kaiser of Brazil]

Especially as ideological fanaticism is no substitute for the reality that most people do not want to die, with ideological fanaticism going up against the oldest of human instincts and all that.

Well, Goebbels certainly isn't lacking in fanatics to execute such order, what do you think he has been doing for the last 6 years?

 

[Kaiser of Brazil]

The next chapter will be short and entirely from a character perspective, currently I'm trying to find time and a proper music for it.

 

[mcginnis2002]

THE IRON EAGLE
DAYS OF STRIFE



SHOMER


View attachment 884344​

Before the sun rose, they were supposed to take flight, none were expected to even return from this mission, and the fact it was the Shabbat, the first day of the Hannukah, made this feel like this was a day of fate. "Domino Ben" is how he was called by his peers, the squadron had a way to find nicknames, for Benjamin it just so happened that he got that for winning a game of Domino when he first joined the 106 squadron. Now he could hardly believe he was receiving this call, they were supposed to take part in an operation no one knew existed that was set to take flight within the hour. The target? North, into Syria, into the lair of the Nazis themselves to destroy the Wotan Gun.

Everyone knew about that gun, it started with whispers from Russian Jews who moved into Israel five years ago, telling how the Nazis had made a canon which could shoot a nuclear bomb, which could devastate an entire city with a shot, reload, and then fire again. Some of the stories almost sounded like fantasies if every man, woman and child in Israel did not already know the kind of evils that were made in the heart of Germania. To children it was like a boogeyman story before sleeping, he recalls how he told his son Yakob how his grandmother, his aunt, his great-grandfather, how they all had been taken by the Germans, how he had managed to escape before the war and tried to convince them to come, but his grandfather was always stubborn, Ben's mother did what her father told her and stayed, and his sister was too young to come with him, far too young.

Why did he tell that to a child when it brought him so much pain to talk about it? Simple, because this enemy was still around, and even when they all celebrated when Saadeh called for a ceasefire in 1959 after what felt like a miracle, they knew Saadeh was still there, taking orders from Germania, and when the news that Rudolf Hess was about to destroy the world spread around, they all ran to the bunkers because one could feel like they would receive the heaviest blow. There was hardly any relief when they heard that Joseph Goebbels was now in charge, the man who was the most outspoken about his hatred, the one who rallied the German people on a daily basis and destroyed his grandfather's store in 1938. His father listened and fled, Ben's grandfather called him a coward for abandoning his wife and his children, but now Ben could see his father was the smart one and wished he had not spent so long cursing his old man for fleeing. Yakob ran, now he was old enough in his teenage years that he could make the decision and, despite him trying to insist, Ben was able to talk some sense for him to run away and leave with the others, because they both knew what would happen next was something that could be the end of Israel.

Ben was determined to not run, even if the option was given in his unit, his superior tonight was a man he had never seen personally and who came directly from Tel Aviv, he had said any man willing to walk out could walk out and would not be condemned in any way, they would relocate him to another unit which would not take action. But nobody stood back, they were selected and chosen to do this mission, and they knew that if it meant giving the people even a single day without worrying about the Nuclear Holocaust, then they would do it, and they would not be alone. At the briefing they were told what would happen, the canon was at Saassa, south of Damascus, after months of buildup the German forces of Kampfgruppe Peiper were preparing a strike from the north during the Hannukah, the news coming after the Mossad caught documents from some drunken Syrian officer and immediately sent them back to the IPF. They also knew that, after the 12-day war, the Syrian Air defenses were far stronger with a better detection system in their radars, the Wotan itself protected by a dedicated SAM battery, and that is not including the Luftwaffe which far outclassed their jets, and outnumbered them. The Wotan was there, within sight from the Golan Heights, a shot from that gun could breach a hole in the defensive lines which they would not be able to plug back before the Wehrmacht and the Syrians poured in.

Their mission was to destroy the Wotan and return, on the ground, a group of Commandos was set to signal the location of the gun with flares as they would only stand a chance by striking just before the sunrise when the guard would be switched. They were not the only ones to launch attacks either, there were planned opperations to strike all throughout the front and the IPF was ready to launch an attack by going down the Golan heights and attempt to reach Damascus in order to cripple the Syrian morale, even if the Wehrmacht was determined to not let that happen. They were outnumbered, the Germans had far superior equipment, many of their troops were veterans from the war in Russia, their tanks... their tanks were their symbol, it was what frightened every IPF soldier, because it felt like an unbreakable pile of steel with a gun which could destroy bunkers. Their attack was vital not only to prevent the Wotan from crippling their advance to Damascus, as the canon was positioned between the Golan Heights and the City, but it should be a signal, if the greatest weapon the Nazis have built could be destroyed, so could their tanks, so could their planes, so could their soldiers, they COULD be defeated.

