Stupid Luck and Happenstance, Thread III
- Thread starter Peabody-Martini
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O
Also, for another prominent likely Green at this time with even more aristocratic credentials than the Red Baron would be Helmuth James von Moltke who pre-POD was being raised most liberally.
That moment you realize you and your people badly miscalculated.
Also, for another prominent likely Green at this time with even more aristocratic credentials than the Red Baron would be Helmuth James von Moltke who pre-POD was being raised most liberally.
Right now the current German Government is in a bind if they don't agree to Helene's demands then the government falls and new elections are called without any guarantee that they will be able to form a new government.
If the Government does agree with the demands and Argentina refuses to agree to an immediate cease fire and peace talks then Germany cuts off all aid to Argentina including combat support which could lead to the Argentinean government to retaliate by kicking the Germans out of the country including the Air and Naval bases that they have leased over the years.
That would be a big blow to Germany and will make Great Britain and the United States very happy that the Germans lost a large amount of influence in South America with very little exposure for them.
By now the President of Argentina has made the punishment of Chile a point of national and more importantly personal pride that he may feel that he can't back down without some blowback to his reputation.
If the Government does agree with the demands and Argentina refuses to agree to an immediate cease fire and peace talks then Germany cuts off all aid to Argentina including combat support which could lead to the Argentinean government to retaliate by kicking the Germans out of the country including the Air and Naval bases that they have leased over the years.
That would be a big blow to Germany and will make Great Britain and the United States very happy that the Germans lost a large amount of influence in South America with very little exposure for them.
By now the President of Argentina has made the punishment of Chile a point of national and more importantly personal pride that he may feel that he can't back down without some blowback to his reputation.
The Germans won't mind him doing that too much, so long as he only uses Argentine troops to do it. There are a few other moving parts to consider, but at this stage he just needs a symbolic victory to point to.
Part 125, Chapter 2113
Chapter Two Thousand One Hundred Thirteen
10th January 1972
Berlin-Brandenburg International Airport
Standing in a portion of the Airport that most of the public didn’t have access to was odd. It was the portion that was used by the Military, for the Fighter and Transport Wings based in this region. Even if Manny weren’t coming in on a Military Transport, this would still be the portion that the plane would be directed to because of the interest that the Press had in this story. Helene didn’t want them around for this moment.
Helene figured that she was in serious trouble when she had been praised by her father in a public statement. Manfred the Elder saw any bold action by a member of his family as a way of carrying the flag forward as it were. It had all been confirmed when Kat had asked her if she had lost her mind yesterday when they had met for their weekly Sunday breakfast. “There are few things that draw public ire more than a woman exercising authority” Kat had said, suggesting that Helene was inviting backlash.
That was rich coming from Kat considering the rumors about what happened to those of caused her trouble and Helene had pointed that out only to have her say that those were only rumors because she took care of such matters quietly. Helene could have pointed out that with Kat, “quietly” was said to involve frequently involved a lot of screaming but thought better of it. Kat’s father had ruled the underworld of Berlin with an iron fist, with his enforcers meting out bloody retribution on anyone who rocked the boat. Kat on the other hand controlled the City-State of Berlin by holding the leashes of nearly everyone in a position of power within the City Government. Some might have chafed at being under her control, especially because it was said that while Kat knew that a certain amount of corruption existed in the City her first rule was that they answered to her first no matter how much money they were paid on the side by anyone else. Her preferred means of punishment usually involved the one thing that most politicians actually feared, full public disclosure. Helene had seen how colleagues of hers had been audited, landed in divorce proceedings and even prison after running afoul of Kat.
Still, Helene’s actions had really set off Chancellor Brandt which was the exact opposite of how Kat typically operated. But what exactly was she supposed to have done? Having her son get hurt in Argentina in a battle that looked like it was being fought largely at the behest of that country’s bombastic President’s desire to see Chile punished was the last straw. As Helene had seen it, someone needed to do something or else this madness would just continue. How many others would get unnecessarily hurt or killed in the meantime? Dietrich Schultz said that he was going to talk President Martinez around, convince him that the Battle of San Francisco Pass was enough destruction. Helene didn’t figure that it would wise to count on that though.
