The problem with hitting the UK is that they would hit back hard, really hard. Anthrax is something they have in their arsenal and IIRC intended to use if they got hit with chemical weapons.
How Silent Fall the Cherry Blossoms
- Thread starter Geon
- Start date
- Status
The problem with hitting the UK is that they would hit back hard, really hard. Anthrax is something they have in their arsenal and IIRC intended to use if they got hit with chemical weapons.
Hitler, and Nazi Germany as a whole, isn't exactly acting rationally right now.
Even in Hitler's most deranged state, the German military never carried out a chemical attack on anyone (notice I didn't saying about Hitler ordering one...). I suspect if Ol' Adolf tried to do that his order will not get through. Also, I think he was so traumatized by his WWI experience to be open to the idea of a first-use WRT chemical weapons.
Marc A
Archibald
Banned
I think the Me-264 prototype had already been blown into pieces by an allied air raid at the time.
To the TL author: I suppose you know about the Fu-Go - Japan stratospheric balloons loaded with small incendiary bombs and riding the jet stream in the direction of the United States ?
Interestingly enough, the Fu-Go campain started in November 1944.
(the ballon attacks ultimately ceased when B-29s wrecked the hydrogen production plant - not deliberately, since the ballon attacks were not well understood)
To the TL author: I suppose you know about the Fu-Go - Japan stratospheric balloons loaded with small incendiary bombs and riding the jet stream in the direction of the United States ?
Interestingly enough, the Fu-Go campain started in November 1944.
Now if all those balloons are loaded with plague...
(the ballon attacks ultimately ceased when B-29s wrecked the hydrogen production plant - not deliberately, since the ballon attacks were not well understood)
One of the prototypes (which had entered service) was damaged by an air raid in July 1944 and not repaired, I don't know if it could have been if necessary (although the program had been cancelled by Nov 1944). The other two prototypes are listed as destroyed by air raids in 1943 and early 1944.
Where was said anthrax stored? Would the Germans have been able to hit it with a bomber raid?
Derek Pullem
Donor
Porton Down.
Why would they want to?
The propaganda value of a German attack releasing poison gas and anthrax (although how effective this would be is debatable) would be huge and German denials that it was "their" gas and bioweapons would be disregarded
Garrison
Donor
Not wildly effective but if the caused a small outbreak in an area thought safe it could amplify the panic and confusion.
The authorities seem to be doing the best they can but I suspect when word of the St Louis outbreak emerges you are going to see a lot of people trying to get out of the cities.
altamiro
Banned
The attack would have to be very heavy on incendiaries to destroy rather than release the bioweapons - not sure how WW2 incendiaries would have dealt with that. I know for fact that there are explosive additives now (don't ask) that release a massive amount of fluorine radicals and other extremely short lived, extremely aggressive chemical species - so that, if such a charge explodes in a room, ANYTHING small within the room including pretty much any microbial and viral material will be dead within few seconds (and anything larger than a rodent may still be alive but will die soon due to massive lung oedema). However, nothing remotely similar was available back then, and fire alone is a hit or miss.
Geon
Donor
Meet me in St. Louis
And now turning to St. Louis...
Date: November 9, 1944
Location: St. Louis (St. Louis University Hospital)
Time: 9:15 p.m. [CDT]
William “Bill” Pulaski would not be returning to his job as he had planned on the 13th. He had come to St. Louis to attend to his dying grandmother, now his family would be mourning not one but two deaths. His grandmother would pass on the 10th, but Bill Pulaski had just passed away now on the 9th here at St. Louis University Hospital.
The family doctor had visited the morning of the 8th to find Bill in extremely serious condition and had ordered an ambulance to bring him to SLUH. But, the illness was too advanced and despite efforts to control Bill’s symptoms he finally died of symptoms of pneumonia at 5:10 p.m.
In addition to Bill his father had been admitted approximately the same time. The doctor had seen similarities in symptoms and was concerned. His dad was not expected to live through the night either.
It did not take long for the death of the younger Pulaski to trigger alarm bells among the doctors at the hospital. A memorandum had arrived just yesterday by teletype warning of a possible outbreak of bubonic and pneumonic plague caused by travelers from the Los Angeles area. Hospital administrators immediately alerted public health authorities. A public health official would be sent first thing in the morning to the Pulaski home to check the other family members there for signs of the illness. The family doctor would be contacted and asked to come in immediately and not see anymore patients until it was certain he had not been infected. Bill Pulaski had died of the pneumonic plague which was far more virulent then its bubonic twin. A simple cough was all that was needed to spread the illness.
Word was sent by teletype back to Washington. The plague had come to St. Louis.
And now turning to St. Louis...
Date: November 9, 1944
Location: St. Louis (St. Louis University Hospital)
Time: 9:15 p.m. [CDT]
William “Bill” Pulaski would not be returning to his job as he had planned on the 13th. He had come to St. Louis to attend to his dying grandmother, now his family would be mourning not one but two deaths. His grandmother would pass on the 10th, but Bill Pulaski had just passed away now on the 9th here at St. Louis University Hospital.
The family doctor had visited the morning of the 8th to find Bill in extremely serious condition and had ordered an ambulance to bring him to SLUH. But, the illness was too advanced and despite efforts to control Bill’s symptoms he finally died of symptoms of pneumonia at 5:10 p.m.
