Stupid Luck and Happenstance, Thread III
- Thread starter Peabody-Martini
- Start date
Heinz is wrong. The protestor is correct. Heinz only sees the threat posed by the far right in terms of his own personal ambitions. He is blind to the threat the far right poses to the German Empire as a whole. In this, he is making the same mistake made by OTL von Papen when he climbed into his alliance with Adolf.
Mario REALLY needs to wake up, smell the coffee, and start paying attention to what he has gotten his dumb arse into. Starting with asking/researching just where the hell his next posting is. Once he does, he can at least take some consolation that he is now posted in a very strategic location with what looks to be some truly epic scenery.
With the US having sat out WW2 ITTL, what ever happened to Rod Serling? OTL he served in the 11th Airborne and his experiences shaped his post-war career, heavily influencing The Twilight Show. Without that, did the show still take place?
Lauri Allan Törni certainly wouldn't have served in the 11th Airborne either, nor the Heer for that matter. He'd have remained in Finnish service for the duration of TTL WW2.
Ah yes, but knowing the US military that still doesn't rule out his being based in Panama or Guam
But only after spending 6 months training and acclimatising in Northern Alaska over the Winter.
We must remember in the first timeline there was an attempted military coup against Kaiser Louis Ferdinand and Augustus Lang.
It failed because the plotters brought guns to a Kat fight.
The plotters were first going to force the Kaiser to dismiss Chancellor Lang, and if he didn’t they were either going to declare the Kaiser incapable of preforming his duties, forcing the Kaiser to abdicate in favor of his son and a regent appointed, or just outright killing the Kaiser and having a regent appointed.
Fortunately for Kaiser Freiderich, he has Kat in charge of Berlin.
It failed because the plotters brought guns to a Kat fight.
The plotters were first going to force the Kaiser to dismiss Chancellor Lang, and if he didn’t they were either going to declare the Kaiser incapable of preforming his duties, forcing the Kaiser to abdicate in favor of his son and a regent appointed, or just outright killing the Kaiser and having a regent appointed.
Fortunately for Kaiser Freiderich, he has Kat in charge of Berlin.
In his regulation tropical uniform of course, the arctic uniforms having been sent to Panama.
Alaska. Maybe one of the Alaskan Islands? Little Diomede and/or St Lawrence Island?
Since Patagonia is off the menu for the foreseeable future - Canada?
More seriously - there's evergreen trouble spots that TTL are likely to cause conflict too. Arctic training might come in handy in the Caucasus or the Himalaya (Kashmir or Tibet or Afgahnistan) as well as above the arctic circle.
And do not discount the chance of friendly Military Exercises with the Russian Army.. .. On Siberia in the middle of the goddamned Winter.
One of the possibilities is that a peace deal has been reached by Argentina and Chile that includes the United States along with Germany and other countries in the Western Hemisphere to provide peacekeeping troops in a demilitarized disputed area.
Another reason is that since other nations (Germany) has units specifically trained for cold-weather operations, the United States may have decided that they need those types of units themselves.
Another reason is that since other nations (Germany) has units specifically trained for cold-weather operations, the United States may have decided that they need those types of units themselves.
With the benefit of hindsight in OTL you know exactly who he is dealing with here and why that is such a mistake. He doesn't though.
Among others, Rod Serling, Kurt Vonnegut, and Joseph Heller all served in different roles in the tripwire force sent to enforce the neutrality of the Philippines during the Pacific War ITTL which was actually a military occupation of the islands. The result was a weird quasi-war with Commanders of Navy and Army Airforce units pushing things right up to the brink with Allied forces and the Imperial Japanese Navy.
I have been reading up on the life of Henry Kissinger and how he was an infantryman In WW II and then moved to Intelligence and Occupation duties, where he was very effective in De-Nazification.
I could see him being drafted into the Bavarian Landwehrs at the start of the ITTL European War, moving from the infantry to working with the Russian POWs who went into the Pioneers.
After being discharged in '44 or '45 going to university in either Munich or Augsburg and coming to the attention to Konrad Adenauer and the National Liberals.
I could see Kissinger still going to Harvard for his master's or PhD and becoming an expert on American politics and society and becoming a foreign policy expert for the NLP.
From there he is put on the party list for a seat in the Reichstag instead of facing the voters directly and that is how he started on the road to become Chancellor of Germany.
Of course, this is all in my mind and mot to be taken seriously.
I could see him being drafted into the Bavarian Landwehrs at the start of the ITTL European War, moving from the infantry to working with the Russian POWs who went into the Pioneers.
After being discharged in '44 or '45 going to university in either Munich or Augsburg and coming to the attention to Konrad Adenauer and the National Liberals.
I could see Kissinger still going to Harvard for his master's or PhD and becoming an expert on American politics and society and becoming a foreign policy expert for the NLP.