Fortunately, Helene had been saved from that conversation by having Jo Falk and Suse Knispel come down the stairs. Kat’s former ward and Gerta’s daughter had returned from Argentina when the opportunity had presented itself months earlier. Kat disliked talking business in front of the girls unless it applied to them directly. Helene’s own daughter Ina had followed a few weeks earlier and for them, the entire experience had been this great adventure which the war had hardly factored into. According to Ina, after the siege had lifted and the 4th Division had left Rio Gallegos things had gotten downright boring. Returning to her friends, family and life in Berlin and Breslau had suddenly held a great deal of appeal for her, but she had agreed to do veterinary work in Patagonia for a set period of time and that had not run out until the beginning of December.
As the plane taxied in and came to a stop, Helene worried for a moment about exactly what condition her son would be in. The old folk song about the man coming home from the wars after having left many bits of himself here and there along the way came unbidden to mind. Then she pushed that aside, he had not been evacuated directly to a hospital as opposed to being sent home to recuperate. Helene had been informed that he had some fractured bones, a concussion, and several shrapnel wounds. Supposedly, everyone on this flight were those considered walking wounded.
The ramp dropped and Medical personnel who were on hand moved in to help the men off the plane. Helene was a bit amused by how there was a bit of protesting as to whether or not that assistance was needed. She remembered the various times that Hans had been sick over the years and there had always been a similar reaction. The men coming down the ramp were limping or had some visible sign of injuries like bandages or like in the case of Manny, his left arm was in a cast from his hand to his shoulder. Helene wanted to take him home and then never let him leave again as she carefully hugged him. Hans was a bit more taciturn, but Helene knew that he was happy that Manny had made it home in one piece. Ina seemed distracted and Helene realized that she was looking at the faces of the others who were coming down the ramp and that she was looking for friends she had made along the way. Ina must have seen many of them on a near daily basis in Rio Gallegos…
“Where’s Suse?” Manny asked and Helene had another realization.
She had forgotten to invite her.
10th January 1972
Berlin-Brandenburg International Airport
Standing in a portion of the Airport that most of the public didn’t have access to was odd. It was the portion that was used by the Military, for the Fighter and Transport Wings based in this region. Even if Manny weren’t coming in on a Military Transport, this would still be the portion that the plane would be directed to because of the interest that the Press had in this story. Helene didn’t want them around for this moment.
Helene figured that she was in serious trouble when she had been praised by her father in a public statement. Manfred the Elder saw any bold action by a member of his family as a way of carrying the flag forward as it were. It had all been confirmed when Kat had asked her if she had lost her mind yesterday when they had met for their weekly Sunday breakfast. “There are few things that draw public ire more than a woman exercising authority” Kat had said, suggesting that Helene was inviting backlash.
That was rich coming from Kat considering the rumors about what happened to those of caused her trouble and Helene had pointed that out only to have her say that those were only rumors because she took care of such matters quietly. Helene could have pointed out that with Kat, “quietly” was said to involve frequently involved a lot of screaming but thought better of it. Kat’s father had ruled the underworld of Berlin with an iron fist, with his enforcers meting out bloody retribution on anyone who rocked the boat. Kat on the other hand controlled the City-State of Berlin by holding the leashes of nearly everyone in a position of power within the City Government. Some might have chafed at being under her control, especially because it was said that while Kat knew that a certain amount of corruption existed in the City her first rule was that they answered to her first no matter how much money they were paid on the side by anyone else. Her preferred means of punishment usually involved the one thing that most politicians actually feared, full public disclosure. Helene had seen how colleagues of hers had been audited, landed in divorce proceedings and even prison after running afoul of Kat.
Still, Helene’s actions had really set off Chancellor Brandt which was the exact opposite of how Kat typically operated. But what exactly was she supposed to have done? Having her son get hurt in Argentina in a battle that looked like it was being fought largely at the behest of that country’s bombastic President’s desire to see Chile punished was the last straw. As Helene had seen it, someone needed to do something or else this madness would just continue. How many others would get unnecessarily hurt or killed in the meantime? Dietrich Schultz said that he was going to talk President Martinez around, convince him that the Battle of San Francisco Pass was enough destruction. Helene didn’t figure that it would wise to count on that though.
