Stupid Luck and Happenstance, Thread III

I doubt that it was Ritchie's fault that the Tactical Division wasn't approved by the Los Angeles City Council it was probably due to the high start up costs and long lead time before anything can get up and running, meanwhile LAPD can continue to recruit former Special Warfare members in to the ranks and still go to Camp Pendleton for "Situational Training".

Are Albanian refugees finding their way to the United States and particularly Los Angeles to live?

Between heroin from China and cocaine from South America the Narcotics Squads up and down the West Coast are being overwhelmed now maybe the US government can create a new Law Enforcement Agency to specifically deal with Drug Enforcement on the federal level.
 
Part 126, Chapter 2130
Chapter Two Thousand One Hundred Thirty



12th March 1972

Silesia

Manfred the Elder had not felt up to traveling to Berlin this weekend. He hated the city. In his thinking he had already exhausted his quarterly quota of trips there on business. Too many people and too much noise to suit him. He had strongly considered going there for the ceremony that he was watching on television but didn’t want to cause a distraction, this was Manfred the Younger’s moment to shine.

Albrecht and Ilse had gone to Berlin, this was entirely due to the key role that Albrecht had played with the Fleet Air Command. Any successful campaign resulted in the Emperor was passing out rewards and this was no exception. It was the exact same show that Manfred had seem many times before going all the way back to when he had first been a Fighter Ace in the First World War. With the brass band and flags everywhere, it seemed archaic and dated even to him, which really was saying something. The colors of the uniformed had changed, the dark blue for the Heer was different from how he remembered it. When he had still been a part of that, field grey had been the color of choice. The fact that Friedrich IV was wearing the blue and red uniform of the Pioneers alone would have given Wilhelm II a fit of apoplexy though.

Manfred could still remember the tone of the old Emperor’s voice and it didn’t take too much imagination to figure his reaction. Demanding to know why his great grandson had been allowed to become a Common Laborer, as if that were all the Pioneer Corps did. Sure, the Pioneer Corps had started because having thousands of Russian Prisoners of War sitting idle had been in no one’s interest, but what had been done with them had been a stroke of genius. At the height of its existence, the Pioneers had been a million strong and the problems of logistics had evaporated in the face of that. In the decades since the Soviet War, they had taken on massive engineering and construction projects. What made them unique among the Service Branches was that they had become self-financing. Manfred knew that logistics as well as personnel and project management were valuable skills if one wished to run a country. That was the reason why Friedrich had made the choices that he had.

As Manfred watched, his grandson was called forward and he had the Pour-le-Mérite placed around his neck. Helene worried about what the future might bring. That Manfred the Younger’s skill as a marksman would land him in one of the BND’s Hunter/Killer teams. The truth was that she could stop worrying after this. The BND had a strong preference for people not known to the enemy and receiving the highest awards for bravery tended to make someone instantly recognizable around the world.

“You look happy” A voice said, and Manfred shifted his attention to the Maid, little more than a girl really, who was dusting the shelves. It took a moment for Manfred to remember her name.

“There is a lot to be happy about today Izabela” Manfred replied, “Manfred, my oldest grandson, has made his entire family proud.”

“That’s good” Izabela said as she resumed her work.

Manfred turned his attention back to the television. A man in a blue and white uniform was called forward, a Hauptmann from the Marine Infantry. While he didn’t doubt the bravery and dedication of the Navy’s Soldiers, it bothered him that they were taking a more prominent role over the last few decades. It had long been said that their ranks were composed of men who had been sent to sea because it was cheaper than prison.



Tempelhof

A slice of bread with jam on it remained Sophie’s choice of evening meals unless Petia caught her. Then she would find herself eating full meal. Today, that had happened, and she found herself eating a bowl of potato-leek soup.

“If a foolish girl refuses to take care of herself, someone else will happily do it for her” Petia had said before heating up the soup on the stove for her. It was hard to take offense to this, Petia regularly referred to Kat as a foolish girl as well. The rules were simple enough with the Russian woman. If you acted the part, don’t be surprised when she called you out on it.

