Notice: This chapter contains some severe racism against black people by Hitler. Just a warning ahead of time.
A hotel conference room, Munich, Bavaria
09/04/1921
1600
A lively conversation was going on in the conference room when Adolf Hitler strode in at 2100. A newspaper was being passed around the long table when Hitler walked up to the head of the table. It was the weekly issue of the
Völkischer Beobachter, the official paper of the Nazi Party.
The front page showed a picture of Hitler in
Landsknecht armor, wielding a
Doppelhänder, defending a pretty blonde maiden, the symbol of
Germania, from an evil-looking dragon labelled
"Poland
".(1)
The room gradually feel silent once Hitler reached his seat at the head of the table. Simultanously and without any signal from Adolf, everyone in attendance stood up and saluted him by extending the right arm from the neck into the air with a straightened hand while chanting "Heil Hitler!" in unison.(2) Hitler returned the salute and sat down, followed by everyone else.
Once he was seated, Hitler gazed down the table at those in attendance. On his right, from closest to furthest were: Hans Frank, Dietrich Eckart, Rudolf Höß, Peter von Heydebreck, Josef "Sepp" Dietrich, Gottfried Feder, Hermann Esser, Ernst Hanfstaengl, Rudolf Hess, Rudolf Jung, Robert Ley.(3)
On his left, from closest to furthest were: Emil Maurice, Eugen Munder
, Franz Pfeffer von Salomon, Ernst Röhm, Alfred Rosenberg, Maximilian von Scheubner-Richter, Julius Schreck, Gregor Strasser, Julius Streicher, Otto Strasser, Adolf Wagner.(4)
"Does anyone have anything to add to our operational plans tonight?"
"Uhhh,
mein Führer, it has come to my attention that there have been cases of interracial relationships between French colonial soldiers of Negroid origin and German women in the Rhineland and Ruhr."
"Fucking Negroes, how dare they defile the German race! And those women too, have they no shame, coupling with a bunch of degenerate Negroes? Robert, make a note of this for my speech on the 12th."(5)
"
Jawohl,
mein Führer."
Hitler opened the manila folder in front of him and took a few minutes to scan over each document before closing the folder.
"Sepp, Franz, how goes the preparations for
Unternehmen Elbe?"
"
Gut, mein Führer, both
Sturmgruppes are ready for action. Josef's
Sturmgruppe just finished the last of it's sabotage training yesterday." answered Franz Pfeffer von Salomon.
"Then we shall launch
Unternehmen Elbe tonight!
Kameraden, tonight we shall strike from the shadows and give the French no peace, till the
Reich is whole once more!
Sieg Heil!"
Hitler stood up and preformed the Nazi salute.
Everyone else at the table did the same.
It was time to take back the
Reich.
The von Richthofen Castle, Denver, Colorado (6)
09/04/1921
0800
Manfred walked into the kitchen and looked at the calendar. It was a Saturday. A good time do a short flight on his Fokker D. VII.
"Manny, there's a letter waiting for you at the post office. It's from your brother Bolko. I was going to tell you yesterday, but you were too tired from work."
"It's alright Carrie, I'll just pick it up on my way to the airstrip. I'm going for a short flight."
"Ok dear, just stay safe."
Manfred doesn't reply, but kisses his wife on the forehead and then heads out to the garage.
Denver Post Officer- An hour later
Manfred walked back to his Nash Touring and opened the carefully sealed letter.
Dear Manfred,
I was able to join the Silesian Expedition and meet it's leadership. They graciously accepted our donation and I was able to meet Adolf Hitler.(7) The man is certainly something, an interesting figure with some bold plans for Germany. He seems to be good leadership material, seeing how devoted his SA and SS troops are to him. He also has some talent
in military leadership, shown by his foresight in deploying the repair train when none of the other expedition leaders thought it was necessary.
The Battle of Annaberg Hill was a total success. Our Silesian cavalry lead by Hyacinth overran the Poles on the hill and their retreat turned into a rout.(8) I personally captured a Polish artillery piece, which was later used against the Poles in our drive to the border. The campaign ended in success, as you have read in the papers. All of Silesia remains German and will be till the end of time.
Mother and Father miss you greatly. Tell me when you intend to return home.
Sincerely,
Bolko
Manfred closed the letter. His hopes had been fulfilled.
He sighed.
Mother and Father miss you greatly.
Maybe it was time for Walter to meet his grandparents.
Or maybe they could take a trip here with Bolko and Lothar.
With these deep thoughts in his mind, the Red Baron drove to the airstrip.
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The execution of Operation Elbe was one of the greatest successes of the NSDAP before they came to power. Using tactics and strategies learned from their Polish enemies in Silesia, they embarked on a campaign of sabotage and disruption against French and Belgian military personnel in their occupation zones. The British occupation zone in the Rhineland was not targeted as they had remained neutral during the Silesian Crisis and Hitler felt it would be dishonorable to harm a nation that had helped Germany keep Silesia regardless of the Plebiscite results. His speech in Frankfurt am Main on April 12th, 1921 was attended by hundreds of thousands of people, a far cry from the mere thousands that would attend his speeches in Munich before the Expedition.
One of the key features of his speech was a harsh accusation concerning French colonial soldiers, whom he claimed were raping their way through the Rhineland and Ruhr occupation zones. He also denounced German women who had sexual relations with French colonial soldiers, calling them defilers of the German race.(9) This attracted lots of attention throughout the world, especially in Southern United States, where there were strong racist tendencies. Additionally, he told crowds that the British were not the enemy and that people in the British occupation zone in the Rhineland should cooperate with the occupation force. The British had stationed very few occupation troops in their zone as not to antagonize the German population. This was a success, as the Germans in the British occupation zone did not engage in disruptive activities, aside from non-violent protests in solidarity with those under French and Belgian occupation, which the British allowed as long as they were notified in advance. In the French and Belgian occupation zones, Hitler was seen as a saint, a man who was most vocal about the suffering of the locals when their own national government hardly made a whimper.
