Burning Baron
This position needs more entrenching.
- Location
- In here, not out there.
Changing Destiny (Kancolle)
- Thread starter Skywalker_T-65
- Start date
ijnfleetadmiral
CinC Rengo Kanmusutai
- Location
- Admiral's Bridge, HIJMS Kongo
I like the Kaga pic and the Akagi/Kaga/Fubuki pic best of all. Whoever painted those has some serious talent.
- Location
- Pacific Northwest
Apparently you are confused. Intelligence is focused on gathering information. What higher command authorities do with that information is strategic policy decisions. Totally different things. There's lots of historical precedents for command authorities to ignore intelligence information in forming policy. Nothing new here.
Apparently, Yamamoto felt the so-called "decisive battle" wouldn't be decisive enough, and gambled on the idea that a strike at the Pacific Fleet at Pearl would cripple them enough and long enough for Japan to run wild for about 6 months. He also gambled that, when presented with the gains Japan had made at the time, that the US would come to the negotiation table, where Japan could negotiate from a position of strength.
- Location
- Canada
Apparently you are confused. "Military Intelligence" is considered an oxymoron. What other posters do with my efforts to apply sarcasm about it...
...I hope that's clear now
- Location
- Pacific Northwest
Apparently you are confused. "Military Intelligence" is considered an oxymoron. What other posters do with my efforts to apply sarcasm about it...
...I hope that's clear now
Having worked as a military cryptographer, I take exception to the characterization of Military intelligence as an oxymoron. Joe Rochefort was one of my early childhood heroes.
Hope that's clear now.
- Location
- Mountains of Appalachia
Second this. The main US intelligence failings in the run-up to Pearl Harbor were in analysis and acting properly on the incomplete picture they were getting. Admittedly, it was muddied by them also picking up a fair chunk of the discussion/planning for the strike into Southeast Asia away from the US along with some issues with restricting access to the data produced because of sloppiness handling it earlier among the flag ranks. Also it's important to remember that at the time, the US had cracked the diplomatic codes but not the fleet codes, so we did not actually have a good picture on ship deployments and naval plans. We did have a good idea as to what the diplomatic establishment was saying, which was hampered by the fact that the Japanese military was not being totally transparent with the diplomats regarding their war plans.
In our AU, that's slightly less a concern since Thompson has the hindsignt to make a correct analysis of the pieces that he might have access to, and the access to the President currently to highlight the threat to Pacific Fleet, potentially. Rather unfair to the analysts who are trying to figure out if this message they just cracked refers to a planned attack on Malaya, Manila or somewhere else.
Rochefort and his organization were some of the real heroes of WWII.
MaHaL
Conductor of the Choir of Death
- Location
- Canada
Huh. I finished reading Panzer Leader sometime last week and if I recall correctly there was a point between France & Barbarossa where Guderian was considering requesting to be sent to Africa, he also advocated for much earlier German intervention rather than waiting until they did but my memory of the timeline isn't that great so pardon the pun but that ship may have already sailed.
- Location
- Pacific Northwest
I remember reading somewhere that Von Manstein agreed with Guderian in launching Barbarossa in March of 41, but the historically bad weather that spring prevented it.
- Location
- Canada
Yeah, that's clear.
However, Rochefort didn't get anything close to the recognition, rank and honours he should have. And then US military intelligence became United Fruit political intelligence in Guatemala
- Location
- Pacific Northwest
Yeah, that's clear.
However, Rochefort didn't get anything close to the recognition, rank and honours he should have. And then US military intelligence became United Fruit political intelligence in Guatemala
No, he didn't, not by a long shot. Being awarded the Legion of Merit and the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously doesn't even come close to what he really deserved.
MaHaL
Conductor of the Choir of Death
- Location
- Canada
I may be remembering wrong but Guderian opposed Barbarossa's existence and doesn't mention whether or not March 41 would have been a good start date. The most prominent thing that comes up in Panzer Leader about Barbarossa is that delaying the attack on Moscow was retarded and probably cost them the war. After that most of the arguments involved where and when to set up defensive lines and fallback centres.
Of course Guderian himself is my only source so take it with a grain of salt.
- Location
- Pacific Northwest
Yeah, that's clear.