The signal was given and they all ran to their jets, parked on the Air Base at Ramat David, his jet used to be called "Domino" after his nickname, it was an American design, the F-106, altered specifically for ground assaults like this one, but now the name was #122342. When the Luftwaffe airdropped the clothes over Haifa and other Jewish cities along the coast, the IPF was quick to use that to avoid panic, the weapons, the planes, the ships, all were given a serial number from one of the pieces of cloth. A few soldiers even made patches and emblems to attach to their uniforms with the Star of David, a few even would wear those clothes under their uniforms as they fought. He did not know who 122342 was, but whoever that was, he had received that uniform as part of the IPF campaign when the clothes were collected, he would wear that under his uniform, even if it was a little tight. It was probably made for a young person, maybe a woman, maybe his sister, he thought, that is what he liked to think, he liked to think that was a part of his sister that he would carry with him to avenge her.

The planes took off and within minutes they would have the dangerous crossing of the Golan heights, it took all of his skill and the limits of his plane's maneuverability to be able to go across the hills at such a dangerously low altitude, and even then they did not know if the Nazi radars would catch them when the Syrians failed years ago. Ben would arrive just as the first signs of the morning were coming. It was the 18th of December of 1965, and this day Israel would throw it's full weight at the Wehrmacht. "Knight 6, standing by", he said over the communications awaiting for the signal, and then it came, there were flaring lights in the sky that enlightened it with red, and even from the skies they could see that monster, an enormous artillery raising it's gun to the skies like an affront to Yaveh. The sirens were sounded and the computer began to detect the launch of missiles, the Germans, Syrians, Persians and Turks were all alarmed and began to shoot at the sky while the cover of the dark would shield them.

"Knight 6, moving down to the target", Ben would say over the communicators as he used the Infrared system to try to have a better idea of the ground. The planes would dive down and soon enough the comms went live with a terrible news, there was a squadron of Luftwaffe planes which had been running exercises during the night, the Mossad knew that such exercises could happen but those were supposed to be far to the west in Lebanon, they were not supposed to be over Damascus, but the Germans broke their own routine and now there was a force of interceptors coming at them from just a few miles to the North. "Enemy at 9 o'clock, high!" came the dreaded news at the comms and soon they all had to break formation, Ben cursed under his breath, not because he had to break the attack, but because he knew he could not break the attack, every second would give the Germans more planes and alarm more SAM batteries to strike them. He only accelerated to the target, accepting the death which would inevitably come. "Knight 6, what are you doing?!"

The German rockets began flying at their direction in a matter of seconds after the formation broke up, the F-106 was brought to it's limits, the speed and agility of the machine sometimes felt like it would crush him with the G-forces and doom the mission, sure, the others could strike the target too, but he was the closest one now. He swung the joystick to the right and plunged, releasing flares as he jerked the plane upwards and an explosion almost rocked him under his seat as the rocket exploded behind him. But now Ben had a clear sight, it was locked and he could see the explosions at the distance, as if the commandos were still there, he would not have a better chance than this, those men, just like him, knew what they signed off to do and there was no way any of them would escape alive. He could hear in the comms as his squadron was being shot left and right above him as the sun was rising and the entire battlefield was echoing with explosions. The Wotan was moving it's enormous gun, lowering it to aim at the Heights, he knew that it was now or never and fired.

But it was jammed, the explosion of the rocket sent shrapnel on the back of his plane, not only was 122342 damaged and leaking fuel, the missile was jammed and he could not fire it. He had seconds, but it felt like an eternity, he never felt so much clarity in his life, feeling as if a voice on his ear told him what to do. "Knight 6 hitting on target, Am Yisrael Chai". Then he plunged his plane and hoped that this was not in vain, that any of this was worth one damned thing. The plane received the full fire of the German anti-aircraft guns installed in the Wotan, but those weapons were not designed to shoot down a pilot with no qualms about sacrificing himself to take them down. It was just inconcieveable to the Nazis to believe that a Jew would ever do anything at the sight of his doom other than try to flee like a rat, but instead "Domino Ben" that day would prove what every single Israeli would prove in that war: They would fight to the very end of their lives. There would be no prisoners, there would be no surrenders, and every person in this tiny strip of land with a Jewish soul would fight to the last to bring at least one German down with them. They would not be sheep to be sent to the slaughter anymore.

