Stupid Luck and Happenstance.
- Thread starter Peabody-Martini
- Start date
I'm not sure that would have been such a good idea. There's something about trying to fuel a rocket with very unstable chemicals on an unstable platform in "challenging" conditions that leads me to feel that the Kriegsmarine introducing it would have been one of the greatest allied coups of the war.
Part 34, Chapter 409
Chapter Four Hundred Nine
26th August 1944
Berlin
They had all met in the exclusive club in Central Berlin that was known for its discretion as much as its famous membership list. A lot of the real governance of the German Empire occurred within its walls. It was said that no less than five Emperors had patronized the establishment. Tonight, it was host to the Chancellor and two prominent Generals which already had the staff on their toes. There was also a Lutheran Minister present who was said to be the man who was aiding the Government in the ticklish business of winning the peace in Russia. Word spread quickly that Pastor Sjostedt had served with the other three as an Oberfeldwebel in France during the First Great War. It was four old friends sharing stories of their youth…
“Someone had stolen my motorcycle before I could get back to it” Emil said, “I never did find another Helios as good as that one.”
“Wasn’t that the same bike you used to run Generalfeldmarschall von Richthofen off the road?” Lang asked.
“Yeah” Emil answered, “Would you believe that he offered me a job for doing that?”
“I heard that the Luftwaffe was having trouble finding anyone crazy enough to jump out of perfectly good airplanes” Horst said, “And von Richthofen suddenly remembers Emil, hardly a surprise there.”
“What surprises me was that all of that happened on the same week” Sjostedt said.
“Wait, what?” Emil said. Horst and Lang had a similar reaction.
“Emil had that encounter on the road outside Jena. Then the revolution where Augustus met Rhona, Emil and I were there for that. Then Horst was with the Panzers and General von Wolvogle went to go take a piss” Sjostedt said. That time period seemed like it should have been a lot longer than that. It had probably changed the course of their lives but it really had been just a few days.
“Wow” Horst said.
“What’s this about you pulling the pin?” Emil asked Horst.
Of course, Emil would have heard about that, Horst thought to himself. “I thought it was time to do something else even if I’m not sure what that will be” He said, “Besides Nina wants to go back to Arizona to visit family and I can’t exactly do that while I’m responsible for a Division.”
“Even I can see how it works” Lang said, unlike the other three sitting at this table he had never been more than a Soldat.
“And I never thought that I’d ever be more than an Oberst in charge of a Regiment” Horst said, “Leaving the 140th behind was the hardest moment of my career.”
That caused a pause in the conversation. They had all left that Regiment one way or another. Lang had been injured before the battle that had defined the Regiment. Horst and Sjostedt had been present for the Battle of Ussy, many argued that was the moment when the Panzer Corps had been born. Emil had left but come back briefly before the end of the war. That had included him getting the shaft and effectively booted out of the Heer.
Emil started laughing. “That reminds me” He said, “There’s going to be another Verdun reunion in a few years and I expect you lot to be there this time.”
“That was the same one where you were drinking with Frog Officers?” Lang asked.
“Damned traitor” Horst said jokingly.
“Hey, someone had to uphold the honor of the Regiment and I did that by drinking those Frenchmen under the table” Emil said.
“That actually sounds like a noble cause” Sjostedt said solemnly.
Langeoog Island
As Maria listened to what Kat was telling her she realized that what she was hearing would be the sort of material that won serious journalism awards, she also understood why Kat’s enemies were so eager to verify it to the point of having someone break into a Doctor’s Office. If spun the wrong way they could use it to destroy Kat as a person. Maria also understood that it wasn’t actually about Kat but the idea of her. There were hundreds of thousands of women who had found careers and independence during the war. Putting Kat in her place by crucifying her in the court of public opinion would go a long way towards putting them on notice as well.
There were the little things like her guilt for harshly judging Hans and Helene’s compatibility. Kat had strangely felt that they each could do better until she saw them together and they were so wonderful to her in spite of things. Kat also felt guilty for tearing Gianna out of the only world that Gianna had ever known, shoving her into a foreign city where she was surrounded by strangers and couldn’t even speak the language. Kat had said it was to keep Gianna safe but hadn’t elaborated. Then Kat had told Maria what the whole fight with Marcella had been about.
Maria had known from the way that Kat carried herself and bristled when others, particularly men, touched her without permission that whatever happened must have been bad. To actually grab her would result in an extremely violent response. The truth was far worse than Maria could have possibly imagined. At the age of 12 Kat had been savagely assaulted and then a few weeks later was forced to recount what had happened to her before a panel of three so called experts who had to approve whether or not she should be forced to carry a pregnancy forward. Maria remembered the difficultly she’d had at the age of 29 and she’d chosen it for herself. The idea of inflicting that on a traumatized young woman who was hardly more than a child left her nauseated. Kat said that it had ended abruptly when she had refused to answer any more questions and had started bleeding from her mouth because she had bitten down on her lower lip so hard.
Maria had remembered the debate over such panels while the issue had been adjudicated. They seemed to exist for the sole purpose of publicly shaming women and were used with no other medical procedure. The conclusion by the Courts was that they violated the clauses regarding privacy and equal protection as was implicit in the Federal Constitution of 1922. That had come a bit late for Kat. Maria also remembered the letters to the Editor during that time, those arguing that the law should be unchanged were almost all men.
Now, Kat was terrified that it was going to all be exposed and that people would judge her harshly. Maria was afraid that she was probably right.
26th August 1944
Berlin
They had all met in the exclusive club in Central Berlin that was known for its discretion as much as its famous membership list. A lot of the real governance of the German Empire occurred within its walls. It was said that no less than five Emperors had patronized the establishment. Tonight, it was host to the Chancellor and two prominent Generals which already had the staff on their toes. There was also a Lutheran Minister present who was said to be the man who was aiding the Government in the ticklish business of winning the peace in Russia. Word spread quickly that Pastor Sjostedt had served with the other three as an Oberfeldwebel in France during the First Great War. It was four old friends sharing stories of their youth…
“Someone had stolen my motorcycle before I could get back to it” Emil said, “I never did find another Helios as good as that one.”
“Wasn’t that the same bike you used to run Generalfeldmarschall von Richthofen off the road?” Lang asked.
“Yeah” Emil answered, “Would you believe that he offered me a job for doing that?”
“I heard that the Luftwaffe was having trouble finding anyone crazy enough to jump out of perfectly good airplanes” Horst said, “And von Richthofen suddenly remembers Emil, hardly a surprise there.”
“What surprises me was that all of that happened on the same week” Sjostedt said.
“Wait, what?” Emil said. Horst and Lang had a similar reaction.
“Emil had that encounter on the road outside Jena. Then the revolution where Augustus met Rhona, Emil and I were there for that. Then Horst was with the Panzers and General von Wolvogle went to go take a piss” Sjostedt said. That time period seemed like it should have been a lot longer than that. It had probably changed the course of their lives but it really had been just a few days.
