Stupid Luck and Happenstance, Thread III
- Thread starter Peabody-Martini
- Start date
Part 144, Chapter 2607
Chapter Two Thousand Six Hundred Seven
31st January 1977
Ulm, Württemberg
Of all the things that could have happened, this was not what Kiki had expected. Having spent the prior days setting up an apartment in Ulm, she realized that it was her turn to be inconvenienced by her career. It was either finding an apartment in Ulm or else spending hours each day commuting. Bringing Lutz and Fianna with her was easy enough to do, he was a toddler. It was more complicated with Nina though. She was going to stay with Ben in Balderschwang until they came up with a permanent arrangement. The apartment itself was much larger than what Kiki had thought that she might need. The fact that she now had a much larger Staff to deal with was the reason for that. Kiki also had the displeasure of her brother making itself felt in ways which were impossible to ignore.
In the meantime, Kiki and Ben spent last weekend together alone in the apartment. As much as she loved her children, the last few days had been enjoyable. Now it was Monday, and she was faced with her first day as Chief Surgeon of the Ulm Military Hospital. Steffi Bader, who had been Kiki’s Personal Secretary for the last few years, had made sure that she had everything she needed this morning. So all Kiki needed to do was get dressed and say goodbye to Ben before he started the hour and half drive back to Balderschwang. She also needed to meet with her Staff before they would all set out for the hospital where she was to conduct an inspection tour, which would take most of the day because the place was huge. Seated at head of the table in the formal dining room which they were using as an impromptu conference room, Kiki was listening to her Aide, a Major, read the day’s itinerary aloud as she pinned the medals to the front of her tunic, having to angle and overlap to get them to fit. When she had been a little girl, she had marveled at the number of medals that Aunt Kat had worn in similar situations. Today, she had realized that she had likely caught up or even exceeded Kat. It was a sobering thought. Tomorrow, she could dispense with that and just wear what she normally did when working in the hospital, but it being the first day she wanted everyone who saw her to understand exactly who she was.
Looking across the table, Kiki saw that Feldwebel Haas was listening intently. His presence was Freddy’s way of letting her know his opinion of what had happened and how he had had bourn the brunt of Chancellor Kissinger’s anger over it. She was unsure what exactly to do with the Feldwebel now that he had been appointed to her Staff. His prior experience had been entirely in Infantry, so Haas might be a big help with patients in that he spoke their language. He probably could use some training in First Aid and simple medical procedures, regardless of his specialty those were valuable skills.
Montreal, Canada
The weather reports said that this was probably going to be the worst winter storm of the season. Classes had been canceled at the Universities for the next couple days, so Marie had insisted that they make the most of the unexpected time off. That came in the form of sitting in the parlor of the Blackwood house watching soap operas, drinking homemade mochas, and eating popcorn. Looking out the windows, Henriette saw the snow swirling and was happy she was someplace warm and safe.
Henriette had been angry with Marie and her father over how they had reacted to sudden reappearance of Jayden a couple days earlier by running him off. She could fight her own battles and she knew perfectly well what Jayden was. She had also come to the realization that Marie knew her father on level she did not.
Henriette had also never seen Marie that angry before.
Normally, Marie put some thought into what she said and how she said it. All of that had gone out the window and every word Marie had said had sounded ugly even if Henriette could understand very little of it. “What he did to you was wrong” Marie had finally said, and that was the end of it.
Today, Marie was sitting with Alice, who was more interested in playing with the popcorn rather than eating it, on her lap. The plot in the soap opera had taken an absurd turn and Marie was making fun of how they had an actor playing a “Count” from a fictional European Principality, but he sounded more like he was from Baltimore, when Margot walked in.
“I am not sure what sort of accent that is supposed to be” Marie said.
“Who cares about the accent?” Margot asked, “Not when it comes with the rest of him. There is a reason why Laurie just cannot resist his charms.”
“I’m surprised Oma” Marie replied with a smile.
“I’ve not missed an episode if I could help it since this show premiered” Margot said as they watched the male protagonist in a tense confrontation with the Count, who was clearly the villain. “That Bobby is handsome one, he even looks a bit like Malcolm did when he first got back from France.”
