Keynes' Cruisers Volume 2

[Driftless]

Hyesan, Korea August 6, 1945

The Old Man would probably disapprove, so that motivated the corporal to be somewhat discrete.

Twenty minutes later, the Marine platoon was a little short of cigarettes but passing around a few bottles of fraternally liberated vodka.

Several hundred meters away, a Red Army rifle platoon relaxed as they enjoyed the smooth tastes of North Carolina.

Something that might be said on both sides of the checkpoint: “Za vstrechu, ya'll !"

I had to look up Hyesan. It's right on the Yalu River on the Northcentral border with China. Is that northern location part of the final border rendering in this universe?

 

[NotBigBrother]

Hyesan, Korea August 6, 1945

The Old Man would probably disapprove, so that motivated the corporal to be somewhat discrete.

Twenty minutes later, the Marine platoon was a little short of cigarettes but passing around a few bottles of fraternally liberated vodka.

Several hundred meters away, a Red Army rifle platoon relaxed as they enjoyed the smooth tastes of North Carolina.

A real scene from the popular Soviet mini- series:
"- Do you have a smoke?
-Sure!
-Oh, trophies?
-No, allied.
-(Reads) Camél."

 

[fester]

Something that might be said on both sides of the checkpoint: “Za vstrechu, ya'll !"

I had to look up Hyesan. It's right on the Yalu River on the Northcentral border with China. Is that northern location part of the final border rendering in this universe?

The Soviets are grabbing a security zone around Vladivistok, so yeah, this is part of the boundary

 

[Julius Vogel]

Otago, New Zealand August 3, 1945

Half a dozen ewes baa'hhed in horror as somehow they felt the last boot of the 2nd New Zealand Division board a trooper that was due to take the division home for demobilization.

As the only Otago sheep farmer's son here this cuts deep.

Although I remember at school we used to make these kind of jokes about Australians.

 

[Coulsdon Eagle]

What do you call a sheep tied to a post in a [country deleted] field?

A leisure centre!

 

[Julius Vogel]

What do you call a sheep tied to a post in a [country deleted] field?

A leisure centre!

Well in truth that is probably a failed attempt to force the ewe to adopt an orphan lamb as her own. Often ends up with securing the ewe and her legs so she can't attack the orphan

 

[fester]

Santorini, Greece, August 7, 1945

Reinforcements had arrived the previous night. A dozen men, mostly young, who had gone to war and had fought from Thermopylae to Austria had returned. The small coaster from Athens had deposited them, the mail and a few dozen tons of crated supplies continuing its journey to Crete. The men had arrived to their families well after lights had been shut off for the night and sleep to restore tired bodies for another arduous day of labor in the vineyards had started. Quick hugs, stolen kisses, and tears from tired and surprised family members was how the morning started. Now they were all in the vineyards, hoping to get enough grapes off the vines to have enough to drink and enough to sell to get the village through the winter.

 

[Aristomenes]

Santorini, Greece, August 7, 1945

Reinforcements had arrived the previous night. A dozen men, mostly young, who had gone to war and had fought from Thermopylae to Austria had returned. The small coaster from Athens had deposited them, the mail and a few dozen tons of crated supplies continuing its journey to Crete. The men had arrived to their families well after lights had been shut off for the night and sleep to restore tired bodies for another arduous day of labor in the vineyards had started. Quick hugs, stolen kisses, and tears from tired and surprised family members was how the morning started. Now they were all in the vineyards, hoping to get enough grapes off the vines to have enough to drink and enough to sell to get the village through the winter.

Ah, the little joys of peace!

 

[Lascaris]

Santorini, Greece, August 7, 1945

Reinforcements had arrived the previous night. A dozen men, mostly young, who had gone to war and had fought from Thermopylae to Austria had returned. The small coaster from Athens had deposited them, the mail and a few dozen tons of crated supplies continuing its journey to Crete. The men had arrived to their families well after lights had been shut off for the night and sleep to restore tired bodies for another arduous day of labor in the vineyards had started. Quick hugs, stolen kisses, and tears from tired and surprised family members was how the morning started. Now they were all in the vineyards, hoping to get enough grapes off the vines to have enough to drink and enough to sell to get the village through the winter.

Now incidentally in these pre-tourism times the island was being used as a place for internal exile, same with Naxos and other modern tourist traps.

 

[fester]

Greensburg, PA January 14, 1946

"Thank you, and God Bless America" Josh finished off his still evolving stump speech to a crowded. Margaret smiled even as she cradled their youngest in her arms against her breasts. The other children were slightly overwhelmed but used to their father pulling them out of bed, making them dress up nice and heading out for a day of talking to boring grown-ups. Edna fidgeted with her dress as she wanted to go play with the other children in the back of the church hall but her hand had been slapped half a dozen times over the past two months for her to know better.