“Wow” Horst said.
“What’s this about you pulling the pin?” Emil asked Horst.
Of course, Emil would have heard about that, Horst thought to himself. “I thought it was time to do something else even if I’m not sure what that will be” He said, “Besides Nina wants to go back to Arizona to visit family and I can’t exactly do that while I’m responsible for a Division.”
“Even I can see how it works” Lang said, unlike the other three sitting at this table he had never been more than a Soldat.
“And I never thought that I’d ever be more than an Oberst in charge of a Regiment” Horst said, “Leaving the 140th behind was the hardest moment of my career.”
That caused a pause in the conversation. They had all left that Regiment one way or another. Lang had been injured before the battle that had defined the Regiment. Horst and Sjostedt had been present for the Battle of Ussy, many argued that was the moment when the Panzer Corps had been born. Emil had left but come back briefly before the end of the war. That had included him getting the shaft and effectively booted out of the Heer.
Emil started laughing. “That reminds me” He said, “There’s going to be another Verdun reunion in a few years and I expect you lot to be there this time.”
“That was the same one where you were drinking with Frog Officers?” Lang asked.
“Damned traitor” Horst said jokingly.
“Hey, someone had to uphold the honor of the Regiment and I did that by drinking those Frenchmen under the table” Emil said.
“That actually sounds like a noble cause” Sjostedt said solemnly.
Langeoog Island
As Maria listened to what Kat was telling her she realized that what she was hearing would be the sort of material that won serious journalism awards, she also understood why Kat’s enemies were so eager to verify it to the point of having someone break into a Doctor’s Office. If spun the wrong way they could use it to destroy Kat as a person. Maria also understood that it wasn’t actually about Kat but the idea of her. There were hundreds of thousands of women who had found careers and independence during the war. Putting Kat in her place by crucifying her in the court of public opinion would go a long way towards putting them on notice as well.
There were the little things like her guilt for harshly judging Hans and Helene’s compatibility. Kat had strangely felt that they each could do better until she saw them together and they were so wonderful to her in spite of things. Kat also felt guilty for tearing Gianna out of the only world that Gianna had ever known, shoving her into a foreign city where she was surrounded by strangers and couldn’t even speak the language. Kat had said it was to keep Gianna safe but hadn’t elaborated. Then Kat had told Maria what the whole fight with Marcella had been about.
Maria had known from the way that Kat carried herself and bristled when others, particularly men, touched her without permission that whatever happened must have been bad. To actually grab her would result in an extremely violent response. The truth was far worse than Maria could have possibly imagined. At the age of 12 Kat had been savagely assaulted and then a few weeks later was forced to recount what had happened to her before a panel of three so called experts who had to approve whether or not she should be forced to carry a pregnancy forward. Maria remembered the difficultly she’d had at the age of 29 and she’d chosen it for herself. The idea of inflicting that on a traumatized young woman who was hardly more than a child left her nauseated. Kat said that it had ended abruptly when she had refused to answer any more questions and had started bleeding from her mouth because she had bitten down on her lower lip so hard.
Maria had remembered the debate over such panels while the issue had been adjudicated. They seemed to exist for the sole purpose of publicly shaming women and were used with no other medical procedure. The conclusion by the Courts was that they violated the clauses regarding privacy and equal protection as was implicit in the Federal Constitution of 1922. That had come a bit late for Kat. Maria also remembered the letters to the Editor during that time, those arguing that the law should be unchanged were almost all men.
Now, Kat was terrified that it was going to all be exposed and that people would judge her harshly. Maria was afraid that she was probably right.
Last edited:
I thought that Peter didn't keep those files in his office.
If all that gets exposed it'll be pretty horrid
Well then, good thing you know a reporter who would love to break this story early, and in a sympathetic manner towards you, no?
He doesn't but it's a case of knowing something but not being able to prove it. Those files are the proof.
XLII wrote:
While I too find the idea rather nonsensical that the US would go on a 'spree' to regain parity due to possible considerations of 'inadequacy' vis-à-vis the German and/or European military the plain fact is historically it is what the US does when faced with parity issues. We panic, we spend tons of money to regain ground and up until the end of WWII OTL we usually then let things drift till the NEXT time it happens.
As you say to whit:
-The "recon" flight has revealed that the rumored, (it you think Jack has not been sending 'reports' home you missed the various groups he 'works' for and what his family and those groups put him in the situation he's in for) German weapons development has significantly outpaced both the US and for that matter most of the rest of the world. This will NOT generate a "meh" reaction in Washington. In general this only confirms the "trend" that has been reported by numerous military and intelligence assets available. Congress would not have balked at the cost this is a national priority.
-We don’t know, (because PM has never gone that deep into developments outside of Germany) exactly what the status of various technologies are in the US so we can speculate from OTL developments and programs but I caution anyone from taking that too far. For one NACA was established in 1915 and the POD is not until 1916 which means that unless there was a major butterfly the PREMIER aeronautics research and development establishment in the world for the rest of the century is already up and running and despite budget crunches from the depression it kept careful and very detailed tabs on developments in the rest of the world. This has 'butterflies' that I don’t think you, (or PM actually) have properly considered. (See below)
-There is direct evidence gained and reported by OTHER sources that indicate that the US requires a major military re-investment and this has come from multiple sources in the US military, industry, and intelligence. In order to STAY "safely isolated" but still capable of "ensuring free trade" the US will require to spend major money on it's military and this is not a item that will be 'questioned' in Washington at this point in time. The "recon" flight is only the final nail in the coffin of arguing against this spending not the 'trigger'.
But TTL there is also less 'distraction' from being a direct participant and a requirement that US arms and military supplies are falling rapidly behind the participants. This directly impacts the ability of the US to sell arms and armaments to the participants and would automatically drive design and innovation both for sale to participants and to the US itself. This directly means that things like the B-29 will be accelerated as will new weapons and technology. Unlike OTL development of both defensive, (radar for example) and offensive (turbofan jet engines) will likely be accelerated. Especially as information on such technology makes it way back to the US. Direct participation in WWII in many cases was the direct cause of several advanced technologies to be SLOWED in development in favor of less-advanced but faster deployment of 'standard' technologies.
OSS actually, and arguably they were a LOT more capable than the CIA which 'replaced' them. They had a more realistic assessment of their strengths and weakness and a lot less hubris over their capabilities. And contrary to popular belief the so called 'military-industrial complex' has existed since blacksmiths made armor and swords and is in no way a 'modern' thing. Companies in the US made everything from guns to battleships and would continue to do so TTL and IN doing so would be required to "keep up" with developments outside the US. This in turn feeds back to 'lobbying' Congress to defray the costs of such R&D by buying that equipment for the US as well as allowing its sale to others. (Note I'm not sure what you are attempting to imply with the last bit but Congress has ALWAYS been the approving authority for the military budget. Always. And though they DO tend to be conservative they also tend to panic easily when confronted with evidence of a significant capability gap)
Historically they will spend what they need to spend when they think they need to spend it. Historically this is most often done when they either become 'panicked' over supposed 'gaps' or when they are convinced by the military that such spending is required. Note that historically the latter is BEFORE the US is nominally directly involved in a conflict, while the former is WHEN the US becomes involved directly. In TTL the military has plenty of evidence that the US is falling significantly behind in certain areas and Congress will not hesitate to spend the money needed to correct this.
