Deleted member 94680
That’s the key and where the Germans fucked up OTL. A decent medium would be far more useful than all the heavy/super-heavy/napkinwaffen idiocy the Reich cranked (or tried to crank) out.
Der Kampf: The Rise and Fall of the Austrian Führer
- Thread starter Tanner151
- Start date
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Eleven
Recovery and Awakening
May 1917
Vienna
Austro-Hungarian Empire
Recovery and Awakening
May 1917
Vienna
Austro-Hungarian Empire
The next three months were a blur to Hitler. After his wounds sustained on Hill 53, he had been patched up in a field hospital but the wounds were too severe for an Army-trained field medic. With the patronage of Major Olbrecht and Captain Melnik, he had secured transport to Vienna. It seemed Major Olbrehct was a minor nobleman whose family held some influence in the Empire’s capital and threw the Olbrecht name out to secure Hitler a berth on a medical train for wounded officers and sons of affluent bloodlines. Though the stench of nepotism filled the train, Hitler was at the moment thankful for it and his commanding officer’s kindness.
The journey from Eastern Galicia to Vienna was passed in a drug-induced sleep, as was the first two months of his stay in Reserve Hospital No. 11, one of Vienna’s better equipped hospitals with experienced personnel. It was that highly trained staff and modern equipment that saved Hitler’s life. His actions on Hill 53 won him some renown within the brigade but also secured him several wounds.
His shoulder was sore and tender from where the Russian bullet impacted. It had become infected and laid him low with a fever, but that was nothing compared to the shrapnel from the bunker that pierced into his back and side. He had nearly bled out on Hill 53 before the medics had been able to stem the bleeding and save his life.
The doctors warned him of the dangers of surgery, saying that removing several of the shrapnel pieces could injure him further but others argued that leaving them in his body could worsen as time went on, several being close to his spine and might potentially move later in life, threatening to sever arteries and nerves. They left the decision up to him, and after discussing with Angela, the least annoying of his sisters who had visited him several times and helped him create a will, he decided to proceed with the risky surgery.
It took a half-day to operate and when he awoke from the surgery a couple of days later he was informed that all of the shrapnel pieces had been safely removed and that he would make a full recovery. Though relieved, the following months of March and April were spent in agonizing pain, dulled by drugs but never fully gone.
News from the front reached him, as did news of the war overall. When he had heard of the revolution that was sweeping through Russia, the Tsar abdicating under the watchful eye of the Provisional Government, he had clamored loudly with joy, annoying many with his declaration that victory was right around the corner. Others pointed out the war was still to continue against the Russians but he had fervently uttered in his drug-addled state that ‘Russia’s rotten structure is soon to crumble and with it the war will end in victory for the Empire and our peoples.’
By mid-April the pain began to lessen as did the drugs given to him, clearing his head and making him less sleepy and more alert though the lessening of the daily dose of morphine gave him nightsweats, diarrhea, vomiting and pounding headaches. The doctors and nurses told him this was normal and that it would pass with time. It did, though a moderate craving for the drug persisted for several weeks but that too went away with time.
He spent the following weeks reading, discussing matters of various topics and importance with the other wounded soldiers near his cot. Some entertained him with talks that continued deep into the night while others complained, replaced by others less disagreeable with his views and rhetoric.
One man, named Peter, had an arm and a leg blown off, but the two became quick friends, exchanging ideas and political thoughts.
“I think the Kaiser should be a figurehead,” Hitler heard Peter say one late night, the other patients snoring asleep with the few on-duty nurses standing across the large hall, smoking a cigarette on the midnight shift. “Strip him of any real power, let a council of ministers rule with a strong executor at the nation’s helm. A chancellor not beholden to a monarch’s wishes.”
Hitler leaned in. “Treason, Peter? So early in the morning?” he chided, nibbling on the breakfast biscuits the nurse had dropped by for them. Hitler sipped the weak ersatz coffee, grimacing at its bitter taste and poor smell.
Peter snorted. “You know I’m right, Adolf. Besides, wouldn’t the Kaiser’s incompetence and bleeding dry of Austria’s male youth be considered treason.” Anger poisoned Peter’s words. “I am nothing but a cripple now, a cripple created by a failed leader in a failed war.”
