Stupid Luck and Happenstance, Thread III

It is inevitable that the Olympics would be targeted for a violent attack by either terrorists or by an individual for their own purposes.
IOTL the Black September attack on the Israeli Olympic team at the 1972 Munich Olympics occurred because the Germans were determined to send a message that the 1936 Berlin Games were from a different era.
This caused the security at the Olympic Village to be relaxed and the German Law Enforcement community ignored the Israeli suggestions about securing the Israeli Olympic Team and dismisses intelligence about Right-Wing Anti-Semitic Neo-Nazi groups working with Black September.
ITTL the Germans because of previous domestic terrorist attacks take security more seriously, and because of this nothing happens, and everyone has a good time.
IOTL the 1976 Montreal Olympics was an armed camp which helped drive the costs of hosting the game up exponentially.
ITTL with the world's spotlight on Montreal, and the IOTL cost overruns on constructing the venues, I could see the organizers making budget cuts for security in the mistaken belief that no extraordinary measures are needed.
Hmmm makes sense, but who? Israel doesn’t exist ITTL and I would expect the Middle East to be more stable for lack of a Cold War. Actually, do we even know if Britain and France already pulled away from it? I could see it being some group fighting for decolonization.
 
What's the state of civil rights in the US like at this point?
Could there be white supremacists looking at a soft target north of the border?

A nice plausible security scare and the inevitable tightening of security would screw with Bader's plans. Unless he's on the inside already, in which case the beehive mentality of security clamp downs, that inevitably face outwards, will help him.
 
The Olympics are one of the biggest events on the world stage and as in IOTL, ITTL there will be a lot of high profile people in Montreal for the Games starting with the Queen of Canada herself, Elizabeth II.
While there is no Israel ITTL, there should be an Olympic team representing the Palestinian Mandate which could be either a tempting target from anyone from Militant Zionists to Muslim refugees from the Balkans angry about the West’s indifference to the Ethnic Cleansing.
Also any number of individuals with a grudge may decide that doing something at the games may garner the attention they want.
 
I would expect the Middle East to be more stable for lack of a Cold War
Last we saw, or atleast I think it was last we saw, was one or two threads ago. It seems that atleast parts of Arabia had split into several rivaling states that were in constant conflict with eachother and various tribal nomads. I might be misremebering though.
 
The Olympics are one of the biggest events on the world stage and as in IOTL, ITTL there will be a lot of high profile people in Montreal for the Games starting with the Queen of Canada herself, Elizabeth II.
While there is no Israel ITTL, there should be an Olympic team representing the Palestinian Mandate which could be either a tempting target from anyone from Militant Zionists to Muslim refugees from the Balkans angry about the West’s indifference to the Ethnic Cleansing.
Also any number of individuals with a grudge may decide that doing something at the games may garner the attention they want.
At this point I would say that Zinonism is dead or losing steam. By now most of western and Central Europe is probably pretty tolerant of Jews, and they don’t face much discrimination as some decades ago, so the amount of people who would be moved by the idea of a Jewish homeland is reduced to some idealists instead of a bunch of people who just want a safe place.
 
Part 141, Chapter 2438
Chapter Two Thousand Four Hundred Thirty-Eight



29th February 1976

Richthofen Estate, Silesia

Having been born in a leap year it was rare for the date Suse Rosa’s birthday to actually appear on the calendar. That made this year special and Manfred the Younger had pulled out all the stops with the help of his mother to celebrate it this year. The rather wide circle of close friends and family in attendance was certainly a surprise for Suse who had not been expecting it. Suse Rosa was most certainly not the social butterfly that her mother Lagertha von Wolvogle was, and she didn’t like being the center of attention. Manfred the Elder watched with detached amusement. He knew that his oldest grandson was going to have a whole lot of explaining to do once Suse had to stop pretending to be gracious.

Nikolaus, Sabastian, Anna, Gretchen, and Mathilda had all been liberated from their respective schools for the weekend. As Manfred the Elder watched, his teenaged grandchildren had made the most of the opportunity in various ways. Nikolaus and Sabastian had raided the pantry on Friday night, to the consternation of the Housekeeper and the Cook who had needed to send someone into Breslau for more supplies. Nikolaus had been putting in considerable effort to qualify. As Fencing had gotten further out of reach it had been suggested that there was an opening in the team for Modern Pentathlon. Nikolaus was a skilled horseman, knew pistols, and had competed in Fencing. Swimming and Running were something that he had not necessarily been training in. Sabastian was more than happy to help, which in this context was not so thinly veiled sadism.

