Merkels Operation Walküre

[Tyr Anazasi]

Hamburg, October 20th 1944, 10:15:

Even though he had been hired as Mr Trump´s legal counsel, Dr. Peter Voss (V) didn't plan to give up his law firm completely as he thought it wiser to have an additional source of income, although the attorney he hired would do most of it. Right now, Voss was visiting the Vier Jahreszeiten, where Mr Trimp was staying at the moment.

Fräulein Koops (K) opened the door after he had knocked.

K: Ah, Dr. Voss. Nice to see you again. How are you?

V: I am fine, thank you. Is Mr. Trump...

K: He´s here. The boss is waiting for you.

She led him into the living room of the apartment, which had been transformed into some kind of office.

V: Good morning, Sir. How are...

T: I am fine, I´m fine. I really like this direct attitude of the Germans. You get to the point without much fuss. Anyway, did you buy the real estate for my sky scraper?

V: Erm, no, sir. I couldn't. The owner of the place is unwilling to sell. I...

T: What? DIDN'T I MAKE IT ABUNDANTLY CLEAR THAT I WANT TO BUILD A HOUSE THERE? MONEY IS NO QUESTION EITHER. I THOUGHT YOU WERE ABLE TO EXECUTE THIS TASK, A VERY SIMPLE ONE INDEED! AND YOU WERE NOT ABLE TO DO SO! YOU'RE FIRED!

Dr. Voss was completely caught off guard as he had never experienced such aggressive and immature behaviour with his clients before.

V: Mr. Trump, as I already tried to tell you, there already is a yard there, which is currently working on many ships for the German navy. As we are still at war with several powers they wouldn't even be allowed to sell their grounds to you even if they wanted. I did find an alternative, but as I am fired now, you can look it over yourself. [Throws paper on the desk.] Anyway, I don't like to be screamed at. It is a kind of behaviour that is below anything I could expect as both your legal counsel and especially as human being. You should really try to change your behaviour, although I have my doubts it is possible. Good day, sir.

Dr. Voss was just turning, when Mr. Trump started to laugh. Dr. Voss looked at Ms. Koops, who looked as confused as he was.

T: Wait, wait. I like anyone who says his own opinion. So, before you decided to leave, tell me at least what you have.

V: Well, I could not find a place near the yard, but here... [Pointing at one of the papers.]

T: There´s nothing but bridges there!

V: Yes, but that is intended. For the time being this is the only place in the whole of Hamburg where such a skyscraper is possible.

Trump looked at him. The "why" he couldn't speak out loud before Dr. Voss resumed.

V: The reason is that skyscrapers are only allowed to be build outside the former city wall or at the former gates. The wall has been dismantled in the 18th century but the gates are still important landmarks, such as the Dammtor or the Berliner Tor. The Hafencity is the only other place. And no skyscrapers, either. The tall buildings are usually not allowed to disrupt the skyline of.

T: But this place is out of question, though. There is nothing there. Nothing! Is that a joke?

V: No, Sir, it isn't. As you rightly saw, this place is near the Elbe bridges. For most real Hamburgers, the crossing of the Elbe over these bridges also means coming home. When you drive over the bridges you enter old Hamburg proper. And because of that such a building would be a kind of gate to Hamburg. The first impression of the city, so to speak. And there won´t be 'nothing' for long: The other end of the Hafencity is going to be constructed there.

T: I see. Hmm. First impression. Gate to Hamburg.

V: Sir, this is still not more than a plan. It is not yet near the point one could order the people to start building. At first you need to buy this 12.000 m² real estate from the city. Then you need to invest up to one billion Euro. And you need an acceptable design. A 08/15 building would not be accepted, I fear.

T: 08/15?

V: Standard. There are already some ideas which might be valiable. I have several architect bureau contacts here. Some even made first scratches in the hope you take a liking to them. Like this one, having been inspired by a sail.

T: Good idea. 350 m high...