Hitler said nothing though he winced and shrugged, this being a point of disagreement between he and his fellow soldier. Where Peter despised the war, Hitler embraced it. The war was a test, it was filtering out the weak blood of the German race, both in Austro-Hungary and Germany itself. Once the war ended in victory, then the German people could properly install an unquestioned hegemony over the continent. He may despise the Empire’s officers and its aristocracy, except Major Olbrecht and Captain Melnik and other brave and honorable men like them of course, but he truly believed that this war would be a solvent to Austria-Hungary's woes and that it would emerge stronger than before.
Peter disagreed, but Hitler knew history would judge the strong and detest the weak.
As April moved past the midway point, Hitler was surprised on his birthday when two officers, carrying four small boxes of polished wood with the Empire's seal on its cover, arrived at the hospital. They publicly thanked him for his service, loyalty and performance on Hill 53. One by one they opened the wooden cases, revealing medals within.
The Karl Troop Cross was the first, awarded for his service to the Fatherland. Next was the Wound Badge, something that was earned through his own blood and sweat. The Bravery Medal gave him a sense of accomplishment within his chest, a mark of honor and service dutifully given.
Yet it was the last one that impressed the wounded onlookers even more. The medal awarding officer announced clearly to all present in a loud commanding voice.
“For impeccable service to Kaiser and King, for Fatherland and Empire, I hereby bequeath to you the great honor of the Iron Cross of Merit to wear from this day henceforth as a badge to display your great service to our nation and its people.”
As the badge was laid beside him in its wooden box, pride burned within his chest.
But it turns out that was not all he was to be given that day.
“By the written recommendations of Major Franz Olbrecht and Captain Fedir Melnik, Adolf Hitler shall no longer hold the rank of corporal. As befitting his bravery, sacrifice and leadership during the taking of Hill 53, Adolf Hitler shall henceforth hold the rank of Feldwebel and all the responsibilities and authority it carries. By order of the Austrian Ministerium für Landesverteidigung and the approval of Kaiser and King, you are henceforth Sergeant Adolf Hitler of the Austrian Landwehr. Congratulations, Sergeant Hitler.”
The medals he had expected, the promotion he had not. A surge of supremacy, of validation, coursed through his veins. It was like he had mastered the war, been rewarded for it, and was something to be revered for it. The rapid and thunderous applause from the onlookers only furthered that belief. He beamed internally under their attention but outwardly he nodded solemnly, saluting the officers who returned the salute in turn before nodding and departing.
He only wished his mother was there to witness it. Oh how proud she would have been.
“To victory,” he said. “To me.”
+ + +
It was all so strange. All so… quiet. Vienna was a different city than he remembered from his time living there penniless and desiring to enter into the Academy of Fine Arts. The bustle and life of the city was still there, but muted, grayed out. Over two and a half years of war had sapped the energy from the brick and iron itself.
Hitler walked through the well-lit streets of Inner City Vienna, his uniform freshly cleaned and pressed, presenting a very sharp and intimidating look though he did not much care for its color. The pike grey, the color of the uniform he had worn for three years, had been steadily replaced by the German feldgrau over the last few months. He had seen it and railed against it, seeing it as yet another sign that Austrian pride and honor meant nothing to the overbearing Germans who viewed Austrians as nothing but ‘lesser Germans.’ It was a trivial change, he privately admitted, but it was another embarrassment his country was forced to swallow with quiet, resigned dignity.
Perfumed women walking by in their fancy clothes, glancing at him and giving polite nods but nothing more. The gentlemen with their top hats greeted him warmly but not affectionately, and even the beggars seemed earnest but so would a whore if it earned them a coin.
The four medals on his chest stood proudly from his breast pocket. He wore them proudly, though his walk had him move slower than before the taking of Hill 53. The wound to his side and back made movement for any length of time begin to pull on the stitches and irritate the scabbing flesh. He walked to a café in Rathausplatz. Though more expensive then he would normally frequent, he felt the inclination to eat a nice meal in the Empire’s beating heart of city governance.
After eating a satisfying meal of bread, cheese, sausage with a glass of water, Hitler sat there, enjoying the feel of the sun on his skin. He closed his eyes, basking in the sunlight.
