Stupid Luck and Happenstance, Thread III
- Thread starter Peabody-Martini
- Start date
Part 142, Chapter 2564
Chapter Two Thousand Five Hundred Sixty-Four
5th June 1976
Near Oranienburg, Brandenburg
It had been a decade since Nan had seen Gudrun and those years had not been kind to her. Being a culprit in one of the most notorious crimes to have occurred in Bavaria, especially one that had involved several children, had made it so that Gudrun had needed to be kept in protective segregation for that entire time. She had eventually needed to be transferred entirely out of Bavaria. This was because no one wanted a repeat of the Red Nanny incident where the woman who had been seduced into helping the NKVD infiltrate the Old Winter Palace had been killed by her fellow prisoners. The sort of protective custody that Gudrun was enduring had been likened to being buried alive and Nan felt she deserved every last second of it.
“What do you want?” Gudrun demanded through the chicken wire glass that was the partition in the visitor’s room. When Nan had first considered that she might want to confront Gudrun, she had asked around about how it might be arranged. It had turned out to be absurdly simple, ironically because Nan was the closest thing to family that Gudrun had left. Nan had laid it on thick, saying that she only wanted a chance to make peace with her estranged half-sister. That was nonsense, of course. Nan was not interested in peace so much as making sure that the past was well and truly gone. The fact that Gudrun had never once called Nan by her name spoke volumes.
“That’s no way to talk to me” Nan replied, “I would think that you would be happy to talk to anyone these days, or at least anyone who isn’t looking to stab or strangle you.”
Gudrun gave Nan a withering look. “Just tell me what you want, or I leave” She growled at Nan. Little did she know that Nan was just getting warmed up.
“I came to tell you the good news” Nan said, “I was able to be the first one in my class to sit the Abitur and pass, a year early. I am starting University this autumn, wasn’t Trade School to learn to be an Office Secretary the best you could do.”
Nan saw Gudrun bristle at that, which is what she had been hoping for. Yes, living well was often the greatest revenge, though in Nan’s case it was living at all.
“My sister Nella, well, my sister through my adopted family bet me that I couldn’t pass it yet” Nan continued with a smile, “I proved her wrong didn’t I.”
“So what” Gudrun said.
“I would say that is extremely good for a girl deemed pedestrian and of low intelligence even as he did his level best to keep me ignorant” Nan said, “That was what your father wrote about me in his journal as rambling and incoherent as it was. That was the excuse for…”
“You have no right to talk about our father that way” Gudrun hissed at Nan interrupting her, her eyes blazing with rage.
“Your father” Nan replied, “To me he is nothing more than my mother’s rapist, the man who deemed me unworthy of existence and would have killed me if my mother hadn’t stopped him.”
“He was a great man whose ideas were ahead of their time” Gudrun said with far more certainty than the situation warranted.
“You mean the quasi-scientific theories around eugenics that have largely been discredited?” Nan asked, “I know that you’ve been kept quite isolated, but even you have to know about that.”
“What do I care about the poison that the Jews spread through their insidious works?” Gudrun asked in reply, “The Sciences are just rotten with them and their scheming.”
It was something that had not changed about Gudrun. Nan remembered that Anti-Semitism was just one of Gudrun’s bigotries and the answer for everything wrong with her life or anything she didn’t understand. The fact that she had found herself locked away had clearly changed nothing. Nan wondered how Gudrun would react to her having learned a whole lot from Herr Shikongo, the African man who had been the Personal Chef in charge of her adopted family’s kitchen staff for as long as Nan had lived with them. While Nan wanted to fly airplanes, she knew her way around a kitchen because Shikongo had been a willing teacher. It was something which she was profoundly grateful for. There was also Frau Frank. The inadvertent chronicler of Nan’s adopted family had always been kind and understanding to the times which Nan had difficulty in a social situation. Something which had happened more often than Nan cared to think about. Finding out that she was Jewish had been key to helping Nan get past the stupid prejudices that she had unconsciously picked up.
“That is a load of steaming manure” Nan replied, “And you know it.”
Gudrun just glared at Nan through the glass.
“There is something which I feel you should know” Nan said, “My mother felt that you were just as much a victim of your father as we were. She was never a threat to you, but you murdered her anyway.”
