How Silent Fall the Cherry Blossoms

[Garrison]

Vegitarian I think is far more insidious, it can cripple the countrys food supply and of course spread Anthrax amongst citizens. Its a slow bake but effective and utterly ghastly method.

Plus it's not going to be an either/or choice. Though I suspect gas may be less effective against Germany than Japan simply because they've already dispersed their industries to counter strategic bombing, which means the workers have also been dispersed.

 

[Scientist Shan]

Plus it's not going to be an either/or choice. Though I suspect gas may be less effective against Germany than Japan simply because they've already dispersed their industries to counter strategic bombing, which means the workers have also been dispersed.

I'm not sure that you can disperse heavy industry - coal and steel are very tied to their locations and would be crippled by gas attacks.

And gas attacks on German cities would immediately cause a refugee crisis within Germany.

 

[PaulJones202718]

I should think that this time around, there won't be as much resistance to the Morgenthau plan being in full effect. Well, maybe people will protest because it's unfeasibly lenient but, well, it's probably going to be a thing.

 

[The Oncoming Storm]

Vegitarian I think is far more insidious, it can cripple the countrys food supply and of course spread Anthrax amongst citizens. Its a slow bake but effective and utterly ghastly method.

Yes it's a real "Salt the Earth" tactic as the areas affected will be contaminated for years afterwards, Anglo-American/Nazi War showed the impact of an anthrax attack in great detail. A nuclear attack is like being hit with an iron bar while anthrax is more like a snake bite, it causes little initial damage but as time passes it becomes very apparent.

 

[Artatochor]

Vegitarian I think is far more insidious, it can cripple the countrys food supply and of course spread Anthrax amongst citizens. Its a slow bake but effective and utterly ghastly method.

If the Japanese notify the Germans of having used anthrax as a weapon, Germany may well suspect a retaliation in kind is possible, from the Americans/British.

 

[Garrison]

If the Japanese notify the Germans of having used anthrax as a weapon, Germany may well suspect a retaliation in kind is possible, from the Americans/British.

But there's little or nothing they can do about it.

 

[Artatochor]

But there's little or nothing they can do about it.

They can tell farmers to be on the lookout for suspicious things.

 

[Geon]

Brief Update

Here is a brief update of the action in Washington and Western Germany
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Date: December 7, 1944
Location: Washington, D.C. (The White House)
Time: 9:00 a.m.

At the White House President Roosevelt was still working with Winston Churchill to fine-tune the plan that Joseph Drew would be delivering to Stalin in two more days. The inevitable delays in wartime meant it would be the 9th before Drew got to Moscow and it might be another two or three days before he actually saw Stalin. That gave the President and Prime Minister more time to work out any kinks in the planned deal they were going to offer Stalin.

The plan had been come up with by Roosevelt and later Churchill had accepted it after thinking through the full ramifications. If it worked Stalin would get both more then he hoped for and less then he planned. Both Roosevelt and Churchill had come to the conclusion that Stalin would accept half a cake as opposed to none.

For Franklin D. Roosevelt it felt very good to be working with his friend Winston after several months of strained relations between them. He had truly missed these times together. But Roosevelt had felt that Stalin would have to be dealt with after the war and not simply ignored. Winston didn’t see it that way and did not trust the man. Frankly, Roosevelt didn’t either but if Stalin weren’t treated as a serious partner in the postwar world they would be facing the same problems down the road as they had in 1939 with Hitler. The deal they had planned would give Stalin something while denying him everything.

As Winston Churchill reentered the Oval Office Franklin D. Roosevelt felt a sense of well being he hadn’t felt in some time now. What he didn’t know was it would be the last time he would see his friend.

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At the OCD the task force was very pleased with the numbers on the dreaded “score sheet.” The only city left with rising numbers of infected was Los Angeles and that was only in the single digits now. If all kept going this way Los Angeles too could be declared contained by the end of the week.

City/ Number Infected/ Deaths
Los Angeles/ 2,799/ 338
Total Infected: 3,389, Deaths: 616

Date: December 7, 1944
Location: Military and Airbases in Western Germany
Time: 4:00 a.m.

At airbases throughout western Germany Luftwaffe bomber crews were undergoing very intensive training night and day. These crews already superbly trained were now practicing flying in complete darkness and using only instruments to take off, fly toward the target, release payloads, and then return to base. The crews had been told that they would be flying in totally overcast weather. The plan was for them to make one flight and if that flight was successful it would be a major step in victory for the Reich. These bomber crews knew they would be the vanguard for Operation Trojan Victory.