That clearly surprised Marie, who Henriette had heard describe Margot as a dried-up old prune on more than a few occasions.
31st January 1977
Ulm, Württemberg
Of all the things that could have happened, this was not what Kiki had expected. Having spent the prior days setting up an apartment in Ulm, she realized that it was her turn to be inconvenienced by her career. It was either finding an apartment in Ulm or else spending hours each day commuting. Bringing Lutz and Fianna with her was easy enough to do, he was a toddler. It was more complicated with Nina though. She was going to stay with Ben in Balderschwang until they came up with a permanent arrangement. The apartment itself was much larger than what Kiki had thought that she might need. The fact that she now had a much larger Staff to deal with was the reason for that. Kiki also had the displeasure of her brother making itself felt in ways which were impossible to ignore.
In the meantime, Kiki and Ben spent last weekend together alone in the apartment. As much as she loved her children, the last few days had been enjoyable. Now it was Monday, and she was faced with her first day as Chief Surgeon of the Ulm Military Hospital. Steffi Bader, who had been Kiki’s Personal Secretary for the last few years, had made sure that she had everything she needed this morning. So all Kiki needed to do was get dressed and say goodbye to Ben before he started the hour and half drive back to Balderschwang. She also needed to meet with her Staff before they would all set out for the hospital where she was to conduct an inspection tour, which would take most of the day because the place was huge. Seated at head of the table in the formal dining room which they were using as an impromptu conference room, Kiki was listening to her Aide, a Major, read the day’s itinerary aloud as she pinned the medals to the front of her tunic, having to angle and overlap to get them to fit. When she had been a little girl, she had marveled at the number of medals that Aunt Kat had worn in similar situations. Today, she had realized that she had likely caught up or even exceeded Kat. It was a sobering thought. Tomorrow, she could dispense with that and just wear what she normally did when working in the hospital, but it being the first day she wanted everyone who saw her to understand exactly who she was.
Looking across the table, Kiki saw that Feldwebel Haas was listening intently. His presence was Freddy’s way of letting her know his opinion of what had happened and how he had had bourn the brunt of Chancellor Kissinger’s anger over it. She was unsure what exactly to do with the Feldwebel now that he had been appointed to her Staff. His prior experience had been entirely in Infantry, so Haas might be a big help with patients in that he spoke their language. He probably could use some training in First Aid and simple medical procedures, regardless of his specialty those were valuable skills.
Montreal, Canada
The weather reports said that this was probably going to be the worst winter storm of the season. Classes had been canceled at the Universities for the next couple days, so Marie had insisted that they make the most of the unexpected time off. That came in the form of sitting in the parlor of the Blackwood house watching soap operas, drinking homemade mochas, and eating popcorn. Looking out the windows, Henriette saw the snow swirling and was happy she was someplace warm and safe.
Henriette had been angry with Marie and her father over how they had reacted to sudden reappearance of Jayden a couple days earlier by running him off. She could fight her own battles and she knew perfectly well what Jayden was. She had also come to the realization that Marie knew her father on level she did not.
Henriette had also never seen Marie that angry before.
Normally, Marie put some thought into what she said and how she said it. All of that had gone out the window and every word Marie had said had sounded ugly even if Henriette could understand very little of it. “What he did to you was wrong” Marie had finally said, and that was the end of it.
Today, Marie was sitting with Alice, who was more interested in playing with the popcorn rather than eating it, on her lap. The plot in the soap opera had taken an absurd turn and Marie was making fun of how they had an actor playing a “Count” from a fictional European Principality, but he sounded more like he was from Baltimore, when Margot walked in.
“I am not sure what sort of accent that is supposed to be” Marie said.
“Who cares about the accent?” Margot asked, “Not when it comes with the rest of him. There is a reason why Laurie just cannot resist his charms.”
“I’m surprised Oma” Marie replied with a smile.
“I’ve not missed an episode if I could help it since this show premiered” Margot said as they watched the male protagonist in a tense confrontation with the Count, who was clearly the villain. “That Bobby is handsome one, he even looks a bit like Malcolm did when he first got back from France.”
