Red Germany: Darkness over Europe

1924
Munich

Erich Witzleben, citizen of leisure, was on vacation in beautiful Bavaria, all expenses paid by the KDP. Or so he mused to himself, and to his friend Gerhard Danziger, whom he had met at the beer hall in Berlin.

"Yeah, a real taste of worker's utopia, courtesy of the party, eh, Erich?" Both men laughed. Red Brigades duty in Munich was dead serious, as this was Strasser's heartland. The two men were marching in formation with hundreds of other Redshirts, a Red Sea that would part for no one.

"Alright, men!" called the company leader. "We've got a real special target today, a Strasserite named Joseph Goebbels. He's the NSDAP's Chief Propaganda Officer, a real motivational speaker, they say. Let's see just what he motivates us to do today!" The Redshirts roared with laughter. Most members of the Brigade were fanatically loyal to the KDP's own Propaganda Officer, Adolf Hitler.

"You know, Gerhard, I just don't see how this really helps our cause electorally. Bruening is ruling Chancellor for the so called Democratic Unity government, a SDP-Zentrum coalition, with the Social Dems on top. Wouldn't it make more sense for us to target one of them?"

"I don't know exactly, Erich, but think about this. If we keep pummeling the Nazis, it, looks like we view the Nazis as the main opponent, which makes more voters see the Nazis and the Reds as the major parties. Remember, we're the outsiders in German politics. We thrive in chaos."

On that fitting note, the Red Brigade company rounded a corner and faced a posturing politician ranting before an army in Nazi brown. "Get 'em, boys!" the commander shouted. A few minutes later Erich was fist deep in Strasserites. The Brownshirts, caught by surprise, wavered and broke. Erich was in the Redshirt vanguard that leaped on stage and forced Goebbels to make a hasty, undignified exit. Suddenly, a noise to his rear made him spin around. the Redshirts were in another fistfight, this time by a mob in field gray.

"Scheiss!" exclaimed Gerhard. "It's the Munich police."

"And look." cried Erich, "the Brownshorts are back for more." The Nazi thugs driven on by Goebbels, were approaching the mob from behind.

The commander looked forward, than back, and made a tactical decision. "Retreat!" he called. "Let's get out of here."

The Reds got back into fighting formation and made their way bag into the alleys where the Nazis would be hard pressed to pursue. Goebbels had set up an impromptu podium on the porch of a restaurant and was ridiculing the weakness of the "judeoBolsheviks'" fighting spirit.

"Looks like we lost this one, eh, Gerhard?"

"YEs and no, Erich. We didn't interrupt the rally, but we know who's who and what's what now." Danziger smiled darkly. "The mayor of Munich is now a legitimate target."

Poster with Icelandic flag and unpronounceable user name: Commie thugs try to break up a Nazi rally. Nazis are beaten and nearly driven home, when the police show up and intervene on the side of the Nazis, driving the commies off. The post allowed me to feature my new character Erich Witzleben again, and let me sneak in a bit of current coalition politics.

Educational Interlude: Alternate German Politics

Just to keep track, in case anyone is confused, this is how German politics works right now.

The presidency is in the hands of Hindenburg, as it was historically. The old war hero is increasingly senile. Historically his weakness allowed Hitler to consolidate his power.

The Reichstag is the German parliament. a majority of Reichstag members can form a government headed by the largest member. The president typically asks the largest party to form a govt, and if they find it impossible, moves on to thesecond largest, etc. Currently the Social Democrats and Zentrum, both pro-Democratic/Weimar, have a coalition govt in place, under the SDP Chancellor Bruening. Historically, in the '33 election, the Nazis were the largest party, followed by the communists. One or the other would have to lead the government, and the Nazis were seen as more palatable and in line with German traditions. It was not then fully reralized how radical and ideological the Nazis were.

Parties:

The KPD (Communist Party of Germany), our protaganists. The most removed from their historical counterparts, who were Leninist, later Stalinist, and strictly followed Moscow's line. If you don't know what the KPD stands for in this AAR, you haven't been reading.

The SDP (Social Democratic Party), precursors of today's Social Democrats. Left wing democrats, seen as in line with German tradition (they've been around for decades).