From there he is put on the party list for a seat in the Reichstag instead of facing the voters directly and that is how he started on the road to become Chancellor of Germany.
Of course, this is all in my mind and mot to be taken seriously.
Part 141, Chapter 2432
Chapter Two Thousand Four Hundred Thirty-Two
18th January 1976
Hohenzollern Province near Hechingen
The weekend trip to the castle after the trip up Potsdam the previous weekend had made for an exhausting week. It might have seemed impractical to most people, for Kiki it was about trying to help Nina and herself by extension. Nina looked apprehensively at Rolf as they got out of the car when he came out to greet them. He looked a lot like the classical image that people had of Father Christmas with a long grey beard and round, weather-beaten face that came from life mostly spent outdoors. He also tended to wear the traditional clothes of a Woodsman in this region which made him look like he had just stepped out of a storybook. Like always Rolf didn’t even acknowledge the presence of Kiki’s armed bodyguards, she was never sure exactly what to make of that.
Rolf’s wife was standing by the front door of their house, Kiki knew that she would need to have tea with her and listen to the latest gossip from around Hechingen. Filling Kiki in on everything that had happened since her last visit was something which she liked to do. Kiki just hoped that Nina wouldn’t grow too bored in the meantime.
Rolf had worked indirectly for Kiki’s family for decades and was happy to let them onto his property with the dilapidated house and dog runs enclosed by chain-link fences. His actual business was the breeding and training of Bavarian Mountain Hounds, but he happily took on the role of Royal Kennel Master when asked by either Kiki or Freddy. It had been in that capacity in which he had minded Rauchbier when Kiki had been forced to travel and had needed to leave him behind. Rolf had frequently taken him ferreting along with his dog Cora. It had been during that time which Rauchbier made his contribution to the Swabian Windhund which Rolf had been developing for years. One of Rauchbier’s offspring was the companion of Nella and Nan, Kiki’s much younger sisters from her father’s second marriage. There were also a number of pure-bred whippets in Berlin. So, Rauchbier lived on in them, but that was small consolation. Kiki had seen how Ben had held the door to the porch open in anticipation of Rauchbier following them in a few different times. A reminder of just how big a hole had been left.
“I was sorry to hear about Smoke” Rolf said, “He was a good dog.”
Kiki just smiled at that. She knew that Rolf was one of those people who didn’t believe that there was really such a thing as a bad dog, the same couldn’t be said for people though. Especially when you considered what they did to animals. It was terrible how those two things so neatly dovetailed. She had learned a bit about Rolf years earlier. How he had been involved in the Heer’s logistics operation during the Soviet War. That had included trying to save the lives of those Stalin had purposely starved in the Second Holodomor, under the direction of Medical Personnel. It was hardly a surprise that he had liked dogs more than people after that.
“I am a bit surprised that it is just you and the girl” Rolf said.
“Benjamin had to go back to Balderschwang” Kiki replied, “With Exerevnitís III going into orbit in the Jovian system it is important for him to be there.”
Rolf gave Kiki a look before muttering under his breath, something about not understanding where the world was going. She didn’t blame him, for Rolf the old tube radio in his parlor was as advanced a technology as he was interested in. The idea of nuclear-powered robotic probes sent to other worlds was totally outside his experience. Beyond that, Kiki knew that Ben would much rather be here with them today than being at the Observatory answering inane questions from news reporters that a child Nina’s age would have been embarrassed ask. It was all part of the public aspect of being the Director of the Argelander Observatory. Being there during daylight hours and the media relations as much as he disliked it.
Following Rolf into the kennel, Kiki held Nina’s hand as they entered the cinderblock building. There was an immediate response as the dogs noticed Rolf’s presence and they were swarmed by a dozen of the brown hounds with black faces that he kept. What followed was a few minutes of Rolf yelling at the dogs to get them to calm down, without the desired result and he was clearly trying not to use swear words in front of Nina.
Fortunately, the hounds quickly grew bored with this.
“Never mind this lot” Rolf said, “Everything is a game to them.”
Kiki noticed that Cora and a few of her offspring, with black and white fur like their father or grandfather had observed from the other side of a chain-link fence that kept them in a separate part of the kennel. If Kiki had to guess, it had something to do with the differences between sighthounds like whippets or now their Swabian cousins, and the scent hounds like these. Rauchbier had seldom expended energy unless he had to, then it was in an explosive rush.
“What you told me on the phone” Kiki said, “If we could take a look.”
Rolf smiled at that, before he opened another door.
Inside the small room was a single one of the brown and black hounds and a seven or eight puppies of the same breed. When Kiki and Ben had discussed this matter at length, they had decided that the goal was not to replace Rauchbier, but just to have another member of their family as it were. There were other considerations though. Kiki’s daughter was going to be Nina of Oberallgäu for her whole life, choices needed to be made that reflected that.