That clearly surprised Marie, who Henriette had heard describe Margot as a dried-up old prune on more than a few occasions.
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To answer the obvious question. While there are some people who are evil all the time, that is the sort of thing that just gets exhausting. Now, if someone you have a combative relationship with shows an interest in something you are clearly passionate about...
I agree with @Dan . Adding more depth to Margo is a nice touch.
@Peabody-Martini , is Kiki 's newest staff member Feldwebel Hass or Haas? The gentle giant named Hass would be a nice pun.
@Peabody-Martini , is Kiki 's newest staff member Feldwebel Hass or Haas? The gentle giant named Hass would be a nice pun.
Part 144, Chapter 2608
Chapter Two Thousand Six Hundred Eight
3rd February 1977
Rural Silesia
A couple months earlier, Christian had been informed that all of equipment of the Artillery Battery he had commanded for the last couple years had been declared obsolete and he had been left with the task of telling the men. It was an understatement to say that this was greeted with anger. The battery had been built around the 10.5 Centimeter Howitzers which had been in service since the 30’s, but it was felt that they no longer met the needs of the Heer. Not even in a Landwehr Division like theirs.
As if to add insult to injury, they had been tasked with preparing the howitzers to be transported by train to Eisen, which was probably where they had been made in the 30’s and 40’s, to be recycled. It had been a terrible moment watching the train cars disappear into the distance. In the weeks since then, they had been waiting for the Heer to tell them what was coming next. That made matters difficult in the Depot as the men cycled though from their day jobs. An Artillery Battery without the artillery was pointless, something that Christian had heard over and over. The entire time he had nothing to say in reply because no had told him what was going to happen next.
That had changed today when he received orders from the High Command telling Christian to inform selected men from the Battery to prepare for movement so that they could be sent to train in a new weapons system. Looking over the list, he saw that it was one of those “Training the trainers” sort of things. That was why he added the names of those men whose time would be well spent doing that sort of thing. Looking over the travel orders, Christian saw that it would involve going back for additional training. Briefing to follow, meaning that it was somewhat open-ended. He figured that Ina wouldn’t be too thrilled by this development. As the daughter and granddaughter of Military Officers Ina understood the realities of Christian’s career, but they had been having serious discussions about their future together. With Ina close to getting her Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine, suddenly the future was upon them. There was also the birth of their nephew Johannes who had added a new wrinkle. Even if Ina had not said anything yet, Christian knew that had put an idea or two into her mind. Having him spend several weeks in…
He swiftly reread the orders, in Munster…
That was not a part of the plan.
Of course, Christian had a question or two of his own. Like why the Heer was sending a bunch of Landwehr Artillerymen to the Panzer Training School? That had all the makings of the sort of brainfart that the High Command indulged in from time to time.
Montreal, Canada
Eric Blair, better known by the non de plume George Orwell, Poet, Author, Journalist, Literary Critic, and Radio Commentator dead at the age of 74.
Marie saw the obituary in the newspaper and remembered how she had listened to George Orwell Presents on BBC International on the radio she had gotten as a Christmas present when she was eight years old, before Blair had retired. He could have read the dictionary aloud and made it interesting. Social commentary had been mixed in with the stories which had been what she had actually tuned in for. It had not been until she had started writing about her own views during her Secondary Education that she realized just how much listening to that radio show had shaped them. Marie felt that the George Orwell books written in the 50’s and 60’s that dealt with the subjects of identity and personal agency were his most important works. The books that came before about totalitarianism and his skewering of the Soviet Union with satire were good, but they had left a bad taste in Marie’s mouth.
“A young woman like you shouldn’t be reading that” Flora said across the counter, “It is morbid.”
“I used to listen to this man’s radio show” Marie replied, “British Broadcasting Company, you know.”
Flora just shrugged, that meant nothing to her.
“You will be happier if you read the funnies” Flora said before she walked off to do something else.