Josh quickly clasped and released his wife's bicep before he descended into the crowd. He took care to listen to the wants and grievances he heard at each table and then after an hour of working the room, and hearing stories from men like his father and boys just like him and his brother, he sipped his coffee that his one aide from the national party had left for him at the end of another table. This was now the part that he hated, picture times with the war hero. He slightly adjusted his uniform and made sure the Medal of Honor was hanging appropriately around his neck. The photographer knew the routine by now and it merely took eighteen minutes to go through the line. He would sign those pictures later in the week and his volunteer staff would mail them back to the new donors.

By the time the sun had enough time to warm up the town, his family had headed home to Donora and he was on his way to another two events.

 

[fester]

Lowell, Massachusetts February 20, 1946

"You look just like your exhausted mother, all scrunched up and ready to fall asleep... yes you do...."

Patrick held his eleven hour old son in his arms. His wife had a long labor, almost thirty hours and had just fallen asleep for the first time in two days. The nurses would soon take the baby away, but they allowed the father to hold his son who was quite upset at the cruelty of the much colder world. He sat in the chair for another twenty minutes talking to his boy about his hopes for him. Tomorrow, he would be back to work, and he would be handing out cigars to the other foremen on the mill floor to be enjoyed before the shift started, but no one would begrudge him seeing his first son born.

 

[fester]

Strasbourg, France May 4, 1946

The priest reviewed his homily one last time. The couple had come to him several weeks ago and asked for a rapid ceremony. This would not be the first one he had conducted in the past year, nor, if young people in a hurry to set themselves into the world remained as they always had been, it would not be his last. The American officer had made great effort to respond to the priest's questions in not particularly mangled French. The bride should not be wearing white today, but she was radiant with joy. It gave the priest a moment to smile that a fallen member of his flock could be found and cherished. The couple did not know what their plans would be next but they had each other, and that would be enough. Perhaps he could incorporate some of these experiences into a future sermon?

 

[fester]

Lowell, Massachusetts September 12, 1962
Eleanor smiled as she snuggled next to her husband. Their five children knew not to disturb their parents as they watched the nightly news on their almost new television in the living room. The Boston station highlighted what President Kennedy had said in a speech at Rice University that afternoon:

We choose to go to the Moon. We choose to go to the Moon... We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard;

She giggled.

Her husband looked at her inquisitively.

"Do I want to know?"

"Not really, but did I ever tell you the time that the President bought me a drink in Rhode Island?"

"Only once or twice a week for the past three years...."

Soon the the sports desk had recapped the swoon of the Red Sox and the two lovers enjoyed the few minutes of silence before the rest of their world intruded.

 

[fester]

Hanoi, Republic of Vietnam January 1, 1963

The French flag came down with a flourish. The Foreign Legionnaires smartly pivoted and folded the flag even as the men who had been in the Tonkinese regiments came forward and raised a new flag for the country that had officially come into being eighteen seconds ago. Two wars and an ever present insurgency had sapped the colonial government of its will and its ability to hold onto Indochina. Agreements had been reached between the French, the Republic of China, the United States and the Commonwealth to guarantee security in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos as those countries found their footing.

Over the past eighteen months, troop ships had emptied the garrisons of their Metropolitan and African troops. Some of the regiments were being disbanded, others were reduced to cadre status, a few had headed to Algeria and Tunisia while a third were reinforcing the French army garrisoned east of Prague as the Soviets were being quite loud and aggressive again. Two ports, five airfields and seven training areas were open for foreign troops but anything more involved than half a dozen men looking for a cheap drink or a good time outside of their gates were now strictly regulated.

 

[Hydra1234]

That was a throwback lol.

“I’m not doing you because you’re easy, I’m doing you because I’m hahd.”

France seems to have lasted longer in Vietnam, and it seems that the ROC is the current government in China. Nice to see butterflies flapping so hard from a mere handful of extra ships.


I assume there are only a handful of updates left?

 

[Lascaris]

So did Cyprus unite with Greece this time?

 

[fester]

So did Cyprus unite with Greece this time?

As of 1963, Cyprus is still a Crown Colony with 3 and 4 way conversations going on as the British are slowly giving up their empire.

 

[Trevayne]

Great update, with lots of fascinating embedded information. The biggest bits are probably that the Republic of China still runs China and there is a French army in Czechoslovakia, so the Warsaw Pact border is further East than in OTL. A relatively peaceful transition of power in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos suggests the US wasn't as paranoid about falling dominos as it was in OTL. It also sounds like Algeria is still part of France.

 

[Paulo the Limey]

Interesting that the Commonwealth is mentioned, rather than the UK. I guess stronger ties stemming from a more successful prosecution of the war in general, and in the Far East especially caused this.

 

[VanOwen]

Great update, with lots of fascinating embedded information. The biggest bits are probably that the Republic of China still runs China and there is a French army in Czechoslovakia, so the Warsaw Pact border is further East than in OTL. A relatively peaceful transition of power in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos suggests the US wasn't as paranoid about falling dominos as it was in OTL. It also sounds like Algeria is still part of France.

fester, in a prior post, mentioned that the British postwar contingent was the British Army of the Elbe so I'm assuming the Iron Curtain is drawn along the German Polish border.