V: Erm, currently they think about a skyscraper of up to "about 200 m". So, everything above 210 m would be a problem.

T: I see. That are problems I have to deal with then. Fräulein, erm, please make an appointment with the mayor. I have to talk to him.

V: There are many who are against this deal.

T: That is to be expected. Good work! You're hired again.

V: Perhaps you can help Mr. Scholz as well. Currently Hamburg has another problem: The Elbphilharmonie. It has been a money sink ever since its inception. That changed after the deal of 2012 but after the Event it might have been reverted back.

T: Oh, I see. If I invest something there I can get better terms here. Great!

K: Mr. Trump, we could get an appointment with Mr. Scholz next Tuesday.

T: Excellent. And try to contact those architects. I want more proposals until Monday. Dr. Voss, can you please make preparations for the founding of a corporation?

V: Sir, the contracts are already being worked on. I expect them back on Monday as well.

Dr. Voss had expected such a step and had ordered his new staff to prepare them. They would be ready soon.

T: Thank you, Dr. Voss.

K: I show you the way out here.

Out of the room Dr. Voss asked Ms Koops.

V: Is he moving so fast every time?

K: Well, I don't know.

 

[Tyr Anazasi]

OTL Elbtower skyscraper project, ca. 244 m.

 

[Tyr Anazasi]

Bay of Danzig, October 20th 1944, 11:15

The carrier Deutschland was still conducting training exercises. Other warships nearby were doing the same, from escorting warships, hunting submarines to ship gunnery training. The bridge was crowded. Korvettenkapitän Heinrich Ehrler was directing the training flights.

"Tell this idiot to attack the old Hessen and not the modern Bremen. Did he at least learn our warship silhouettes?... No, he´ll try it again. Better he tries landing now than later... No, we need another recce plane in the air. I want..."

In this apparent chaos no one noticed Admiral Ciliax leaving the bridge. Admiral Krause, the Flottenchef, had just arrived from a meeting with Großadmiral Saalwächter in Rostock.

CX: Herr Krause, were you able to talk to the Großadmiral?

KR: Yes, I was, but unfortunately without any success.

CX: It can't be. We need more time.

KR: I know that, but he doesn't, even though I tried to convince him. I even mentioned the fate of the armoured frigate SMS Großer Kurfürst, which sank after only 25 days after commissioning due to an accident because of the lack of training.

CX: And?

KR: And? He just told me I had more than 25 days.

CX: Our ships are manned, but many men are wet behind the ears. They need more training. I just spoke to Ehrler and he completely agrees with me as well.

KR: It´s not me that you have to convince of that. However, Saalwächter told me that there´s no time left, because it seems the Allies will try to resupply the Soviets, something we cannot allow to happen.

CX: They should send some more Tornados to Norway, instead.

KR: They won´t. The 24 planes of the 2nd squadron of MFG 1 are all we have. The 1st squadron is in the Med and all the other Tornados are used elsewhere. And the 1st squadron won't be sent to Norway because we don't have any modern vessels in the Med.

CX: There´ve been several days when we couldn't exercise because of the weather.

KR: I know. Saalwächter knows. But circumstances…

CX: Okay. I will log in a written protest, though.

KR: Already did that, my friend.

CX: Hopefully we will just sit in the harbour and do nothing except training, at least this year.

KR: One can only hope. However, I still think the Allies will be giving us trouble.

CX: Well, when they try, we´ll have enough fire power to blow an entire fleet to hell.

KR: But what if they send more ships than we can deal with with our weapon systems?

CX: Then we´re gonna do it the old way: With guns and torpedoes. But we need more training for that as well.

KR: Yes, indeed. If something happens to me, you´ll be the one in control of the whole fleet. As we don't have another carrier here, you should take command of the battleship division then.

CX: I will do so.

 

[Tyr Anazasi]

Öksfjord, Alta fjord, October 30th 1944, 14:30

Two men were hiding in a small cabin which was usually used to process fish. There was a small opening in one of the walls through which one could see the fjord spread out right in front of them. The cabin was big enough for one person, but right now there were two; Ole and Thor who were part of the Norwegian resistance.