In addition to Bill his father had been admitted approximately the same time. The doctor had seen similarities in symptoms and was concerned. His dad was not expected to live through the night either.
It did not take long for the death of the younger Pulaski to trigger alarm bells among the doctors at the hospital. A memorandum had arrived just yesterday by teletype warning of a possible outbreak of bubonic and pneumonic plague caused by travelers from the Los Angeles area. Hospital administrators immediately alerted public health authorities. A public health official would be sent first thing in the morning to the Pulaski home to check the other family members there for signs of the illness. The family doctor would be contacted and asked to come in immediately and not see anymore patients until it was certain he had not been infected. Bill Pulaski had died of the pneumonic plague which was far more virulent then its bubonic twin. A simple cough was all that was needed to spread the illness.
Word was sent by teletype back to Washington. The plague had come to St. Louis.
Last edited:
At jetstream altitudes, your plague fleas will die of cold and/or lack of oxygen and/or low air pressure. I suppose you could make a airtight container with a heater...
altamiro
Banned
To add, releasing plague fleas into a forest or desert which 99% of the balloons will do is not going to achieve anything
Geon
Donor
Meanwhile Back at the White House!
Date: November 9, 1944
Location: Washington, D.C. (The White House)
Time: 11:00 p.m. [EDT]
Although it was late several men had arrived at the White House to discuss the developing crises in Los Angeles and now in St. Louis. Besides President Roosevelt the group included General George Marshall, Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes, Surgeon General Thomas J. Parran, Jr., and J. Edgar Hoover, Director of the FBI.
The meeting began with Surgeon General Parran outlining the situation in Los Angeles and the outbreak in St. Louis. The first and most obvious question was whether this was just a coincidence or related to the Los Angeles outbreak. Parran indicated that the chances were highly in favor of this being related. The first case lived and worked in Los Angeles and had come home to visit his grandmother. Further he also lived within two blocks of the actual impact site and was air raid warden. The chances of this not being related to what was happening in Los Angeles were astronomical.
Now that the disease was spreading it was necessary that a task force be formed to deal with the outbreak in St. Louis. At the moment, the number of casualties there was small but as shown in Los Angeles that could change very quickly. Another army medical unit would be put on standby to move to St. Louis if it was needed.
The next question was, should the American people be told? There was a heated debate lasting a half hour on this. However, at the conclusion President Roosevelt decided that not telling people and letting rumors run rampant would create many more problems. President Roosevelt would go on national radio tomorrow night to tell the American public how they could defend themselves and how they could best help in this crisis.
The meeting ended at midnight. The hope was that the St. Louis outbreak would be the only one outside of Los Angeles. The fear was that things were only beginning.
Date: November 9, 1944
Location: Washington, D.C. (The White House)
Time: 11:00 p.m. [EDT]
Although it was late several men had arrived at the White House to discuss the developing crises in Los Angeles and now in St. Louis. Besides President Roosevelt the group included General George Marshall, Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes, Surgeon General Thomas J. Parran, Jr., and J. Edgar Hoover, Director of the FBI.
The meeting began with Surgeon General Parran outlining the situation in Los Angeles and the outbreak in St. Louis. The first and most obvious question was whether this was just a coincidence or related to the Los Angeles outbreak. Parran indicated that the chances were highly in favor of this being related. The first case lived and worked in Los Angeles and had come home to visit his grandmother. Further he also lived within two blocks of the actual impact site and was air raid warden. The chances of this not being related to what was happening in Los Angeles were astronomical.
Now that the disease was spreading it was necessary that a task force be formed to deal with the outbreak in St. Louis. At the moment, the number of casualties there was small but as shown in Los Angeles that could change very quickly. Another army medical unit would be put on standby to move to St. Louis if it was needed.
The next question was, should the American people be told? There was a heated debate lasting a half hour on this. However, at the conclusion President Roosevelt decided that not telling people and letting rumors run rampant would create many more problems. President Roosevelt would go on national radio tomorrow night to tell the American public how they could defend themselves and how they could best help in this crisis.
The meeting ended at midnight. The hope was that the St. Louis outbreak would be the only one outside of Los Angeles. The fear was that things were only beginning.
Geon
Donor
The Shape of Things to Come
Some of you have asked where I intend to take this TL/story and how far. I will say the following without giving anything away. First, for the moment I will be documenting the actual attack and its aftermath, that will be on a day to day basis for quite a bit, however I will be jumping ahead afterward to document the results and the outcome on the war. Post war I do not know how far ahead I will be going. As I write more I may get a clearer picture of how much further I want to go in the future. Meanwhile I hope you all continue to enjoy. Thanks for your comments!
Geon
Some of you have asked where I intend to take this TL/story and how far. I will say the following without giving anything away. First, for the moment I will be documenting the actual attack and its aftermath, that will be on a day to day basis for quite a bit, however I will be jumping ahead afterward to document the results and the outcome on the war. Post war I do not know how far ahead I will be going. As I write more I may get a clearer picture of how much further I want to go in the future. Meanwhile I hope you all continue to enjoy. Thanks for your comments!
Geon
- Status