With a rocking explosion, the F-106 would crash into the loaded Wotan gun, it was a magnificent sight which felt like another sun was rising for a second. To the soldiers at the heights, that was a sign, the Wotan was destroyed, the enormous steel monstrosity destroyed and turned into a pile of metalic scrap surrounded by the radiation of it's broken ammunition, the canon fell apart and the mother of all fires consumed the gun mixed in with the fuel of the jet plane and the other ammunitions laying around. There were chants of of triumph for the soldiers of the IPF as they came down, a reserve kept behind to man the defenses while they left the high ground from the shores of Lebanon to the Jordanian border, hundreds of artillery pieces would fire at the enemy, tanks of different designs from different nations would come down, soldiers who spoke in Hebrew, soldiers who spoke in Arabic, even those of other languages, all would come down knowing that most of them would be likely dead, but they each made a promise to bring down at least one Nazi with them. They went in with something that was not a sense of hatred, but one of righteous justice, as a people descended the hills to slaughter their butchers who thought they would simply run away and die, as several peoples fought in the holy land against the forces of a man so consumed by hatred and evil so great that he would bring war and slaughter for it's own sake.

And they would rather die than allow Joseph Goebbels to taste his victory.​

I feel like this mission could inspire a certain Sci-Fi epic.......

George Lucas - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Gexipro]

Honestly I think the Allies will back out of the War after Germany flattens Israel, if only for the Fact that they probably don't want to destroy the World over Israel, as harsh as it may sound. Additionally I'm pretty sure that the first Chapter of the Timeline very much implied that the Reich still exists in the Modern Age, so probably no WW3.

 

[GrimmJow007]

I don't see Israel surviving the massive weight of the Reich.

 

[Whiteshore]

I don't see Israel surviving the massive weight of the Reich.

Especially as Goebbels has decided that the oldest human instinct to survive is contrary to the National Socialist revolution.

 

[Rajveer Naha]

Nasser cannot publicly ally with Israel if he wants to keep his life, Begin was the leader of the Irgun and not particularly friendly to the Palestineans, anti-semitism would be much more prevalent in the Arab world with one of the world's powers legitimizing it and propagandizing it across the region.

I believe that a skilled propaganda personnel can clearly spin a story. Recovering part of National territory by force from an enemy who launched an unprovoked invasion is different from allying with the enemy. All he needs to do is send forces to recover Jordan.

so does the Pakt in the Mediterranean with widespread naval bases.

I don't get this? The coalition needs Red Sea and not the Mediterranean at least at this moment in time.

Egypt just wouldn't survive a full retaliation from the Pakt (which also still controls Libya) even with the US and Britain in the region

I have agree to disagree as unless the Egyptian Army is still a bunch of complete morons, the same problems facing Rommel still apply, long distances, open terrain, bad infrastructure on both sides of the border. It's not a small distance like Israel has to face.

Even if several rural areas of Ethiopia are pretty much lost, the Italians still have a strong hold over the Nile to threaten the Egyptians with if they wish.

What is feasible for the Italians to do without building Dams?

Goebbels can always just flip the board and nuke London if he wished

And get Germany Nuked by atleast Britain. He found Hess mad for that He too recognises the consequences of his actions.

As for Eritrea, the only way to dislodge the Italians from there and Somalia is with boots on the ground, something which the Coalition has really attempted to avoid, they mostly had the Ethopians do the ground work with a little "help" from Marines who came in and went away.

Why do you consider Marines to not be boots on the ground. Shutting down Djibouti would secure the Strait of Bab el Mandeb but from Massawa and Assab(right on the strait even in artillery range) the threat is nearly the same. So securing the coast is a vital matter of strategic importance.

Goebbels will just consider that the West isn't in just to "save Israel" but to invade the Pakt itself. The UAR isn't a Pakt member, in fact the UAR did not even engage directly with the Coalition, Italy is still "technically" the second most powerful nation in the Pakt and an attack directly against them is an attack on Europe.