Zentrum, acronym Z, the Catholic Center Party. Precursors of today's CDU (which was founded by Konrad Adenauer after the war). Fairly conservative, but most of its members are pro-democracy. But not all.

The DNVP, led by publisher Alfred Hugenberg, a right wing nationalist who is definitely not strictly democratic. But he is also very clearly not a Nazi. Historically his party was eventually absorbed by the NSDAP. Here they are weaker, so Hugenberg has a sizable electoral bloc and is an important power player in German poitics.

The NSDAP, National Socialist German Worker's Party, commonly called Nazis. One of Hitler's early rivals, Gregor Strasser, leads the party. The other, Ernst Roehm, controls their thugs. Goebbels has also been mentioned as the Nazis' propaganda officer. Somewhat recognizable as the Nazis we know and hate, they are not as powerful as the Nazis of real life.

Bith the KPD and NSDAP heavily engage in thug warfare. In fact, each party has more armed thugs than are in Weimar's very limited official army. The DNVP also engages in thuggery to a somewhat more limited extent. This was true historically as well.

The SA (basically the army), the Imperial Guards, and sometimes the police are loyal to the state and are often very conservative (not at all Nazi, but like "we wish it was still 1913" conservative). Howver police often respond to local politics, as in my last post, in which the Munich city government appears to have backed the Nazis. Historically, most of these forces were gutted in the Night of the Long Knives (1934) by the Nazis.

Currently, major electoral issues are rampant inflation, the Franco-Belgian military occupation of the Rhineland, Germany's humiliation in accepting responsibility for the Great War and limited forces and territorial boundaries. The situation is bleak for the ordinary German, and, politically, just about anything could happen.

Hope this is helpful.

I've nevr had a thread make three pages before. Yay!

How do I add a link to this AAR to my sig? Help appreciated, thanks.

1925
Berlin
KPD Central Committe Meeting

"Locarno." In Thalmann's voice it was a dull, lifeless sound, a funeral dirge.

"Locarno." In Walther Ulbricht's mouth the picturesque Swiss town was a vile curse word.

"Locarno". In Hitler's strident tones Locarno was one event among many, nothing more; and a call to action. "We can't sit here moaning about it. We've got to decide how to capitalize on it."

"I thought you were a communist, Adolf." Clara Zetkin might have been joking. Then again, she might not have been.

"Regardless, comrade Adolf is right. Unless we move quickly, this benefits Hindenburg." Thalmann had come to play the role of a middleman for the rival wings of the party, the Hitlerites and the Stalinists. The Brigades and the party at large, and even the German people, loved Hitler. The Old Guard was becoming older, more guarded, and less important, rapidly.

"I disagree, Ernst. Hindenburg benefits regardless. We've just got to benefit from THAT fact." Leibowitz had been finagled onto the committe by an increasingly powerful Hitler, and was the driving intellectual force for Hitler's ideology.

Clara's cold, emotionless voice cut through the atmosphere like a knife. "We will start with the facts." There were murmers of approval. "Hindenburg's new document halts some of the grosser war indemnities, and calls for the Franco-Belgian occupiers to exit the Rhineland, although it is to remain, and is affirmed as, an official demilitarized zone. Germany also swears her peaceful intent towards the nations of Europe."

Hitler pounded on the table. "A new Versailles, as bad as the old, but coated in candy rather than lead. Oh, the inflation will lessen, at least for a time. and the damn Galls will be off our soil. But it keeps us as shackled as ever. Does any here doubt the British and French, and the Russians too, even the Italians will continue to view us as a second-rate power in Europe?"

"Ulbricht shook his head. "That goes without saying, sadly. Although our Soviet comrades, of course, do not concern themselves with realpolitik or balance of power."

"Ha!" Hitler snorted. "Ridiculous. What is important is that the treaty benefits Hindenburg and his stooges, the SDP and Zentrum, who are in turn stooges of Gregor Strasser."

Yankel nodded. "Benefits him in general, certainly. So I suggest we leave him alone."

The old guard looked shocked. Thalmann's face darkened, and he asked, in a dangerous tone, "Do you mean then we turn agsinst the Revolution?"