Manfred had just shrugged when they had complained to him about what the boys had done. They knew full well that he had retired from the day-to-day running of the estate, they were supposed to be talking to Albrecht or Ilse, but old habits died hard. He had told them that the two boys were training hard to compete in Montreal, and he didn’t begrudge them a bit of better food than the bland institutional swill that they were being fed at Wahlstatt. Manfred had then spent a pleasant afternoon in the woods with Mathilda and Ingrid teaching them how to read the weather and look for the tracks left by various animals. Anna and Gretchen were creatures of the city at heart, so they had spent all of Saturday near the house.

As a gift, Manfred had bought Nikolaus’ mount from the Cavalry when the Regiment had returned from Argentina. Despite what the boy had said about the mercurial nature of the horse he had unimaginatively named Zwei after the last numeral of his serial number, it had been his constant companion for the months he had been in South America. Nikolaus had been too surprised to see Zwei to say anything else. As far as Manfred the elder was concerned, Zwei was a worthy addition to the small herd of horses he kept for use around the estate.

There had also been the discovery of Wilhelm “Willi” Schnell, who Manfred the Elder had recognized as being the great-grandson of Werner Voss, who had been in Jasta 2 with him during the First Great World War. He had made a phone call to the General who commanded the Cavalry Regiments of the Heer and had asked about him. Willi was a solid Trooper apparently, much like Werner himself had been.

He had told Georges and Mick about that when the three of them had last met at a bar in Naples a few weeks earlier. The consensus had been that time had gotten away from them. They had been saved from melancholy when the bartender had asked them, “A German, Englishman, and Frenchman walk into a bar, can you tell me the rest of the joke?” While Mick might be blind as a bat these days, there was nothing wrong with his hearing and when he got his blood up he threw a number of threats at the bartender as Manfred had to keep him from hitting the man with his cane. He was Irish Goddammit and he was to be addressed as such. The Bartender had no clue who they were. That the three old men he was poking fun at were retired Air Marshals who had once commanded their respective Service Branches.

Georges had never even left his chair as he had watched with wry amusement. It was a bit bewildering for Manfred, that it seemed like many of his friends these days were former enemies. The three of them had agreed to start meeting at the bar in Naples that catered to the retirees from across Northern Europe who came to Italy during the wintertime as opposed to the funerals that had become a regular occurrence. James McCudden, Oswald Boelcke, and Charles Nungesser had all died within a few weeks of each other. Georges had said that it was staggering that Nungesser had lived long enough to grow old considering how banged up he had had been during the First World War after having crashed on multiple occasions. Manfred knew that Boelcke had had one foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel for ages, congestive heart failure that was complicated by having asthma his entire life. Still, he had been the one who had recruited Manfred into Jasta 2 a million years earlier.

Manfred was snapped back into the present as he was watching Manfred the Younger and Suse Rosa talking intently in the hallway, trying to keep the argument quiet. Something about the way she was talking to him suggested that the boy really had overstepped this time.
 
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It has always been such a surprise the evolution of the Legendary Red Baron from the rugged "Man's Man" Warrior to the "Ol' Softee" Opa.
Buying Niko's mount Zwei is a callback from when Gerta brought Kurt's mount Onnesel back from the South Africa Conflict.
The Modern Pentathlon was created by the founder of the Modern Olympics, Baron de Coubertin to mimic an officer delivering a message through enemy lines and one of the events is a 4 KM cross-country equestrian event with the riders getting 20 minutes to practice with a randomly assigned horse, Niko has been shown to be proficient in pistols and fencing, and his experience in Argentina with his Calvery unit should give him an edge in the event.
Now Manfred von Richthofen is at an age where only those who were his enemies when he was younger are still around, and they are still telling the same lies about their experiences years later.
 
Oh, he's only gone and gotten her pregnant, hasn't he? And Suse was probably hoping for one last quiet birthday with Manfred the Younger before full bore adulthood hit the fan.

I love Manfred the Elder's musings and reminiscences, especially Mick Mannock demanding satisfaction for the crime of being called "English".
 
I love Manfred the Elder's musings and reminiscences, especially Mick Mannock demanding satisfaction for the crime of being called "English".
To be a fly on the wall as Mick Mannock, Georges Guynemer, and Manfred von Richthofen are sitting in an Italian taverna telling stories about what they had been up to decades earlier...
 
To be a fly on the wall as Mick Mannock, Georges Guynemer, and Manfred von Richthofen are sitting in an Italian taverna telling stories about what they had been up to decades earlier...
Agreed.

That reminds me, Harry Patch will still be around as I believe his injury and evacuation from the front line was before, or around the same time the butterfly that saw Emil Holtz become a war hero.
Will he continue to become Britain's last Tommy?
 
especially Mick Mannock demanding satisfaction for the crime of being called "English".
Listen, I can deal with being called a lot of things and not bother to correct people.