However, Rochefort didn't get anything close to the recognition, rank and honours he should have. And then US military intelligence became United Fruit political intelligence in Guatemala
Interesting perspective from someone who appears to be looking at the intelligence community from the outside. Don't take it personally if I vehemently disagree, based on my own experiences.
- Location
- Mountains of Appalachia
One further thing to remember is that at this point in time, Japan, Germany and Italy were allies (the Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis), and it would be assumed that Germany would call on Japan to assist them by declaring war versus Russia. Note that Italy joined in German's attack along with the Axis minors like Hungary and Romania, so the thought that Japan would follow suit is not too much of a stretch.
That said, ONI would presumably be aware that the Japanese Army had very poor cooperation with the IJN (gross understatement), and definitely know that the Japanese army was tied down in China. Since the Navy would be driving any war plans against the USA, ONI would probably look to diplomatic sources to try to discern who was winning the strategic discussions in Tokyo. Remember at this point, that was the main method we had to determine Japanese intentions, since for a variety of reasons recruiting spies in Japan was very difficult.
- Location
- Pacific Northwest
- Location
- Pacific NW
Heck, before we were able to get photo-reconnaissance flights over Japan, a great deal of our info regarding landmarks and buildings to guide aerial bombardments for were gathered by a baseball player named Moe Berg in the 30s. The New York Yankees went over to Japan to play their all star team, and the government asked the catcher, Moe Berg, to take pictures of Tokyo. He took a bunch from the rooftop of the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, the quality of which really helped the early bombing campaigns.
(edit- remembered it was the rooftop of the hotel he took the pictures from)
(edit- remembered it was the rooftop of the hotel he took the pictures from)
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Dark Mage
Sanity is really overrated...
- Location
- Out of My Mind
Actually it was Saint Luke's Hospital. It was one of the tallest building in Tokyo a the time.
- Location
- Canada
It was through reading TLs on AH.com and Kancolle fanfics that I realized that the IJA/IJN cooperation level was comparable, logistically, to Jim Crow laws.
IJA ship goes somewhere full, comes back empty. An IJN ship goes there empty, comes back full. Many more ton-miles spent, all because of ego.
Train owner ships whites somewhere with black carriages empty, comes back with white carraiges empty and black ones full. Many more ton-miles spent, all because of ego.
The only difference is that the US was economically strong enough to shrug off the price of its arrogance. Japan really wasn't, even without getting into the sheer hubris of bullshito--NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH BUSHIDO, which actually originally had clauses on "don't bully people, because you should be confident in your strength!"--leading them into the war in the first place.
(To quote someone commenting on my word choice on AH.com, "Japan in the 1930s had about as much to do with actual bushido as *sensitive example used, substitute!* pedophile priests had to do with Jesus."
To which I said "Why did you think I spelled it bullshito?"
Their response to that was "Fair point.")
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- Location
- North Carolina
Agreed, that image is missing something.
Wow. Thank you for sharing these images, they're gorgeous.
Question for all,
I heard that the Bismarck was designed to fight the French navy not the British?
Is this correct?
Dirtnap
Kanmusu Affecionado
She meant directly fighting another battleship, not necessarily a brit one.
The navy of Nazi Germany did have a plan for building a fleet capable of taking on the Royal Navy, called the Z Plan of 1939. It was extremely expensive and ambitious in its planning with a completion date of 1948, and seems to have assumed that the British would not be responding in kind with an expanded building program of their own.
Prior to the Z Plan, the German Navy was intended to fight the French, without fighting the British at the same time. This was a much easier goal to reach. The Bismarck class (design year 1935-1936) was built as a battleship capable of countering the new French ships, this being the Dunkerque and Richelieu classes.
Of course, since there were treaties limiting battleship tonnage in effect at the time, and everyone built the maximum battleships they could get away with in 1936, this also meant that Bismarck could more or less counter any other contemporary battleship, like the British King George V class.
Then the Japanese withdrew from the treaty so they could built the Yamato class and battleships could and would become larger, but by then the Bismarck's were on the slipway.
obssesednuker
Commander of 10 Million Men
- Location
- In the Kremlin, activating Perimtr.