Italy by its actions is already at war with the coalition so it makes little difference. Goebbels doesn't believe his propaganda and their are more threats to him in Germany than outside. Italy is long neutered and being the Second Most Powerful Pakt nation hardly matters. And given the tease on what's going to happen, what is the fate of Italian East Africa is going to be the last thing on the minds of the German leadership. They may even accept it as a price for Israel. On the Eritrean coast, plenty of Italian citizens are already on the line of fire. Therefore securing the coast is hardly going to make things worse. Lastly after the coast is secure just handing over heavy equipment to the Ethiopians will allow them to get the job done.

 

[SandroPertini98]

I expect Goebbels to order a nuclear attack against Israel to “incinerate the evil Judaism’s power seat”. Begin has not a nuclear arsenal capable to strike back but this time there is a man in the White House willing to unleash Armageddon if this is the role God reserved to him in His Crusade against the Antichrist. So an Israel-American retaliation leads to a limited nuclear exchange, that ends abruptly when the young Ms. Goebbels assassinates the Fuhrer on his wheelchair with the tacit assent of the rest of the court. Bonus point if after she is recognized as the Third Reich’s regent due her ancestry, as Goebbels is quickly removed as a weak crippled man unworthy to lead Germany.

 

[Kaiser of Brazil]

All he needs to do is send forces to recover Jordan.

Which is geographically impossible without going through Israel.

I don't get this? The coalition needs Red Sea and not the Mediterranean at least at this moment in time.

I wasn't referring to the Coalition but to Egypt, they are still far too exposed to a retaliatory attack.

I have agree to disagree as unless the Egyptian Army is still a bunch of complete morons, the same problems facing Rommel still apply, long distances, open terrain, bad infrastructure on both sides of the border.

The Egyptians are led by the same people who lost the 6-day war and the Yom Kippur war of our world, I think you are underestimating the army of the Pakt and 25 years of difference. Not only did the Italians spend this time developing the infrastructure of the Libyan coast, they also connected much of it with Egypt between 1951-62 that would facilitate a land invasion if they so desired (not saying that was the intention, but this is a lot different from the sea of nothingness of the 40s), plus the Pakt does have military exercises in the Sahara in an almost regular basis, Goebbels even used one of them to overthrow Almirante. Not only the supply lines are better, they wouldn't have to deal with the constant allied harassment from places such as Malta. Besides, there would still be plenty of Egyptians willing to collaborate with the Pakt in high places if Nasser decided to help the Coalition.

He found Hess mad for that He too recognises the consequences of his actions.

Because Goebbels was always a Narcissistic bastard, if it's not his plan with him in charge then it would fail. He knows a Nuclear War would be a true "Bewegungskrieg" requiring targets to be struck within minutes and Hess simply did not have the apparatus for that due to his "Detente" with Britain leading to the Channel coast being demilitarized. Hess didn't even plan on nuking Britain or the US, he expected them to back down and let him do whatever he wanted with Russia. Goebbels isn't as foolish, if there is a nuclear war then it must be done right to ensure minimal damage to the Pakt by striking Britain and the US simultaneously.

What is feasible for the Italians to do without building Dams?

They still have a formidable arsenal of things ranging from anthrax to radioactive waste which they could dump. Would this work in the long distance of the river? Dubious, but people didn't have a full grasp on the damages that radioactive and biological weapons could cause in the 60s. And yes, Farinacci has Anthrax in Ethiopia.

Why do you consider Marines to not be boots on the ground. Shutting down Djibouti would secure the Strait of Bab el Mandeb but from Massawa and Assab(right on the strait even in artillery range) the threat is nearly the same. So securing the coast is a vital matter of strategic importance.

It's not as much what I think but what could be plausibly denied by the Italians, a limited incident in capturing one of their ports is far easier to let pass than invading all of Eritrea. It leaves implied that the Coalition does have the forces to shut East Africa of it's coastline if the Italians attempt to stop them while making sure the main threat the Italians can give is weakened. Rome obviously doesn't want a war, and with full media control they can deny the fall of Djibouti or at least the British involvement in it, they can't really deny the loss of the whole Eritrea and that would lead to a war if the Fascists want to keep their heads in place.

Italy by its actions is already at war with the coalition so it makes little difference. Goebbels doesn't believe his propaganda and their are more threats to him in Germany than outside. Italy is long neutered and being the Second Most Powerful Pakt nation hardly matters. And given the tease on what's going to happen, what is the fate of Italian East Africa is going to be the last thing on the minds of the German leadership. They may even accept it as a price for Israel. On the Eritrean coast, plenty of Italian citizens are already on the line of fire. Therefore securing the coast is hardly going to make things worse. Lastly after the coast is secure just handing over heavy equipment to the Ethiopians will allow them to get the job done.