Ole: Thor, I still think it is too dangerous to have two men in here for such a long time.

Thor: I totally agree. However, London wants to have at least two witnesses when the ships come.

O: All we see are M-Boats coming and going.

T: They want to get more information, especially about these ominous new ships the Germans have built.

O: Do you believe in the German propaganda?

T: Of course not. Do you?

O: No, it is ridiculous.

T: Indeed. Time travelling: completely ridiculous.

O: There! Ships are coming.

T: German M-Boats again.

O: But look: Destroyers!

T: And look: They have dual turrets. I never saw a German design like this.

O: These have to be the new German ships. Only a small gun turret. Not more than a single 7,6 cm gun and perhaps some light flak. But what are those containers?

T: I don't know. Damn, I only have one reserve film for the camera and there are more ships to see now than there were in the years before.

O: Shit. There! That must be the cruisers Köln, Leipzig and Nürnberg. But the fourth I can't remember ever seeing before; 4 twin turrets.

T: Me neither. Wait! Over there, the heavy cruisers. Two, no, three Admiral Hipper class cruisers.

O: I thought, we sank one at Oslo back in '40?

T: We did.

O: But then they only should have two.

T: Yes, they should, indeed. But they seem to have three now.

O: There! Battleships. That must be the Tirpitz. I can't identify the other one, though; it looks similar to the Gneisenau, but it´s got dual turrets.

T: And there is even a second one. Seems to be the Tirpitz.

O: That can't be. That ship is over there!

T: A third battleship of the Bismarck class?!?

O: So it seems... Boy, that is a huge carrier. That can easily carry hundred planes.

T: That is no Graf Zeppelin class carrier. It is bigger.

O: And probably better.

T: Much better I fear.

O: Ah, there are at least some ships we know. The pocket battleships.

T: Yes. Two ships. As we were told.

O: There are more of these... frigates. At least the British call them.

T: They seem more like small cruisers. And again, those containers. What are they for?

O: Torpedo tubes?

T: Unlikely. These frigates over there have even greater guns.

O: And a slightly different kind of container as well.

T: Indeed. I have the feeling that these containers will cause us some problems.

O: And there are some destroyers and M-Boats.

T: At least they´re all here now.

O: And not too early. I don't know, what's going on, but I do know it will cause us trouble. So many ships; the Germans must plan something.

T: Yes, they do. We must inform London.

O: Yes, do that. I will wait here a little longer.

In the night London received the news about the German fleet in Norway. Only hours later Ole and Thor, among some others, were arrested because of their espionage.

 

[Tyr Anazasi]

USS Iowa, Reykjavik, November 1st 1944, 11:15

Admiral Raymond A. Spruance entered the cabin of Vice Admiral Willis A. Lee.

WL: Back from Norfolk I see. Any news?

RS: Yes, I received orders from Admiral Ingersoll: We are to attack the German fleet in Norway.

WL: You can´t be serious! Don't they know the capabilities of German´s new weapons? We´re gona lose many ships and men.

RS: Yes, we will, but Ingersoll got the order from Leahy, who got the orders from Roosevelt himself. It seems our president wants a victory before the elections.

WL: Then he´ll continue to wait, because that ain´t gonna be it.

RS: I, too, have doubts, but the plan is good.

WL: To quote a famous field marshal: No plan survives first contact with the enemy.

RS: The German ships are potent ship killers, however, they can´t field more than eight of these ships and maybe a battleship and a handful cruisers.

WL: And the reports of those other ships?

RS: Although there´s reasonable proof, I´m still wary to completely trust them. And even if they are partly true we have too many ships to not win. And herein lies the problem: Usually, after taking heavy losses a fleet should retreat. However, we are ordered to attack no matter our losses, because even if each of our ships is sunk the result will be considered a victory if the German fleet is destroyed as well.