Given the circumstances of TTL Congress would have authorized significantly increased spending sometime after Spain as we did OTL since the evidence clearly supports the US is falling behind.
"Hostile" no but worrying as German influence has expanded greatly and to an extent where it both interferes with common US trade and presents a danger to US interests. (A note that Trumann is noted to be running in an election but probably NOT for POTUS as he was a very 'compromise' candidate OTL and very unlikely to be as popular TTL without the Truman Committee. Even if such a committee is set up TTL it's likely the notoriety and public exposure will be less than OTL. AND it was his internal, {political} exposure that brought him to be nominated for VP in OTL and in TTL he's less likely to be in such a position. He CAN run but unless he's the "last-man-standing" after the more higher profile politicians are brought down by scandal, and even then he's not likely to be the first choice of his party, it's not likely he'd win)
Having 'won' WWI the German Empire has been expanding its influence over Europe to the point where its "historic" enemies of France and England have become "allies" further is has expanded that influence into China, and Asia and looks to be poised to remove Japan as a counter influence in the Pacific. While this does open some doors for the US in fact the US must now consider that should they do nothing then German will in fact 'surround' them with influence which will effect US trade and prestige. While the USSR was arguably 'worse' the fact remains that no US politician, (and the military certainly won't) can afford to trust that Germany will remain 'relatively benign' and must act accordingly.
Any reading of the Monroe Doctrine shows this to be unsupported by either US action or policy. "Friendly" relations does not extend to arms and military aid both of which Germany is pursuing. Further the Germany has directly operated to REDUCE US influence in South America which IS against the common interpretation of the Monroe Doctrine as it reduces the US's ability to influence politics. No there is no way the US will allow this to stand. They can't as it again puts pressure on US trade and control. Further it should be obvious that prior German efforts have reduced due to the war, (they can't afford to spread that thin) so the US has in all likelihood re-developed its influence and will be VERY wary of any attempts by the Germans to return.
This works both ways as the US does not want war with Europe either. Keep in mind that no matter what Europe thinks the US has considered itself a 'Great Power' since the late 1890s, (and in fact this was the view held by the other "Great Powers" at the time) and the outcome of TTL's WWI would not change that much. Even when espousing significant 'isolationism' no one in the US or Europe doubted that the US was willing and able to project power to protect or defend any of its interests around the world. PM has suggested that the US has less interests in this TL but not so much that would not require and expend effort and money to maintain parity with the OTHER Great Powers.
The US is going to be seen a War Profiteer in this war but that won't be enough to make them a pariah or anything as some have suggested. They won't have the reputation or influence came after WWII OTL but unless the US were to suddenly try and jump in to actively defend Japan or the USSR at this late stage, (pretty ASB under the circumstances) there will be no reason for direct conflict. However the 'status quo' is going to be gone and the US must, (and will) step up its influence efforts to prevent Germany from filling the gaps left over. And they won't be alone as both France and Britain will do so as well.
Not a "superpower" no but it MUST remain among the "Great Powers" will all that implies. You spend money on guns to ensure your butter supply and the US will NOT let Germany become such a "superpower" if they can at all prevent it. And frankly neither Britain nor France can afford to have Germany become such a super power so I would expect that after this war is over that Germany will find both of them drifting away from them in order to prevent such an outcome.
For the most part your right but as I noted a German dominated Europe would not be acceptable to either England or France let alone the US and frankly no such 'lines' of influence have every really worked in the real world. It does seem that PM is setting up a future US/German conflict or cold war but that remains to be seen. OTL the US was in fact losing markets in Europe prior to WWII and it would make sense this trend would continue TTL given the circumstances but that does not mean the US is not going to try and regain those markets and its influence in both Europe and Asia. (Let alone South America) Technologically and industrially the US was a very firm competitor on the open market and having sold supplies and goods to belligerents on both sides is not going to cause much concern over the long term as the DID supply everyone up to and including a great deal of obviously 'humanitarian' supplies as the story noted. Business and companies making 'deals' and supporting the losers isn't going to be more than a flash in the pan media wise for anyone if it did happen. (And as some characters in story have noted throwing the NKVD files open to the world would be a serious mistake on the Germans part and will win them no friends or support which is rather obvious. And before anyone thinks it would work if they 'only' release the parts that are damaging to another nation, like the US it doesn't work that way because it would be rather obvious the did NOT release something else in the process and what might that be?)
Actually it probably IS since it has been steadily recovering from the Depression AND selling to all side in the current war. This is one reason it would use that money to significantly modernize its military while expanding trade into areas of the conflict it could reach. I have seen no indication that the US is 'bullying' anyone but it has and will push as hard as it can to expand where it can. Frankly I expect Germany has lost much of the influence it had prior to the war in South America as that would be a US priority.
You are correct that there is little chance of a direct US "supremacy" as there was OTL after WWII but it is highly unlikely that German "supremacy" would go unchallenged TTL and that the US will be one of the challengers is given. What might not be so clear is that England will be another, (recall that Fleming recruited Jack both as an asset AND to keep a conduit open with the US) as will France.
This did not stop anyone who felt it was NECESSRY to acquire the 'bomb' once it became known. This doesn't support the argument you think you are making. When it becomes a 'requirement' money and resources will be found and frankly the US has a history of doing just that. Once it is known that Germany has developed, (and from the story it does not look as if they are pursuing it as actively and the US did OTL so it may in fact be quite a while before it happens TTL) atomic weapons then the US is just as likely as anyone else to develop their own very rapidly after that. This is ESPECIALLY true if Germany continues to develop world wide influence as it has TTL. Note that actually building a bomb is not all that difficult, what is difficult and expensive is building a GOOD bomb. Little Boy wasn't the most efficient bomb which is why Fat Man was develop but it WAS substantially easier, (and cheaper) to design and built. And on that note I will point out that from what has been written it is pretty clear the Germany is no where near getting a 'bomb' at this point. They have a very small and modestly funded project which by what we've seen is directed more towards power than weapons and with good reason as that is vastly less expensive an undertaking.