This is similar to the Suez War, yes there is a war between both sides de facto but no one is going to say that out loud and escalate the conflict to an irreversible level. Britain here struck first and even with all the tough atitude in London, they know they would be absolutely flattened in a Nuclear War (without much of a guarantee that the US won't back down like they did in 1951 and the whole WWII) and won't risk starting one by provoking the Italians beyond the absolute minimum to keep the Red Sea open.

Goebbels does believe in his propaganda, he has had a plan for war ready since 1962, but like he did many times in our world, he wants to make Germany look like the victim, making it so the Pakt is directly attacked by the Coalition in Eritrea gives him exactly what he wants to ensure that, whatever happens next, the Germans will see him as Righteous no matter what comes to pass.

Would they sacrifice the whole of East Africa for Israel? They don't believe they have to sacrifice either and, honestly they don't. Even with the forces the Coalition is deploying so far, Germany has been fighting with hands tied compared to the weight the Wehrmacht has. And Goebbels can always send in the Volkssturm for the role in his mind (even if they are mostly terribly undisciplined, the Triumph of the Will is a trend within Nazi beliefs) or mobilize more of his military assets, Israel cannot possibly conscript more people than they already have and it takes time for the Coalition to build up forces.

Eritrea is not being attacked by the Coalition just as they are not attacking them. The territory itself has also been mostly spared from the Colonial war so I wouldn't say they are in the line of fire. Invading it would require far more than just a few thousand Marines and troops which are far more needed in Israel. If the Italians aren't bombing them... why bother? The Italians don't want to provoke a further reaction and the Coalition is fine with things as they are so long as they can take their ships to Eilat undisturbed. The only ones who would be making a fuss about it is are the Ethiopians but it isn't like the British want a Colonial uprising to succeed right at the doorstep of Kenya and Sudan, they only give the Ethiopians enough help to keep some goodwill and be a nuisance to the Italians, but London would never seriously want Africans to start looking at Ethiopia as an example.

 

[grdja83]

What is the American armed forces doctrine? They have had no Europe but longer Japan in WWII, and a Korean war of a sorts. Pentomic divisions and related nuke happy attitude? Something less radical but still nuke happy? Since USA while actually involved in a number of conflicts since end of WWII sees itself as extremely inward oriented and isolationist.

 

[gradje]

I expect Goebbels to order a nuclear attack against Israel to “incinerate the evil Judaism’s power seat”. Begin has not a nuclear arsenal capable to strike back but this time there is a man in the White House willing to unleash Armageddon if this is the role God reserved to him in His Crusade against the Antichrist. So an Israel-American retaliation leads to a limited nuclear exchange, that ends abruptly when the young Ms. Goebbels assassinates the Fuhrer on his wheelchair with the tacit assent of the rest of the court. Bonus point if after she is recognized as the Third Reich’s regent due her ancestry, as Goebbels is quickly removed as a weak crippled man unworthy to lead Germany.

It's just like Rome really. But instead of the Julio-Claudian dynasty we get the Hitlerian-Goebbelsian dynasty. Hess isn't going to be more than a Marc Anthony.

With that equivalence, Bormann would be Cleopatra, which I imagine could make for some excelent Hollywood comedy, maybe get Mel Brooks on that

 

[Frame]

I wonder what pope stevens reaction to the Brazilian invasion of fellow catholic Uruguay will be.

 

[GrimmJow007]

The only ones who would be making a fuss about it is are the Ethiopians but it isn't like the British want a Colonial uprising to succeed right at the doorstep of Kenya and Sudan, they only give the Ethiopians enough help to keep some goodwill and be a nuisance to the Italians, but London would never seriously want Africans to start looking at Ethiopia as an example.

British power only tends to decline, since being a democracy (or something close to it), it will never be able to match the birth rates of the Reich or the other Pakt members, since the fascists have always placed a much greater emphasis on the birth rates of the than Western democracies. Pakt countries, being totalitarian regimes, can easily block progressive and feminist ideas, which are generally anti-natalist. Therefore, in the future we will have a Great Britain in the same state as France in the 19th century, still being powerful but, due to its demographic growth being much lower than its European rivals, being a power in decline.

