Carl Gelb
Berlin, Germany
Your wargames not only highlight the Wehrmacht's strengths, but also their weaknesses. In simulations ranging from open warfare to city fighting, German High Command sees what they have to work with in case of a war. And while the German soldier is well-trained and equipped, there is clearly room for improvement in these forces.
During the wargames, a young officer comes to your attention. Colonel Rudi Jaeger is an infantry officer and his tactics and command have made his forces highly effective in all fields of battle. As such, he is recruited into your services to help develop new warfare doctrines for the rest of the Germany military.
Interestingly, Himmler's SS troops are nowhere to be found despite them being a military arm in their own right.
I was with the others, watching the military exercises. It's one thing to read about the blitzkrieg (they don't actually call it that here though), and another to see it in action. Along the way, we found an officer who we could work with in developing their way of warfare. No, he's not Rommel or Guderian, but he looks like he knows what he's doing. I don't know if he is an avid Nazi or not though.
Meanwhile, the Waffen-SS troops were nowhere to be found. Figures. They have their own agenda, after all.
The following factions are present inside Hitler's government.
-Old Guard: Made up of former Prussian and German nobility, these represent the last actually humane members of the military, honorable but bound by that same honor to follow Hitler.
-The SS: The SS under Himmler are Hitler's private army, used for the tasks Hitler cannot trust to the Wehrmacht. Only the most loyal and fanatical soldiers and politicians are part of the SS, and Himmler's own occult dreams mean he speaks to Hitler about expeditions to find artifacts like the Holy Grail or Spear Of Destiny.
-Blutkreuz: Blutkruez or Blood Cross are made up of people that frankly you are inclined to lump under 'bizarre', simply because these are the kind of occultists, alienists and spiritualists that apparently Himmler decided not to accept into his little club. Blutkruez is lead by Baron Leopold Wolfgang Von Thaler, old Prussian nobility who is fanatical about the mythical Vrill, stating that they were not spiritual beings but hyper-advanced aliens who blessed humanity with their gifts.
Somehow, this is looking even more insane than the history you knew of.
Okay, the relatively honorable Old Guard nobles and the evil SS people were somewhat expected, but the Blutkruez, now that one throws a curveball into things. I never thought they would that inclined into, well, pseudoscientific things. Occult stuff? Aliens? Really?
Are they going to look for the Ark of the Covenant or the Tesseract or something?
Unfortunately, there is no material that is suitable for usage as a bullet-resistant, let alone bullet-proof material that is currently available.
So much for that idea. I guess the required materials would have to be developed first.
The Tiger is presented to Hitler and in field trials impresses the Chancellor and Army High Command. The new tank, with it's massive 88mm gun, thick armour and impressive road and rough-terrain speed and agility, is quickly approved for production and you are rewarded a personal commendation and the first of a newly instituted medal; The National Service Award.
You return to the office with a shining silver medal neatly pinned to your chest.
The Chancellor (he's not the Fuhrer yet) asked for a heavy tank, and what came to mind was the Soviet IS-2, a fast breakthrough tank. Might as well get to it, I guess. The military could use a reliable heavy tank to help out in the upcoming war. To this end, I commissioned a design, incorporating late-war design elements, resulting to something which, in short, might as well be a modified Panther. Since it uses that 8.8 cm gun and is designated as a heavy tank, I named it after the legendary Panzer VI Tiger. It could be the main battle tank of the army later on.
...
Okay, reading about Nazi Germany and watching TV documentaries about World War 2 are one thing. Meeting the man himself, the one at the center of many evils during his regime, is another story entirely. Sure, on the outside, I was calm and professional like Carl Gelb would be, but on the inside, I was internally screaming.
At least the prototype Tiger didn't disappoint. It should be able to live up to the reputation of the historical one without being plagued by the same issues. I even ended up getting a medal for it, something to do with "doing a great service to the German people". Hitler's approval, however, secretly fills me with shame.
-The SS and Heer are at odds with one another about counter-intelligence operations.
-Blutkruez has meeting in secret with various individuals ranging from Jewish scholars and American businessmen to even Draka.
-The Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine are in conflict over the status of carriers and the planes they carry. The Luftwaffe wants carrier pilots to be Luftwaffe trained while the Kriegsmarine wants it's own air arm.
For the first one, it's not that surprising. The Wehrmacht and the SS tend to be rivals anyway.
For the second one, it's a surprise to me that the Blood Cross people meet with Jewish scholars. How long will that last, however, before they ostracize them and commit crimes against them like the Nazis?
For the third one, it's kinda like the one between the modern day US Navy and Air Force, I think. They're not so clear either on who commands the carrier aircraft.
-The United States has unveiled the world's first hand-held fully-automatic rifle. The M1 'Victory' Automatic Rifle is a revolutionary compact weapon firing the .30-06 cartridge with a massive 30-round magazine. Already, other nations have noticed this new weapon which promises to give every soldier the firepower of a machinegun with the range of a bolt-action rifle.
-President Von Hindenburg of German has fallen ill. Chancellor Hitler has declared a moment of prayer for the venerable statesman.
-Drakan brutalities against the native peoples of the Middle East and China continue, but the natives are fighting back, somehow managing to acquire weaponry from unknown sources.
-Nikola Tesla has at long last proven his theories of wireless electricity, beaming an electrical signal from London to Paris, lighting a display on the Eiffel Tower. Many nations are showing their interest in this new way to power cities and homes.
-With the improvements to modern petroleum engines, Autosteamers, particularly Drakan models, are beginning to fall out of favor. This could have negative impacts on the Drakan economy.
-A mysterious explosion destroyed over a mile of wilderness in Alaska. The explosion site has been completely cordoned off by the United States Army.
Outside Scientific Discoveries:
-Germany has linked smoking to lung cancer and a number of other distressing and gruesome maladies.