"I suggest we don't leave it to chance," Hitler pronounced, adiing silently, you old fool. "We must play politics, as the Soviets, of course, do all the time, internally and externally. Hindenburg will be strong and popular noe. The right wing capiatalists, especially Zentrum and the DNVP, will flourish, while the NSDAP will decline somewhat. As would we as well. But this will be our chance to hit the SDP, hard; to prove ourselves the only true proletarian party, which opposes capitalist excesses. Bruening was chancellor when this treaty for worker's exploitation was signed. So the credit will go to Hindenburg, the blame to Bruening,..."

"and the tablescraps to us. So much for your high ideals." Ulbricht sneered. "You politic like a Frenchman."

"The French should be so lucky," Leibowitz said, grinning in such a way Ulbricht would have hit him were he not a cripple. He considered doing so anyway.

"Gentlemen, we forget ourselves. We are all communists, after all." Thalmann tried to restore order. Walther mouthed, are we? Yankel mouthed back, good question.

"To hit the SDP while capitalists profit is hard for us, even for the party's good." Thalmann sighed. "Many of us were the SDP's comrades before the PArty broke off a few years back. You newcomers would not understand."

"Indeed, we understand more than you do." Now Hitler stared at him with the same dark, hypnotic intensity that, in his writing, his speaking, and his presence, had made him so famous and powerful. "Perhaps the time has come for new ideas, or rather, the old ideas of Marz, made applicable to our era, to cast aside the Slavic rubbish you've been spoonfeeding us."

Yankel Leibowitz's hand shot into the air. "I nominate Hitler for Party Chair."

"Second," Hitler growled, staring right at Thalmann.

"I stand by Ernst!," shouted Ulbricht, leaping fouriously from his chair. "As do I", procalimed Zetkin.

Thalmann blanched. his eyes never left Hitler's face. "The time has come for me to step aside for comrade Adolf. Lead the Revolution, Hitler, within our lifetime."

Leibowitz felt as if he were back in the synagogue of his youth, and was to respond to the Rabbi's prayer for the rebuilding of Jerusalem, bimhera beyamenu, speedily and in our days, with a omayn. Of course, in shul, the Messiah had nevr come. Here...

"Now, back to the serious business at hand." The old guard, beaten as a Christmas puppy in May, followed Hitler blindly like Samson without eyes. Of course, Samson proved plenty dangerous without eyes. They would bear keeping an eye on. But still. Hitler was party leader. A new day was here. A little voice in the back of Yankel's head whispered, "Today, the KPD. Tomorrow, Germany. After that? Who wnows!?"

1926
Berlin

Walther Ulbricht walked along the banks of the Landwehrkanal, with his trusted secretary of many years. Walther was planning on drastic action.

"You know, Ludwig," he began, "we must do something, ANYTHING, to stop this Nazi in a Red's clothing."

"Indeed, comrade Walther. He gains in power daily."

"The time to move would have been years ago." Walther looked out across the water and sighed. "So many friends gone, so many dreams stripped away from us." He turned his head so Ludwig would not see the tear trickling down his cheek.

"At least the KPD's power is growing," suggested Ludwig.

"Yes, in the 1927 elections the SDP will probably be whipped pretty badly, from the left and the right. But what will take its place? Something even worse?" Walther's face darkened then. "Poor Ernst... he never would listen to me about Hitler's depravity. And now... beaten to death by Brownshirts. Only some say, that brown had a reddish hue."

Ludwig nodded. "They do say that, Walther."

"And Clara, living in self imposed exile in Mexico, having a sordid love affair with Leon Trotsky." Walther chuckled. "Who would have thought it. Clara! But when all ones hopes are crushed, one is liable to do anything."

"And when one's despair is lifted, his hope can drive him to do things to." There was something dangerous in Ludwig's tone, but Walther was unhinged enough not to notice it.

"That's true, Ludwig. Marx himself based much on the hope we realize when we lose our crushing despair."

"Good, Walther. Then you will understand THIS." Ludwig's fist caught Walther in the chin. Walther was unconscious before he fell into the canal and sank into it's depths.