 

[Frame]

British power only tends to decline, since being a democracy (or something close to it), it will never be able to match the birth rates of the Reich or the other Pakt members, since the fascists have always placed a much greater emphasis on the birth rates of the than Western democracies. Pakt countries, being totalitarian regimes, can easily block progressive and feminist ideas, which are generally anti-natalist. Therefore, in the future we will have a Great Britain in the same state as France in the 19th century, still being powerful but, due to its demographic growth being much lower than its European rivals, being a power in decline.

If they’re able to better integrate their African colonies it could definitely help with that

 

[Kaiser of Brazil]

It's just like Rome really. But instead of the Julio-Claudian dynasty we get the Hitlerian-Goebbelsian dynasty. Hess isn't going to be more than a Marc Anthony.

With that equivalence, Bormann would be Cleopatra, which I imagine could make for some excelent Hollywood comedy, maybe get Mel Brooks on that

If Goebbels is Tiberius, who even is going to be Caligula and Nero to be somehow more insane than him?

 

[gradje]

If they’re able to better integrate their African colonies it could definitely help with that

"Integration" may be a strong word. Would they be integrated into a wider Imperial framework? Yes. Would they become a part of the UK and have a direct say in London's policy? No.

If Goebbels is Tiberius, who even is going to be Caligula and Nero to be somehow more insane than him?

Whoever he'll be, he'll launch a nuke at Germania and blame Jewish elements within Europe, launching a series of purges that will make the Angriff look like peanuts in comparison

 

[TheSpectacledCloth]

If Goebbels is Tiberius, who even is going to be Caligula and Nero to be somehow more insane than him?

Let me take a gander. I'd say that Hans Hinkel is Caligula, Speer is Claudius, and Kaltenbrunner is Nero.

 

[Kaiser of Brazil]

THE IRON EAGLE
DAYS OF STRIFE


AUGEN IHRES VATERS

​

The day was February 7th, or rather it was Wessel 7th in the new calendar, sometimes she got the months mixed up. Joseph corrected it at every opportunity, and in every opportunity he made sure to make her remember to correct herself. "The Daughter of Hitler cannot forget our Martyrs", he used to say, but now he just gave a glare, a hateful look that made her feel like she had just killed his mother. She has been making less mistakes now, ever since the last year it felt like he was just another man, he smiled less, he looked at her more, and that look was not the one of a friend, of a caring person acting like a surrogate father, it was a look either to look at her flesh or to look at her flaws, a look to intimidate her, to make her back down and feel miserable. That look sometimes was followed by a word, for her to come closer to him, and then she had her wrist squeezed so hard that it felt like he could break her hand. Then he said what he wanted to say, heard what he wanted to hear, an apology, self-degradation, a promise to improve, then he patted her cheek and kissed her, giving that old smile that used to bring her some warmth and relief, then dismissed her like she was some sort of servant of his'.

Those were the days of the Schwanenwerder, that beautiful island, that beautiful mansion, and yet a life which became miserable almost as soon as it really started. Sometimes she tried to get a separate bed, to sleep in another room, Joseph allowed it or not depending on his mood, and when he didn't... he wanted a child, one that she has not been able to give yet, he said he would call a doctor any day now to see her to make sure she was... functional. He was the one choosing her clothes, whenever there was a visit he demanded that she appeared before him for him to approve or not what she was wearing, when he didn't he either just told her to stay put or picked something for her to wear himself. He could walk, or rather limp around, but preferred not to in his lazyness, he had her carry him around whenever he wanted to go somewhere even when he could perfectly wheel himself away or walk with his cane. Since the war started against the Jews, he only became worse, now he wanted her to give opinions, which is to say approve whatever he wanted proposed and say whatever he wanted to hear, even when she knew from just basic knowledge that his plans were complete insanity. The worst part was when one night she dared to object his plan, she dared to say no to that nuclear madness that would destroy this country, that would destroy her, and he just said she did not have to worry, that they could stay in a bunker under the island which could last for years, she had seen that bunker and she knew that there was only one bed for both of them to share, that she was not allowed to pick another room.