For a brief moment, there was peace. But the sound of a car backfiring down the road startled him awake, his instincts almost throwing him to the ground. Halfway out of the chair he realized what the sound had truly been and shrugged sheepishly to the score or so onlookers who likely thought he had gone mad.
And that there was the difference between wolves and sheep. And he, Hitler privately mused, would never be one of the flock but rather a member of the pack. Ever the hunter, never the prey.
Paying the check, he left the café, feeling out of place once more amongst the powdered faces and unmarred clothing of the rich and powerful.
Walking down the road, he crossed the Ringstraße. As he walked through the city, purposefully not returning to the hospital as he wished to gain his strength by a walk, he passed by an old beer hall. It was an open format, barmaids shuffling steins brimming with beer alongside cheap black bread to the men dotted at the table.
A man stood atop of a table, to the annoyance of an onlooking barmaid, his boots standing in a puddle of spilled beer. His hair was closely cut, beard large and impressive, suit clean and formal, and his voice rang out over the crowd, many of middle-class bearing or wearing industrial worker garb.
“Men of Austria! It is time to see this war to its finish!” Many mumbled agreement. “To do so, the government must be strong, must be filled with men of good German blood who shall end this war with victory and honor.” More agreement, louder this time followed. “My German brothers, push your representatives in the Imperial Council to seek this war to a conclusion satisfactory to the Empire. And remember, brothers, that once the war is won, reforms…”
Intrigued, Hitler, sat on a bench at the back. A stein was placed in front of him. He waved to decline but the woman leaned in, “Courtesy of the speaker, a free beer for every attendee.”
He nodded, sipping the beer with minimum grimace.
For nearly an hour he listened to the man, hearing his ideals and ambitions. Though he disagreed with several aspects of the man’s rhetoric, largely his view on free market capitalism, he did agree with it more oft than not, particularly his harsh and unapologetic stance towards Jews and the desire to entrench German-dominance across Austro-Hungary by reorganizing the internal borders to better reflect ethnic lines in favor of Austrians and the adoption of German as the Imperial official language.
The man’s unspoken but clear hints of ‘eventual unification with our German cousins’ sat poorly with Hitler. He had not nearly died to defend an empire that would become nothing more than an outlying province of a more arrogant strain of German dominated by Prussian Junkers. Why should an empire older than its fellow be the junior?
In spite of private disagreement with that particular train of thought, Hitler greatly enjoyed the speech. By the end of it, the bearded man walked throughout the beer hall, shaking hands and patting backs, thanking them for their support and other sorts of small talk.
By the time the man walked up to Hitler’s table, most of the men had left, the allure of free bread and drink not strong enough to keep them there to thank the speaker once the steins were dry and the platters empty.
Yet he remained and as the man walked up, Hitler saw the man smile brightly.
“Ah, a soldier, at last a man who is both brave enough to fight in battle and listen patiently to a politician.”
Despite himself, Hitler chuckled and shook the man’s extended hand.
“Sergeant Adolf Hitler,” he said, almost saying ‘corporal’ instead of the new unfamiliar rank. It would take time for it to be wholly natural to announce himself as such.
“Very pleased to meet you. My name is Gustav Gross.”
Hitler felt he should have known the name but couldn’t place it. “I’m sorry, sir, I do not know who you are.”
“It is quite all right, good soldier, quite all right indeed! I am a humble civil servant in our government, holding the mere rank of President of the House Deputies as well as Chairman of the Deutscher Nationalverband.” Gross’ eyes twinkled with mirth.
Hitler practically came to attention.
“No need for formality here, sergeant. I hold no military rank nor am I the Kaiser. At ease.”
Hitler did so.
“Come, sergeant, walk with me on my way back to Parliament.”
Hitler did so and the two spoke in great detail as they walked through Vienna. They talked much about Austria, its greatness and its potential, the importance of German Austrians maintaining supremacy within the Empire, of the threat of Jews and Communists, and of far more.
Hitler had asked why the chairman of an association of almost a dozen national liberal parties would be speaking at a second-rate beer hall in Vienna.