Lets agree that XKCD is an often funny and irreverent comic but lets also agree that it does not always get the 'facts' correct. For example the rockets that kept blowing up were in fact those same "Nazi" designed V2s not the majority of the US derived and built rockets which in fact flew successfully on first flights rather unlike their German counterparts. Once the US decided that rockets were in fact worth pursing we will develop and deploy them. The US has plenty of scientist and engineers with the knowledge and capability to do so. (In fact the US was more advanced that anyone in the world with solid propellant which PM might want to keep in mind
) Point of fact is that in SOME cases NOT having those refugee and displaced scientists is going to be a BENIFT to the US rather than a hindrance. (No Von Karmen means the US probably will NOT get side tracked with cruise missiles over ballistic missiles. If he has any influence over the European programs he'd probably make the same call he did OTL which will mean more focus on V1 derived missiles rather than V2 )
Actually you're missing the point which was the KNOWLEDGE was already there and only the support and effort was required. This is as true in the US an in Europe. Expense, (which you seem to think is prohibitive for only the US when it would be similar for all involved) is not going to be reduced significantly by having specific scientists available. The basic requirement is industrial capability and resources both of which are available on both sides of the Atlantic ocean by this time period. So far as we've seen nobody seems to think such an effort is required at the moment which was the main reason development was so slow till the US went all in OTL.
Actually PM has indicated that the founder of what was OTL the OSS got burned but that would logically mean they take the threat much more seriously and would move the counter that threat which is what happened OTL. While the Germans have compromised SOME assets, (Hoover is suggested) that in fact wouldn't have that much effect on other members of the "alphabet soup" as you call it. At this point it would actually be a huge benefit that there are about a dozen different agencies gathering intelligence rather than one or two. The problem the Germans are going to run into is that there ARE multiple agencies that can and will 'cross-check' each other more often than the more centralized intelligence gathering of today. This was actually one of the few features, not a bug despite the overall inefficiency of the day.
Last first; if they did then they'd all be boring anyway But you are wrong that the US has "none of want, will, ability" to confront the European allies as it has all of them and will do so it it is required. Further the "European allies" are, fundamentally, at odds themselves at this point in time despite working together for a common goal AT THE MOMENT. The underlying tensions are still there and once the 'common foe' has been take care of they will tend to drift apart. France will want Indochina back once things have settled down. Britain will pressure Germany to divest itself of Australia, (and frankly despite the effort Australia has a much deeper connection to England anyway and this will not change significantly TTL) Similar there will be more than a little fear and trepidation of a hugely powerful Germany itself and with reason, most of Europe will quickly tire of a ascendant Germany as they have of similar American influence OTL.
I do think that the idea of America being a "natural" superpower is vastly overrated and only happened OTL due to certain circumstances but neither to I see it logical that American NOT being a superpower automatically regulates it to a 'second class' status. The US has pretty much always considered itself to be equal at the very least to European powers and this has been true since the beginning of the 20th century and I see nothing in the time line to suggest it would not strive to remain so.
Randy
While I too find the idea rather nonsensical that the US would go on a 'spree' to regain parity due to possible considerations of 'inadequacy' vis-à-vis the German and/or European military the plain fact is historically it is what the US does when faced with parity issues. We panic, we spend tons of money to regain ground and up until the end of WWII OTL we usually then let things drift till the NEXT time it happens.
As you say to whit:
-The "recon" flight has revealed that the rumored, (it you think Jack has not been sending 'reports' home you missed the various groups he 'works' for and what his family and those groups put him in the situation he's in for) German weapons development has significantly outpaced both the US and for that matter most of the rest of the world. This will NOT generate a "meh" reaction in Washington. In general this only confirms the "trend" that has been reported by numerous military and intelligence assets available. Congress would not have balked at the cost this is a national priority.
-We don’t know, (because PM has never gone that deep into developments outside of Germany) exactly what the status of various technologies are in the US so we can speculate from OTL developments and programs but I caution anyone from taking that too far. For one NACA was established in 1915 and the POD is not until 1916 which means that unless there was a major butterfly the PREMIER aeronautics research and development establishment in the world for the rest of the century is already up and running and despite budget crunches from the depression it kept careful and very detailed tabs on developments in the rest of the world. This has 'butterflies' that I don’t think you, (or PM actually) have properly considered. (See below)
-There is direct evidence gained and reported by OTHER sources that indicate that the US requires a major military re-investment and this has come from multiple sources in the US military, industry, and intelligence. In order to STAY "safely isolated" but still capable of "ensuring free trade" the US will require to spend major money on it's military and this is not a item that will be 'questioned' in Washington at this point in time. The "recon" flight is only the final nail in the coffin of arguing against this spending not the 'trigger'.
But TTL there is also less 'distraction' from being a direct participant and a requirement that US arms and military supplies are falling rapidly behind the participants. This directly impacts the ability of the US to sell arms and armaments to the participants and would automatically drive design and innovation both for sale to participants and to the US itself. This directly means that things like the B-29 will be accelerated as will new weapons and technology. Unlike OTL development of both defensive, (radar for example) and offensive (turbofan jet engines) will likely be accelerated. Especially as information on such technology makes it way back to the US. Direct participation in WWII in many cases was the direct cause of several advanced technologies to be SLOWED in development in favor of less-advanced but faster deployment of 'standard' technologies.
OSS actually, and arguably they were a LOT more capable than the CIA which 'replaced' them. They had a more realistic assessment of their strengths and weakness and a lot less hubris over their capabilities. And contrary to popular belief the so called 'military-industrial complex' has existed since blacksmiths made armor and swords and is in no way a 'modern' thing. Companies in the US made everything from guns to battleships and would continue to do so TTL and IN doing so would be required to "keep up" with developments outside the US. This in turn feeds back to 'lobbying' Congress to defray the costs of such R&D by buying that equipment for the US as well as allowing its sale to others. (Note I'm not sure what you are attempting to imply with the last bit but Congress has ALWAYS been the approving authority for the military budget. Always. And though they DO tend to be conservative they also tend to panic easily when confronted with evidence of a significant capability gap)
Historically they will spend what they need to spend when they think they need to spend it. Historically this is most often done when they either become 'panicked' over supposed 'gaps' or when they are convinced by the military that such spending is required. Note that historically the latter is BEFORE the US is nominally directly involved in a conflict, while the former is WHEN the US becomes involved directly. In TTL the military has plenty of evidence that the US is falling significantly behind in certain areas and Congress will not hesitate to spend the money needed to correct this.
Given the circumstances of TTL Congress would have authorized significantly increased spending sometime after Spain as we did OTL since the evidence clearly supports the US is falling behind.
"Hostile" no but worrying as German influence has expanded greatly and to an extent where it both interferes with common US trade and presents a danger to US interests. (A note that Trumann is noted to be running in an election but probably NOT for POTUS as he was a very 'compromise' candidate OTL and very unlikely to be as popular TTL without the Truman Committee. Even if such a committee is set up TTL it's likely the notoriety and public exposure will be less than OTL. AND it was his internal, {political} exposure that brought him to be nominated for VP in OTL and in TTL he's less likely to be in such a position. He CAN run but unless he's the "last-man-standing" after the more higher profile politicians are brought down by scandal, and even then he's not likely to be the first choice of his party, it's not likely he'd win)
Having 'won' WWI the German Empire has been expanding its influence over Europe to the point where its "historic" enemies of France and England have become "allies" further is has expanded that influence into China, and Asia and looks to be poised to remove Japan as a counter influence in the Pacific. While this does open some doors for the US in fact the US must now consider that should they do nothing then German will in fact 'surround' them with influence which will effect US trade and prestige. While the USSR was arguably 'worse' the fact remains that no US politician, (and the military certainly won't) can afford to trust that Germany will remain 'relatively benign' and must act accordingly.