WL: I see.

RS: Also, Stalin continues to demand more supplies. If we can keep the route to Murmansk open we probably will be able to keep the Soviets in the war.

WL: And when shall we sail?

RS: Tomorrow evening.

WL: I will give the necessary orders.

 

[Tyr Anazasi]

Near Kiew, November 3rd 1944, 500 m AGL

Hauptmann Sönke Petersen had just delivered his payload. He had flown many sorties, but this was to be his last mission. Tomorrow his unit would be relocated back to Germany as the fights around Kiew were dwindling down and it was finally time to service the plane. The good old Hs 123 would be replaced by Fw 190 A-8 planes.

He was already missing his current plane, a totally outdated one, to be brutally honest. A biplane, slow but extremely robust and manoeuvrable. The planes had been upgraded, so instead of 2 7,92 mm MG they carried 2 MG 151/20 20 mm guns. Today he had only dropped some bombs on a Soviet artillery position.

Petersen could already see the river. Soon he would land the plane and tomorrow he would be sent back home to become a flight instructor.

This way your combat service ends, he thought. The next moment he could see the silhouette of another plane approaching through his night vision goggles. It was another bi-plane, but bigger than his. Probably a Polikarpow Po-2 night bomber.

Instantly, Petersen decided to attack. His guns were fully loaded and he had used little fuel on the misson. He climbed slightly to attack from the rear and above. It was easy to get behind the Po-2 with a top speed of only 155 kph. His Hs 123 wasn't really that fast either, but 340 kph was fast enough to catch the Soviet plane. In the last moment he saw the Soviet plane turning out the engine to make a gliding attack without noises. Standard procedure. And yet that also meant he could be heard better. And indeed, the plane started the engage again and tried to turn. But he was already in range. He fired his guns and hit the bomber. The Po-2 went down, hit the treetops and exploded on the ground.

Petersen knew the enemy would likely send some more planes within the next few minutes, which would give him enough time to get back into position. And indeed, he had not waited for long, when he saw the next bomber. Knowing what he had to expect, Petersen already attacked before the enemy was even able to notice him. The plane exploded in the air.

Ugly way to go, Petersen thought. But better you than my comrades or me.

He turned to get back into position but this time the enemy was faster. He spotted the plane already about a kilometre away heading directly towards him, so he decided to attack from the front. Again, his guns fired. The Soviet pilot had not seen him until it was too late. He tried to turn but his engine had been hit and so he, too, crashed to the ground in a fiery inferno.

Three victories were enough, Sönke thought, but then he saw a fourth bomber.

It was a repeat of his first kill: He ascended, came from behind and fired. The plane wnt down and crashed in the woods, setting them aflame as it exploded. Just as Sönke wanted to turn his plane around, a MG salvo barely missed him. He craned his neck and saw another Po-2 flying behind and trying to attack him.

'You must have balls to attack me, lad', he thought. The next salvo that came actualy managed to hit his plane, yet due to his superior armour nothing was damaged. Sönke sped up and turned. A third salvo missed. He turned to get behind the Soviet bomber, but the Soviet had started to ascend before making a small dive and turning to the left. He followed. The Soviet executed an Immelmann and then turned to the right to avoid him, but now he was in no position to fire.

'Damn!' Sönke thought. He missed the plane as the Soviet turned again. Apparently, the Soviet pilot assumed that he had escaped Sönke and changed course. Sönke had waited for this moment, though, and pressed for another attack. But the Soviet pilot must have sensed the manoeuvre and turned, barely avoiding being hit. Sönke followed and fired again. This time he did so blindly and hoped the enemy plane would be there. But after six rounds were fired, his cannons remained silent.

"Fuck!" he exclaimed. 'I need to disengage quickly. No ammo left.'

Sönke turned but his enemy didn't and continued to fly in a straight line. From his position he could see that the Soviet was in dire straits: His engine was burning and the rudder had been hit, making the plane nearly uncontrollable.