“Votes, Feldwebel Hitler, votes. The Deutscher Nationalverband is a broad coalition. Three years ago we held the most seats in the Imperial Council but that numerical advantage has faded as the war continued. It has proven to be an unpopular war of late, wouldn’t you agree.”
“It does not matter if it is popular or unpopular, it is a war in which we must win for the survival of our race and empire.”
Gross glanced at him approvingly as they reached the steps of Parliament.
“It was good to meet you, Sergeant Hitler.”
“The pleasure was all mine, Herr Gross.”
“I trust you will stay in contact? Letters from the front detailing the common soldiery’s struggles and victories will steel the will of my fellow Deputies as we prosecute our half of the war.”
“Of course, Herr Gross.”
“Please, call me Gustav.”
“Very well,” Hitler responded, shaking the man’s hand in farewell, “call me Adi.”
+ + +
"Gustav Gross changed my life.
Never before had politics or ideology interested me much more beyond broad concepts. I was a soldier in a war, politics did not beckon my attention until after during the chaos that followed.
Yet it was Gustav who ignited the fire in me about ideology and thinking of more than just myself or my fellow squadmate but rather of the nation as a whole. He stressed to me that we must persevere if it was to progress and unify the German race.
At the time I believed National Liberalism to be the ideology of the Twentieth Century, the new wave that would sweep through Europe and cleanse it of its monarchical past, sweep the nascent ineffective democracies away, and shield it from the dangers of Communism.
I was wrong, my youth and inexperience gaining the best of me. Though I will give credit to where credit is due. I would be baptized by fire in politics by National Liberalism and Gustav would be my mentor and teacher, he the Aristotle to my Alexander, and for our time his view was my view and together we created the National Liberal Front to rebuild the country from the ashes of treachery and defeat.
And though I was unceremoniously discarded from said political party over a decade ago, I do not lay this fault at the feet of Gustav for he was my friend who was forced to bow to pressure from others. Yet that banishment from National Liberalism, that unsound fear from that movement of half-measures and lukewarm ideals whose popularity I had engineered laid the foundations of Social Nationalism.
History is created by the strong and guided by the wise. I would be neither without Gustav Gross and without him there would be no Austrian State. For those who were there who watched my forced exile from National Liberalism or even took part in my removal, remember that Austria’s ruling party is not the National Liberal Front but in fact it is the Austrian Social Nationalist People’s Party. It is this Party that I have built that rules our great nation on the path of its rebirth.
Österreich erwache! Heil Gross und heil Österreich!"
-Adolf Hitler, Führer of the Austrian State, excerpt from a speech given at the funeral of Gustav Gross, February 23rd, 1935
With Schönerer's influence and Gustav's leadership in conjunction with my oratory skills and Wolves, I have no doubt that the Nationaliberale Front will soon spread across Austria in ever growing numbers. A National Revolution will soon follow and the world will be reminded once more of our nation's greatness.
-excerpt from a letter by Adolf Hitler, Propaganda Chief of the National Liberal Front, to a friend in Germany, 1920
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Hey, everyone, I hope you enjoy this chapter.
I rewrote the scene with Gross a couple of times as I wasn't happy with it but now I think it is tolerable and overall I'm happy with the end result. So National Liberalism before Social Nationalism. I'm laying some seeds of what is to come in the 1920s. I know Hitler going from a Corporal to a mid-tier Sergeant might be a bit of a stretch but his actions were a propagandists' dream so he was rewarded and having two officers lend their name to the recommendation helps as well. Doesn't hurt that most NCOs in his regiment are dead. Hitler will end the war as an NCO, but will be a bit higher than Feldwebel. These promotions, the medals, and him fighting in the Landwehr is cementing Hitler's Austro-centric views, and though he is Pan-German he is Pan-German with Austrian Germans leading the way. More to follow on that in subsequent chapters.
On another note, my wife and I tested positive for COVID-19 today. We both work in public education in Texas so the exposure risk was high and, well, we got it after nearly 10 weeks of school in which we have students online and in person. It is unfortunate but we have a great support system in terms of family and friends who have already dropped off some groceries and medicines. I am still having to teach, now from home, during my quarantine so I won't have much extra time but I'm hoping to get a lot of rest. I'm doing fine, just some congestion and a lot of fatigue but my wife has it a bit worse.