Upstairs, Kat was busy explaining to the Governing Mayor of Berlin why she wasn’t interested in establishing a Chivalrous Order as was all the rage in the other States. As the Royal Sovern of any such Order, Kat’s cooperation was critical. He had shown up with a whole presentation centered around Berolina, the female personification of Berlin, whose statue stood in Alexanderplatz and the Bear which had adorned the city’s flag and seals for centuries. Sophie had eavesdropped on the conversation until the Mayor had also brought up incorporating the tiger brooch that Kat regularly wore, the one that had been a gift from George VI of England. Sophie didn’t know the whole story behind that, but from the stairwell outside Kat’s office she could feel the temperature of the room drop by several degrees. She figured that then would be a good time to get something to eat and hopefully the kitchen was outside the blast radius. As she was eating her soup, she saw Anne, one of Kat’s odd extended family, which Sophie had come to realize she happened to be currently the youngest member of, come walking in through the laundry room. Something about the way she was walking suggested that Kat must have summoned her and that the Governing Mayor must have said something that had forced Kat’s hand.
 
Last edited:
A reminder of the brooch that Kat wears, similar to this except the tiger is a red copper inlay on a white field.


JYAS15.JPG
 
Last edited:

ferdi254

Banned
Old men and young maids… how old is that story? This is will be German but please bear with me.

„und war es auch nur ganz unten geschehn Frau Knopp hat es trotzdem nicht gern gesehn.

„and even though his pinch had been fairly low (on the thigh of the maid) his wife had not been hapoy to see it)(translation done by me but a trained translator might kill me while I still beat google.

Oh and for the everyone if you have not read Wilhelm Busch in original you are as clouless to the German language as Mark Twain had been (and I adore that guy)
 
Last edited:
A slice of bread with jam on it remained Sophie’s choice of evening meals unless Petia caught her. Then she would find herself eating full meal. Today, that had happened, and she found herself eating a bowl of potato-leek soup.
I see Petia still isn't fully assimilated. After all: "Frühstücken wie ein Kaiser, Mittagessen wie ein Fürst, Abendessen wie ein Bettelmann" - "Breakfast like an Emperor, Lunch like a Prince and Dinner like a Beggar."

(Or is it different in Berlin, once again? I was under the impression the quote was more true in the protestant parts of Germany than even in the catholic South? Then again, it is 'only' soup - on the other hand a slice or two of bread with jam or sausage or cheese is pretty much what I think of when I think of an evening meal - event though it no longer really fits with my lifestyle as it once did.)
 

ferdi254

Banned
That has become more complicated over the years. I am not sure what influence Kellogs would have TTL and how much mediterranen diet has moved to Germany but generally in the 60s and 70s OTL the lunch was the mai dish with canteens in the factories making up for this.

But without the starvation of WW2 we can only guess.
 
There was a dearth of tiger designs like the one I was looking for a few years ago. A lot of cartoonish ones, Hobbs for example. The best one I found happened to be from an inlay found on several of Doug Irwin's Rosebud guitars from early 70's, one of which was sold to Gerry Garcia.
Jerry with a J. Rosebud was the name of another guitar Doug built for Jerry, circa 1989
 
Last edited:
It looks like Kat is going to have to create an Order for Berlin but it is going to be on her terms like it being split in to a military side and a civilian side, limited number of total members and limited number honorees a year.
Any titles of nobility that are created are for lifetime only unless the honoree already has a title.
It should follow the British system of having five different classes and as a thumb to the nose of the late Empress Kids Gia should be appointed the first Dame Grand Cross with Kiki being the second.
As for the way the medal that should look a seven pointed star with Berolina in the center holding an olive branch in her right hand above her head while her left hand is at her side holding a the small knife that Kat is famous for and being flanked by a bear on one side a tiger on the other side with the Imperial Eagle in the background.
But that is just my ignorant opinion.
 