Cautiously, Sönke manoeuvred his plane next to the Soviet bomber. The pilot seemed to be unconsciousness, the navigator was dead. Sönke tried hailing the pilot, but there was no reply forthcoming. Deciding that something needed to be done, Sönke carefully manoeuvred his plane next to the Soviet´s until their wings were nearly touching each other. It should shake the plane and indeed the Soviet pilot woke up.

Sönke beckoned the Soviet pilot that he was to follow him with some hand gestures that the other was able to understand. The Soviet acknowledged and tried to turn the plane to the right direction, which he only managed after some difficulties. Sönke contacted his base and told them that they would have a 'guest', so that they would have everything ready for their arrival.

Shortly before landing the Soviet´s engine became too hot, which forced the pilot to shut it down completely. The speed was barely enough to carry the Soviet plane to the base, but in the end they both managed to land safely.

The ambulance was already there and it was only when the Soviet pilot climbed out of his broken-down plane that Sönke noticed that it was no man: Natalja Alexandrowna Neklin was her name, aged 22. She was brought to the next MASH by helicopter as she was hurt in the abdomen. It didn't look that good for her, but here she at least had a chance at survival. Sönke could barely believe that he had fought one of the infamous night witches. Nine of them were now on eternal patrol, among them Jewdokia Berschanskaja, the commander of their unit.

For his achievements, Sönke would be awarded with the Ritterkreuz. It would be the end of his combat career. He would use his free time for some holidays and for visiting his parents on the farm near Plön.

Sometimes, though, his mind would wander back to Natalja.

 

[Tyr Anazasi]

Near Agnetendorf, Lower Silesia, October 3rd 1944:

Although it was just a Tuesday, the day was also a holiday. A national holiday celebrating something in the future, something which would never come to pass; something for which the old man was thankful for. Because if it were to happen, it would mean that he would have to leave his home, expulsed by the Poles. However, this course of history would now never happen.

Just thinking about this time-travel-nonsense was liable to cause him a headache. Well, it wasn't really nonsense, was it? It had happened, after all. And so a new future had to be built, built on the ashes of the old one.

He had felt relieved when his last work had been completed. Relieved, but yet he still got the feeling that there was still something to be done. He was better now due to the UT medicine and he would likely have some more years to his life. But what should he do with them? Finishing one of the works he had started but never finished? Maybe; he would have to think about it. But still there was something else to do. Something he couldn't really see yet. The Ancient Greeks had been his last topic. That was finished now, though. Maybe about the Event? Science-fiction? Not his favourite topic, though.

He decided to go for a walk in the nearby Riesengebirge. In the mountains he could get some new ideas. But today the new ideas he had hoped for eluded him.

Perhaps, he mused, he was thinking too much about this. He should think about something else. In this moment he saw the dark rain clouds slowly approaching his position on the horizon. In the next minutes it would start to rain. He didn't want to risk getting another cold, not after he had been cured of the last one, so he descended from the mountains, just in time to seek refuge in an old abandoned barn. He watched in the rain pouring down and the lightning dance across the dark sky from the sanctuary of the shelter he had found himself in and wondered if maybe this was some sort of sign.

He was torn out of his reverie when he heard a noise coming from the back of the barn. Before the thunder and rain had downed it, but now he could make out some strange mixture of music, explosion and voices. Carefully he walked towards where the noise was coming from. Behind a wooden crate a boy of perhaps twelve years sat, a strange device in his hand. For a few moments the boy didn't notice him, too engrossed in whatever he was holding in his hands, but then he looked up.

"Hi," was the only thing the boy said before looking back down on his device.

"Hello," the old man greeted back a little bit unsure. "Who might you be?"

"I´m Tobi," the boy replied. "Tobias Angerer." He closed the device of his and put it in his lap.

"I haven't seen you around before," the man remarked. "Are you new to Agnetendorf?" The boy nodded.