Internal Scientific Discoveries:
-VK has been discovered to possess highly energetic and malleable properties, able to be used as anything from a propellant for bullets to a powerful explosive and even an energy source. It could revolutionize not just explosives and propellants, but high-energy physics, chemistry, metallurgy and more.
The US came up with a battle rifle already? That was fast! We'll need to invent the assault rifle like the historical Sturmgewehr 44 to catch up. Most infantry combat is at relatively close range after all.
Oh dear, the president (I thought there was only the chancellor) isn't feeling well. What if he's the only check to Hitler's power?
And then, there's this faction not present in history, called the Draka, and they're just as evil as the Nazis and the Imperial Japanese. That's not good at all.
Did somebody say wireless electricity? That's still a topic of research even in the modern day world. I can't believe Tesla made it work this time. That would be heaven-sent in terms of infrastructure and power supply for Germany.
...And I'm not sure how steam engines still persist up to now. Aren't internal combustion engines better in every way?
What's this, a mile-wide explosion? That's really big. Was it a meteorite impact like at Tunguska... or is it actually the result of a nuclear bomb? Technology progresses quickly here, so the Manhattan Project could have been fast-tracked. We better find out.
Now I'm seeing banners with the phrase "Government warning: Cigarette smoking is dangerous to your health." Well, I'm not a fan of smoking in the first place. Getting lung cancer isn't in my life plans.
In other news, I can't believe the Blood Cross managed to find a crashed alien ship. An actual UFO! And it's no conspiracy theory at all. It actually exists! Mind. Blown.
...
They found some sort of yellow crystal that spreads, which sounds like Tiberium, and from their reports, it sounds like a wonder-material, with the potential to revolutionize our technology. What is this, our version of Eezo?
-The Soviet Union has massively expanded their defenses along the Draka-Soviet Border. Many are wondering if the Soviets are expecting an escalation of border skirmishes with the Drakan forces.
-Our forces have recently in engaged in internal wargames in defiance of the Versailles Treaty. Chancellor Hitler has declared the wargames are an exercise in defending the German people from outside aggression, and that Germany will not start any conflicts like the Great War again.
-Imperial Japan has continued to creep down to British Malaya, leading many to believe the Rising Sun intends to poach Britain's colonial interests.
Draka versus Soviets. Who would win? I don't know. Depends if General Winter will cooperate or not, I guess.
Whoops, forgot about the Treaty of Versailles. At least a good excuse was found, though the part about not starting any conflicts like the Great War, I find dramatically ironic. The Great War is also known as World War One, and World War Two was sparked when Poland was invaded by Germany. The irony, Hitler. The irony.
Meanwhile, it appears that Japan is already on the move. I won't be able to do anything about them eventually invading the Philippines though...
Political Directives:
-The Fuhrer desires some manner of weapon that uses VK.
-The Fuhrer wants intelligence out of the United States and Russia.
Internal Troubles:
-Von Hindenburg has fallen ill. The Fuhrer does not want him to live.
-The SS Special Projects Division is investigating a remote castle called Wolfenstein.
The chancellor doesn't want the president to live? Sounds like he's aiming to remove that check to his power, and be a dictator. Figures.
Wolfenstein? That sounds like something out of fiction. I don't know the significance of that though.
--The Draka appear to be preparing for a major military offensive into Japan. It is expected to be launched in May.
The Draka seem to be aggressive today. We'll have to prepare in case they decide to move in on Germany.
[x] Social: Germany imports a lot of things, primarily tungsten, rubber and oil. One country which could provide all three is the Netherlands. Have some representatives go there and set up diplomatic relations and trade agreements.
[x] Research: Work with Colonel Jaeger to improve the current warfare doctrine such that it is capable of guerilla warfare. In other words, aside from being able to employ conventional maneuver warfare, they are capable of dispersing into pockets of highly flexible and mobile units, hitting and running, ambushing, sabotaging and hiding, harrying and disrupting enemy forces, poking holes in their defenses, making them bleed, and disrupting their lines and logistics, conserving friendly forces and reducing the enemy's ability to fight. Their use of mission-type tactics (which they are already good at) would help in this regard. It's not a "one or the other" thing either; the guerilla units could work together with the conventional units to crush the enemies before them.
[x] Design: Schützenpanzer I Puma: We need to mechanize the infantry, for them to be able to keep up with the panzers. Horses are simply not enough these days. To this end, an infantry fighting vehicle named the Puma will be designed. Using the chassis and many components from the Tiger, this tracked armored vehicle transports infantry and fights alongside them, supporting the panzers in the field. It has a similar shape to the Tiger, but has thinner armor, at 33 mm all around, as well as a taller hull. It is armed with a turreted 2 cm autocannon, a coaxial machine gun, and a roof-mounted Panzerknacker, and carries a radio. It uses a front-mounted turbocharged 700 hp diesel engine and a 6-speed transmission and employs both side skirts and turret spaced armor. It is capable of neutral steering, carries a crew of three (driver, gunner, commander), and can transport up to six passengers, allowing them to enter and exit via the rear doors. It is lighter than the Tiger, is easy to produce, maintain and repair, and can maintain formation with the Tiger.
[x] Production: Support the construction of the Biofuel Plants. We refuse to run out of fuel in the middle of battle.
[x] Military: Support Mr. Sudkreuz's (
@whydoyoubother's) efforts to move all the materiel from Antartica to Germany. Those findings are not to be stolen by anyone else.
[x] Covert: There's a lack of intel on the Allies and the Soviets. Send spies to rectify this issue. We need to know their plans, new technology and equipment, news, politics, movements, important locations, among others. Oh, and have them investigate that explosion in Alaska. Who knows what caused that? It could have been a meteorite... or a bomb.