Any reading of the Monroe Doctrine shows this to be unsupported by either US action or policy. "Friendly" relations does not extend to arms and military aid both of which Germany is pursuing. Further the Germany has directly operated to REDUCE US influence in South America which IS against the common interpretation of the Monroe Doctrine as it reduces the US's ability to influence politics. No there is no way the US will allow this to stand. They can't as it again puts pressure on US trade and control. Further it should be obvious that prior German efforts have reduced due to the war, (they can't afford to spread that thin) so the US has in all likelihood re-developed its influence and will be VERY wary of any attempts by the Germans to return.
This works both ways as the US does not want war with Europe either. Keep in mind that no matter what Europe thinks the US has considered itself a 'Great Power' since the late 1890s, (and in fact this was the view held by the other "Great Powers" at the time) and the outcome of TTL's WWI would not change that much. Even when espousing significant 'isolationism' no one in the US or Europe doubted that the US was willing and able to project power to protect or defend any of its interests around the world. PM has suggested that the US has less interests in this TL but not so much that would not require and expend effort and money to maintain parity with the OTHER Great Powers.
The US is going to be seen a War Profiteer in this war but that won't be enough to make them a pariah or anything as some have suggested. They won't have the reputation or influence came after WWII OTL but unless the US were to suddenly try and jump in to actively defend Japan or the USSR at this late stage, (pretty ASB under the circumstances) there will be no reason for direct conflict. However the 'status quo' is going to be gone and the US must, (and will) step up its influence efforts to prevent Germany from filling the gaps left over. And they won't be alone as both France and Britain will do so as well.
Not a "superpower" no but it MUST remain among the "Great Powers" will all that implies. You spend money on guns to ensure your butter supply and the US will NOT let Germany become such a "superpower" if they can at all prevent it. And frankly neither Britain nor France can afford to have Germany become such a super power so I would expect that after this war is over that Germany will find both of them drifting away from them in order to prevent such an outcome.
For the most part your right but as I noted a German dominated Europe would not be acceptable to either England or France let alone the US and frankly no such 'lines' of influence have every really worked in the real world. It does seem that PM is setting up a future US/German conflict or cold war but that remains to be seen. OTL the US was in fact losing markets in Europe prior to WWII and it would make sense this trend would continue TTL given the circumstances but that does not mean the US is not going to try and regain those markets and its influence in both Europe and Asia. (Let alone South America) Technologically and industrially the US was a very firm competitor on the open market and having sold supplies and goods to belligerents on both sides is not going to cause much concern over the long term as the DID supply everyone up to and including a great deal of obviously 'humanitarian' supplies as the story noted. Business and companies making 'deals' and supporting the losers isn't going to be more than a flash in the pan media wise for anyone if it did happen. (And as some characters in story have noted throwing the NKVD files open to the world would be a serious mistake on the Germans part and will win them no friends or support which is rather obvious. And before anyone thinks it would work if they 'only' release the parts that are damaging to another nation, like the US it doesn't work that way because it would be rather obvious the did NOT release something else in the process and what might that be?)
Actually it probably IS since it has been steadily recovering from the Depression AND selling to all side in the current war. This is one reason it would use that money to significantly modernize its military while expanding trade into areas of the conflict it could reach. I have seen no indication that the US is 'bullying' anyone but it has and will push as hard as it can to expand where it can. Frankly I expect Germany has lost much of the influence it had prior to the war in South America as that would be a US priority.
You are correct that there is little chance of a direct US "supremacy" as there was OTL after WWII but it is highly unlikely that German "supremacy" would go unchallenged TTL and that the US will be one of the challengers is given. What might not be so clear is that England will be another, (recall that Fleming recruited Jack both as an asset AND to keep a conduit open with the US) as will France.
This did not stop anyone who felt it was NECESSRY to acquire the 'bomb' once it became known. This doesn't support the argument you think you are making. When it becomes a 'requirement' money and resources will be found and frankly the US has a history of doing just that. Once it is known that Germany has developed, (and from the story it does not look as if they are pursuing it as actively and the US did OTL so it may in fact be quite a while before it happens TTL) atomic weapons then the US is just as likely as anyone else to develop their own very rapidly after that. This is ESPECIALLY true if Germany continues to develop world wide influence as it has TTL. Note that actually building a bomb is not all that difficult, what is difficult and expensive is building a GOOD bomb. Little Boy wasn't the most efficient bomb which is why Fat Man was develop but it WAS substantially easier, (and cheaper) to design and built. And on that note I will point out that from what has been written it is pretty clear the Germany is no where near getting a 'bomb' at this point. They have a very small and modestly funded project which by what we've seen is directed more towards power than weapons and with good reason as that is vastly less expensive an undertaking.
Lets agree that XKCD is an often funny and irreverent comic but lets also agree that it does not always get the 'facts' correct. For example the rockets that kept blowing up were in fact those same "Nazi" designed V2s not the majority of the US derived and built rockets which in fact flew successfully on first flights rather unlike their German counterparts. Once the US decided that rockets were in fact worth pursing we will develop and deploy them. The US has plenty of scientist and engineers with the knowledge and capability to do so. (In fact the US was more advanced that anyone in the world with solid propellant which PM might want to keep in mind
) Point of fact is that in SOME cases NOT having those refugee and displaced scientists is going to be a BENIFT to the US rather than a hindrance. (No Von Karmen means the US probably will NOT get side tracked with cruise missiles over ballistic missiles. If he has any influence over the European programs he'd probably make the same call he did OTL which will mean more focus on V1 derived missiles rather than V2 )Actually you're missing the point which was the KNOWLEDGE was already there and only the support and effort was required. This is as true in the US an in Europe. Expense, (which you seem to think is prohibitive for only the US when it would be similar for all involved) is not going to be reduced significantly by having specific scientists available. The basic requirement is industrial capability and resources both of which are available on both sides of the Atlantic ocean by this time period. So far as we've seen nobody seems to think such an effort is required at the moment which was the main reason development was so slow till the US went all in OTL.
Actually PM has indicated that the founder of what was OTL the OSS got burned but that would logically mean they take the threat much more seriously and would move the counter that threat which is what happened OTL. While the Germans have compromised SOME assets, (Hoover is suggested) that in fact wouldn't have that much effect on other members of the "alphabet soup" as you call it. At this point it would actually be a huge benefit that there are about a dozen different agencies gathering intelligence rather than one or two. The problem the Germans are going to run into is that there ARE multiple agencies that can and will 'cross-check' each other more often than the more centralized intelligence gathering of today. This was actually one of the few features, not a bug despite the overall inefficiency of the day.
