How Silent Fall the Cherry Blossoms

[Geon]

Skorzeny seems to have clued up on Enigma being unsafe? Why couldn't he relay this to Hitler and the top brass?

Aratachor

Skorzeny has his suspicions, nothing he can put his finger on. He prefers not to share his suspicions with the Nazi hierarchy without further proof. Meantime he is acting to give the West as little information as possible.

Geon

 

[Garrison]

Skorzeny seems to have clued up on Enigma being unsafe? Why couldn't he relay this to Hitler and the top brass?

Well they minimized signal traffic during the preparations for the Battle of the Bulge so this pretty much fits in with what was already being done.

 

[Geon]

New Update

Here is a small update. Again, hope you enjoy it.
------------------------------------------------

Date: November 17, 1944
Location: Los Angeles
Time: 9:00 a.m. [PST]

The night had brought another 81 cases. The good news was that slowly but surely the number of new cases was starting to go down. The bad news was that the number of sick and dead kept rising.

The LACG spent two hours this morning in heated discussion. The number of infected was now past 2,000. The recent outbreaks in San Francisco and San Bernardino had clearly come from refugees leaving Los Angeles for elsewhere. While the number being infected each day was starting to slowly decline it might be months before the numbers of new cases dropped completely to zero. In the meantime there was the concern for troops embarking for the Pacific in the port of Los Angeles.

So far, there were no reports of any troops recently embarked to the Pacific Theater contracting the disease. But, the LACG medical specialists warned that this run of good luck wouldn’t last. All it would take was one or two soldiers sick with pneumonic plague or one stray rat with fleas stowing away aboard one of the troop ships and you would have probably at least a dozen or more infected individuals by the time the ship reached its destination. The LACG decided that the situation in Los Angeles was still too dangerous to continue allowing troops to embark at the port there.

A recommendation was therefore made and approved that from now on there would be no further embarkation of troops for the Pacific Theater from the Port of Los Angeles until the disease ran its course. Further, any troops presently in Los Angeles currently aiding in police and medical functions would not be sent to the Pacific either.

Date: November 17, 1944
Location: Washington, D.C. (OCD and the White House, and the Capitol)
Time: 9:00 a.m. [EST]

At the OCD the taskforce NATJAB surveyed the map and score sheet after another long night. The news today was mixed again. There were no new outbreaks but many of the old outbreaks still had more cases and more deaths. New York and St. Louis had been quiet over the course of the night with no new reports of unrest. For now it was decided the troops would remain in those cities to help maintain order until the number of cases stopped rising.

Everyone hoped that the situation might finally be stabilizing. Events unfolding soon in both St. Louis and out west would soon smash those hopes

Cities/ Number of Casualties/ Deaths/ Special
Los Angeles/ 2,119/ 201
St. Louis/ 50/ 33
New York/ 55/ 26
Seattle/ 13/ 7
Portland/ 8/ 6
Youngstown/ 9/ 6
San Bernadino / 3/ 1
San Francisco/ 6/ 3
Chicago/ 2/ 1 contained
Oakland 2/ 1 contained
Atlanta / 1/ 1 contained
Total Infected: 2,268 Total Deaths: 286

----------​

At the White House President Roosevelt was meeting with Major General Eugene Reybold for a briefing on a project known to only a handful of those in Washington. The President had asked Reybold to come to Washington to discuss the project and see if the timetable for its completion could be speeded up.

Reybold had already talked with the scientific head of the project, Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer about speeding up progress. Dr. Oppenheimer had very frankly told the Major General that the project could not go any faster then it already was, not without major mistakes being made. Oppenheimer had held firm and so Major General Reybold was forced to report to FDR that the item in question would not be ready for testing before mid-summer of this year.

----------​

Still elsewhere in Washington in one of the smoking rooms at the Capitol a number of congressmen from Missouri and New York were meeting to discuss the recent developments in St. Louis and New York City. Many of them had already talked with the governors of their respective states. Neither was happy that his authority had been circumvented by the President. There was equal unhappiness in the Congress that the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 had also been violated. Some of those present wanted to bring this violation before the whole House and order an investigation. However, cooler heads finally prevailed. It was decided after an hour of discussion that now in the midst of a crisis was not the time to be doing something that might plainly be seen as “playing politics,” with a crisis. Rather, they would let the present matter play out and then begin to raise questions later at the inevitable committee hearings and investigations that would follow. For now, the President’s actions would not be challenged.

 

[Artatochor]

It'd be absolutely chaotic if some of the troops going to the Pacific got infected.

 

[Garrison]

It'd be absolutely chaotic if some of the troops going to the Pacific got infected.

It would be pretty bad in Britain and France as well; the panic would probably be worse than the actual outbreak. I suspect Operatino Vegetarian is being warmed up just in case.

BTW one point on the German reluctance to use chemical weapons. Throughout the war they assumed that the Allies had nerve agents equivalent to their own; they never grasped how far ahead in chemical warfare they were. That helped bolster Hitler's innate reluctance. In the current circumstances they've simply decided all bets are off.