Nan saw the blood drain from Gudrun’s face. The one thing that she had tried to say over and over was that she had just been defending herself from Alina Pfenning. The Courts had obviously disagreed. When Nan had talked about this conversation with Nella and Sophie, Nella had told her that she ought to lean into Gudrun’s refusal to take responsibility and just tell her the truth. Sophie had just told her not to bother even coming here. Nan had done as Nella had suggested and clearly it was not something that Gudrun had been prepared to hear.
“Go away” Gudrun said, trying to regain her former bluster.
“Admit it” Nan said, “You threw your entire life away for a madman’s ambitions.”
Gudrun just stared at Nan refusing to say another word before the time for the visit was up.
5th June 1976
Near Oranienburg, Brandenburg
It had been a decade since Nan had seen Gudrun and those years had not been kind to her. Being a culprit in one of the most notorious crimes to have occurred in Bavaria, especially one that had involved several children, had made it so that Gudrun had needed to be kept in protective segregation for that entire time. She had eventually needed to be transferred entirely out of Bavaria. This was because no one wanted a repeat of the Red Nanny incident where the woman who had been seduced into helping the NKVD infiltrate the Old Winter Palace had been killed by her fellow prisoners. The sort of protective custody that Gudrun was enduring had been likened to being buried alive and Nan felt she deserved every last second of it.
“What do you want?” Gudrun demanded through the chicken wire glass that was the partition in the visitor’s room. When Nan had first considered that she might want to confront Gudrun, she had asked around about how it might be arranged. It had turned out to be absurdly simple, ironically because Nan was the closest thing to family that Gudrun had left. Nan had laid it on thick, saying that she only wanted a chance to make peace with her estranged half-sister. That was nonsense, of course. Nan was not interested in peace so much as making sure that the past was well and truly gone. The fact that Gudrun had never once called Nan by her name spoke volumes.
“That’s no way to talk to me” Nan replied, “I would think that you would be happy to talk to anyone these days, or at least anyone who isn’t looking to stab or strangle you.”
Gudrun gave Nan a withering look. “Just tell me what you want, or I leave” She growled at Nan. Little did she know that Nan was just getting warmed up.
“I came to tell you the good news” Nan said, “I was able to be the first one in my class to sit the Abitur and pass, a year early. I am starting University this autumn, wasn’t Trade School to learn to be an Office Secretary the best you could do.”
Nan saw Gudrun bristle at that, which is what she had been hoping for. Yes, living well was often the greatest revenge, though in Nan’s case it was living at all.
“My sister Nella, well, my sister through my adopted family bet me that I couldn’t pass it yet” Nan continued with a smile, “I proved her wrong didn’t I.”
“So what” Gudrun said.
“I would say that is extremely good for a girl deemed pedestrian and of low intelligence even as he did his level best to keep me ignorant” Nan said, “That was what your father wrote about me in his journal as rambling and incoherent as it was. That was the excuse for…”
“You have no right to talk about our father that way” Gudrun hissed at Nan interrupting her, her eyes blazing with rage.
“Your father” Nan replied, “To me he is nothing more than my mother’s rapist, the man who deemed me unworthy of existence and would have killed me if my mother hadn’t stopped him.”
“He was a great man whose ideas were ahead of their time” Gudrun said with far more certainty than the situation warranted.
“You mean the quasi-scientific theories around eugenics that have largely been discredited?” Nan asked, “I know that you’ve been kept quite isolated, but even you have to know about that.”
“What do I care about the poison that the Jews spread through their insidious works?” Gudrun asked in reply, “The Sciences are just rotten with them and their scheming.”
It was something that had not changed about Gudrun. Nan remembered that Anti-Semitism was just one of Gudrun’s bigotries and the answer for everything wrong with her life or anything she didn’t understand. The fact that she had found herself locked away had clearly changed nothing. Nan wondered how Gudrun would react to her having learned a whole lot from Herr Shikongo, the African man who had been the Personal Chef in charge of her adopted family’s kitchen staff for as long as Nan had lived with them. While Nan wanted to fly airplanes, she knew her way around a kitchen because Shikongo had been a willing teacher. It was something which she was profoundly grateful for. There was also Frau Frank. The inadvertent chronicler of Nan’s adopted family had always been kind and understanding to the times which Nan had difficulty in a social situation. Something which had happened more often than Nan cared to think about. Finding out that she was Jewish had been key to helping Nan get past the stupid prejudices that she had unconsciously picked up.