Flora Bonaccorso was the Barista of the coffee shop in Montreal’s Little Italy neighborhood Marie favored because the members of the Bonaccorso family who ran this place as well as a nearby bakery and a restaurant didn’t object to her bringing in her lunch from elsewhere. That might have had something to do with them thinking that she was actually Italian because she was fluent in that language. They didn’t seem to care that her name in Canada was simply Marie Blackwood, she even had an ID card to prove it. She sometimes wondered what they would make of Marie’s foster sister Angelica de Medici if they ever met her.
“How did you handle all this snow?” Flora asked as she returned.
Montreal was still digging itself out of the blizzard that had shut down the city for much of the week.
“It was hard not to get stir crazy” Marie replied, “Heaven forbids the weather get in the way of my grandmother’s soap opera addiction.”
Flora just smiled at that having no idea how out of character that was for Marie’s grandmother.
The Bonaccorso family were working class, so they were far removed from Margot Blackwood’s circles. It was a key part of the reason why Marie liked them.
3rd February 1977
Rural Silesia
A couple months earlier, Christian had been informed that all of equipment of the Artillery Battery he had commanded for the last couple years had been declared obsolete and he had been left with the task of telling the men. It was an understatement to say that this was greeted with anger. The battery had been built around the 10.5 Centimeter Howitzers which had been in service since the 30’s, but it was felt that they no longer met the needs of the Heer. Not even in a Landwehr Division like theirs.
As if to add insult to injury, they had been tasked with preparing the howitzers to be transported by train to Eisen, which was probably where they had been made in the 30’s and 40’s, to be recycled. It had been a terrible moment watching the train cars disappear into the distance. In the weeks since then, they had been waiting for the Heer to tell them what was coming next. That made matters difficult in the Depot as the men cycled though from their day jobs. An Artillery Battery without the artillery was pointless, something that Christian had heard over and over. The entire time he had nothing to say in reply because no had told him what was going to happen next.
That had changed today when he received orders from the High Command telling Christian to inform selected men from the Battery to prepare for movement so that they could be sent to train in a new weapons system. Looking over the list, he saw that it was one of those “Training the trainers” sort of things. That was why he added the names of those men whose time would be well spent doing that sort of thing. Looking over the travel orders, Christian saw that it would involve going back for additional training. Briefing to follow, meaning that it was somewhat open-ended. He figured that Ina wouldn’t be too thrilled by this development. As the daughter and granddaughter of Military Officers Ina understood the realities of Christian’s career, but they had been having serious discussions about their future together. With Ina close to getting her Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine, suddenly the future was upon them. There was also the birth of their nephew Johannes who had added a new wrinkle. Even if Ina had not said anything yet, Christian knew that had put an idea or two into her mind. Having him spend several weeks in…
He swiftly reread the orders, in Munster…
That was not a part of the plan.
Of course, Christian had a question or two of his own. Like why the Heer was sending a bunch of Landwehr Artillerymen to the Panzer Training School? That had all the makings of the sort of brainfart that the High Command indulged in from time to time.
Montreal, Canada
Eric Blair, better known by the non de plume George Orwell, Poet, Author, Journalist, Literary Critic, and Radio Commentator dead at the age of 74.
Marie saw the obituary in the newspaper and remembered how she had listened to George Orwell Presents on BBC International on the radio she had gotten as a Christmas present when she was eight years old, before Blair had retired. He could have read the dictionary aloud and made it interesting. Social commentary had been mixed in with the stories which had been what she had actually tuned in for. It had not been until she had started writing about her own views during her Secondary Education that she realized just how much listening to that radio show had shaped them. Marie felt that the George Orwell books written in the 50’s and 60’s that dealt with the subjects of identity and personal agency were his most important works. The books that came before about totalitarianism and his skewering of the Soviet Union with satire were good, but they had left a bad taste in Marie’s mouth.
“A young woman like you shouldn’t be reading that” Flora said across the counter, “It is morbid.”
“I used to listen to this man’s radio show” Marie replied, “British Broadcasting Company, you know.”
Flora just shrugged, that meant nothing to her.
“You will be happier if you read the funnies” Flora said before she walked off to do something else.