 

[Andy_H]

I have a feeling that more than two atomic weapons will be used on Japanese soil.

 

[stevep]

I have a feeling that more than two atomic weapons will be used on Japanese soil.

Andy_H

That would depend on whether Japan lasts as long as August 45. Given what is probably coming that could be unlikely I suspect. Which could also have some pretty dramatic impacts on post-war politics.

Steve

 

[Andy_H]

Depends on whether American opinion is so high that the Government will accept surrender before sufficiant vengance is carried out.
Once the Balloon attacks reach fruition this may turn out to be the result.
Also if their is any possibility of fast forwarding atom bomb production, coupled with a slower advance in the western front v Germany, may we see an atomic strike versus Hamburg or Nurinburg?

 

[NHBL]

Atomic Dust?

Is there a chance of trying to deploy some sort of "Atomic Dust," Heinlien style? A dirty bomb of sorts? When the second wave hits, it's going to get UGLY!!!

As for the German plan, I'd expect Skorzeney to pull off the hujacking, at least--he was GOOD at what he did. That doesn't mean he'll pull of everything...

He needs to dig through the trusted people he has to find anyone that can at least sound and act like a merchant captain, and a merchant signalman...

 

[jlckansas]

Still elsewhere in Washington in one of the smoking rooms at the Capitol a number of congressmen from Missouri and New York were meeting to discuss the recent developments in St. Louis and New York City. Many of them had already talked with the governors of their respective states. Neither was happy that his authority had been circumvented by the President. There was equal unhappiness in the Congress that the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 had also been violated. Some of those present wanted to bring this violation before the whole House and order an investigation. However, cooler heads finally prevailed. It was decided after an hour of discussion that now in the midst of a crisis was not the time to be doing something that might plainly be seen as “playing politics,” with a crisis. Rather, they would let the present matter play out and then begin to raise questions later at the inevitable committee hearings and investigations that would follow. For now, the President’s actions would not be challenged.

This is covered by the Insurrection Act that allows the Federal government to step in in.
Here is a wiki article on it. Look at the side of the flowchart that list the act before it was amended after 9/11.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insurrection_Act

This is the out for the Posse Comatitus act.

 

[tallthinkev]

How is this news going down in Britain? By this time there would have been 50,000+ civilian deaths, I don't think they would care very much. More like now they know what's it's like and there fussing over a few 100, so what.

 

[Garrison]

How is this news going down in Britain? By this time there would have been 50,000+ civilian deaths, I don't think they would care very much. More like now they know what's it's like and there fussing over a few 100, so what.

It's not about the numbers its the cause; that the enemy is using biological weapons is going to cause a lot of anxiety, which will be redoubled when Skorzeny pulls off his stunt.

 

[tallthinkev]

It's not about the numbers its the cause; that the enemy is using biological weapons is going to cause a lot of anxiety, which will be redoubled when Skorzeny pulls off his stunt.

Not quite so sure about that. Britain was already having V-2's dropping on them, another unseen death. Everyone in Britain had gas masks, was it the same in the US.

 

[stevep]

Not quite so sure about that. Britain was already having V-2's dropping on them, another unseen death. Everyone in Britain had gas masks, was it the same in the US.

tallthinkev

I don't think the US has gas masks, if only simply because they wouldn't have expected a need. Think it was only Britain that delivered gas masks to its entire population because of fears of a possible attack.

I agree its partly the nature of the attack but also simply that the US isn't used to being attacked on its home ground. Especially in a war they are clearly winning and where the opponents seem to be on their last legs.

Steve

 

[The Oncoming Storm]

Just caught up with this excellent TL, just like with Anglo-American Nazi War there's a real sense of foreboding, seems like the German language may also be about to join its Japanese counterpart in having a much more limited post war distribution.

 

[Dathi THorfinnsson]

A quick perusal of wiki suggests that swedish shipping was aggressively checked by both the germans and the brits.

Did the swedes have any perceptible commerce with the US at this point in the war?

 

[Geon]

St. Louis and the Mercy Train

Here is a weekend update.

I have tried again to be sensitive here without being overly politically correct. Also, if you don't think the ballad at the end of this piece adds anything I can always delete it.

Geon

----------

Date: November 17, 1944
Location: St. Louis
Time: 8:00 p.m. [CST]

St. Louis had settled into an uneasy night. The dusk-to-dawn curfew was now in effect and the streets were quiet. But in certain sections of the city things were anything but quiet. On North Grand Avenue a meeting was being held in the front of a house. The meeting had no real leader but the purpose was one all the participants shared, getting help for their families.

The sickness that had come to St. Louis was now on North Grand Avenue in force. Several families now had the disease in their homes. Several families were so sick that the chief breadwinner was staying home from work to care for their children and spouses who were now laid up in bed.

The problem was that the people here could not get to a decent hospital to get help. In most cases because of the color of their skin they were turned away at the door and told to seek help elsewhere. Seeking help elsewhere usually meant going home and dying there. The local “clinic,” was ill equipped to deal with so many ill people. And to those gathered on the porch of this house that night it was clear that they needed to take matters into their own hands.