Fortunately, Helene had been saved from that conversation by having Jo Falk and Suse Knispel come down the stairs. Kat’s former ward and Gerta’s daughter had returned from Argentina when the opportunity had presented itself months earlier. Kat disliked talking business in front of the girls unless it applied to them directly. Helene’s own daughter Ina had followed a few weeks earlier and for them, the entire experience had been this great adventure which the war had hardly factored into. According to Ina, after the siege had lifted and the 4th Division had left Rio Gallegos things had gotten downright boring. Returning to her friends, family and life in Berlin and Breslau had suddenly held a great deal of appeal for her, but she had agreed to do veterinary work in Patagonia for a set period of time and that had not run out until the beginning of December.
As the plane taxied in and came to a stop, Helene worried for a moment about exactly what condition her son would be in. The old folk song about the man coming home from the wars after having left many bits of himself here and there along the way came unbidden to mind. Then she pushed that aside, he had not been evacuated directly to a hospital as opposed to being sent home to recuperate. Helene had been informed that he had some fractured bones, a concussion, and several shrapnel wounds. Supposedly, everyone on this flight were those considered walking wounded.
The ramp dropped and Medical personnel who were on hand moved in to help the men off the plane. Helene was a bit amused by how there was a bit of protesting as to whether or not that assistance was needed. She remembered the various times that Hans had been sick over the years and there had always been a similar reaction. The men coming down the ramp were limping or had some visible sign of injuries like bandages or like in the case of Manny, his left arm was in a cast from his hand to his shoulder. Helene wanted to take him home and then never let him leave again as she carefully hugged him. Hans was a bit more taciturn, but Helene knew that he was happy that Manny had made it home in one piece. Ina seemed distracted and Helene realized that she was looking at the faces of the others who were coming down the ramp and that she was looking for friends she had made along the way. Ina must have seen many of them on a near daily basis in Rio Gallegos…
“Where’s Suse?” Manny asked and Helene had another realization.
She had forgotten to invite her.
On February 2 1972 the Winter Olympics open in Sapporo Japan and with the Summer Olympics in Munich it will be compared to going to the wife’s family for winter vacation and then going to the husband”s family for the summer vacation.
Empress Suga is sure to lead the German delegation along with such notables like King Albrecht of Bavaria tagging along.
Normally the Head of State formally opens the games and that means Kaiser Friedrich IV is the one designated to do the honors but I think that King Albrecht will want to be the one because as the Games are in Bavaria he wants to emphasize that Bavaria is a Kingdom in its own right but there is plenty of time to solve this.
Empress Suga is sure to lead the German delegation along with such notables like King Albrecht of Bavaria tagging along.
Normally the Head of State formally opens the games and that means Kaiser Friedrich IV is the one designated to do the honors but I think that King Albrecht will want to be the one because as the Games are in Bavaria he wants to emphasize that Bavaria is a Kingdom in its own right but there is plenty of time to solve this.
There Helene made an own goal, though. I'm sure she regretted it, but that was a bit of brain fade on her part.
Helene is having a shocker here. Not only is she forgetting Suse but she is really not tuned into Ina. Fair enough as her attention is focused on Manny, but still.
She sees Ina watching for a 'friend' amongst a load of male soldiers and doesn't wonder.
I bet Hans was watching very closely though.
Was Christian on that plane?
She sees Ina watching for a 'friend' amongst a load of male soldiers and doesn't wonder.
I bet Hans was watching very closely though.
Was Christian on that plane?
The Richthofen family crest. Curiously, this was taken in Denver, Colorado.
Denver?
(Realizes the Buckhorn Exchange was pre-POD.)
Is Manfred the Elder off to have some Elk steaks and Rocky Mountain Oysters?
It is on a house built by Ferdinand von Richthofen in the Nineteenth Century, he even has a mountain in the Rockies named after him.