Flora Bonaccorso was the Barista of the coffee shop in Montreal’s Little Italy neighborhood Marie favored because the members of the Bonaccorso family who ran this place as well as a nearby bakery and a restaurant didn’t object to her bringing in her lunch from elsewhere. That might have had something to do with them thinking that she was actually Italian because she was fluent in that language. They didn’t seem to care that her name in Canada was simply Marie Blackwood, she even had an ID card to prove it. She sometimes wondered what they would make of Marie’s foster sister Angelica de Medici if they ever met her.
“How did you handle all this snow?” Flora asked as she returned.
Montreal was still digging itself out of the blizzard that had shut down the city for much of the week.
“It was hard not to get stir crazy” Marie replied, “Heaven forbids the weather get in the way of my grandmother’s soap opera addiction.”
Flora just smiled at that having no idea how out of character that was for Marie’s grandmother.
The Bonaccorso family were working class, so they were far removed from Margot Blackwood’s circles. It was a key part of the reason why Marie liked them.
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Christian’s unit is getting SP artillery.
With the new European customs Union, it makes Poland more likely to declare independence from the German Empire, which will lead to headaches all around.
For the cafe owners, the word of mouth that Marie is a regular customer is going to bring more customers to them as Marie is known to be a trendsetter in Montreal.
Belarus has always been close to Russia historically and there should be a divide between those who want closer ties to the west, and those who want to restore the ties back to Mother Russia, of course it doesn’t help that Russia is putting a heavy thumb on the scale.
While Kiki has been telling herself that she doesn’t want to continue in the JMS, her recent actions in the Alexanderplatz Tragedy has renewed her commitment to serve and more importantly she now realizes that she can do more good as an administrator and still practice medicine at the same time.
With the new European customs Union, it makes Poland more likely to declare independence from the German Empire, which will lead to headaches all around.
For the cafe owners, the word of mouth that Marie is a regular customer is going to bring more customers to them as Marie is known to be a trendsetter in Montreal.
Belarus has always been close to Russia historically and there should be a divide between those who want closer ties to the west, and those who want to restore the ties back to Mother Russia, of course it doesn’t help that Russia is putting a heavy thumb on the scale.
While Kiki has been telling herself that she doesn’t want to continue in the JMS, her recent actions in the Alexanderplatz Tragedy has renewed her commitment to serve and more importantly she now realizes that she can do more good as an administrator and still practice medicine at the same time.
Do we have any info, in the last 500 pages
, about the actual size and position of Poland?The last I remember is a disgrunteled Head of State whisteling up some atteck dogs for some trouble there and slicing of a bit for his little sis...
Not under that title and it would have been very different with the demise of the Soviet Union in 1944 ITTL. Animal Farm remained more or less unchanged.
Perhaps it went under the title The Last Man ITTL? It was one of the alternate titles considered.
Don't they still have the army around to keep order in Poland?
Trying to go independent now might cause some very big issues. Particularly since it's just an Economic Union right now, the whole 'free trave' thing and shared passports will come later.
Trying to go independent now might cause some very big issues. Particularly since it's just an Economic Union right now, the whole 'free trave' thing and shared passports will come later.
Part 144, Chapter 2609
Chapter Two Thousand Six Hundred Nine
14th February 1977
Moscow, Russia
Recent events in Belarus had happened because of Galicia-Ruthenia. The acknowledgement of the Ruthenians by the German Empire had somehow become a threat. Exactly how people who identified themselves as an offshoot of the Ukrainians were a problem for Russian Nationalists was a bit of a mystery. Gia knew that they also seemed to have a problem with Ukrainians as well, so there was that. Somehow, the way that portion of Poland and a small section of Slovakia had been used to form a new State within the German Empire had resulted in outrage within Russia. Just how much of it was performative as opposed to being based on fear was uncertain. Regardless, suddenly it seemed as if paranoia was the order of the day.