So no ETA on the next update, which is likely going to be over Petrovnik or Kuhr, possibly both. The Hitler chapters are usually longer since he is the central character at this time.
Take care and stay safe and healthy, everyone.
I rewrote the scene with Gross a couple of times as I wasn't happy with it but now I think it is tolerable and overall I'm happy with the end result. So National Liberalism before Social Nationalism. I'm laying some seeds of what is to come in the 1920s. I know Hitler going from a Corporal to a mid-tier Sergeant might be a bit of a stretch but his actions were a propagandists' dream so he was rewarded and having two officers lend their name to the recommendation helps as well. Doesn't hurt that most NCOs in his regiment are dead. Hitler will end the war as an NCO, but will be a bit higher than Feldwebel. These promotions, the medals, and him fighting in the Landwehr is cementing Hitler's Austro-centric views, and though he is Pan-German he is Pan-German with Austrian Germans leading the way. More to follow on that in subsequent chapters.
On another note, my wife and I tested positive for COVID-19 today. We both work in public education in Texas so the exposure risk was high and, well, we got it after nearly 10 weeks of school in which we have students online and in person. It is unfortunate but we have a great support system in terms of family and friends who have already dropped off some groceries and medicines. I am still having to teach, now from home, during my quarantine so I won't have much extra time but I'm hoping to get a lot of rest. I'm doing fine, just some congestion and a lot of fatigue but my wife has it a bit worse.
So no ETA on the next update, which is likely going to be over Petrovnik or Kuhr, possibly both. The Hitler chapters are usually longer since he is the central character at this time.
Take care and stay safe and healthy, everyone.
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I actually quite like this - no-one is born a monster, after all.
So, basically, the French screwed up badly with how they saw Hitler's Austria as a counterweight to the Neo-Kaiserreich?
@Tanner151 Get well soon, and thanks for another great chapter.
This Hitler is turning out to be someone I kinda admire so far. He wants to do well by his country, and most of the people in it without subjugating it to the Germans next door. Be very, very interesting where this goes.
Wonder if Gross dies of natural causes in 1935?
This Hitler is turning out to be someone I kinda admire so far. He wants to do well by his country, and most of the people in it without subjugating it to the Germans next door. Be very, very interesting where this goes.
Wonder if Gross dies of natural causes in 1935?
Deleted member 94680
It’s OTL for Groß to die in ‘35, so I imagine it’s natural.
BlackDragon98
Banned
And that decent medium could then have it's chassis adapted into all sort of other vehicles like TDs, SPGs, SPAAs, etc.
And because they have the same chassis, they can keep pace with the main army.
Not to mention the commonality of parts and ease of production.
My ideal German WW2 decent medium is a modified version of the OTL Panzer III/IV.
Using that platform one could build Nashorns, StuGs, Hummels, and Flakpanzers.
Thank you! I’ve gotten a bit better except for fatigue but my wife has gotten worse. Nothing too serious I hope, but we’re monitoring the situation. Trying to drink lots of fluids.
This comment makes me feel like I’m doing a good job haha. I’ve never liked how people paint Hitler as some cartoon villain. He was a monster beyond doubt and nearly beyond compare but he was also a human being with dreams, hopes and ambitions which in my opinion not only makes him grounded but also more terrifying.
Exactly!
Pretty much. The French will do everything in their power to undermine the Germans, even if it means laying a shaky foundation that will cause WW2. From their POV it makes sense. Germany is far more of a threat and has the population and industry to back it up.
When Hitler comes to power in the 1930s Austria is neither so they think boosting Austria a bit will balance out Germany’s potential aggression.
Hitler’s Austria is not nearly as Francophobic as Nazi Germany. Austria is more anti-Russian and to a degree anti-Italian.
Thank you so much! Both for the consistent comments and feedback and the kind wishes. One of my wife’s former coworkers told her that Covid wasn’t real and that it was just the flu. She’s one of those people.
Gross does die of natural causes as per OTL.
The path to damnation is paved with good intentions.
Correct
The Panzer IV/Panther are my favorites. But there will be more standardization and streamlining in Sozinat Austria than in Nazi Germany.