After an hour of discussion a plan was reached of sorts. Creating makeshift litters, carrying loved ones in their arms and putting them in the backseats of those few cars some were lucky enough to have the crowd formed into a caravan and set off for the nearest hospital. Later they and the news media would dub this collection of walkers and riders-The Mercy Train.

The caravan eventually reached one of the hospitals which was known to be racially exclusive. Outside, troops with rifles and police, who had heard that the marchers were coming awaited. One of the police with a bullhorn warned the marchers to turn back, that they would find no help here. Out of the crowd came an elderly gentleman named Daryl Augustus Cleaver* stepped forward. One of the crowd who was interviewed years later would say the following of that moment and of Daryl.

“Daryl was a quiet gentle man. He always looked out for his neighbors and had worked hard for what little he had all his life. He loved to sit on his porch and just talk with anyone who happened to pass by. When he stepped out to talk to that policeman I can tell you everyone in that crowd knew Daryl and everyone was praying for him. We were all scared that any moment the police or the troops would open fire. But Daryl just kept walking toward the front of that hospital.”
From an interview with one of Daryl’s neighbors following his death in 1950.

Daryl Cleaver reached the foot of the steps where the police and the Army troops had positioned themselves and said simply. “We got sick people here who need help. I don’t know what church you go to son,” he said addressing the policeman in front of him, “but in the church I go to we’re told to help one another. Are you going to turn us away because of this?” At this point Daryl pointed to his arm indicating the color of his skin. “We got people that won’t last the night if they don’t get some help soon. Please don’t turn us away and let this be on your conscience.”

For several tense moments no one spoke. By this time a lieutenant in charge of the soldiers at the hospital had come out as had one of the chief doctors. The lieutenant and the doctor talked briefly and then the lieutenant simply said, “Let them through.” The police weren’t sure they had heard correctly. An argument broke out and the lieutenant repeated what he had said in a much louder voice, “Let them through!”

Slowly, the police began to stand aside and “the mercy train,” began to trudge into the hospital. It was realized quickly by public health authorities that there were many more left behind on North Grand Avenue and elsewhere in the city that had not been reported. During the night a small army of ambulances was sent out to help others who were too ill to join the “mercy train,” to get to the local hospitals.

In another timeline in the multiverse, it would be eleven years before Rosa Parks would make the first crack in the hated racial polices of the time. Here Daryl Cleaver by the simple act of stepping forward and pleading politely and gently to the solders and police and appealing to their consciences put the first crack in the hated segregation laws.

Later during the civil right movements of the 60’s this night in St. Louis would be commemorated in the Ballad of the Mercy Train.

Oh the breath of death was on North Grand that night,
And many never thought to see the morning light,
Come ride the Mercy Train.
It seemed that hope had ridden out of town,
Then at Daryl Cleaver’s home they gathered all around,
Come ride the Mercy Train.

Come ride the Mercy Train,
Come ride the Mercy Train,
For the good Lord’s waiting to see you safe to morning,
Come ride the Mercy Train.

Oh Daryl Cleaver was a man, who anger didn’t know,
He simply loved his fellow man and knew they had to go,
Come ride the Mercy Train.
“Gather up your sick and let’s be on our way”
Said Daryl to the crowd, and they followed straight away,
Come ride the Mercy Train.

Come ride the Mercy Train,
Come ride the Mercy Train,
For the good Lord’s waiting to see you safe to morning,
Come ride the Mercy Train.

The mercy train was formed and walked up to the front door,
And men with guns were waiting there to say this train would go no more,
Come ride the Mercy Train.
But Daryl spoke to those men and the Lord opened up their heart,
And just like Moses did to the sea that crowd of men did part,
Come ride the Mercy Train.

Come ride the Mercy Train
Come ride the Mercy Train
For the good Lord’s waiting to see you safe to morning,
Come ride the Mercy Train.

--Mercy Train, by unknown author (written circa 1946)


* Let me reiterate anytime you see this asterisk, unless it’s specified otherwise the name is of a fictitious character. In this ATL as in others people who may have been nobodies in OTL may become of great importance here.

 

[Richter10]

The ballad is fine (a good example of the cultural influence of the TL's events)

One the most amazing things about the TL is now the world would be changed:

1) The use of biological weapons by Imperial Japan and the upcoming use of chemical weapons by Nazi Germany could open a *major* Pandora's Box for the post-war world: they would be seen as "never-to-used-again" or as a acceptable tactical option? If the later, then it would have implications for every conflict in the second half of the 20th Century!

2) An important source of the problems to control the bubonic plague outbreak is due poverty and racial tensions: could the impact of the plague push desegregation and social programs (like global healthcare) as a matter of national security (I can see Truman pushing Civil rights as a matter of National Security)

 

[Unknown]

The San Fernando Valley is located in California, not Washington state.

Good updates, though.

 

[M. A. Dickens]

There is literally no way the Japanese government could salvage the situation, not with the second wave of bio attack on mainland U.S.

Given the shortage of medical units and bottleneck in troop transportation, might Bradley take some good, hard looks on German activities and maybe beef up defenses around the Ardennes?

Marc A