....
As for the way the medal that should look a seven pointed star with Berolina in the center holding an olive branch in her right hand above her head while her left hand is at her side holding a the small knife that Kat is famous for and being flanked by a bear on one side a tiger on the other side with the Imperial Eagle in the background.
But that is just my ignorant opinion.
Great image.
 
Part 126, Chapter 2131
Chapter Two Thousand One hundred Thirty-One



14th March 1972

Tempelhof, Berlin

Petia had told Kat that she didn’t like how Sophie tended to eat like a vulture and had been after her to eat something more substantial as her meals. “Yes, Grandmother” Kat said and Petia had given Kat a look that suggested that yes, Petia was a grandmother and that she would be wise not to forget it. It was something that Kat was perfectly aware of. She had gone out of her way to make sure that Darya, the daughter of Petia’s oldest son, had plenty of educational and vocational opportunities in Berlin over the last few years. It seemed like the least that Kat could do after everything that Petia had done for her.

The concern over Sophie was an easy enough problem to solve. Kat and Petia both understood how difficult it was to learn to take care of oneself having had their own battles revolving around that. Sophie’s thirteenth birthday was coming up in a month and Kat a few ideas of how to make it truly special. After what had happened the last few months, it would be good for Sophie to be happy for a little bit.

It was the problems from outside her household that were proving far more intractable for Kat. The Governing Mayor of Berlin as well as those he purported to represent were asking about a Chivalrous Order, an idea which Kat felt was profoundly stupid. Medals and Orders had always been for preening by small-minded men in her estimation. How many ordinary men had died over the last century so that their Commanding Officer could have something to show off at the exclusive club he attended? Kat herself had always hated the damned things for exactly that reason. She was acutely aware of how the medals sitting in a glass case in her office represented a sea of blood and were often the result of profound failures on her part. Her own nephew Manny had understood it when he had told her that he had gotten the Pour-le-Mérite at the same time he had gotten eight men he was responsible for killed. She had told him the truth, that hers had been the result of an operation whose details would need to remain secret forever without telling him about the treasonous street theater that had occurred in Saint Petersburg. It was something that she had paid a heavy price for in the years since. The world didn’t need another piece of expensive costume jewelry, but the Government of the City-State were not going to be dissuaded this time.

That was why she had called Anne. Of all the young women who had passed through Kat’s life, Anne and Leni were the most creative. The prior Sunday, Leni’s daughter had answered the phone and told Kat that Leni and her husband were out for the night, so it had been Anne who had come to Kat’s office where they had discussed the issue at length. To Kat’s regret it had not occurred to her until Anne said something that there was a dark history behind the whole notion of a “Knight’s Cross” that someone Jewish would be acutely aware of. That was what started them on a long discussion about symbols and their meanings. Anne had eventually pointed out to Kat that she had the power here to potentially subvert the entire culture that existed around these awards.

It was an interesting idea and one that Kat had not thought of until Anne told her. It was just a question of coming up with a design and entry criteria that would serve that function, then getting the City to go along with it.



Potsdam

While Christian had few expectations for what would greet him when he arrived at the Headquarters of the First Foot, sharing a room with Wulfstan Auer was not what he figured he would have to deal with. For starters, who named their kid Wulfstan? And then there was the minor detail that Wulfstan was completely insane.

Christian had only heard Wulfstan’s story second hand, but he had little reason to think it was untrue. There had been a pagan revival that had been a thing back in the 40’s and 50’s that had run its course. It seemed that Wulfstan’s parents had been a part of a community that had been so heavily into that, they had gone off to live separate from the rest of society on an island on the Baltic Sea. So, Wulfstan had grown up living and breathing some very strange notions which he had mercifully learned to keep to himself. However, when Wulfstan came of age he had figured that there was no higher calling than that of a warrior and that had come in the form of joining the Heer. In Poland and Argentina, he had gone through those conflicts with absolutely no concern regarding his personal safety, getting himself into some hairy situations and more or less blasting his way out of them. With there being a lot of old-school Officers around in the Heer, that sort of conduct had been rewarded much to the annoyance of Wulfstan’s actual Commanding Officer. Word was that he had been sent to the First Foot as a way to get rid of him. Someone in Personnel with a twisted sense of humor must have seen Christian’s name and had made the billeting assignment in the Noncommissioned Officer’s Quarters.
 