Last first; if they did then they'd all be boring anyway
But you are wrong that the US has "none of want, will, ability" to confront the European allies as it has all of them and will do so it it is required. Further the "European allies" are, fundamentally, at odds themselves at this point in time despite working together for a common goal AT THE MOMENT. The underlying tensions are still there and once the 'common foe' has been take care of they will tend to drift apart. France will want Indochina back once things have settled down. Britain will pressure Germany to divest itself of Australia, (and frankly despite the effort Australia has a much deeper connection to England anyway and this will not change significantly TTL) Similar there will be more than a little fear and trepidation of a hugely powerful Germany itself and with reason, most of Europe will quickly tire of a ascendant Germany as they have of similar American influence OTL.I do think that the idea of America being a "natural" superpower is vastly overrated and only happened OTL due to certain circumstances but neither to I see it logical that American NOT being a superpower automatically regulates it to a 'second class' status. The US has pretty much always considered itself to be equal at the very least to European powers and this has been true since the beginning of the 20th century and I see nothing in the time line to suggest it would not strive to remain so.
Randy
Part 34, Chapter 410
Chapter Four Hundred Ten
27th August 1944
Wilhelmshaven
After a few days with now five people at Kat’s house there was not a scrap of food to be found. In the past Kat had brought food with her from Berlin but when they had left to look for Kat they hadn’t thought that far ahead. The result was that Hans and Helene had driven into Wilhelmshaven to avoid getting gouged by the prices that were charged in the markets on Langeoog or Esens. The sign that Hans had seen in Esens, “Why is it called tourist season if we can’t shoot them?” said exactly what the locals thought. Gouging tourists was probably a time-honored tradition here.
Wilhelmshaven was something else entirely. While it was a military town it was very much the exclusive playground of the Navy. There had been attempts to diversify the local economy with ship building and a recently added cargo terminal but the presence of the SMS Brandenburg loomed over the city. Hans learned all this while talking to the cashier at the market as the groceries were bagged. While Hans took the bags to the car Helene said that she needed to make some other purchases and she pointedly said that he didn’t need to come along. He recalled the thousand times that Uncle Klaus had described situations like these. “Yeah, take as much time as you need” Hans said. Helene walked off with a smile and Hans let out a sigh of relief. That relief was short lived as Hans found Otto Mischner leaning on the car in the carpark.
“Gert said you were looking for me Johannes” Otto said, “Next time could you go someplace that doesn’t reek of squid?”
Hans had long ago given up on his father’s ability to get ahead of him, turn up in unlikely places or his knowledge of whatever happened to be going on. He ignored his father’s use of his proper name. Now was not the time to let Otto needle him with that.
“I’m sure by now you’ve heard about Kat and Marcella’s fight Pops” Hans said.
“The whole damn neighborhood heard that” Otto said.
“Do you know what that was all about?” Hans asked as he tilted the front seat forward and started loading groceries in.
“I was hoping that you could enlighten me” Otto said.
“The Berliner Bürger” Hans said, the right-wing rag whose founder and Editor-in-Chief you likely turned into a corpsicle, Hans left unsaid, “We think that they were the ones who broke into the office of Kat’s Doctor because they are trying to run down the rumors of what happened to her when she was twelve.”
“Shit” Otto muttered.
“Maria says that we can head off the story, make sure that our version of events is the one people remember” Hans said as he loaded the last bag in, “Yet Kat is refusing to do that. Care to tell me why?”
“Look, Son” Otto said, “Justice doesn’t automatically happen for people like us.”
“God damnit, Pops” Hans said with exasperation. He had figured that his father had done something like that. Kat would die before she sold him out even to save herself.
“When me and the boys grabbed that sack of shit he was proud of what he’d done” Otto said matter of fact, “He bragged about it before he knew who I was. He wasn’t so proud after we got through with him, he was begging for us to kill him. When we told him that we were planning on having him snagged and dragged under the guide wheels of a locomotive he changed his tune. He went out screaming and the Coppers had themselves a messy jigsaw puzzle on their hands.”
That explained why the investigation had gone nowhere and if the individual in question was so delightful then there wouldn’t have been a shortage of suspects. All that would change if Kat came forward, the police would have a motive. Hans took a moment to compose his thoughts, he would rather go back to war in Russia than face this nightmare. He was about say something else when Helene came back. She was carrying a paper bag, another one of those times not to ask questions.
The tension between Hans and Otto must have been obvious because to Helene’s credit she went directly to Hans’ side. “Something going on here?” Helene asked. That broke the tension.
“Helene this is Pops, Pops this is Helene” Hans said.
“Really?” Helene asked surprised.
“Yeah” Hans said, “He just came to check on how Kat is.”
Helene smiled, “That was good of you.”
“You can call me Otto, Fraulein” Otto said, he could be charming until you got to know him better.
“Thank you, Otto” Helene said. With that Helene walked around the car.
“Way to go, Hans” Otto said in a low voice.
“I’m not sure that this is going anywhere” Hans replied.
“I think she’s already made up her mind” Otto said.
That was more than Hans needed to hear at the moment, “And she is Kat’s best friend.”
“All the more reason not to screw it up” Otto said.
With that Hans sat down in the driver’s seat before he closed the door Otto leaned down and said loud enough for Helene to hear. “Tell your sister to do what she needs to do to take care of herself” He said, “Chips fall where they may and all that.” He had to be aware of the potential consequences of Kat doing that but he didn’t seem to care.
As they drove out of Wilhelmshaven, the engine chugging behind them Helene said, “He seemed nice, I don’t get why you and Kat hardly talk about him.”
27th August 1944
Wilhelmshaven
After a few days with now five people at Kat’s house there was not a scrap of food to be found. In the past Kat had brought food with her from Berlin but when they had left to look for Kat they hadn’t thought that far ahead. The result was that Hans and Helene had driven into Wilhelmshaven to avoid getting gouged by the prices that were charged in the markets on Langeoog or Esens. The sign that Hans had seen in Esens, “Why is it called tourist season if we can’t shoot them?” said exactly what the locals thought. Gouging tourists was probably a time-honored tradition here.
Wilhelmshaven was something else entirely. While it was a military town it was very much the exclusive playground of the Navy. There had been attempts to diversify the local economy with ship building and a recently added cargo terminal but the presence of the SMS Brandenburg loomed over the city. Hans learned all this while talking to the cashier at the market as the groceries were bagged. While Hans took the bags to the car Helene said that she needed to make some other purchases and she pointedly said that he didn’t need to come along. He recalled the thousand times that Uncle Klaus had described situations like these. “Yeah, take as much time as you need” Hans said. Helene walked off with a smile and Hans let out a sigh of relief. That relief was short lived as Hans found Otto Mischner leaning on the car in the carpark.