Given Rommel's penchant for twisting his orders and ignoring his logistical situation was the absolute worst among the entire German army and that both of those issues were the cause of much grief to the Germans in Russia in 1941, employing him in the East instead of Guderian would probably backfire spectacularly on the Germans.
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Chapter 37
Skywalker_T-65
Writer with too many ideas.
- Location
- United States
- Pronouns
- Plural/They/He/Her
Chapter 37
Such an auspicious day for a cloudy sky...
Blue eyes staring up from Bismarck's deck, their owner leaning back against the bulkhead outside her bridge. Admiral Schreiber was a silent statue, while his crew were busy celebrating below decks or ashore. Part of him almost pitied the poor French citizens of Brest. The rest was consumed with worry over what the future would now bring. For if there were ever any chance of a surrender to just the Western Powers, it was gone now.
"I always knew this would come."
Schreiber sighed softly, a sardonic smile crossing his face. Of course he had always known it was just a matter of time until the Soviets were attacked. It was a core tenant of Nazism. Lebensraum and anti-Communism. Both were clearly laid out in Mein Kampf, and official Nazi policy. It was going to make his self-appointed mission all the more difficult.
"What are you talking about, Admiral?" A familiar female voice brought Schreiber out of his musings. Her footsteps echoing over the noise of men busying themselves finishing her refit.
Bismarck would never be stealthy, would she?
"The situation is moving forward," the Admiral didn't turn his eyes from the sky, however. He could only sigh. "We will know, soon enough, if our mission is still possible."
The footsteps continued, until Bismarck stood next to her Admiral. Her hand fell on his arm, drawing his gaze down on her. The sometimes-cocky battleship had a concerned expression, not helped by the gauze wrapped around her forehead.
"Haven't we succeeded at everything we've tried?" Bismarck was quick to point out her own views. "I defeated a British battleship! And we captured an entire convoy."
Schreiber shook his head, "All true. We've managed better than you did, in my time. However, the problem is in the East. Not here."
Clear confusion was reflected on Bismarck's face. She opened her mouth to ask a question about what her Admiral meant...before snapping her jaw shut. A metallic creak echoed through the air. Coinciding with Schreiber able to see the gears working behind Bismarck's ice-blue eyes. The Teutonic beauty was just as bad at hiding her feelings as being stealthy.
Though, it is somewhat entertaining to see her crew react.
Men were scrambling to figure out what that noise had been, while their Admiral simply raised an eyebrow at his ship.
"Admittedly, it isn't your concern, Bismarck. If we're serving against the Soviets, something has gone very...very wrong." Schreiber shrugged his shoulders, his lined face scrunching into a scowl. "Nonetheless, I have told you before. The moment Germany goes to the East, our mission becomes almost impossible."
It was Bismarck's turn to sigh at those words. Her fingers idly scratched at the wrapping around her head, as the battleship looked at her Admiral. "We'll survive, though. You've said that yourself Admiral...if you need to, you'll take Blücher and I and anyone else you can get and run."
There was more than a little distaste at the end of that sentence. Bismarck was a battleship. A German battleship, brought up in the tradition of the Kaiserliche Marine. Running was not something she enjoyed.
Schreiber merely sighed once more, "I have no intention of running, unless there is no choice. I do not want to see any of you girls die. But that is not what our mission is, and you know that, my old friend."
Bismarck didn't reply, electing to lean against the railing across from her old Admiral. Schreiber let her, feeling every bit of his age bowing him down. The distant sound of cheering at the 'success' against the 'Bolshevik menace' was more than enough to keep his mind occupied. Those men saw nothing but more success for the Nazi leadership. The destruction of the great ideological enemy. The gaining of more land and resources for the German people.
None of them saw this for what it was. Sealing Germany's fate. Schreiber was no fool. Even if he had gone right to Hitler and told him what would happen, and the madman had believed him, Germany was not capable of beating the Soviet Union. Germany shouldn't beat the Soviet Union, or the Holocaust would be even more destructive than it had been.
And yet, a part of me wants to join them in celebrating the destruction of Soviet forces.
The old Admiral's shoulders slumped further, as he cursed those thoughts. He shouldn't be thinking that way, yet it was so easy. So easy to slip into old prejudices and buried memories. He tried to avoid it, but it was so--
"Admiral."