She tried to ask for help in her own way, but nobody listened, maybe she was being too subtle, maybe she was choosing the wrong people, but she tried to ask for something to be done, maybe Helmut could talk to his father, or Helga when she visited, or Hedwig, but none of them ever did anything, none of them ever talked to their father... maybe because they knew that nothing could be done. She tried to find moments to speak in private with others, with ministers, with generals, surely these men who served her father and swore oaths under his name would not allow her to keep going through this. But they did nothing, and worse, one of them, Rössner, admitted to already knowing, that the SiPo was well aware of the Führer's actions, but that she was meant to just be silent, he even gave the same look Joseph did by saying she was to blame for any infertility in this marriage. After that she did not reach out to the Ministers or Generals, she just stayed quiet and realized that none of those men would ever do anything against the Führer, that none of them would ever lift a finger for her no matter who she was.

Hitler, that was the only thing Joseph let her keep, her surname, it was all for his propaganda to display her as a trophy whenever she was allowed to leave the Island in the days before the war, being his representative was what he wanted, he wanted that name and he would not lower himself by having her take his family name. It was like he had this deep sense of pathetic inferiority, she could tell, that monstrous Goblin was a pathetic limp man with a receding forehead, a balding hair, stuck on a wheelchair, short and angry, he was the fartherst thing from a man meant to lead a nation of Aryans and he knew it, that is why he clung to that adoration, whenever she praised him it was like his idol praising him, and whenever she was brought down it meant that he could be superior to a Hitler. But she could tell the difference, Goebbels needed to gather crowds, he had to organize with the propaganda ministry and choose the best locations with the best supporters to have the best reaction, all she needed to do to get cheers was to just go somewhere, because when someone said "Hitler is coming", everyone in Germany was cheering for her, for her father, and not for that mediocre man she was shackled with.

She hated Joseph Goebbels, she hated him like she never hated anything or anyone ever before, it was a hatred so buried in her heart that it took root in there. If he betrayed her, it would have hurt less, but how can you betray someone you never truly appreciated? All his acts, all his gifts, all his friendship and care over her childhood, over her teenage years, all of that led to that night in October in her birthday when she was married off to that untermensch, and the worst part is how she remembered how naive she was and how everything changed within just a few months of marriage. He killed her mother, she blinded herself to it but it was so obvious now, there were agents of the SiPo with her mother that Christmas, and the next morning she was mysteriously ill, then when Goebbels sent a doctor she just became worse and worse, she became so weak, so frail, she was bedridden and could not speak. She had begged for her to be brought to a hospital or for more doctors to come, but Doctor Zigler assured her that it was better for Eva to stay in her own bedroom to improve her mental state, he did not even tell the name of her illness. Zigler announced her death one day, then on the next there was already a pilot to take her to Goebbels, sent in by Goebbels, and she was so distraught that she did not make that connection until this cursed marriage.

Today was the 7th of Wessel of 1966, today there would be a visitor summoned by Joseph. She woke up early, trying to wake up early despite sleeping less and less over the last weeks, stressed over the idea that at any moment the war would come here to her home. Klara would ready herself and when she walked out of her room, he was already there, on the solar with that visitor. It was Otto Ernst Remer, the head of the Combined Armed forces, who was discussing something with Goebbels with a few papers scattered on the table, the wind blowing one of them away much to the annoyance of both men, and it was in this moment of annoyance that she came in, wearing a white dress and dressing her hair in a way she knew Goebbels liked, just so he would not scold her before the guest. "Ah, here is my Edelweiss", Goebbels said with that false polite compliment that she used to fall for, calling her "The flower of the alps", she was born in the Alps, she had an entire Estate in the alps under her name, not like it mattered much with Goebbels never ever letting her leave the island since December, oh wait, Eckart, she almost made the mistake of thinking of the old name for that month.

"Guten tag, my husband, Herr Remer", she said in the whole polite and womanly tone that she was taught to give in these moments, there was an awkward moment of silence as she stood there and Goebbels just went back to talking to Remer, that is until he reminded himself that she was still in there and just snapped his fingers and pointed to an empty chair, calling her up as if she was a dog. Whatever that was, it was something important, he used to call her when something important was brought up to him, and other times he just tossed over the papers for her to explain to him later before he approved or not. But this time she could tell what that was just from viewing, it was a Killed-in-Action notice with the name of Joachim Peiper, as well as a map of Israel with the current borders. "Peiper was a fool, he made his headquarters too exposed and now we are meant to pay for his foolishness. His name shall be wiped for this incompetence, we cannot have such fools in the halls of the Wehrmacht." He just callously said, neither Klara nor Remer voiced any objection, just weeks ago he had been right here and now they are just meant to act like his name did not exist, she used to feel pity for the families, but it has been such a common thing that she was just hollow, if she poured even a drop of her heart for each time Joseph said these words, she would have nothing left.