“Gert said you were looking for me Johannes” Otto said, “Next time could you go someplace that doesn’t reek of squid?”
Hans had long ago given up on his father’s ability to get ahead of him, turn up in unlikely places or his knowledge of whatever happened to be going on. He ignored his father’s use of his proper name. Now was not the time to let Otto needle him with that.
“I’m sure by now you’ve heard about Kat and Marcella’s fight Pops” Hans said.
“The whole damn neighborhood heard that” Otto said.
“Do you know what that was all about?” Hans asked as he tilted the front seat forward and started loading groceries in.
“I was hoping that you could enlighten me” Otto said.
“The Berliner Bürger” Hans said, the right-wing rag whose founder and Editor-in-Chief you likely turned into a corpsicle, Hans left unsaid, “We think that they were the ones who broke into the office of Kat’s Doctor because they are trying to run down the rumors of what happened to her when she was twelve.”
“Shit” Otto muttered.
“Maria says that we can head off the story, make sure that our version of events is the one people remember” Hans said as he loaded the last bag in, “Yet Kat is refusing to do that. Care to tell me why?”
“Look, Son” Otto said, “Justice doesn’t automatically happen for people like us.”
“God damnit, Pops” Hans said with exasperation. He had figured that his father had done something like that. Kat would die before she sold him out even to save herself.
“When me and the boys grabbed that sack of shit he was proud of what he’d done” Otto said matter of fact, “He bragged about it before he knew who I was. He wasn’t so proud after we got through with him, he was begging for us to kill him. When we told him that we were planning on having him snagged and dragged under the guide wheels of a locomotive he changed his tune. He went out screaming and the Coppers had themselves a messy jigsaw puzzle on their hands.”
That explained why the investigation had gone nowhere and if the individual in question was so delightful then there wouldn’t have been a shortage of suspects. All that would change if Kat came forward, the police would have a motive. Hans took a moment to compose his thoughts, he would rather go back to war in Russia than face this nightmare. He was about say something else when Helene came back. She was carrying a paper bag, another one of those times not to ask questions.
The tension between Hans and Otto must have been obvious because to Helene’s credit she went directly to Hans’ side. “Something going on here?” Helene asked. That broke the tension.
“Helene this is Pops, Pops this is Helene” Hans said.
“Really?” Helene asked surprised.
“Yeah” Hans said, “He just came to check on how Kat is.”
Helene smiled, “That was good of you.”
“You can call me Otto, Fraulein” Otto said, he could be charming until you got to know him better.
“Thank you, Otto” Helene said. With that Helene walked around the car.
“Way to go, Hans” Otto said in a low voice.
“I’m not sure that this is going anywhere” Hans replied.
“I think she’s already made up her mind” Otto said.
That was more than Hans needed to hear at the moment, “And she is Kat’s best friend.”
“All the more reason not to screw it up” Otto said.
With that Hans sat down in the driver’s seat before he closed the door Otto leaned down and said loud enough for Helene to hear. “Tell your sister to do what she needs to do to take care of herself” He said, “Chips fall where they may and all that.” He had to be aware of the potential consequences of Kat doing that but he didn’t seem to care.
As they drove out of Wilhelmshaven, the engine chugging behind them Helene said, “He seemed nice, I don’t get why you and Kat hardly talk about him.”
Last edited:
It was a bit more, prototypes of the towed V-2 launcher were produced. One completed.
http://strangevehicles.greyfalcon.us/prufstand.htm
Md139115
Banned
I never heard of the German Empire changing names or really changing state. The present constitution would only really be a renegotiation of the terms of the Germanic imperial federation legally, so I'm inclined to say that this is still the second reich.
On the basic level, a federated state is composed of individually sovereign member states, while a federal government is composed of non-sovereign member states but is organised in a federal manner (i.e. the members have a voice in the affairs and it is not top-down).
I wonder what Otto will do. He doesn't strike me as the sort that will meekly hand himself over to the police, especially when there are known enemies of his daughter.
Another TV show that I would like to see is Holz based around Peter's medical, clinical and criminal investigation skills.
Another TV show that I would like to see is Holz based around Peter's medical, clinical and criminal investigation skills.
Part 34, Chapter 411
Chapter Four Hundred Eleven
28th August 1944
Dessau, Germany
In spite of the recent success of the Arado Recon/Bomber using two of the Junkers Jumo 004 turbojet engines it was clear that BMW had leaped into a clear lead with their engines powering the latest Focke-Wulf fighters. While promising, the Heinkel engines had languished in development and Daimler-Benz was late in the game but everyone knew that wouldn’t last for long.
The Junkers Board of Directors viewed this as an opportunity. In the past, the Government had been suspicious of any one corporation gaining to much of any particular share. The best example of this had been when the merger between BMW and Bramo had been blocked to prevent BMW from having a monopoly on radial engine production. To gain a competitive advantage they had looked farther afield and discovered recently in the Soviet Archives plans for an innovative turbine engine that Russian industry had lacked the technical and material knowledge to put into production. They had lucked out when they had discovered that the designer of that engine, an Engineer named Arkhip Lyulka had been cooling his heels in Yekaterinburg.
Lyulka had agreed to come to Dessau at the invitation of Junkers just for the opportunity to get back to work. Even so, he’d been surprised by the salary that Junkers offered to pay him to do so.
Columbus, Ohio
Harry Truman walked off the stage. He had been delivering the message of the campaign. The Democratic Party had restored America to economic prosperity and navigated through a troubled time keeping the country out of foreign entanglements and unnecessary wars. The problem was that the energy of the race had changed. Cactus Jack was feeling his age and foreign policy had become an issue in ways that they could never have imagined. The Krauts had intercepted the latest bomber from the USAAF with shocking ease. Truman himself had seen the photographs of the German planes, they were like nothing he’d ever seen before. The domestic aircraft manufactures said that they had projects like that on the drawing board and had prototypes nearing completion. Truman had realized that the Germans were possibly years ahead of the United States in the realm of aircraft development. There were also the reports of South American countries equipping their Armies with German designed tanks and rifles.
Those weren’t the only things that were hurting the Democratic Campaign. Thomas Dewey, being a shameless hypocrite in Truman’s opinion, was attacking them over letting America become a second-rate power. Truman knew that was a load of horseshit. Hell, Dewey knew that was a load of horseshit and he was the one running on an isolationist platform. Most of all Dewey was running on restoring America to some magical time before that never existed. Dewey conveniently left out a detail or two, like the Great Depression or the rumor that he had that murderous bastard MacArthur waiting in the wings. The good old days when the Government, Courts and Industry had all been in agreement that workers making anything was too much and they worked too few hours. Pesky things like work safety, fiscal regulation and trade unions that got in the way of pure glorious profit and challenged the perfection of the contract were just too much bother.
Truman had said as much. The problem he had was that memories of the Great Depression had faded and he feared that those lessons would have to be relearned. Marx had called religion the opiate of the masses, he clearly didn’t know jack about nostalgia.