Bismarck's voice was filled with an unusual level of concern. Enough to pull him from dark thoughts, and look at her face. The blonde battleship was frowning deeply, her lips tight and thin as a razor. Even her arms were crossed over her chest.
"You know that we will do everything we possibly can to save Germany, yes?" Before giving her Admiral a chance to say anything, Bismarck charged right on forward. A battleship never did give a chance for argument. "After everything you have told us, we have no intention of letting it happen again. What happened to you."
Shoulders stiffening, Schreiber turned away. His own blue eyes were foggy.
"Papa! Where are they taking him? What did he do wrong?!"
"Gustav...please, don't question it. If the St...if they want him, we can't say anything."
"But--"
"Listen, honey, to what I'm telling you. Your father wouldn't want the same to happen to you. Too many of our family and friends have had the same happen. Please...just let it go."
"I--I--"
He was so stupid in those days. The seeds of passive resistance against his own government had been laid, the day he saw his father dragged away. The day he could do nothing to save his father. It had influenced him for his entire life and he couldn't let it go. He had the same scene repeated so many times, overt and obvious...and insidious and hidden. Men and women broken.
"Bismarck, I refuse to let that happen again." Schreiber let his voice show a hint of what he felt. Just a hint of long-burning pain. "I hate Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party." That was said so quietly that even Bismarck, with the hearing of a battleship, strained to hear. "But I hate Stalin and his vision just as much. Both of them are responsible for what happened in my home. It makes it so---so very difficult to not join those men, in cheering the destruction of the Soviet Union."
It was clear that Bismarck didn't know what to say in response to that. Her mouth could only open and close, as she bit her lip. "I can't understand it, Admiral. I don't know what hate feels like. I enjoy battle. Fighting that battleship was the most excited I've ever been!" A bit of that same battle-lust leaked into her voice, as the blonde smiled at the memory. "But I don't know what you feel like."
Schreiber smiled, lines tugging at the expression and making it resemble a grimace. "I hope you never do. However, it doesn't change the simple fact of our mission. I've involved you girls in a personal vendetta...a personal desire to never again see Soviet troops marching through German streets."
The Admiral turned away from his battleship, walking across her deck to stare up at a hint of stars peaking through the cloudy sky. His sigh echoed over the sound of men at work, hands clenching the railing tightly enough to whiten his knuckles.
"You're doing this to save Germany," Bismarck frowned again, shaking her head. "Who cares why you're doing it, if you're trying to save our country!"
"Hm." The old Admiral didn't deny the point. But he still didn't look at her, either.
She did not take kindly to this, "Admiral!" Bismarck stomped over to the man, glaring down on him and using every bit of her height advantage to do it. "Does it really bother you that much that this is personal for you?"
"The moment it becomes personal, is the moment anyone should start wondering about their motives." Schreiber whispered in response. That was a lesson that had been driven home, time and time again. "Do I want to save Germany, or do I want to make the Soviets pay for what they did to my country and my family?"
This was the most Schreiber had ever told Bismarck about how he felt. He had kept it very well hidden before now, not wanting to burden her with his own worries. It was only the launch of Barbarossa that managed to get this much out of him. His own worries and fears brought to the surface. How ironic.
And all Bismarck did was snort at him, almost dismissively. "They're one and the same! We may have started this silly war, but from what you told me, the Soviets will do just as bad to us as we did to them. Wanting to stop that from happening is perfectly reasonable. I don't need to be an officer to see that."
Schreiber had exaggerated, of course, when he told her that the Soviets would do everything to Germany that Germany did to them. Regardless, he understood what she was saying and it was true that part of his motivation was wanting to prevent the atrocities- on both sides! -that would come in the East.
"Frankly," Bismarck continued, slapping her hand down on her own railing. Not a wince was visible on her face from the action. "Blücher and I don't really care what your reason is, if you're trying to protect Germany. Even if you wanted to leave Germany and help it fall to save it, we would follow. You're our Admiral."
Perhaps it was that blind dedication, more than anything else, that allowed the aging Admiral to smile at his battleship. To them, there was not a question of morals. To them, there was no asking if what they were doing was the right way to do it. He was the Admiral, they were his ships. That was all that mattered.
And, unlike the blind following Hitler, they had no problems speaking their mind if they did feel he was doing something wrong. That was what made them different from the majority of the German people.