PNWKing

Banned
I had to look up Bobby Weir, because I thought Blue Mountain was TTL's version of "Journey". It wasn't until I looked him up that I realized it was that other band from the Bay Area, even though Jerry Garcia is TTL's answer to Robert A. Heinlein.
 

altamiro

Banned
Chapter Two Thousand One hundred Thirty-One
[snip]
That was why she had called Anne. Of all the young women who had passed through Kat’s life, Anne and Leni were the most creative. The prior Sunday, Leni’s daughter had answered the phone and told Kat that Leni and her husband were out for the night, so it had been Anne who had come to Kat’s office where they had discussed the issue at length. To Kat’s regret it had not occurred to her until Anne said something that there was a dark history behind the whole notion of a “Knight’s Cross” that someone Jewish would be acutely aware of. That was what started them on a long discussion about symbols and their meanings. Anne had eventually pointed out to Kat that she had the power here to potentially subvert the entire culture that existed around these awards.

It was an interesting idea and one that Kat had not thought of until Anne told her. It was just a question of coming up with a design and entry criteria that would serve that function, then getting the City to go along with it.
That would not be particularly new for Germany - the subversion of Prussian and French militaristic traditions is the core of the Rhineland Karneval
Rosenmontagszug-2020-Garde-mit-Dom-und-Riesenrad-kleiner.jpg
 

ferdi254

Banned
But exporting the Karneval to Berlin…

well I‘d rather try to sell MAGA caps on a democratic convention.
Actually Karneval is a huge satire on the prussian military a fact that did not go unnoticed in Prussia and with Prussia still fully intact..,,
 

altamiro

Banned
But exporting the Karneval to Berlin…

well I‘d rather try to sell MAGA caps on a democratic convention.
Actually Karneval is a huge satire on the prussian military a fact that did not go unnoticed in Prussia and with Prussia still fully intact..,,
Not just Prussian, the Napoleonic French occupation was also being brutally mocked.
But surely the idea is not just importing the Rhenish carneval but to set up an own, similarly subversive, Berlin-own tradition.
 
But exporting the Karneval to Berlin…

well I‘d rather try to sell MAGA caps on a democratic convention.
Actually Karneval is a huge satire on the prussian military a fact that did not go unnoticed in Prussia and with Prussia still fully intact..,,

Not just Prussian, the Napoleonic French occupation was also being brutally mocked.
But surely the idea is not just importing the Rhenish carneval but to set up an own, similarly subversive, Berlin-own tradition.
Indeed. Especially since Berlin is much more, well, liberal and cosmopolitan than the rest of Prussia…
 
The best way for Kat to subvert any Honor or Order that is created for Berlin is the manner in which people are selected to receive it.
As an example someone thinks by donating a lot of money for a soup kitchen will received the lowest level of the Order, Member of the Order of Berlin (MB) while the one who started and is running the soup kitchen gets the Commander of the Order of Berlin (CB).
I am basing this part on the British system of titles of Nobility and if Kat as the Furstin of Berlin is authorized to grant Titles of Nobility is to create lifetime titles in the Baronet rank which is one step below the Peerage so that Honorees can't pass the title down to their children.
If Titles are created that are to be passed down to the offspring of the Honorees it should be only to those who already have Titles except in very rare cases where someone is
being enobled in extraordinary circumstances, and the titles created are of equal or in most cases lesser rank except once again in extraordinary circumstances where a higher titled is warranted.
Once again the number of honorees should be limited with a cap of how many people can be honored a year.
 
Top