“That is a load of steaming manure” Nan replied, “And you know it.”
Gudrun just glared at Nan through the glass.
“There is something which I feel you should know” Nan said, “My mother felt that you were just as much a victim of your father as we were. She was never a threat to you, but you murdered her anyway.”
Nan saw the blood drain from Gudrun’s face. The one thing that she had tried to say over and over was that she had just been defending herself from Alina Pfenning. The Courts had obviously disagreed. When Nan had talked about this conversation with Nella and Sophie, Nella had told her that she ought to lean into Gudrun’s refusal to take responsibility and just tell her the truth. Sophie had just told her not to bother even coming here. Nan had done as Nella had suggested and clearly it was not something that Gudrun had been prepared to hear.
“Go away” Gudrun said, trying to regain her former bluster.
“Admit it” Nan said, “You threw your entire life away for a madman’s ambitions.”
Gudrun just stared at Nan refusing to say another word before the time for the visit was up.
Not generally how it's done in Germany. Skipping a grade is rare, taking the Abitur early without skipping one nearly unheard of. If Nan did so skip at one point - even before her last year - she'd still have graduated with her (new) class, just a year ahead of her age group. More so, considering her adopted family, I'd expect them to be even more wary of skipping a grade, to avoid the impression of favoritism.
Then again, over 60 years from the PoD and several school reforms that won't have happened as OTL - not least those during the Nazi years.
(Though I suppose there might be all kinds of exceptions I don't know about - as I'm still an outsider from Germany)
I did a great deal of research on the subject. Originally, this was simply an entrance exam for Universities. The reforms you mention started in the 1930's and further reforms were done in the 40's and 50's for obvious reasons. Prior to that, it seems that education wasn't as held to a rigid schedule as it is today. What that would look like in practice after decades of variance is anyone's guess.
Part 142, Chapter 2565
Chapter Two Thousand Five Hundred Sixty-Five
12th June 1976
Tempelhof, Berlin
It might have been a mistake for Kat to have her office facing the back garden. If it had overlooked the street, perhaps she could have seen trouble coming before it darkened her doorstep. Not that it would have helped, because it seemed like if most of the trouble that entered her house had an appointment these days. Today’s trouble was the direct result of her sneaking away from the SAS Training Camp in Brecon, Wales on Christmas Eve way back in 1943 and coming home. Then Major David Sterling had been forced to take the blame for Kat’s disappearance. Today, thirty years later, she had been forced to make room in her schedule for Brigadier Sterling because he felt that she owed him a favor after all the trouble Kat had caused him during the war.
This had come at a bad time for Kat. Charlotte had asked for her help with Annett, or Nan as she preferred to be called, who she felt was making questionable decisions. The girl had apparently made the choice to shorten her education, which was a bit of surprise for everyone. Kat was aware that it was possible to skip ahead in grades, but that was difficult to do, and she had only seen it successfully done once and that had been done with the stated intention of joining the Military. Nan had not done that. Instead she had taken advantage of the bureaucratic nightmare that had resulted from her childhood. To put it simply, no one knew exactly how old Nan really was. When she had first been rescued, a medical examination had only been able to determine that Nan was between five and seven years in age. Louis Ferdinand and Charlotte had just celebrated her birthday on the same day as their biological daughter Antonia’s to make her feel like she belonged. Eleven years later, Nan had told the Gymnasia’s Headmistress that she was eighteen and that made her eligible to sit the Abitur. While that wasn’t technically a lie, Kat understood that Nan could just as easily be sixteen as well.
There had also been Nan’s conversation with Gudrun Himmler. She had pulled no punches from what Kat could tell by reading the transcript from the recording that the Prison’s Administration had taken from one of the hidden microphones in the visitor’s area. “Admit it, you threw your life away for a madman’s ambitions” Nan had said, matter or fact. Apparently, her much older half-sister had refused to continue the conversation.
Kat understood exactly how Charlotte felt about having a daughter who was asserting herself into the wider world in such a manner. Being torn between feeling proud of what they were trying to do and wanting to strangle them for being so pigheaded in how they were going about doing it.