"Bismarck," Schreiber looked over at the tall woman by his side, who was now trying to smooth down her jacket over her skirtless hips. "You may be right, about one thing at least."
"Which is...?"
Turning around, the time-traveler walked back towards the entrance to Bismarck's bridge. His loyal warship following along curiously, as he began speaking again. In low, conspiratorial tones that would have had many a German staring at him warily. A tone that only served to make her more curious, leaning forward to hear what he was saying so quietly.
"No matter what my personal feelings are, we need to do what we can to save Germany. I won't let my own biases blind me, and I won't try to help the war in the East. But I will not let Germany be divided again." Schreiber looked over his shoulder, one last time. The lines on his face were deeper than they were before, but the hesitation had faded away to be replaced with the determination that had let him stand, face to face, with Adolf Hitler. "I believe it's time we got another message to Herr Oster, don't you?"
Bismarck's own smile turned distinctly predatory, "Yes, sir!"
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
Official Kriegsmarine Report on progress of Operation Barbarossa, July 4th, 1941---
---In light of weaker than expected Soviet resistance, Wehrmacht and allied units have pushed deep into the Soviet Union. Former Polish territory has been completely cleared of Red Army forces. Partisan activity is high, however, OKW is clear that this will not be a problem for very long as Communist forces are rooted from their hidden bases. Army Group Center command expects to be in Mogilev within the week, if not sooner. Delays are expected due to the need to defeat, in detail, Red Army pockets of resistance.
--Army Group South is facing heavier resistance in the effort to liberate Bessarabia- reports indicate our Romanian allies are less than effective -and are consequently moving slower. Diplomatic pressure is being exerted on the Turkish government to either join the War, or allow lighter units of the Kriegsmarine and Regia Marina into the Black Sea to support the offensive. See attached file Foreign Ministry File: 'Negotiations with Turkey'.
In light of these events, it is expected that select light units of the Kriegsmarine based in Italy and Greece may be called upon to help in the offensive. OKW is working on plans, should this become necessary.
--Army Group North has had large successes in the Baltic States. Russian resistance collapsed early in the offensive, and further attacks have pushed the Red Army out of Lithuania and Latvia. It is believed that advanced units of the Heer will soon move into Estonia and Russia, with Leningrad the ultimate target. To eliminate Red Army and Red Navy forces in the Baltic, light cruiser Nurnberg and heavy cruiser Blücher will move to support landing operations on the Estonian Islands. Upon completion of sea trials, heavy cruiser Seydlitz will join the operations to defeat the Soviet Baltic Fleet.
--Further operations: Units of Kriegsmarine landing forces will provide support to the garrisons in Latvia. The naval base at Liepāja will be under the command of Korvettenkapitän Brückner. These forces are to maintain order in the towns and to repair and refit the ports for use by Kriegsmarine surface forces. The troops remain under the command of the Kriegsmarine, and should orders be in conflict with those of Heer officers, these will be brought to the attention of high command immediately. Kriegsmarine officers and subordinates are advised they are not required to perform the same duties as those of the Heer or Gestapo, and should focus on their assigned duties first and foremost.
Furthermore, should the naval bases be sufficient, these will become key operating facilities in the Eastern Baltic. As such, officers are expected to expedite repairs and punish sabotage accordingly. Should it become necessary, labor may be drawn from Prisoner of War Camps.
--In conclusion: Operation Barbarossa is proceeding far ahead of schedule in every theater but for Army Group South, where more difficulties have been encountered. However, it is estimated that Bessarabia should be under Romanian control within the month. Upon completion of Operation München, Army Group South will shift focus to the defeat of Red Army forces in the Ukraine and the capture of Kiev. Joint Romanian-Heer forces will continue marching towards Crimea, potentially with support of light naval forces.
---Addendum: Reports increase, notably among forces in the Baltic that may be involved in Operation Barbarossa, of strange events aboard surface vessels. SS observers aboard these vessels have complained of discrimination and what they claim to be attacks on their person. Interviews of crew and officers of Blücher and Leipzig indicate these events rarely move beyond inconvenient pranks. The most noticeably dangerous event being the case of Obersturmführer Leitz, who was forced overboard of Blücher by an unidentified assailant. Kapitän zur See Lange reports that no man has been found guilty of doing so, noting in his official report that the Obersturmführer was victim of a cruel, but entirely unintentional, accident. No other reports have been made of this level.