"Yes, I am. My dad is a clerk and was sent to Hirschberg to help upgrading the local offices there. I guess nobody there´s able to work with a computer. Perhaps only an abacus," the boy replied.

Now the old man´s curiosity was piqued. "So where do you come from?"

"Augsburg."

"And you left your friends there?" the old man continued his line of qestioning

"Yes."

The old man was somehow bemused by the boy´s the monosyllabic answers. "And you don't have many friends around here?"

"No," the boy sighed. It was obvious that he wanted to use the device by the way he fidgeted with his hands, but he refrained from actually doing it. "It´s... difficult."

"Oh, most things are," the man couldn't help agreeing.

"Well, a few months ago I was playing with my friends in Augsburg," the boy started to explain. "Then the Event happened and everything went, well, wrong. At first Pa was reactivated, because he´s a reserve officer. Then Dad was sent…here." It seemed that the boy was lonely and had just barely managed to not to insult him by speaking badly about this place.

"Pa? Dad?" the old man asked confused

"I´ve got two dads," the boy said, defiance shining in his eyes, just daring the old man to contradict the boy´s statement.

"Erm, how...?" The old man was more shocked than he wanted to show.

"My Pa and my mother come from a small village in Bavaria. There the people are very... conservative, that´s what Pa calls them," the boy started to explain. "Mom didn't like men like she was supposed to and Pa didn't like women like he was supposed to, so when they met they decided to marry each other. Only my great-grandma knew everything. She died two years ago, but before that she told me the whole story because she thought I deserved to know it." He swallowed, trying to keep the tears away when he thought about his beloved great-grandmother.

"She told me that both of my parents had been in relationships outside their marriage when I was born. Dad – who wasn't really Dad back then – was okay with all of it, but my mother´s girlfriend got really jealous and outed Pa and Mom. Pa didn't really care, but Mom lost all her friends and even worse, her own father said he didn't want her anymore. And he was the most important person in her life! She died in a car accident when I was two, because she was driving too fast.

In the following months we went to Augsburg, where Pa finally married Dad. We were happy there, but then the Event came." He paused for a moment. "I don't even know why I´m telling you."

"Sometimes we just need to unburdened ourselves, even if it´s to a total stranger," the old man reasoned. "So, your father was sent here to Hirschberg and now you´re having difficulties finding new friends, because you're from Bavaria, you're an up-timer and you have two fathers."

The boy just nodded.

"And now you're playing in this barn in order to hide from the world?" It was just a guess the old man made. The boy didn't say anything, but from the way he clenched his fists the man assumed that he had been right.

"Don't worry. I won´t tell anyone," he promised. "And what's that?" he asked, pointing at the now silent device in the boy´s lap. A change of topic would do the boy only good.

"That's a PlaystationVista," the boy beamed, pride obvious in his voice. "Dad bought it for me last Christmas. Pa was against it, because he thinks I´m already watching too much TV anyway."

"I won´t tell anyone." the old man reassured. "Show me how it works." He really was very curious.

"Well, this is the controller. This is..."

Two hours later, when the downpour had stopped, both of them left the barn to go their separate ways. Tobi had a new friend, who had invited him and his fathers to dinner when they had the time. And Gerhart Hauptmann had a new topic for his next work.

 

[Tyr Anazasi]

To Gerhart Hauptmann, as it had been topic on AH, I have to add, that he had the idea to use the Event, but he had no clue, where to start. He knew the DT points of view, sure, but no UT, so currently the ideas are more sci-fi, which he doesn't really want to make. He needed an inspiration. Oh, this isn't the last post about Mr. Hauptmann. But it will last some more time, until we hear from him again.

 

[JaeneraTargaryen]

It comes: Alta, Der Große Atlantische Trägerjagd (the Great Atlantic Carrier Hunt).

 

[inirlan]

Wouldn't it be "Die Große Atlantische Trägerjagd"?

 

[Tyr Anazasi]

Wouldn't it be "Die Große Atlantische Trägerjagd"?

Click to shrink...