“Herr Sterling is here” Gunther von Something or the other, Kat’s latest aide whose name she couldn’t be bothered to remember said as David Sterling himself walked in behind him.
“Prefect von Mischner, mind if I call you Katherine?” Sterling asked with a smile that one would normally associate with Used Car Salesmen or shady Politicians. “Still looking lovely after all these years.”
“What do you want?” Kat asked in reply as Sterling looked at the photographs on the wall.
“Where was this taken?” Sterling asked, tapping on a picture frame.
“That’s my nephew Manfred in Argentina” Kat replied, “He was with the Panzer Corps during the Patagonian War.”
The picture was of Manny sitting in the passenger seat of a VW Iltis that had been modified for use by the 7th Reconnaissance Battalion of the 4th Panzer Division. It was instantly obvious why that picture had caught Sterling’s eye.
“Ripping a page from my book” Sterling said with a devil may care grin.
“The Motorized Cavalry Units borrowed heavily from the tactics you perfected in Ukraine and Russia” Kat said, she was not about to tell him that the Panzer Cavalry she had mentioned had taken great effort to fix the most glaring flaws in Sterling’s tactics when he had attacked Russian Airfields and Logistics hubs during the Soviet War. Mostly that was in form of the latest incarnation of the 8-RAD armored car, the Luftpanzer V, and vastly improved radios.
“These were also a brilliant idea” Sterling said picking up one of the last of the original scare cats which Kat kept as a souvenir. “The Russians would piss themselves at the mere sight of them.”
Now Kat knew that Sterling wanted something from her. Why else would be paying her a compliment like that? It was just that she would need to wait for him to get around to it in his own sweet time.
“That was sort of the idea” Kat replied as Sterling sat down in the chair across from Kat’s desk.
“I remember when you arrived in Brecon” Sterling said, “We had just finished with the Sevastopol Campaign and Fleming springs this girl on us. We thought we knew everything, so we weren’t interested in listening. Then you disappeared and we learned that you were in Wales because you had killed five men while putting down a palace coup. You should have seen Paddy’s face when he heard that.”
Kat knew that Sterling was talking about his subordinate during the Soviet War, Robert Blair “Paddy” Mayne. Even by the extremely loose standards of the Special Forces Community, Mayne had been regarded as being completely insane. David Sterling had been able to keep him pushing in the right direction right up until Mayne had taken on impossible odds once too often during the final days of the war. Winning the Victoria Cross in the process if winning was even the right word to use.
“It was all such a lark back then” Sterling said, “Youth wasted on the young and all that.”
Kat waited patiently for him to get to the point.
“I’m sure that you’ve heard about the latest dust up between the Greeks and the Turks?” Sterling asked, “The Russians are behind it, the whole stubborn, vindictive lot of them.”
“I am aware” Kat replied.
“They are after all the marbles” Sterling said, “It’s just the last few decades have taught them a thing or three about how to play the game and while your Chancellor is reluctant to involve the German Army in foreign entanglements, they decided now is the time to act.”
“Why aren’t you speaking with your own Government?” Kat asked.
“That is the rub” Sterling replied, and Kat had a sinking feeling about where this was going.
12th June 1976
Tempelhof, Berlin
It might have been a mistake for Kat to have her office facing the back garden. If it had overlooked the street, perhaps she could have seen trouble coming before it darkened her doorstep. Not that it would have helped, because it seemed like if most of the trouble that entered her house had an appointment these days. Today’s trouble was the direct result of her sneaking away from the SAS Training Camp in Brecon, Wales on Christmas Eve way back in 1943 and coming home. Then Major David Sterling had been forced to take the blame for Kat’s disappearance. Today, thirty years later, she had been forced to make room in her schedule for Brigadier Sterling because he felt that she owed him a favor after all the trouble Kat had caused him during the war.