However, concurrently with the complaints of the SS observers, there have been an increasing number of reports of strange sights aboard the cruisers. Several engineering officers have reported seeing women in the engineering spaces, though they have never been able to identify them. Furthermore, when attempts are made to find these women, the machinery appears to be in better working order than before. The Chief Engineering officers aboard Blücher and Leipzig are unable to explain these events. Kapitänleutnant Becker of Emden believes that there is some connection, though his report indicates he is unsure of what it is.
Official orders to all officers and crew of the Kriegsmarine are to report these events to their superiors immediately. Men are known to hallucinate after long periods at sea, however, the regularity of these events indicate something greater than this. If women have hidden aboard vessels of the Kriegsmarine, they must be found and apprehended before given the chance to sabotage any equipment or cause difficulties among the crew. No person, man or woman, is allowed aboard vessels of the Navy without express permission. There are no exceptions.
-Großadmiral Erich Raeder
A bit shorter, but I felt it worked this way.
This one is primarily focused on Schreiber and expanding on him a bit. Barbarossa is not a fun thing for him, in the slightest, as I've hinted at before. I felt I needed to show that in this chapter. Character development and all that. As well as demonstrating that he is most assuredly not perfect. This is a man who is extremely conflicted by his personal biases, no matter how deeply he- as all Germans-who-are-not-Nazis -hates the Nazis.
I debated if I wanted to show a bit of ground combat in the East as well...but decided in the end to go with the 'official report' option. Clearly this would be more formal if it were an actual report, but I didn't want to bore readers
That, and I just wanted to summarize what is going on. Which can be said to be...well, slightly better than historical in some areas, slightly worse in others. Schreiber's influence can't change Barbarossa all that much, and neither can the butterflies. If anything changed at all, there would be a slight bit of problems with Italy considering the early Taranto raid. Otherwise, not enough time and not big enough actions to butterfly a lot away. Yet.
I will write from the ground perspective later, though.
The biggest change here, really, is Seydlitz. Which leads into the following omake, because it didn't quite fit into the chapter itself. The tone, anyway.
Omake: Blücher and Seydlitz
Skywalker_T-65
Writer with too many ideas.
- Location
- United States
- Pronouns
- Plural/They/He/Her
Omake: Sisters
"Sis!"
Sometimes, Blücher just let herself be a child. These times were often when she was with her Admiral- who honestly was more a father to her -or with her sisters. This case was one of the latter, though the sister in question was one she had only seen in passing before. Eugen was with Bismarck in the Atlantic and Hipper was returning from a trip to Norway. That left just one sister in Germany for her to talk to.
"Bl...Blücher?" A sister who sounded completely confused, when she responded.
She could be forgiven for that, considering she had never left port and wasn't very familiar with her sisters. Yet!
"Of course I am! Can't you tell by the turrets?" Blücher put as much good cheer into her voice as she could, a wide grin crossing her face when she saw the look her Captain sent her out of the corner of his eye. It wasn't her fault she had to perch herself atop her conning tower to see the port properly!
"I've never seen your turrets any different, sister."
With a pout now taking shape, Blücher sent sad violet eyes at her sister. She knew her sister couldn't see her, but she did it anyway. "Seydlitz! You're my sister, you should know these things!"
"Sorry...?" While Blücher could no more see her sister than her sister could see her, she had a good idea of what to expect with those words.
A confused expression under brown eyes. Light, sandy brown hair that fell in front of her eyes out of her loose ponytail. A youthful face that had yet to see any battle. A girl wearing a uniform just like her own, on a slimmer body. After all, she was Blücher's little sister so they had to share uniforms. And she was originally a light cruiser, so she would be slimmer.
It made perfect sense!
"Ah, don't worry about it sis." Rolling her eyes slightly, Blücher sat down atop her conning tower, as her hull pulled into dock next to her sister. Men were visible swarming over her hull, continuing to work at getting the new cruiser ready for battle. It was only a matter of time, at this rate. "I'm just happy to see you."