I've been called a Yank because of the peculiarity of my accent, which I grant is a fairly odd one sometimes. In some not particularly nice places in the next door island I've been called any combination of "Mick" "Paddy" and worse and just shrugged.. I've had French and Maltese people call me Scottish and just laughed.

But the Lord above help you if you call me English.
 
He had told Georges and Mick about that when the three of them had last met at a bar in Naples a few weeks earlier. The consensus had been that time had gotten away from them. They had been saved from melancholy when the bartender had asked them, “A German, Englishman, and Frenchman walk into a bar, can you tell me the rest of the joke?” While Mick might be blind as a bat these days, there was nothing wrong with his hearing and when he got his blood up he threw a number of threats at the bartender as Manfred had to keep him from hitting the man with his cane. He was Irish Goddammit and he was to be addressed as such. The Bartender had no clue who they were. That the three old men he was poking fun at were retired Air Marshals who had once commanded their respective Service Branches.

Georges had never even left his chair as he had watched with wry amusement. It was a bit bewildering for Manfred, that it seemed like many of his friends these days were former enemies. The three of them had agreed to start meeting at the bar in Naples that catered to the retirees from across Northern Europe who came to Italy during the wintertime as opposed to the funerals that had become a regular occurrence. James McCudden, Oswald Boelcke, and Charles Nungesser had all died within a few weeks of each other. Georges had said that it was staggering that Nungesser had lived long enough to grow old considering how banged up he had had been during the First World War after having crashed on multiple occasions. Manfred knew that Boelcke had had one foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel for ages, congestive heart failure that was complicated by having asthma his entire life. Still, he had been the one who had recruited Manfred into Jasta 2 a million years earlier.
Huh!
Mick Mannock still around huh!
Thats good.

That means Omar Bradley is still around, as he died in OTL in 1981 - need someone for Emil.

ALso
 
Part 141, Chapter 2439
Chapter Two Thousand Four Hundred Thirty-Nine



2nd March 1976

Dresden, Kingdom of Saxony

The City of Dresden was known as the Jewel Box because of the Baroque and Rococo buildings and palaces that dominated the City Center. In recent years it had become a battlefield for those who wanted to preserve the character of the old city and others who wanted to modernize. That was the reason why ARD was covering the City Council races this year. It was considered a microcosm of the larger debates being held across the German Empire. The entire time this was going on, Yuri was reminded of what Zella had said to him when he had last seen her in Berlin a few days earlier, that they were supposed to present the facts, not present the debate. Of course, she had used much coarser language and had even suggested that Kay Essert should be arrested for engaging in the World’s oldest profession to gain access to Heinz Kissinger. She clearly had no idea what the new assignment that Yuri had been stuck with was when she had said that.

“Which spot on the river do you think will have the best backdrop for the story?” Kay asked.

“Inside the New Rathaus so we can be there when the results of the elections are announced” Yuri replied, “That isn’t on the river though.”

Kay pretended that Yuri had not said anything. Instead, he continued looking at the map with pencil marks on it, his brilliant idea was to use the city as seen from the river as a dramatic backdrop. Never mind that it was freezing cold and anywhere along the river it would be icy as well. All that Kay cared about was making himself look good. If they got frostbite or slipped and broke something in the process then that was a small price to pay.

As it was, Yuri was wearing insolated coveralls under a heavy ski parka and a fur hat, all of which had been gifts from his mother who knew a thing or two about the cold. Totally at odds with Kay who had insisted on wearing just a wool suit, the only concession he was making for the weather was the pair of knit gloves and a scarf. What should have been the first hint that Kay was making a series of bad calls was when the people who did hair and makeup had refused to leave the trailer parked outside the Rathaus. The crunch of ice under their feet as they walked to the embankment with a palace brightly lit up across the river. Yuri’s assistant whispered, “Think that anyone will notice Kay’s lips turning blue at the studio?”

“Don’t give me that” Yuri replied, “We have a job to do, and a key part of that is to keep the talent happy.”

It was in moments like these where Yuri missed working with Zella. Not only did she not like cold weather, but Zella also listened to Yuri’s suggestions occasionally. Not that it mattered now. They had pretty thoroughly messed up their working relationship when she had gotten pregnant. Zella had not named him as the other half of that equation and had taken a lot of heat because of that, that had preserved his career though. No one knew what was going to happen when, or if, she tried to come back next year.

Where did that leave Yuri though?