Berlin
With Manfred furious at Albrecht and her two youngest daughters bickering over frivolous things Käte hadn’t noticed Helene slip out. Helene was a grown adult who could make her own decisions. At the same time, Käte wished that Helene had said something. She would have seriously considered going with her, especially when Helene had called a few hours later and said that she was helping a friend who was having a hard time. What Helene hadn’t said was that she would be gone for a few days.
When Helene came back her demeanor was odd. She seemed both happy and sad in turns.
“Were you able to help your friend?” Käte asked.
“Not as much as I might have liked” Helene answered, “There are some things in Kat’s past that keep coming back to haunt her.”
“Did something happen to Katherine in Russia?” Käte asked.
“This was something long before that” Helene said, “Oddly, getting shot at is the least traumatic of the things she’s gone through.”
“Poor girl” Käte said. In spite of Manfred’s misgivings Katherine had been a good friend for Helene, she tended to be levelheaded and had tempered some of Helene’s worst impulses. “I’m glad you were able to help.”
“Yesterday, I went into Wilhelmshaven with Hans for groceries, don’t worry, he was a perfect gentleman all weekend” Helene said, “Otto Mischner was there, which was strange but he was nice enough.”
When Helene mentioned Hans Käte saw the expression on her face change. Suddenly things made sense, Helene was worried about Katherine but at the same time she was falling for her friend’s brother. Manfred was going to go ballistic when he found out about this. He had been hoping for years that Helene would find an acceptable son-in-law of equal or better social standing. The upwardly mobile Mischner family was not what he had in mind. Käte had known since Helene was a little girl that whoever she fell in love with would be someone like Manfred himself and some well-placed toff would never fit the bill. A Dragoon Officer like Hans Mischner on the other hand…
Otto turning up was an unfortunate wrinkle, that man was by all accounts not someone to be trifled with. Käte hoped that her daughter understood that.
28th August 1944
Dessau, Germany
In spite of the recent success of the Arado Recon/Bomber using two of the Junkers Jumo 004 turbojet engines it was clear that BMW had leaped into a clear lead with their engines powering the latest Focke-Wulf fighters. While promising, the Heinkel engines had languished in development and Daimler-Benz was late in the game but everyone knew that wouldn’t last for long.
The Junkers Board of Directors viewed this as an opportunity. In the past, the Government had been suspicious of any one corporation gaining to much of any particular share. The best example of this had been when the merger between BMW and Bramo had been blocked to prevent BMW from having a monopoly on radial engine production. To gain a competitive advantage they had looked farther afield and discovered recently in the Soviet Archives plans for an innovative turbine engine that Russian industry had lacked the technical and material knowledge to put into production. They had lucked out when they had discovered that the designer of that engine, an Engineer named Arkhip Lyulka had been cooling his heels in Yekaterinburg.
Lyulka had agreed to come to Dessau at the invitation of Junkers just for the opportunity to get back to work. Even so, he’d been surprised by the salary that Junkers offered to pay him to do so.
Columbus, Ohio
Harry Truman walked off the stage. He had been delivering the message of the campaign. The Democratic Party had restored America to economic prosperity and navigated through a troubled time keeping the country out of foreign entanglements and unnecessary wars. The problem was that the energy of the race had changed. Cactus Jack was feeling his age and foreign policy had become an issue in ways that they could never have imagined. The Krauts had intercepted the latest bomber from the USAAF with shocking ease. Truman himself had seen the photographs of the German planes, they were like nothing he’d ever seen before. The domestic aircraft manufactures said that they had projects like that on the drawing board and had prototypes nearing completion. Truman had realized that the Germans were possibly years ahead of the United States in the realm of aircraft development. There were also the reports of South American countries equipping their Armies with German designed tanks and rifles.
Those weren’t the only things that were hurting the Democratic Campaign. Thomas Dewey, being a shameless hypocrite in Truman’s opinion, was attacking them over letting America become a second-rate power. Truman knew that was a load of horseshit. Hell, Dewey knew that was a load of horseshit and he was the one running on an isolationist platform. Most of all Dewey was running on restoring America to some magical time before that never existed. Dewey conveniently left out a detail or two, like the Great Depression or the rumor that he had that murderous bastard MacArthur waiting in the wings. The good old days when the Government, Courts and Industry had all been in agreement that workers making anything was too much and they worked too few hours. Pesky things like work safety, fiscal regulation and trade unions that got in the way of pure glorious profit and challenged the perfection of the contract were just too much bother.
Truman had said as much. The problem he had was that memories of the Great Depression had faded and he feared that those lessons would have to be relearned. Marx had called religion the opiate of the masses, he clearly didn’t know jack about nostalgia.
Berlin
With Manfred furious at Albrecht and her two youngest daughters bickering over frivolous things Käte hadn’t noticed Helene slip out. Helene was a grown adult who could make her own decisions. At the same time, Käte wished that Helene had said something. She would have seriously considered going with her, especially when Helene had called a few hours later and said that she was helping a friend who was having a hard time. What Helene hadn’t said was that she would be gone for a few days.
When Helene came back her demeanor was odd. She seemed both happy and sad in turns.
“Were you able to help your friend?” Käte asked.
“Not as much as I might have liked” Helene answered, “There are some things in Kat’s past that keep coming back to haunt her.”
“Did something happen to Katherine in Russia?” Käte asked.
“This was something long before that” Helene said, “Oddly, getting shot at is the least traumatic of the things she’s gone through.”
“Poor girl” Käte said. In spite of Manfred’s misgivings Katherine had been a good friend for Helene, she tended to be levelheaded and had tempered some of Helene’s worst impulses. “I’m glad you were able to help.”
“Yesterday, I went into Wilhelmshaven with Hans for groceries, don’t worry, he was a perfect gentleman all weekend” Helene said, “Otto Mischner was there, which was strange but he was nice enough.”
When Helene mentioned Hans Käte saw the expression on her face change. Suddenly things made sense, Helene was worried about Katherine but at the same time she was falling for her friend’s brother. Manfred was going to go ballistic when he found out about this. He had been hoping for years that Helene would find an acceptable son-in-law of equal or better social standing. The upwardly mobile Mischner family was not what he had in mind. Käte had known since Helene was a little girl that whoever she fell in love with would be someone like Manfred himself and some well-placed toff would never fit the bill. A Dragoon Officer like Hans Mischner on the other hand…
Otto turning up was an unfortunate wrinkle, that man was by all accounts not someone to be trifled with. Käte hoped that her daughter understood that.
Last edited:
Heh, since Hans inherits Kat's titles at the moment, doesn't he outrank the Richtofens?
Unless a major development happens, Dewey is going to be the next POTUS but Truman will still be in the Senate leading the charge for change and reform of the military and keeping a close eye on corruption in the defense establishment like he did IOTL.
This will set up a Dewey-Truman election fight in 1948.
This will set up a Dewey-Truman election fight in 1948.