"I'm glad to see you too, sister." Seydlitz was always so prim and proper when she spoke.
On the one hand, it made it difficult to talk with her.
On the other, Blücher was well aware she was like that at first too. Before her Admiral had talked with her. They were young, her and Seydlitz. Without anyone to talk to and without any experience to work with, they...just didn't have the time to develop.
Though I can change that!
Smiling at the thought, Blücher turned to look at her sister again. "Hey, Seydlitz. Want to hear a story?"
"A story? About what?" Seydlitz actually sounded interested, and Blücher could imagine her sister pulling herself up to look at her.
It brought a wide smile to her face, "Oh, nothing much. Just how my Admiral and I took an entire British convoy!"
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
The story that Blücher told her sister took most of the remaining daylight. Neither sister cared. Blücher didn't care, because she could talk to her sister. Seydlitz didn't care, because she had someone who loved her to talk to. Both of them just enjoyed the sound of the other's voice.
"Hey...sister." At the end of the story, Seydlitz spoke up with a question.
"What is it?" Blücher was more than happy to answer.
Silence answered her, though, before her sister managed to rally her thoughts. "Do you think we will serve together? Like this?"
"Hm...I don't see why not!"
Blücher would like nothing more than to serve with her sister. Any of her sisters, to be completely honest. There was just something about sailing in formation with someone exactly like her--it felt right. Any cruiser probably felt that way. That being said...
"I would like that." Seydlitz's voice was quiet, but carried the impression of a small smile.
....Blücher would like serving with this sister, more than any others. Admiral Schreiber had told her about his Seydlitz. A girl who was never completed. Torn apart to be made a carrier, and left to rot before the Soviets put her out of her misery. She had never come back from that, not completely. The very first thing her Admiral had done, after returning from Norway, had been to use her example to push for the completion of Seydlitz.
He had said he wouldn't let that happen again. He had promised her that she wouldn't have to see that happen to her sister.
"I'll talk to the Admiral when I see him again, then," Blücher pushed that thought to the back of her mind, focusing instead of grinning and putting happiness into her voice. "We'll be together if I have anything to say about it!"
Seydlitz, the ship, seemed to vibrate at her pier for just a second. It probably scared her workcrew senseless, but it just made Blücher giggle a bit. Her sister was happy!
"I'm glad," Seydlitz confirmed that thought, with genuine happiness in her voice. "Do you think we can see Lützow too?"
And, just as suddenly as that, the smile fell off Blücher's face. Did Seydlitz not know?
I can't blame her for asking, when Lützow was her sister. Her complete sister. But...I don't want to tell her. Who knows what the Soviets are doing to her, especially if they ever find out about what we are...
Clearing her throat, Blücher forced the wobble out of her voice, "Erm, Seydlitz. You do know that she was given to the Soviets...right?"
There was no response, other than an embarrassed burst of smoke from the other cruiser's stack. Blücher didn't need to see her sister to know that she was flushed from that. Maybe she had forgotten.
"S--sorry, sister. I just...Blücher...you know she was going to be just like me." Seydlitz's voice was subdued and quiet. Completely quiet.
Blücher knew that. And she knew that their sister was also never going to be completed. That she was going to be forced to fight Germany. She couldn't- she wouldn't -tell Seydlitz that.
"Don't worry about it, sis!" Instead, Blücher cheerfully waved over at the other cruiser's hull. Her pink hair was blown back in a gust of wind, as she struck a pose for her sister's benefit. "I'm sure she'll be just fine. 'sides, the sooner you can get finished, the sooner we can get this war over. Then we can see her again!"
"Y--yeah. You're right, sister. As soon as I can sail, I can help end the war. And then meet our other sisters." Seydlitz wasn't quite back to where she was, but the sadness was gone from her voice. At the least.
Her sister would take that. "Good! Now, how about I tell you some more stories?"
"I'd like that. Maybe one about Eugen this time?"
"No problem!" Blücher settled back down, content to spend her time with her sister like this. Telling her stories and getting to know her.
Anyone who reads Indy, knows what I'm referencing with Seydlitz.
At any rate...sisters getting to know each other. Like I said, tonally this didn't fit with the chapter, so omake. Wanted to write it though. As for Lützow...not going to say anything else on her.