Gia was disappointed by all of this, years earlier she had hoped that the Russians as a people had outgrown this sort of thing. Losing two wars with European powers, the second of which they had undoubtedly started themselves, should have been informative. Instead, the old fear that some foreign power would partition Russia had come to the fore. The Germans had passed at the chance to do exactly that at the end of the Soviet War. Belarus and Ukraine had wanted out, which shouldn’t have come as a surprise after what had happened during the war. Did the Russian State really want the Ukrainians inside their country after the Second Holodomor? There was a reason why there had been a mass exodus of ethnic Russians from Ukraine during the second half of the 40’s. There was also this business with the Greeks and how that country had become an international pariah with only Russia and Serbia as clear allies. The rest of the Black Sea Region and Balkans had responded predictably.
It was enough to make Gia want to scream in frustration. Had no one learned anything after the events of the last century? Did they really think that anything would be gained by taking back Belarus by hook or crook? Having the German Empire, and presumably half the German Heer’s Panzer Corps, just on the other side of the River Bug would be a disaster waiting to happen.
Panzer Corps Training School, Near Munster, Lower Saxony
The PzH15 was not exactly what Christian was expecting when he had arrived in Munster. He had been given a briefing about the capabilities of the new vehicle, an Armored Howitzer featuring a 15cm main gun in a turret that allowed a full transverse. That meant that the thing was huge. It had been inspired by the Panther/Evergreen Gunschlepper which had proven so effective in conflicts around the world. A replacement had been deemed necessary because the old Panther hulls were falling apart, and parts had grown hard to find. Rather than cannibalizing the fleet of self-propelled artillery, a new vehicle that had common parts with the Panzer VIII Leopard II with more attention paid to crew protection and comfort had been designed.
It wasn’t a Panzer by any stretch of the imagination, its armor being only thick enough to shield the crew from splinters or small arms. The goal was to be able to keep up with the Panzer columns and provide fire support at a moment’s notice. There was also the mission of firing a burst of shots and then changing position or going to cover before a counter battery could respond.
As Commander, Christian’s job was to know the entire system inside and out. Which included the complex communications suite, navigation, and fire control. The job of the Commander was made somewhat easier by the addition of a dedicated Radio Operator next to the driver in the hull. That was what caused Christian to discover why his battery had been selected to be the first in the 3rd Landwehr Division to train in the new vehicles, the presence of Christian himself because he had played a key role in developing the radio communications used successfully by 7th Recon in Poland and Patagonia. Not that it helped as he listened to his men arguing with each other as they tried to figure out how to work just one of the vehicles. Christian knew to let them figure it out, knowing that it actually had nothing to do with the vehicle or the equipment. Instead it had to do with there being a lot of truth about how an Artilleryman in a dirty uniform could do equations on the fly that needed to factor in variables such as distance, wind speed, the curvature and the rotation of the Earth. A task that a University Professor with a chalkboard and all the time in the world would find difficult. Now they had been plunged into the totally unfamiliar and the frustrations were boiling over.
They were due to receive twelve of the PzH15s the in the coming days, Christian’s task was to make the Battery gel as unit and that would need to be his entire focus. There were also going to be a Armored Ammunition Carriers based on Panzer VIII hulls in addition to the APCs and lorries that the Battery already had in abundance. Simply put, it seemed like Christian’s headaches were multiplying. Looking at the MG42/56 in a pintle mount on the roof of the PzH15, Christian wondered if having tracers flying over everyone’s head would make them more focused on the task at hand, or more likely give them a common enemy. He knew that was just wishful thinking, there were things that even an Oberleutnant would get in trouble for.
14th February 1977
Moscow, Russia
Recent events in Belarus had happened because of Galicia-Ruthenia. The acknowledgement of the Ruthenians by the German Empire had somehow become a threat. Exactly how people who identified themselves as an offshoot of the Ukrainians were a problem for Russian Nationalists was a bit of a mystery. Gia knew that they also seemed to have a problem with Ukrainians as well, so there was that. Somehow, the way that portion of Poland and a small section of Slovakia had been used to form a new State within the German Empire had resulted in outrage within Russia. Just how much of it was performative as opposed to being based on fear was uncertain. Regardless, suddenly it seemed as if paranoia was the order of the day.