Yuri’s mother was euphoric over the prospect of having her first grandchild, apparently Zella had no problem telling her. Later, when his mother had brought up the subject with him, he had pointed out the circumstances and that Zella had no interest in marriage, his mother had just given him one of those deep sighs that she did when she thought that he was being particularly thick. She had pointed out that at least his son or daughter would know who their father was. It was something that his mother had almost never mentioned, what had happened to her during the Soviet War and the assumptions that were made afterwards. It was hardly a wonder why she had never gone home, and that Yuri had been shunned by his relatives the one time he had visited the village where they lived. There were just too many question marks hanging over him. Was he German or Russian? Either way, it seemed like he was too much of one or the other depending on where he was. And the poison that had been widely spread by Stalin’s goons still lingered though most of them had been dead for decades.

Setting up the video camera on the tripod, Yuri pointed it at Kay, aware that they were nowhere near the real story which was several blocks away. He just hoped that the cold wouldn’t affect the recording so that they could get it done and back to the trailer to send the feed back to the Berlin affiliate in time for the evening news. At that moment, the runner they had been waiting for brought the preliminary vote count and handed it to Kay who read through it with a look of growing disbelief on his face before handing it off to Yuri who read it and nearly laughed. It was a bit of ironic justice that Kay would be caught flatfooted after apparently spending months sucking up to the wrong people. The Greens, who had not been considered a factor in the days leading up to the elections had captured an outright majority, not just in Dresden, but the whole of Saxony.
 
This last update reminds me of the times in Great Britian when there are bye elections for the House of Commons, local Counsel elections, and European Parliament elections where the Liberal Democratic Party would win in heavily Conservetive or Labour areas as a way to show dissatisfaction with the two main parties,
It appears that the main issue in Saxony is the question of whether or not the "characteristics" of the historical buildings and landscapes are to be preserved.
Without the IOTL "Hap Arnold urban renovations" to Dresden, and the SED "remodeling" job, Dresden and the rest of Saxony should look like it came from another time, and it is very charming to the tourists who visit there,
I could see the ITTL National Liberals and the SPD wanting to transform Dresden in a way the pretty much destroys the historic look into something much more modern but ultimately "sterile" looking with "Cookie-cutter" buildings and public landscaping that can be found almost anywhere else in the world, especially in the United States.
This is where the DEP was able to make a breakthrough and connect with voters who otherwise thought the Party was run by "Out of Touch" elitists.
 
This last update reminds me of the times in Great Britian when there are bye elections for the House of Commons, local Counsel elections, and European Parliament elections where the Liberal Democratic Party would win in heavily Conservetive or Labour areas as a way to show dissatisfaction with the two main parties,
It appears that the main issue in Saxony is the question of whether or not the "characteristics" of the historical buildings and landscapes are to be preserved.
Without the IOTL "Hap Arnold urban renovations" to Dresden, and the SED "remodeling" job, Dresden and the rest of Saxony should look like it came from another time, and it is very charming to the tourists who visit there,
I could see the ITTL National Liberals and the SPD wanting to transform Dresden in a way the pretty much destroys the historic look into something much more modern but ultimately "sterile" looking with "Cookie-cutter" buildings and public landscaping that can be found almost anywhere else in the world, especially in the United States.
This is where the DEP was able to make a breakthrough and connect with voters who otherwise thought the Party was run by "Out of Touch" elitists.
As was mentioned, without the Arnold-Harris Furniture Moving Service causing a massive amount of urban renewal across Europe this debate is happening across Germany and well beyond. Places like Coventry still have their Medieval core intact, which is massive headache if your planning is car centered. The backlash was inevitable, the question is, is anyone in the major parties paying attention? And is anyone aware that Manfred von Richthofen helped set up the DEP to play the role that it is about to take on?
 
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I would expect that the most used solution to the issue of the Medieval cores being too unwieldy for a modern city would be that the administrative and economic centers of the cities would start to diverge and go away from the historical ones.
 
There is going to be a major divide between those who says that it will cost too much to preserve older buildings in the city centers and it will more economically efficient to tear down and rebuild the center cities to be more car friendly, and those who believe that preserving the historic centers and neighborhoods.
That means autobahns are either slicing through city centers and are also dividing historic neighborhoods, or are circling the cities creating inner suburbs and outer suburbs were the more modern homes, commercial shopping centers, and office buildings are, and are connected to the city centers by surface streets and public transportation.
 
All the fun of urbanization in the latter 20th century!

The great irony of course will be when the public tram networks are removed to make life easier for cars, and then in about 60 years time everyone is celebrating them being back as a good public transit option....
 
All the fun of urbanization in the latter 20th century!

The great irony of course will be when the public tram networks are removed to make life easier for cars, and then in about 60 years time everyone is celebrating them being back as a good public transit option....
That with the added spice of every city worth a damn in Germany having a city centre that's Patrimony of Humanity
 
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