Indeed. On Thursday. BTW, do you want it in one or more posts?

 

[JaeneraTargaryen]

Why the female variant?

 

[Shaithan]

Why the female variant?

Click to shrink...

German nouns are gendered as either masculine, feminine or neuter. Jagd happens to be feminine.

It could also be neuter when calling it Das große atlantische Trägerjagen - The great Atlantic carrier hunting. Das Jagen - the hunting is neuter.

 

[Darksoul2142]

German nouns are gendered as either masculine, feminine or neuter. Jagd happens to be feminine.

It could also be neuter when calling it Das große atlantische Trägerjagen - The great Atlantic carrier hunting. Das Jagen - the hunting is neuter.

Click to shrink...

Aren't ships considered feminine in German? Thus the "die" instead of the "der"?

It would be fun if someone could "act"/roleplay this ISOT in a Hearts of Iron IV game. The easiest way (in my head) to do this is to use the Endsieg mod for the game which has a 1944 start date just before Normandy, photoshopping Merkel instead of Adenauer into a leader portrait shouldn't be that had.

Sounds silly but an idea that struck me while doing a Luxembourg Stronk! challenge.

 

[Gnarker]

Aren't ships considered feminine in German? Thus the "die" instead of the "der"?

Click to shrink...

If you're referring to a single ship by name, then yes. Ship itself is neutral however, and carrier, cruiser, and destroyer are masculine (battleship and patrol-/torpedoboat are neutral). And yes, German pronouns make exactly as much sense as all this makes it sound like.

Not that all this is relevant to "Die Große Atlantische Trägerjagd", as the subject of that name is Jagd, with Träger merely compounding onto it in lieu of another adjective. The (great) hunt (of carriers) (happening in the Atlantic). The Great Atlantic Carrier-Hunt.

 

[Human]

Pictures in media aside of the minced meat still doesn't work.

 

[Anti-No]

Would 'salvage on and just off the beach of Normandy' be a way to get steel to German industry? Ships do tend to have quite a bit of metal weight to them in WWII, and quite a few ships went down there very recently.

If they waited too long it might get dangerous because of the USN, of course, but this is the kind of recycling they need right now, I suspect.

 

[JaeneraTargaryen]

If you're referring to a single ship by name, then yes. Ship itself is neutral however, and carrier, cruiser, and destroyer are masculine (battleship and patrol-/torpedoboat are neutral). And yes, German pronouns make exactly as much sense as all this makes it sound like.

Not that all this is relevant to "Die Große Atlantische Trägerjagd", as the subject of that name is Jagd, with Träger merely compounding onto it in lieu of another adjective. The (great) hunt (of carriers) (happening in the Atlantic). The Great Atlantic Carrier-Hunt.

Click to shrink...

Some things must remain the same. The Great Marianas Turkey Shoot was aborted thanks to Overlord's failure, and with FDR's obstinacy, well...

...I'll defer to native German speakers on this one. If you say it should be Die Große Atlantische Trägerjagd, then so be it. The message remains the same.

Indeed. On Thursday. BTW, do you want it in one or more posts?

Click to shrink...

Whichever is more convenient for you, Mister Author.

 

[Tyr Anazasi]

Gerrman ship names are female, if it is a ship. A boat still has male names.

So it is die Bismarck, die Prinz Eugen, die Emden, die Sachsen, but der (S61) Falke (FAC) or das (S76) Frettchen (FAC). The liner Imperator was also masculine, as an exception.

BTW, that tradition didn't start before the end of the 19th century, before it was for example das Wappen von Hamburg instead of die Wappen von Hamburg (convoy ship).

 

[Tyr Anazasi]

Pictures in media aside of the minced meat still doesn't work.

Click to shrink...

Does anyone else has these problems?

 

[Ridli Scott]

Does anyone else has these problems?

Click to shrink...

Yup! Me too.