This had come at a bad time for Kat. Charlotte had asked for her help with Annett, or Nan as she preferred to be called, who she felt was making questionable decisions. The girl had apparently made the choice to shorten her education, which was a bit of surprise for everyone. Kat was aware that it was possible to skip ahead in grades, but that was difficult to do, and she had only seen it successfully done once and that had been done with the stated intention of joining the Military. Nan had not done that. Instead she had taken advantage of the bureaucratic nightmare that had resulted from her childhood. To put it simply, no one knew exactly how old Nan really was. When she had first been rescued, a medical examination had only been able to determine that Nan was between five and seven years in age. Louis Ferdinand and Charlotte had just celebrated her birthday on the same day as their biological daughter Antonia’s to make her feel like she belonged. Eleven years later, Nan had told the Gymnasia’s Headmistress that she was eighteen and that made her eligible to sit the Abitur. While that wasn’t technically a lie, Kat understood that Nan could just as easily be sixteen as well.
There had also been Nan’s conversation with Gudrun Himmler. She had pulled no punches from what Kat could tell by reading the transcript from the recording that the Prison’s Administration had taken from one of the hidden microphones in the visitor’s area. “Admit it, you threw your life away for a madman’s ambitions” Nan had said, matter or fact. Apparently, her much older half-sister had refused to continue the conversation.
Kat understood exactly how Charlotte felt about having a daughter who was asserting herself into the wider world in such a manner. Being torn between feeling proud of what they were trying to do and wanting to strangle them for being so pigheaded in how they were going about doing it.
“Herr Sterling is here” Gunther von Something or the other, Kat’s latest aide whose name she couldn’t be bothered to remember said as David Sterling himself walked in behind him.
“Prefect von Mischner, mind if I call you Katherine?” Sterling asked with a smile that one would normally associate with Used Car Salesmen or shady Politicians. “Still looking lovely after all these years.”
“What do you want?” Kat asked in reply as Sterling looked at the photographs on the wall.
“Where was this taken?” Sterling asked, tapping on a picture frame.
“That’s my nephew Manfred in Argentina” Kat replied, “He was with the Panzer Corps during the Patagonian War.”
The picture was of Manny sitting in the passenger seat of a VW Iltis that had been modified for use by the 7th Reconnaissance Battalion of the 4th Panzer Division. It was instantly obvious why that picture had caught Sterling’s eye.
“Ripping a page from my book” Sterling said with a devil may care grin.
“The Motorized Cavalry Units borrowed heavily from the tactics you perfected in Ukraine and Russia” Kat said, she was not about to tell him that the Panzer Cavalry she had mentioned had taken great effort to fix the most glaring flaws in Sterling’s tactics when he had attacked Russian Airfields and Logistics hubs during the Soviet War. Mostly that was in form of the latest incarnation of the 8-RAD armored car, the Luftpanzer V, and vastly improved radios.
“These were also a brilliant idea” Sterling said picking up one of the last of the original scare cats which Kat kept as a souvenir. “The Russians would piss themselves at the mere sight of them.”
Now Kat knew that Sterling wanted something from her. Why else would be paying her a compliment like that? It was just that she would need to wait for him to get around to it in his own sweet time.
“That was sort of the idea” Kat replied as Sterling sat down in the chair across from Kat’s desk.
“I remember when you arrived in Brecon” Sterling said, “We had just finished with the Sevastopol Campaign and Fleming springs this girl on us. We thought we knew everything, so we weren’t interested in listening. Then you disappeared and we learned that you were in Wales because you had killed five men while putting down a palace coup. You should have seen Paddy’s face when he heard that.”
Kat knew that Sterling was talking about his subordinate during the Soviet War, Robert Blair “Paddy” Mayne. Even by the extremely loose standards of the Special Forces Community, Mayne had been regarded as being completely insane. David Sterling had been able to keep him pushing in the right direction right up until Mayne had taken on impossible odds once too often during the final days of the war. Winning the Victoria Cross in the process if winning was even the right word to use.
“It was all such a lark back then” Sterling said, “Youth wasted on the young and all that.”
Kat waited patiently for him to get to the point.
“I’m sure that you’ve heard about the latest dust up between the Greeks and the Turks?” Sterling asked, “The Russians are behind it, the whole stubborn, vindictive lot of them.”
“I am aware” Kat replied.
“They are after all the marbles” Sterling said, “It’s just the last few decades have taught them a thing or three about how to play the game and while your Chancellor is reluctant to involve the German Army in foreign entanglements, they decided now is the time to act.”