“I’d be careful, or she’ll want all of them” Rolf said as they watched Nina’s interactions with the pups. Kiki didn’t care, this was the happiest she had seen her daughter in weeks.
18th January 1976
Hohenzollern Province near Hechingen
The weekend trip to the castle after the trip up Potsdam the previous weekend had made for an exhausting week. It might have seemed impractical to most people, for Kiki it was about trying to help Nina and herself by extension. Nina looked apprehensively at Rolf as they got out of the car when he came out to greet them. He looked a lot like the classical image that people had of Father Christmas with a long grey beard and round, weather-beaten face that came from life mostly spent outdoors. He also tended to wear the traditional clothes of a Woodsman in this region which made him look like he had just stepped out of a storybook. Like always Rolf didn’t even acknowledge the presence of Kiki’s armed bodyguards, she was never sure exactly what to make of that.
Rolf’s wife was standing by the front door of their house, Kiki knew that she would need to have tea with her and listen to the latest gossip from around Hechingen. Filling Kiki in on everything that had happened since her last visit was something which she liked to do. Kiki just hoped that Nina wouldn’t grow too bored in the meantime.
Rolf had worked indirectly for Kiki’s family for decades and was happy to let them onto his property with the dilapidated house and dog runs enclosed by chain-link fences. His actual business was the breeding and training of Bavarian Mountain Hounds, but he happily took on the role of Royal Kennel Master when asked by either Kiki or Freddy. It had been in that capacity in which he had minded Rauchbier when Kiki had been forced to travel and had needed to leave him behind. Rolf had frequently taken him ferreting along with his dog Cora. It had been during that time which Rauchbier made his contribution to the Swabian Windhund which Rolf had been developing for years. One of Rauchbier’s offspring was the companion of Nella and Nan, Kiki’s much younger sisters from her father’s second marriage. There were also a number of pure-bred whippets in Berlin. So, Rauchbier lived on in them, but that was small consolation. Kiki had seen how Ben had held the door to the porch open in anticipation of Rauchbier following them in a few different times. A reminder of just how big a hole had been left.
“I was sorry to hear about Smoke” Rolf said, “He was a good dog.”
Kiki just smiled at that. She knew that Rolf was one of those people who didn’t believe that there was really such a thing as a bad dog, the same couldn’t be said for people though. Especially when you considered what they did to animals. It was terrible how those two things so neatly dovetailed. She had learned a bit about Rolf years earlier. How he had been involved in the Heer’s logistics operation during the Soviet War. That had included trying to save the lives of those Stalin had purposely starved in the Second Holodomor, under the direction of Medical Personnel. It was hardly a surprise that he had liked dogs more than people after that.
“I am a bit surprised that it is just you and the girl” Rolf said.
“Benjamin had to go back to Balderschwang” Kiki replied, “With Exerevnitís III going into orbit in the Jovian system it is important for him to be there.”
Rolf gave Kiki a look before muttering under his breath, something about not understanding where the world was going. She didn’t blame him, for Rolf the old tube radio in his parlor was as advanced a technology as he was interested in. The idea of nuclear-powered robotic probes sent to other worlds was totally outside his experience. Beyond that, Kiki knew that Ben would much rather be here with them today than being at the Observatory answering inane questions from news reporters that a child Nina’s age would have been embarrassed ask. It was all part of the public aspect of being the Director of the Argelander Observatory. Being there during daylight hours and the media relations as much as he disliked it.
Following Rolf into the kennel, Kiki held Nina’s hand as they entered the cinderblock building. There was an immediate response as the dogs noticed Rolf’s presence and they were swarmed by a dozen of the brown hounds with black faces that he kept. What followed was a few minutes of Rolf yelling at the dogs to get them to calm down, without the desired result and he was clearly trying not to use swear words in front of Nina.
Fortunately, the hounds quickly grew bored with this.
“Never mind this lot” Rolf said, “Everything is a game to them.”
Kiki noticed that Cora and a few of her offspring, with black and white fur like their father or grandfather had observed from the other side of a chain-link fence that kept them in a separate part of the kennel. If Kiki had to guess, it had something to do with the differences between sighthounds like whippets or now their Swabian cousins, and the scent hounds like these. Rauchbier had seldom expended energy unless he had to, then it was in an explosive rush.
“What you told me on the phone” Kiki said, “If we could take a look.”
Rolf smiled at that, before he opened another door.
Inside the small room was a single one of the brown and black hounds and a seven or eight puppies of the same breed. When Kiki and Ben had discussed this matter at length, they had decided that the goal was not to replace Rauchbier, but just to have another member of their family as it were. There were other considerations though. Kiki’s daughter was going to be Nina of Oberallgäu for her whole life, choices needed to be made that reflected that.
“I’d be careful, or she’ll want all of them” Rolf said as they watched Nina’s interactions with the pups. Kiki didn’t care, this was the happiest she had seen her daughter in weeks.
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