 

[kravenmato]

Well Tyr if you mention Bismarck i have to mention her captains weirdness. He hold the believe she is too powerful to be a woman so he said Bismarck is a male.
Funnily: some german ships have male titles as part of the name like Prinz (prince) , Admiral (admiral) or Graf (count).

To get a bit back to Gnarker and the gender of the words. He is completly right. The german language loves compound words and that brings us to the most difficult part to learn when to use what article type.

Below a table to prove the insanity for non natives (often enough for us too)

	singular	singular	singular	plural
	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	der	die	das	die
genitive	dessen	deren	dessen	deren
dative	dem	der	dem	denen
accusative	den	die	das	die

 

[Tyrell]

There's really no nice way to see this timeline for myself I feel, somehow the Wehrmacht is excused of its crimes by people that nominally have been the most strict in stamping out nazism and all the crimes their country carried out in WW2. Yeah its a great concept but god damn this is an ugly beast to read.

Willing to hear why its not such a thing tho. I'd like to hear the reasoning behind it for sure.

 

[Darksoul2142]

There's really no nice way to see this timeline for myself I feel, somehow the Wehrmacht is excused of its crimes by people that nominally have been the most strict in stamping out nazism and all the crimes their country carried out in WW2. Yeah its a great concept but god damn this is an ugly beast to read.

Willing to hear why its not such a thing tho. I'd like to hear the reasoning behind it for sure.

Click to shrink...

The way I see it is that UT Germany really need the Wehrmacht for the time being. Commencing a purge of the "bad elements" in the Wehrmacht at this point would be counter-productive to breaking Operation Bagration and defeating attempts at landings in France.

The SS and its sister organisations were completely wiped out, pruning them would not hamper the defensive strength of Germany since the Wehrmacht provides the most "warm bodies" so to speak. I feel complete denazification can be easily done once the Soviets sign a peace agreement with Germany. Any large scale denazification attempts (before peace) in the Wehrmacht would backfire badly and small scale "under the radar" attempts are functionally useless. Either you do it properly or you don't do it at all.

Plus it has only been 3-4 months since the timeline started and getting legal machinery to ready a Nuremberg style trials in the middle of a war would be considered (imo) efficient and quick. It took the Allies roughly 4 months to do this when Germany was totally defeated and Europe was at peace.

 

[JaeneraTargaryen]

Yeah, at this point I'd say Germany has to pick its poison. They can come down hard on every bit of Nazism and militarism and hard nationalism, but in the process all but guarantees they get stomped by the Allies, who are really determined this time around to enact the Morgenthau Plan, i.e. Generalplan Germania, given its explicitly-stated goal is the forced pastoralization of Germany, dismemberment of the German state, and reduction by means of starvation of the German population to no more than 75 million people.

Note that Germany at this point has a population of ~150 million, in short the Allies will be killing about the same number as people have already died in the war so far in the event they win it.

I suppose it could be asked, why don't they negotiate then? Merkel tried. The Allied response the first time around was to simply brand her government illegitimate and to insist on unconditional surrender. They also dismissed her claims of being from the future out of hand, though at the time there was no proof. And then came Overlord, and undeniable proof that Germany is from the future...and the Allied response to fresh German attempts at negotiation was a thousand bomber raid on Berlin. They swamped German air defenses by sheer force of numbers, and while they were virtually wiped out, they managed to drop enough bombs to kill ~3000 people. Small by WWII standards, though in 21st Century eyes - which half of Germany has - that's a lot of civilian deaths.

By this point, modern Germans are probably prepared to overlook right-wing tendencies (but drawing the line at Anti-Semiticism and outright Nazism) on their fellow Germans' parts when the alternative is to just let the Allies kill half of the people in Germany, and to let raping and looting Russians rampage across Eastern Germany. And yes, I know the Germans didn't do any better when they invaded the Soviets in 1941. But the modern Germans don't deny it, are willing to hold war crime trials and pay reparations for them, and more to the point it does not give the Soviets a blank check to do the same in return.

Two wrongs do not make a right.