“Why aren’t you speaking with your own Government?” Kat asked.
“That is the rub” Sterling replied, and Kat had a sinking feeling about where this was going.
Poor Kat, she is a friend of the current Sovreign Monarch, and Brigadier Sterling wants Kat to use her friendship to have the Queen ask some pointed, uncomfortable questions about the situation to her Prime Minister in order to spur Her Government into taking action.
From the location of Finike, (soon to be renamed Phoinix) the Greeks have essentially outflanked the Italian Dodecanese Islands, and this will allow the Greeks to have a complete Air and Naval blockade of the islands, making the Italians decide whether or not to use force to relieve the islands.
The Geeks also have time on their side with regards to the Cyprus Situation by having the majority Greek Cypriots making the British rule untenable in the long run.
There is also going to be renewed tensions between the Latin Church and the Greek Church, IOTL at this time whenever there was a new Pope elected, the Patriarch of Constantinople would excommunicate the Pope, and whenever there was a new Patriarch of Constantinople, the Pope would excommunicate him, this practice has been discontinued.
From the location of Finike, (soon to be renamed Phoinix) the Greeks have essentially outflanked the Italian Dodecanese Islands, and this will allow the Greeks to have a complete Air and Naval blockade of the islands, making the Italians decide whether or not to use force to relieve the islands.
The Geeks also have time on their side with regards to the Cyprus Situation by having the majority Greek Cypriots making the British rule untenable in the long run.
There is also going to be renewed tensions between the Latin Church and the Greek Church, IOTL at this time whenever there was a new Pope elected, the Patriarch of Constantinople would excommunicate the Pope, and whenever there was a new Patriarch of Constantinople, the Pope would excommunicate him, this practice has been discontinued.
This isn't about Kat going into the field, she has people for that. Though who they are will not be to her liking. Sterling is looking for someone with the clout to pursue something that the British Government either won't or cannot presently do.
This is something Stirling had form for doing OTL. OTL he formed a number of PMCs and engaged significantly in anti-trade Union activities as he thought Unions in the UK were run by Marxists and Trots, (he wasn't wrong), and considered them a threat to democracy, (he was wrong there). He was anti-racist, but in an elitist way which was rather self defeating in the end.
So yes, going behind the British and German government's backs to try and play the white man, in all senses, is perfectly in character. Kat would do well to steer clear.
I hardly need to point out that among many other things, Kat's father was the "Power behind the throne" in the German Railwaymen's Federation. Meaning that is an issue here.
The problem is that Turkey has no friends, the closest possible friend could be the United States but the Americans has no strategic interest in the area except for a possible naval supply base to the US Navy Mediterranean Fleet.
This is a timeline with no Superpower conflicts between the United States and the Soviet Union and their alliance partners, instead their are multiple "Great Powers" who have limited abilities to project power and Greece will oppose any effort to help Turkey.
Great Britain is in a pickle as any effort to directly or indirectly help Turkey will cause the Greek Cypriots to riot and and attack the Turkish minority community on Cyprus with massive atrocities happening.
The main concern is how far will Russia go in helping the Greeks in their war against the Turks and that will cause the other nations to question if it is in their best interest to help Turkey.
This is a timeline with no Superpower conflicts between the United States and the Soviet Union and their alliance partners, instead their are multiple "Great Powers" who have limited abilities to project power and Greece will oppose any effort to help Turkey.
Great Britain is in a pickle as any effort to directly or indirectly help Turkey will cause the Greek Cypriots to riot and and attack the Turkish minority community on Cyprus with massive atrocities happening.
The main concern is how far will Russia go in helping the Greeks in their war against the Turks and that will cause the other nations to question if it is in their best interest to help Turkey.
The classic problem of "damned if you don't, damned if you do" strikes again.
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Which is where a PMC based in Germany, headed by a German national has enough cut outs to allow Britain to make the moves they need to.
It would be expected that if this happened, that someone not connected to the German government would have a word with the principal behind the PMC and ask them politely to stop, that someone would usually be the Prefect of Berlin acting in an unofficial capacity.
This becomes difficult if the Prefect of Berlin happens to be involved, which is what I suspect Stirling is banking on in order to avoid splashback either on himself or Britain. While TTL's Russia is not OTL's Russia, (so not Spetsnaz missions to silence the principals), I don't think the Russian government would be too pleased if a representative of the German government* was actively working against their interests, and would certainly send some snotty diplomatic communiques.