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At military bases throughout the area the tanks and other vehicles for Operation Watch on the Rhine were being double and triple checked. The purpose was to ensure they would be completely enclosed and that their crews were properly trained in the use of the chemical warfare equipment they had been issued. Unlike the Allies who for the most part were still using the equipment from World War I the Germans had been working on their equipment over the last few months and upgrading it. The Germans knew they would be going into a hostile environment when the attack started in over a week. Not so prepared were the Allied troops who were settling down for the winter, most of whom no longer even had gas masks.

 

[Scientist Shan]

Here is a brief update of the action in Washington and Western Germany
----------------------------------------------------------------------


At airbases throughout western Germany Luftwaffe bomber crews were undergoing very intensive training night and day.

Does the Luftwaffe even have the fuel to conduct very intensive training day and night?

Perhaps by removing it from other units but it would have an immediate effect on other operations.

If so then fighter defence for German cities will be even weaker when the gas bombing retaliation begins.

How many dead Germans by the end of the year? 1 million? 2 million? More?

Not to mention that German gas use in the west will likely by followed by Soviet gas use where available in the east as well as retaliation by the western allies.

Germany is really going to be destroyed.

 

[Artatochor]

The Wehrmacht is being prepared as much as possible for the toughest operation ever. Can gas warfare tilt the odds in their favor?

 

[Geon]

Does the Luftwaffe even have the fuel to conduct very intensive training day and night?

Perhaps by removing it from other units but it would have an immediate effect on other operations.

That was essentially what happened in Battle of the Bulge Scientist Shan. The Wehrmacht pulled out all the stops at the expense of other units. This was the last reserve left. Some argue that by hoarding what was left of his reserves Hitler could have held out a few more months.

Geon

 

[sharlin]

As Winston Churchill reentered the Oval Office Franklin D. Roosevelt felt a sense of well being he hadn’t felt in some time now. What he didn’t know was it would be the last time he would see his friend.

Who's going to die though, Churchill or FDR...

 

[Scientist Shan]

That was essentially what happened in Battle of the Bulge Scientist Shan. The Wehrmacht pulled out all the stops at the expense of other units. This was the last reserve left. Some argue that by hoarding what was left of his reserves Hitler could have held out a few more months.

Geon

True but they'll need to pull out even more stops in this scenario.

The odd thing is that use of gas might have been an effective German tactic if the'd used it a year or two earlier.

But now with the war in the air having moved so much against Germany and the front line being along German borders it guarantees Germany's destruction.

 

[The Oncoming Storm]

Who's going to die though, Churchill or FDR...

Or both...

 

[General Mosh]

Who's going to die though, Churchill or FDR...

I'm starting to think there's going to be an attack on London which could hit Churchill (assuming he gets back before Watch on the Rhine) or the news of the attack on the US with that freighter could finally make FDR succumb. I love this story, you never know exactly what's going to happen.

 

[pdf27]

Or both...

FDR was going to die of Natural Causes in ~4 months, would he have seen Churchill again by then anyway? Transatlantic travel at the time was much harder than nowadays, and whoever travelled would be largely out of contact for the trip...

 

[Donald Reaver]

Sounds to me, more like FDR is going to have a stroke sometime in the next few hours.

 

[wargamer6]

The Wehrmacht is being prepared as much as possible for the toughest operation ever. Can gas warfare tilt the odds in their favor?

I would think the initial shock of the gas attacks would allow them to go further, maybe into Bastongne and Antwerp, but would end up being defeated in the end.

 

[Garrison]

FDR was going to die of Natural Causes in ~4 months, would he have seen Churchill again by then anyway? Transatlantic travel at the time was much harder than nowadays, and whoever travelled would be largely out of contact for the trip...

Yes he would at Yalta though by then things were very strained OTL.

 

[Garrison]

I would think the initial shock of the gas attacks would allow them to go further, maybe into Bastongne and Antwerp, but would end up being defeated in the end.

The Allies still have overwhelming airpower available and delaying the end of the war for a few months is a pyrrhic victory for the Germans as it just opens up the prospect of the A-Bomb being used in Europe. Stalin might feel smug for a little while; until Hitler turns the same weapons loose against Soviet forces.