"Remer, I want the forces ready to be marching on London in 72 hours, order the Kriegsmarine to dispatch the first group of U-Boats to New York, Boston, Washington, Norfolk, Miami and Philadephia, do not fire until the Americans confirm the declaration, we shall give them a chance to stand down or they will perish with the Anglo-Saxons and Hebrews." She froze when she heard that phrase, looking down at the table, she did not blink and felt like she was having a heart attack. This was it, this really was happening, she thought it was just talk but it was happening, then when she looked at Remer's face... she saw nothing, no hesitation, no sense of disobedience or attempt to preserve himself, only betrayal, betrayal of their fatherland for sake of a madman about to bring it all down. "...don't you think so, Klara?", Goebbels' words were drowned out in her mind and she just heard the end of his monologue, turning her head slowly and feeling her head shaking. All while Goebbels just calmly ate his pieces of toasted bread and butter, all while he drank his tea, he was talking about the end of the world. Her hatred, for so long buried, surfaced like boiling water, and her steel blue eyes stared at him in fury, but she stayed quiet.

Joseph looked at her, he then gave a snarking smirk, as if he was mocking her anger even here and now, as if he was putting her down like a child here and now, she was a child, she used to be a child until that maniac took everything away from her, until that leecherous, rotten, goblin bastard took away her mother, took away her life, just to keep him around so he would feel like less of a rotten jewish bastard like he was. "She really has her father's eyes, don't you think?" Goebbels looked at Remer and proudly said so, and then, when he was reaching out to pat her cheek like he always did, she could not contain herself and her hatred exploded like a volcano. There were utensils on the table, that was meant to be their breakfast, but the only thing she wanted to carve was that madman's throat. She had no idea she could be so fast, but she grabbed the knife and plunged it right on his throat, the crippled old man croaked and looked with nothing but shock, shock that she would dare to strike him like that, that the girl she had groomed and prepared for years to be the perfect trophy wife would be the one to bring his death. His look of shock stayed in her mind forever, the rest was a blur in her mind, but by the time she stopped, she was on top of him, he was on the ground with so much blood pouring out of this throat and mouth that he died almost in an instant from the shock alone.

Her white dress was stained with the blood of Joseph Goebbels, she was now a widow at the young age of 18, all she could do was stop, she stopped with her hands soaked in blood and shaking out in fury. Nobody had stopped her, even Remer, a trained military man, was looking at her with surprise. All she could do was cry, not because she killed a man, but because she killed him too quickly, he was meant to have suffered more, he was meant to have suffered more, he was meant to have suffered more...

"AHHHHH!"

She let out a cry out of sheer fury to get that out of her system, his blood still on her face, on her hands, on her dress, on her very soul. She was there on her knees by the side of the most powerful man in the world, crying her heart out and feeling like this moment was too quick, that she was not able to end it properly, that if she could bring him back to kill him again, she would have done again and again. Klara Hitler, the only child of the first Führer, had just killed his supposed "successor", his "apostle". On the 6th year, of the 6th month, of the 6th day since his rise to power, she had ended it all just before he could finish trapping her in that nightmare. What was meant to happen now? She could never undo what he did, she could never break free of him in her thoughts, she felt like he was still there, about to open his eyes and twist her wrist while looking with those hateful eyes. In her rush, she looked at the weapon he had holstered on himself, it felt tempting to just end it all there, this miserable life manipulated all along by that bastard, and now that she was free she did not feel free, she felt like she was robbed of something which could never be given back.

Then, before she took the weapon, a hand held her shoulder, she looked up to see Remer standing, looking down at Goebbels and the mess that his body turned into. He extended his hand down and Klara, shaking, handed over the knife to him in an unspoken agreement. "The Führer is dead, Frau Hitler, he is dead", he said, as if those words just finished the whole affair in her mind. She stood up, using the table as a support for herself, looking down at her blood-soaked hand, it still felt hot. "And what now?", she said after what felt like an eternity, like if after this her mind had gone blank and she needed some sort of help to bring her down to earth again. Remer would get down, close Joseph's eyes, and then stood up, offering Klara a handkerchief, which she took, cleaning up her face from the sweat, from the tears, from the blood of that disgusting man, then Remer spoke again, as if he had awaited years to say this.

"Heil Speer."​