*In this respect, government is interchangeable with establishment, of which Kat is certainly a part.
Time is on Greece side in this continuing crisis.
They are close to shutting off the last access to the Mediterranean Sea that Turkey has, and that will have great impact on the Turkish economy as Greece will control what Turkey can import and export, I don't think that Greece is going to be generous to the Turks in this situation.
ITTL there has been no Nazi Holocaust, and the concept of Industrial Genocide that was done IOTL is still unthinkable.
The usual methods of mass killings is still famine, disease, massacres, and "Population Resettlement" as an example the "Trailer of Tears" that the Jackson Administration did in the 1820's comes to mind.
Greece at this point is eradicating everything that shows Turkish history and culture in the areas that they have taken over.
The only thing that is going to stop Greece now is a massive intervention by a multinational collation force that is willing to risk a potential war with Russia.
They are close to shutting off the last access to the Mediterranean Sea that Turkey has, and that will have great impact on the Turkish economy as Greece will control what Turkey can import and export, I don't think that Greece is going to be generous to the Turks in this situation.
ITTL there has been no Nazi Holocaust, and the concept of Industrial Genocide that was done IOTL is still unthinkable.
The usual methods of mass killings is still famine, disease, massacres, and "Population Resettlement" as an example the "Trailer of Tears" that the Jackson Administration did in the 1820's comes to mind.
Greece at this point is eradicating everything that shows Turkish history and culture in the areas that they have taken over.
The only thing that is going to stop Greece now is a massive intervention by a multinational collation force that is willing to risk a potential war with Russia.
Wonder what an intervention would look like, assuming France, England and Germany are in agreement that this has went on for too long. Maybe something like OTL NATO intervention in Serbia? The situations are not that dissimilar.
I'm not sure where the coalition would base aircraft here tho, given that doing it in Cyprus is bound to create a shitstorm. Italy? Bulgaria? Sevastopol?
This is the problem, there are no good options for other countries to intervene and stop the Greek aggression.
By out flanking the Italian Dodecanese Islands on the Anatolian mainland, the Greeks can easily impose a total sea and air blockade that renders the islands useless as a staging base against Greece, Cyprus because of the 70% plus Greek majority, is also untenable as a staging base, and more importantly depending on the status of the Suez Canal ITTL, the British may decide that having bases on Cyprus is more important than stopping the Greeks.
By out flanking the Italian Dodecanese Islands on the Anatolian mainland, the Greeks can easily impose a total sea and air blockade that renders the islands useless as a staging base against Greece, Cyprus because of the 70% plus Greek majority, is also untenable as a staging base, and more importantly depending on the status of the Suez Canal ITTL, the British may decide that having bases on Cyprus is more important than stopping the Greeks.
It was mentioned that Egypt ITTL was so bad that the Germans and other countries had to send patrols to Suez to fight pirates. I don't think Egypt will be able to make a play on it anytime soon. Also, if Greece is left alone to it's thing, it'll sooner or later turn its gaze on Cyprus, so by not acting the British aren't achieving anything.
Given this is already the 1970s and the aircraft have decent range, I would say that using a combination of Sevastopol, southern Italy, Bulgaria or Romania, and maybe Libya, they should be able to reach most of the zone of conflict.
It should also be noted that Germany has two Supercarriers, and I doubt Britain and France would let Germany have a monopoly of that, so they likely operate one of them each at least. Parking a couple of those beasts near Greece would do wonders for air superiority or supremacy.
Don't even have to leave the area or the century: The Armenian genocide might be used as a blueprint. Doing to the Turks what they did to fellow Christians, or something along those lines of reasoning.
Don't remember mentions of carriers specifically, beyond those existing. Probably one of those chapters featuring the old Admiral's vision for the German Navy.
Still, with a very different WW2 and no US Navy significantly eclipsing the Royal Navy (IIRC), and a more multi-polar world, I could see Britain insisting on having at least one more than their closest rivals. Depends a lot on their economy if they can support it, and that is depending in large parts on how decolonisation (and therefore the size of their captive market) is going, I'd assume.