The French response to Operation Elbe was both swift and harsh. Thousands of additional French troops were put occupation duties and those already stationed in the Rhineland and Ruhr cracked down on any example of German resistance they could find. The Belgians did the same in their occupation zone. This only further alienated an already infuriated population. On May 3rd, 1921 there were mass strikes all across the French and Belgian occupation zones which quickly turned into riots. The German police refused to aid the French and Belgian occupiers, leaving the French and Belgian occupation forces their impossible task of keeping order. Hundreds of German civilians were killed and thousands were wounded after shots rang out at the French soldiers in the city of Bonn and they returned fire.(10) The enraged crowd managed to trap a small group of around 50 French soldiers, who were separated from the main group in the chaos. They were beaten and stomped to death by the crowd, who dispersed shortly afterwards, their vengeance satisfied. The incident, known as the Massacre on the Rhine, created extensive worldwide condemnation against the French government of Raymond Poincaré. The already tense relationship between the United Kingdom and France following the Silesian crisis was now at an all time low. America withdrew further into isolationism, unwilling to get involved in another European mess. Their occupation forces had already gone home in early 1921 following the election, the result of President Harding's campaign promise to "Bring our boys home quick". The former American zone was taken over by the French after their departure in March 1921.(11)
The aftermath of the Massacre on the Rhine saw mass migration by those who were financially capable from the Rhineland and Ruhr over to Silesia, where industry was prospering and there was actually a shortage of workers.(12) This was due to the mass Polish immigration from Silesia, as anti-Polish sentiment ramped up following the German victory. Migrants from the Rhineland and Ruhr received a warm welcome from the Silesians, as both had experienced violence and social upheaval following the war. Another trait shared by both the Rhineland and Ruhr migrants and the Silesians was strong support for the NSDAP. This would prove decisive 10 years later, as these people would become some of Hitler's most loyal supporters.
Legend to Rhineland and Ruhr occupation map above.
-Red is the British zone.
-Yellow is the Belgian zone.
-Blue is the French Zone.
-Yellow and Blue stripes is the Ruhr Zone, joint occupation by Belgians and French.
-Green is French occupied Saarland.
One of the many papers that reported the "Massacre on the Rhine" of May 3rd, 1921.
Julius Schreck driving Hitler and his SS guards (in plainclothes) to Frankfurt am Main for his speech.
Manfred von Richthofen's 1920 Nash Touring. Luxury car because he's a millionaire and he can afford it.
Von Richthofen Castle in Denver, built by the Red Baron's German-American uncle, Walter von Richthofen.
Notes:
1. Nazi propaganda making Hitler look like the savior of Germany. Typical stuff.
2. Nazi salute and etc. got invented earlier than OTL because of the NSDAP's greater popularity after Silesia. Gotta have a way to greet each other, superiors, and the Führer.
3. Guess who's going to survive ITTL till 1935.
4. Freikorp Oberland voluntarily merged with the NSDAP after Silesia, that's why there are so many more people in Hitler's inner circle than OTL 1921. OTL many of it's members ended up joining the Nazi Party and the SS/SA anyway. Just a matter of sooner or later.
5. OTL Hitler did quite a bit of screeching in Mein Kampf about the "Rhineland Bastards". Same thing here.
6. It's a real place in Denver, built by the Red Baron's German-American uncle, Walter von Richthofen. Privately owned though, and supposedly haunted. ITTL the Red Baron buys it and moves in, feels just like home because it was modelled after the von Richthofen's castle in Germany.
7. The Red Baron has not forgotten about Germany. Around 5% of the money that funded the Silesian Expedition was donated by him, through his brother Bolko who was a participant.
8. One of the Panzergraf's closest friends when he attended military academy was the Red Baron. Both were Silesian and members of the German nobility. It should be no surprise that Manfred's younger brother is serving with him and his Silesian cavalry squadron.
9. Those poor German women who have had or are suspected of having sexual relations with French colonial soldiers are heavily ostracized and pretty much pariahs in their communities. I genuinely feel bad for them, but alternate history is still history. It's gotta be accurate.
10. Called my friend who's half-German and asked him to pick a big city in the Rhineland. He pulled Bonn of the top of his head, so there you have it.
11. Americans go home faster than OTL. Silesian Crisis heating up had an effect on their judgement. Let the Europeans keep fighting their little wars. We did our part now lets bring our boys home. With Wilson gone and US not joining the League of Nations, isolationism is getting pretty heavy.
12. Ironically the German authorities had Silesian migrant workers return home from the Ruhr and Rhineland to vote in the Plebiscite and keep Silesia German, which they did OTL and ITTL. Now the people from the Ruhr and Rhineland are moving to Silesia because all the Poles fled and they don't want to work for the French or Belgians. Less workers in the Ruhr and Rhineland along with lots of resistance means more French and Belgian troops and thus higher occupation costs than OTL. France doesn't budge because they want to hold on as long as they can, probably bitter about the Germans keeping Silesia. Little do they know that the more they hold on, the worst it gets.
I am very sorry about the massive delay. Had some coursework for my uni. No uni doesn't mean no coursework. But anyway, I decided to perfect this chapter because the first version of the last one was half-assed and I'd sworn never to do anything half-assed. Either it's gonna be perfect or I'm not doing it at all.
But yeah, here it is. Hope you enjoy it!
Questions, comments, and suggestions are always welcome!
-Black Dragon