Gia was disappointed by all of this, years earlier she had hoped that the Russians as a people had outgrown this sort of thing. Losing two wars with European powers, the second of which they had undoubtedly started themselves, should have been informative. Instead, the old fear that some foreign power would partition Russia had come to the fore. The Germans had passed at the chance to do exactly that at the end of the Soviet War. Belarus and Ukraine had wanted out, which shouldn’t have come as a surprise after what had happened during the war. Did the Russian State really want the Ukrainians inside their country after the Second Holodomor? There was a reason why there had been a mass exodus of ethnic Russians from Ukraine during the second half of the 40’s. There was also this business with the Greeks and how that country had become an international pariah with only Russia and Serbia as clear allies. The rest of the Black Sea Region and Balkans had responded predictably.
It was enough to make Gia want to scream in frustration. Had no one learned anything after the events of the last century? Did they really think that anything would be gained by taking back Belarus by hook or crook? Having the German Empire, and presumably half the German Heer’s Panzer Corps, just on the other side of the River Bug would be a disaster waiting to happen.
Panzer Corps Training School, Near Munster, Lower Saxony
The PzH15 was not exactly what Christian was expecting when he had arrived in Munster. He had been given a briefing about the capabilities of the new vehicle, an Armored Howitzer featuring a 15cm main gun in a turret that allowed a full transverse. That meant that the thing was huge. It had been inspired by the Panther/Evergreen Gunschlepper which had proven so effective in conflicts around the world. A replacement had been deemed necessary because the old Panther hulls were falling apart, and parts had grown hard to find. Rather than cannibalizing the fleet of self-propelled artillery, a new vehicle that had common parts with the Panzer VIII Leopard II with more attention paid to crew protection and comfort had been designed.
It wasn’t a Panzer by any stretch of the imagination, its armor being only thick enough to shield the crew from splinters or small arms. The goal was to be able to keep up with the Panzer columns and provide fire support at a moment’s notice. There was also the mission of firing a burst of shots and then changing position or going to cover before a counter battery could respond.
As Commander, Christian’s job was to know the entire system inside and out. Which included the complex communications suite, navigation, and fire control. The job of the Commander was made somewhat easier by the addition of a dedicated Radio Operator next to the driver in the hull. That was what caused Christian to discover why his battery had been selected to be the first in the 3rd Landwehr Division to train in the new vehicles, the presence of Christian himself because he had played a key role in developing the radio communications used successfully by 7th Recon in Poland and Patagonia. Not that it helped as he listened to his men arguing with each other as they tried to figure out how to work just one of the vehicles. Christian knew to let them figure it out, knowing that it actually had nothing to do with the vehicle or the equipment. Instead it had to do with there being a lot of truth about how an Artilleryman in a dirty uniform could do equations on the fly that needed to factor in variables such as distance, wind speed, the curvature and the rotation of the Earth. A task that a University Professor with a chalkboard and all the time in the world would find difficult. Now they had been plunged into the totally unfamiliar and the frustrations were boiling over.
They were due to receive twelve of the PzH15s the in the coming days, Christian’s task was to make the Battery gel as unit and that would need to be his entire focus. There were also going to be a Armored Ammunition Carriers based on Panzer VIII hulls in addition to the APCs and lorries that the Battery already had in abundance. Simply put, it seemed like Christian’s headaches were multiplying. Looking at the MG42/56 in a pintle mount on the roof of the PzH15, Christian wondered if having tracers flying over everyone’s head would make them more focused on the task at hand, or more likely give them a common enemy. He knew that was just wishful thinking, there were things that even an Oberleutnant would get in trouble for.
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The PzH15 looks very similar to the American M-109, form following function.
Russia, where paranoia is raised to the level of an art form. ITTL, someone needs to drop a scare-cat or two hundred off at the Duma.
WTF? How? Or is it, as Gia says, just performative? In any case it seems like Russia needs to get another bloody nose so that they will calm down for a while. Also, has Gia made any public statements regarding the conflict? war? skirmishes? whatever they are called with Belarus?
I mean sure, I guess, but that would make it an even more blatant expy (is that the right word?) than it already is.