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Hey everyone, just a heads up that the wife and I beat Covid and that we’re doing good. Thank y’all for the kind words.
As for Der Kampf, I am working on Fyodor’s part of the chapter, then will do Jakob Kuhr, and possibly another character or two. These will be small segments bundled together to show you how the rest of the world is doing so far, from Provisional Government-ruled Russia, to the Italian Front and more.
Fyodor’s segment I’m researching for as it will be during a major historical event that takes place St. Petersburg. Hope to have out in a week a half or sooner.
As for Der Kampf, I am working on Fyodor’s part of the chapter, then will do Jakob Kuhr, and possibly another character or two. These will be small segments bundled together to show you how the rest of the world is doing so far, from Provisional Government-ruled Russia, to the Italian Front and more.
Fyodor’s segment I’m researching for as it will be during a major historical event that takes place St. Petersburg. Hope to have out in a week a half or sooner.
Are you sure you are past when a relapse could happen? You might want to take it easy a bit longer if not.
Deleted member 94680
Congratulation, good to hear.
Absolutely no rush, whenever you're ready. RL always comes first.
I was just thinking of the possible Ideology of Hitler in this Alternate History when I got an Idea. Perhaps he (and his propaganda ministers) could weave the tale of the Three Brothers (a Slavic origin tale) against Russia. According to a Czech version of the tale Czech and Lech (polish people) left their original homelands, one reason is because of a hunting trip and another is because Czech was accused of murder. Czech would move to Czechoslovakia and Lech would move to Poland and Rus would go to Russia.
Perhaps Hitler could spin this in two ways. 1. Rus has driven his brothers away and now seeks to completely assimilate them (perhaps using the attempted russification of Poland as evidence of Rus's aggression) or 2. Rus has fallen from grace due to communism and that it is up to Czech with his new friends (Austria, Hungary and whomever else joins) to save him.
If Hitler is going for a more multicultural empire perhaps instead of the whole Aryan race thing perhaps he goes for some kind of right of strength. This idea would be that only those peoples who are strong are the best. The Hungarians conquered Hungary and have held it against all comers. The Czechs have been instrumental in the Austro-Hungarian empire and they maintained their culture in the face of Germanization. if you want to include Poland as an ally, well there is a ton of polish history to look at and if the polish Soviet war goes the same ittl then it is another reason why Poland could be seen as an ally. Ther germans would be elevated to the top in this ideology under the idea that it was the Germans who resisted the might of Rome and have continued to be conquerors, so now as the senior member, they will be the ones to lead these nations against their enemies. Serbia would be seen as a cowardly nation that hid behind Russia when they ordered the Assassination of Franz Ferdinand. and Hitler would place all of the blame of WW1 in Serbia. Romania would be seen as a backstabber that only joined when it looked like they could win and Italy would be seen as a traitor to Austria and Germany.
What do you think?
Perhaps Hitler could spin this in two ways. 1. Rus has driven his brothers away and now seeks to completely assimilate them (perhaps using the attempted russification of Poland as evidence of Rus's aggression) or 2. Rus has fallen from grace due to communism and that it is up to Czech with his new friends (Austria, Hungary and whomever else joins) to save him.
If Hitler is going for a more multicultural empire perhaps instead of the whole Aryan race thing perhaps he goes for some kind of right of strength. This idea would be that only those peoples who are strong are the best. The Hungarians conquered Hungary and have held it against all comers. The Czechs have been instrumental in the Austro-Hungarian empire and they maintained their culture in the face of Germanization. if you want to include Poland as an ally, well there is a ton of polish history to look at and if the polish Soviet war goes the same ittl then it is another reason why Poland could be seen as an ally. Ther germans would be elevated to the top in this ideology under the idea that it was the Germans who resisted the might of Rome and have continued to be conquerors, so now as the senior member, they will be the ones to lead these nations against their enemies. Serbia would be seen as a cowardly nation that hid behind Russia when they ordered the Assassination of Franz Ferdinand. and Hitler would place all of the blame of WW1 in Serbia. Romania would be seen as a backstabber that only joined when it looked like they could win and Italy would be seen as a traitor to Austria and Germany.
What do you think?